go off

verb

went off; gone off; going off; goes off

intransitive verb

1

: explode

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to go forth, out, or away : leave

4

: to undergo decline or deterioration

5

: to follow the expected or desired course : proceed

the party went off well

6

: to make a characteristic noise : sound

could hear the alarm going off

Phrases

go off the deep end

1

: to enter recklessly on a course

2

: to become very much excited

Synonyms

• blow
• blow up
• burst
• crump
• detonate
• explode
• pop

Examples of go off in a Sentence

specialists were able to deactivate the bomb before it went off

the wedding went off without so much as a single glitch

Recent Examples on the Web

The fireworks went off on cue, giving the thousand or so fans who remained something for their money. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2024

Or, at least, learns not to hate artificial intelligence after a rogue robot (Simu Liu) goes off the rails and tries to end humanity. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 24 May 2024

Moments later, Purdy went off schedule to his left, spotted Trent Taylor breaking free to his right and layered a perfect pass to the receiver over the fingertips of cornerback Isaac Yiadom. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 22 May 2024

During those interruptions is when the fireworks go off. —Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 21 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

go off

verb

1

: explode sense 2b

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to take place : proceed

the dance went off as planned