off

/awf, of/, adv.

1. so as to be no longer supported or attached: This button is about to come off.

2. so as to be no longer covering or enclosing: to take a hat off; to take the wrapping off.

3. away from a place: to run off; to look off toward the west.

4. away from a path, course, etc.; aside: This road branches off to Grove City.

5. so as to be away or on one's way: to start off early; to cast off.

6. away from what is considered normal, regular, standard, or the like: to go off on a tangent.

7. from a charge or price: He took 10 percent off for all cash purchases.

8. at a distance in space or future time: to back off a few feet; Summer is only a week off.

9. out of operation or effective existence: Turn the lights off.

10. into operation or action: The alarm goes off at noon.

11. so as to interrupt continuity or cause discontinuance: Negotiations have been broken off.

12. in absence from work, service, a job, etc.: two days off at Christmas.

13. completely; utterly: to kill off all the inhabitants.

14. with prompt or ready performance: to dash a letter off.

15. to fulfillment, or into execution or effect: The contest came off on the appointed day.

16. into nonexistence or nothingness: My headache passed off soon.

17. so as to be delineated, divided, or apportioned: Mark it off into equal parts.

18. away from a state of consciousness: I must have dozed off.

19. Naut. away from the land, a ship, the wind, etc.

20. get it off. See get (def. 45).

21. get off on. See get (def. 49).

22. off and on,

a. Also, on and off. with intervals between; intermittently: to work off and on.

b. Naut. on alternate tacks.

23. off with,

a. take away; remove: Off with those muddy boots before you step into this kitchen!

b. cut off: Off with his head!

prep.

24. so as no longer to be supported by, attached to, on, resting on, or unified with: Take your feet off the table! Break a piece of bread off the loaf.

25. deviating from: off balance; off course.

26. below or less than the usual or expected level or standard: 20 percent off the marked price; I was off my golf game.

27. away, disengaged, or resting from: to be off duty on Tuesdays.

28. Informal. refraining or abstaining from; denying oneself the pleasure, company, practice, etc., of: He's off gambling.

29. away from; apart or distant from: a village off the main road.

30. leading into or away from: an alley off 12th Street.

31. not fixed on or directed toward, as the gaze, eyes, etc.: Their eyes weren't off the king for a moment.

32. Informal. from (a specified source): I bought it off a street vendor.

33. from or of, indicating material or component parts: to lunch off cheese and fruit.

34. from or by such means or use of: living off an inheritance; living off his parents.

35. Naut. at some distance to seaward of: off Cape Hatteras.

36. off of, Informal. off: Take your feet off of the table!

adj.

37. in error; wrong: You are off on that point.

38. slightly abnormal or not quite sane: He is a little off, but he's really harmless.

39. not up to standard; not so good or satisfactory as usual; inferior or subnormal: a good play full of off moments.

40. no longer in effect, in operation, or in process: The agreement is off.

41. stopped from flowing, as by the closing of a valve: The electricity is off.

42. in a specified state, circumstance, etc.: to be badly off for money.

43. (of time) free from work or duty; nonworking: a pastime for one's off hours.

44. not working at one's usual occupation: We're off Wednesdays during the summer.

45. of less than the ordinary activity, liveliness, or lively interest; slack: an off season in the tourist trade.

46. unlikely; remote; doubtful: on the off chance that we'd find her at home.

47. more distant; farther: the off side of a wall.

48. (of a vehicle, single animal, or pair of animals hitched side by side) of, being, or pertaining to the right as seen from the rider's or driver's viewpoint (opposed to near): the off horse; the off side.

49. starting on one's way; leaving: I'm off to Europe on Monday. They're off and running in the third race at Aqueduct.

50. lower in price or value; down: Stock prices were off this morning.

51. Naut. noting one of two like things that is the farther from the shore; seaward: the off side of the ship.

52. Cricket. noting or pertaining to that side of the wicket or of the field opposite that on which the batsman stands.

n.

53. the state or fact of being off.

54. Cricket. the off side.

v.i.

55. to go off or away; leave (used imperatively): Off, and don't come back!

v.t.

56. Slang. to kill; slay.

[orig. stressed var. of OF¹]

Usage. The phrasal preposition OFF OF is old in English, going back to the 16th century. Although usage guides reject it as redundant, recommending OFF without OF, the phrase is widespread in speech, including that of the educated: Let's watch as the presidential candidates come off of the rostrum and down into the audience. OFF OF is rare in edited writing except to give the flavor of speech.

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