come off

verb

came off; come off; coming off; comes off

intransitive verb

1

a

: to acquit oneself : fare

came off well in the contest

b

: appear, seem

2

: succeed

a television series that never came off

—TV Guide

3

: happen, occur

4

US, informal

—used in phrases like where do you come off? to express anger or annoyance at what someone has said or done

Marie was bent over the table now, reading, her piping girlish voice hot with indignation. "Where does she come off, anyway?"

—T. Coraghessan Boyle

transitive verb

1

: to have recently completed or recovered from

coming off a good year

2

: to have recently stopped using (an illegal drug)

an addict who is coming off heroin

Synonyms

• be
• befall
• betide
• chance
• come
• come about
• come down
• cook
• do
• go down [slang]
• go on
• hap
• happen
• occur
• pass
• transpire

Examples of come off in a Sentence

couldn't believe that the wedding would actually come off—they've been “just dating” for years

the attempted revival of the city's downtown never really came off, and even more stores eventually closed

Recent Examples on the Web

An Emmy and two-time Tony award nominee who gained recognition for his breakout role in Straight Outta Compton, Hawkins is coming off roles in Warners’ The Color Purple and Uni’s Last Voyage of the Demeter. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024

Miller is coming off a brutally one-sided loss to Bobby Green. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

The Cowboys, meanwhile, are coming off their bye at 3-3 and in need of some good vibes. —Ben Morse, CNN, 27 Oct. 2024

Alabama, coming off its first ever trip to the Final Four, will open at No. 2, finishing just one poll point ahead of two-time defending national champion Connecticut. —Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a