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

Phill Simon and his family were sleeping in their Glen Park home when the screech of tornado alerts going off on their phones woke them up. —Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 14 Dec. 2024

When the Chiefs shank an easy field goal in the closing seconds, the ball goes off the upright and through the goal posts anyway. —Michael Salfino, The Athletic, 12 Dec. 2024

Sometimes, the lights never go off, or there aren’t any mattresses, or the facilities are just too loud. —Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024

After hitting the ice, Weatherman's vehicle went off the road, landed sideways and wrapped around a tree, per the outlet. —Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 6 Dec. 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