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 ensemble came together — five years after their show went off the air in 2018 — to boost the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign’s Fighting for Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour that is traveling the country, with many of them sharing the day’s events on their Instagram Stories. —Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Sep. 2024

Sirens went off in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank about 60 miles south of the border with Lebanon. —Barak Ravid, Axios, 23 Sep. 2024

Mercer said the company sought to uphold NPS rules, which specifically forbid visitors from going off trail or using unsanctioned routes. —Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 19 Sep. 2024

At least one of the exploding devices on Wednesday went off in the middle of a funeral procession for several of the people killed in the previous attack, causing additional panic as people ran for safety and were asked to remove the batteries from their cellphones. —Richard Lawler, The Verge, 18 Sep. 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