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

El Monte neo-Nazi Joseph Tommasi once ran the whole shebang, but he’d been given the boot by the national HQ, and went off to start his own outfit. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024

The England forward sustained an injury against Liverpool following a mistimed challenge from Mac Allister and went off with 30 minutes of the 90 to play. —Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024

On March 6, 1970, when none of them were home, a bomb went off next door, killing three of the members of the Weathermen who had helped make it, destroying the house above, and destabilizing many lives. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 27 Dec. 2024

Trev promises that this will be the least he’s ever let anybody down, and the Doctor goes off to scare people throughout history by popping through portals and pretending to be delivering a room-service snack prepared by the Time Hotel kitchen (which operates 30 minutes in the future). —Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 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