off
Verb · Adjective · AdverbOpen English WordNet
Adverb (3)
- from a particular thing or place or position (‘forth’ is obsolete)“ran away from the lion”“wanted to get away from there”“sent the children away to boarding school”“the teacher waved the children away from the dead animal”“went off to school”“they drove off”“go forth and preach”Synonyms: awayforth
- at a distance in space or time“the boat was 5 miles off (or away)”“the party is still 2 weeks off (or away)”“away back in the 18th century”Synonyms: away
- no longer on or in contact or attached“clean off the dirt”“he shaved off his mustache”
Adjective (5)offer
- not in operation or operational“the oven is off”“the lights are off”Opposite onSimilar disconnected
- below a satisfactory level“an off year for tennis”“his performance was off”Opposite satisfactorySimilar unsatisfactory
- (of events) no longer planned or scheduled“the wedding is definitely off”Synonyms: cancelled
- in an unpalatable state“sour milk”Synonyms: sourturnedOpposite unsouredSimilar soured
- not performing or scheduled for duties“He's off every Tuesday”Opposite activeSimilar inactive
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OE. of, orig. the same word as R. of, prep., AS. of, adv. & prep. √194. See Of.
In a general sense, denoting from or away from; as:
1. Denoting distance or separation; as, the house is a mile off.
2. Denoting the action of removing or separating; separation; as, to take off the hat or cloak; to cut off, to pare off, to clip off, to peel off, to tear off, to march off, to fly off, and the like.
3. Denoting a leaving, abandonment, departure, abatement, interruption, or remission; as, the fever goes off; the pain goes off; the game is off; all bets are off.
4. Denoting a different direction; not on or towards: away; as, to look off.
5. Denoting opposition or negation. obsolete
The questions no way touch upon puritanism, either off or on.— Bp. Robert Sanderson
From off, off from; off. “A live coal... taken with the tongs from off the altar.” Is. vi. 6. — Off and on. (a) Not constantly; not regularly; now and then; occasionally. (b) Nautical On different tacks, now toward, and now away from, the land. — To be off. (a) To depart; to escape; as, he was off without a moment's warning. (b) To be abandoned, as an agreement or purpose; as, the bet was declared to be off. colloquial — To come off, To cut off, To fall off, To go off, etc. See under Come, Cut, Fall, Go, etc. — To get off. (a) To utter; to discharge; as, to get off a joke. (b) To go away; to escape; as, to get off easily from a trial. colloquial — To take off To do a take-off on, To take off, to mimic, lampoon, or impersonate. — To tell off (a) Military, to divide and practice a regiment or company in the several formations, preparatory to marching to the general parade for field exercises. Farrow, Edward S. (b) to rebuke (a person) for an improper action; to scold; to reprimand. — To be well off, to be in good condition. — To be ill off, To be badly off, to be in poor condition.
Away; begone; — a command to depart.
Not on; away from; as, to be off one's legs or off the bed; two miles off the shore. Joseph Addison
Off hand. See Offhand. — Off side (Football), out of play; — said when a player has got in front of the ball in a scrimmage, or when the ball has been last touched by one of his own side behind him. — To be off color, (a) to be of a wrong color. (b) to be mildly obscene. — To be off one's food or To be off one's feed, (colloquial) to have no appetite; to be eating less than usual.
1. On the farther side; most distant; on the side of an animal or a team farthest from the driver when he is on foot; in the United States, the right side; as, the off horse or ox in a team, in distinction from the nigh or near horse or ox; the off leg.
2. Designating a time when one is not strictly attentive to business or affairs, or is absent from his post, and, hence, a time when affairs are not urgent; as, he took an off day for fishing: an off year in politics. “In the off season.” William M. Thackeray
3. Designating a time when one's performance is below normal; as, he had an off day.
Off side. (a) The right hand side in driving; the farther side. See Gee. (b) Cricket See Off, noun
Cricket The side of the field that is on the right of the wicket keeper.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: GCIDE editors