Dictionary
off
Pronunciation: (ôf, of), [key]—
adv.
1. so as to be no longer supported or attached:
This button is about to come off.
2. so as to be no longer covering or enclosing:
to take a hat off; to take the wrapping off.
3. away from a place:
to run off; to look off toward the west.
4. away from a path, course, etc.; aside:
This road branches off to Grove City.
5. so as to be away or on one's way:
to start off early; to cast off.
6. away from what is considered normal, regular, standard, or the like:
to go off on a tangent.
7. from a charge or price:
He took 10 percent off for all cash purchases.
8. at a distance in space or future time:
to back off a few feet; Summer is only a week off.
9. out of operation or effective existence:
Turn the lights off.
10. into operation or action:
The alarm goes off at noon.
11. so as to interrupt continuity or cause discontinuance:
Negotiations have been broken off.
12. in absence from work, service, a job, etc.:
two days off at Christmas.
13. completely; utterly:
to kill off all the inhabitants.
14. with prompt or ready performance:
to dash a letter off.
15. to fulfillment, or into execution or effect:
The contest came off on the appointed day.
16. into nonexistence or nothingness:
My headache passed off soon.
17. so as to be delineated, divided, or apportioned:
Mark it off into equal parts.
18. away from a state of consciousness:
I must have dozed off.
19. Naut.away from the land, a ship, the wind, etc.
20. get it off. See
get (def. 45).
21. get off on. See
get (def. 49).
22. off and on,
a. Also,on and off.with intervals between; intermittently:
to work off and on.
b. Naut.on alternate tacks.
23. off with,
a. take away; remove:
Off with those muddy boots before you step into this kitchen!
b. cut off:
Off with his head!
—
prep.
1. so as no longer to be supported by, attached to, on, resting on, or unified with:
Take your feet off the table! Break a piece of bread off the loaf.
2. deviating from:
off balance; off course.
3. below or less than the usual or expected level or standard:
20 percent off the marked price; I was off my golf game.
4. away, disengaged, or resting from:
to be off duty on Tuesdays.
5. Informal.refraining or abstaining from; denying oneself the pleasure, company, practice, etc., of:
He's off gambling.
6. away from; apart or distant from:
a village off the main road.
7. leading into or away from:
an alley off 12th Street.
8. not fixed on or directed toward, as the gaze, eyes, etc.:
Their eyes weren't off the king for a moment.
9. Informal.from (a specified source):
I bought it off a street vendor.
10. from or of, indicating material or component parts:
to lunch off cheese and fruit.
11. from or by such means or use of:
living off an inheritance; living off his parents.
12. Naut.at some distance to seaward of:
off Cape Hatteras.
13. off of, Informal.off:
Take your feet off of the table!
—
adj.
1. in error; wrong:
You are off on that point.
2. slightly abnormal or not quite sane:
He is a little off, but he's really harmless.
3. not up to standard; not so good or satisfactory as usual; inferior or subnormal:
a good play full of off moments.
4. no longer in effect, in operation, or in process:
The agreement is off.
5. stopped from flowing, as by the closing of a valve:
The electricity is off.
6. in a specified state, circumstance, etc.:
to be badly off for money.
7. (of time) free from work or duty; nonworking:
a pastime for one's off hours.
8. not working at one's usual occupation:
We're off Wednesdays during the summer.
9. of less than the ordinary activity, liveliness, or lively interest; slack:
an off season in the tourist trade.
10. unlikely; remote; doubtful:
on the off chance that we'd find her at home.
11. more distant; farther:
the off side of a wall.
12. (of a vehicle, single animal, or pair of animals hitched side by side) of, being, or pertaining to the right as seen from the rider's or driver's viewpoint (opposed to
near):
the off horse; the off side.
13. starting on one's way; leaving:
I'm off to Europe on Monday. They're off and running in the third race at Aqueduct.
14. lower in price or value; down:
Stock prices were off this morning.
15. Naut.noting one of two like things that is the farther from the shore; seaward:
the off side of the ship.
16. Cricket.noting or pertaining to that side of the wicket or of the field opposite that on which the batsman stands.
—
n.
1. the state or fact of being off.
2. Cricket.the off side.
—
v.i.
to go off or away; leave (used imperatively):
Off, and don't come back!
—
v.t.
Slang.to kill; slay.
-off
a suffixal use of the adverb
off, forming nouns that denote competitions, esp. between the finalists of earlier competitions or as a means of deciding a tie:
cookoff; playoff; runoff. off.
1. offered.
2. office.
3. officer.
4. official.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
