go off

verb

went off; gone off; going off; goes off
Synonyms of go offnext

intransitive verb

1
a
b
of a gun : shoot sense 1
2
: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily
3
: to go forth, out, or away : leave
went off to join the army
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
7
: to stop working
All the lights suddenly went off.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Yet the siren that calls smokejumpers to a fire, triggered by a small black button on the wall, had not yet gone off. M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 Drain the corn into a large colander set in the sink when the timer goes off. Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2026 Tourists come here, disconnect themselves, go off into one little corner and think that’s the country. Josh Rivera, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Tadej Pogačar continued his impressive run at the Spanish Vuelta on Thursday, winning the sixth stage after going off track and nearly crashing on a quick descent. ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for go off

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of go off was in 1560

Cite this Entry

“Go off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20off. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

go off

verb
1
2
: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily
3
: to take place : proceed
the dance went off as planned
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster