Phrasal verbs combine a verb with a particle to create meanings that often differ from the original verb. The particle “off” typically indicates removal, departure, separation, or completion.
This collection of 100 phrasal verbs with “off” will enhance your English vocabulary and help you communicate more naturally.
Common phrasal verbs with “off”
Departure and separation
- Take off: To leave the ground and begin to fly; to depart quickly. “The plane took off on time despite the fog.”
- Set off: To start a journey; to cause something to explode or activate. “We set off early to avoid traffic.”
- Head off: To start going in a particular direction; to prevent something from happening. “She headed off to the library to study.”
- Go off: To leave a place; to explode; to make a sudden loud noise. “The alarm went off at 6 AM.”
- Move off: To start to leave or depart. “The protesters moved off when the police arrived.”
- Drive off: To leave in a vehicle. “They drove off without saying goodbye.”
- Wander off: To gradually walk away, often aimlessly. “The child wandered off while his parents were shopping.”
- Run off: To leave by running; to cause something to flow away. “The suspect ran off when the police approached.”
- Dash off: To leave quickly; to write something quickly. “He dashed off a quick email before the meeting.”
- Slope off: To leave quietly to avoid work or responsibility. “He sloped off early to avoid helping with the cleanup.”
Removal and disconnection
- Cut off: To disconnect or stop the supply of something; to interrupt. “The utility company cut off their electricity due to unpaid bills.”
- Break off: To separate from something by breaking; to end a relationship. “She broke off a piece of chocolate.”
- Turn off: To stop the flow of something by using a tap, switch, etc. “Don’t forget to turn off the lights when you leave.”
- Switch off: To stop a device from working by pressing a button or moving a switch. “He switched off the TV and went to bed.”
- Call off: To cancel an event or activity. “The game was called off due to bad weather.”
- Put off: To postpone; to cause someone to dislike something. “We put off the meeting until next week.”
- Take off: To remove something, especially clothing. “Take off your shoes before entering the house.”
- Brush off: To dismiss something as unimportant; to remove something by brushing. “She brushed off his criticism and continued with her plan.”
- Shake off: To get rid of something unpleasant; to free oneself from a pursuer. “I can’t seem to shake off this cold.”
- Pull off: To remove with force; to succeed in doing something difficult. “She pulled off her gloves as she entered the warm house.”
Finishing and completion
- Finish off: To complete or consume something entirely. “Let’s finish off the report before going home.”
- Polish off: To finish eating or drinking something quickly. “He polished off the entire pizza by himself.”
- Round off: To complete something in a satisfactory way. “The speaker rounded off her presentation with a summary of key points.”
- Pay off: To repay a debt completely; to have a good result. “It took them ten years to pay off their mortgage.”
- Sign off: To end a letter, email, or broadcast; to approve officially. “She signed off the email with ‘Best regards’.”
- Wrap up: To complete or finish something. “Let’s wrap up this meeting in the next five minutes.”
- Burn off: To remove by burning; to use up calories through exercise. “I need to burn off those extra calories from dinner.”
- Clear off: To remove things from a surface; to leave a place. “Clear off the table before dinner.”
- Wear off: To gradually disappear or stop having an effect. “The pain medication started to wear off after a few hours.”
- Top off: To fill something completely; to add a final element. “He topped off the gas tank before the long drive.”
Reduction and diminishing
- Cool off: To become less hot; to become calmer. “Let’s go for a swim to cool off on this hot day.”
- Die off: To become extinct or disappear gradually. “Many species are dying off due to habitat loss.”
- Drop off: To decrease; to fall asleep; to deliver someone or something. “Sales typically drop off in January after the holiday season.”
- Ease off: To reduce pressure or intensity. “The rain finally eased off in the afternoon.”
- Fall off: To become detached and drop; to decrease in quality or quantity. “Attendance has fallen off since the new policy was implemented.”
- Level off: To stop increasing or decreasing and become constant. “After rapid growth, the company’s profits have leveled off.”
- Trail off: To gradually become quieter or less distinct (often for speech). “Her voice trailed off as she became unsure of what to say.”
- Taper off: To gradually decrease or diminish. “The storm began to taper off toward evening.”
- Drift off: To gradually fall asleep. “I drifted off while watching the movie.”
- Tail off: To gradually decrease in strength or amount. “Sales tailed off toward the end of the year.”
Deviation and distraction
- Veer off: To change direction suddenly. “The car veered off the road and hit a tree.”
- Branch off: To diverge from a main route or topic. “The path branches off to the left after the bridge.”
- Go off: To diverge from a plan or topic. “The discussion went off on a tangent.”
- Put off: To distract or disturb someone’s concentration. “The noise from outside put me off my work.”
- Throw off: To cause confusion or disruption; to get rid of something unwanted. “The unexpected question threw him off during the interview.”
- Get off: To leave a path or route; to change the subject. “Let’s get off this topic and discuss something more pleasant.”
- Stray off: To wander away from a path or topic. “Try not to stray off the trail when hiking in the national park.”
- Wander off: To move away from a central topic or theme. “The speaker kept wandering off the subject.”
- Split off: To separate from a main group or path. “A small group split off from the main protest.”
- Break off: To change the subject abruptly. “She broke off from her story when she noticed the time.”
Performance and occurrence
- Pull off: To succeed in doing something difficult. “I can’t believe they pulled off such a complex project with so little time.”
- Show off: To try to impress others by displaying one’s abilities or possessions. “He was showing off his new car to his friends.”
- Set off: To cause a particular reaction. “Her remark set off a heated debate.”
- Kick off: To begin or start. “The conference kicks off with a keynote speech.”
- Touch off: To cause something to start suddenly. “The controversial decision touched off protests across the city.”
- Trigger off: To cause something to happen. “The loud noise triggered off a panic attack.”
- Come off: To happen as planned; to be removed. “The surprise party came off perfectly.”
- Carry off: To manage to do something successfully, especially something difficult. “She carried off the difficult role with impressive skill.”
- Pass off: To happen without any problems; to present something as something else. “The event passed off smoothly despite the last-minute changes.”
- Fire off: To send something quickly. “He fired off an angry email to customer service.”
Cancellation and rejection
- Write off: To cancel a debt; to consider something as a loss or failure. “The company had to write off millions in bad debt.”
- Call off: To cancel. “They called off the wedding two weeks before the date.”
- Wave off: To dismiss or reject with a hand gesture. “He waved off their concerns about the project’s timeline.”
- Brush off: To reject or dismiss. “She brushed off his apology and walked away.”
- Fend off: To defend against or resist. “The company is trying to fend off a hostile takeover.”
- Ward off: To prevent something unpleasant from affecting you. “These vitamins might help ward off colds.”
- Fight off: To resist or defeat an attacker or disease. “He’s fighting off a bad case of the flu.”
- Hold off: To delay or postpone an action or decision. “Let’s hold off on making a decision until we have more information.”
- Blow off: To ignore or reject someone or something casually. “He blew off my suggestion without even considering it.”
- Shrug off: To treat something as unimportant or not serious. “She shrugged off the criticism and continued with her work.”
Food and consumption
- Chop off: To remove by cutting. “The chef chopped off the ends of the carrots.”
- Cut off: To remove with a sharp tool. “He cut off a slice of bread.”
- Polish off: To finish eating or drinking something quickly. “The hungry children polished off the pizza in minutes.”
- Gulp off: To drink something quickly. “He gulped off his water after the long run.”
- Finish off: To eat or drink the last part of something. “Would you like to finish off the cake?”
- Slice off: To cut off a thin piece. “She sliced off a piece of cheese for the sandwich.”
- Skim off: To remove from the surface of a liquid. “Skim off the foam before serving the soup.”
- Pick off: To remove one by one. “The kids picked off all the pepperoni from the pizza.”
- Scrape off: To remove by rubbing with a hard edge. “Scrape off the burnt parts before serving the toast.”
- Lop off: To cut off, especially in a rough manner. “The gardener lopped off the dead branches.”
Balance and support
- Fall off: To lose balance and drop from a position. “He fell off his bike and scraped his knee.”
- Roll off: To move by turning over and over from a surface. “The ball rolled off the table.”
- Slip off: To slide unintentionally from a position. “The book slipped off her lap as she dozed.”
- Jump off: To leap from a height. “The children jumped off the diving board into the pool.”
- Get off: To descend from a vehicle or a high place. “We need to get off at the next stop.”
- Step off: To move one foot off a surface. “Be careful not to step off the curb without looking.”
- Climb off: To descend by using hands and feet. “The cat climbed off the tree when it saw the dog leave.”
- Knock off: To cause to fall by striking. “He accidentally knocked off the vase while cleaning.”
- Push off: To move away by pushing against something. “The boat pushed off from the dock.”
- Bounce off: To hit a surface and rebound. “The ball bounced off the wall back to her.”
Miscellaneous useful phrasal verbs
- Rip off: To steal or cheat; to overcharge. “The taxi driver ripped us off by taking a longer route.”
- Tip off: To give someone private information. “An anonymous source tipped off the police about the robbery.”
- Laugh off: To treat something as not serious by laughing about it. “He laughed off his mistake and moved on.”
- Doze off: To fall into a light sleep. “I dozed off during the boring lecture.”
- Sound off: To express opinions loudly and forcefully. “He’s always sounding off about politics on social media.”
- Make off: To leave hurriedly, especially to escape. “The thieves made off with the valuable paintings.”
- Face off: To confront or compete against. “The two teams will face off in the final match tomorrow.”
- Start off: To begin. “Let’s start off the meeting with some good news.”
- Blast off: To launch (a rocket or spacecraft). “The rocket will blast off at noon tomorrow.”
- Live off: To use something as your main source of food or income. “During college, he lived off instant noodles and coffee.”
Mastering phrasal verbs with “off” will significantly improve your English fluency and comprehension. These versatile expressions appear in everyday conversations, business settings, and various media. The best way to learn them is to practice using them in context regularly.
Remember that many phrasal verbs have multiple meanings depending on their context, so pay attention to how they’re used in different situations. With consistent practice, you’ll find yourself naturally incorporating these phrasal verbs into your English communication, making your speech and writing more authentic and expressive.
