off

1 adverb, adjective (not before noun)

1 away or from where something is: Travis got into his car and drove off. | Suddenly they turned off and parked in a side road. | be off (=to leave): We're off now. Thanks for the meal! | be off to (=to go to a particular place): They're off to Jamaica for a hard-earned vacation.

2 out of a bus, train, car etc: I'll get off at the next stop.

3 removed; no longer connected or fastened to something: Can anyone get the lid off? | Take off your shoes. | Waxing the table is a really good way of keeping the dust off.

4 a machine, piece of equipment etc that is off is not working or operating: Will someone switch the radio off?

—opposite on 2 (6)

5 not at work, school etc because you are ill or on holiday: You look tired. Why don't you take tomorrow off? | day/afternoon etc off: I'm entitled to 25 days off a year. | be off (=to be absent): Mary is off with the flu today.

6 be/go off

a) especially BrE food that is off is beginning to decay: Ugh! This milk is off.

b) be off not be available to be eaten in a restaurant: The fish is off today, sir.

7

a) 4 kilometres/3 days' walk etc off a particular distance away: The hostel is at least two more miles off.

b) 4 hours/10 years etc off a particular amount of time away in the future: The game is only two days off and our top player has been injured.

8 a particular amount of money off is how much the price has been reduced by: If you buy more than ten, they knock 10% off.

9 BrE behaviour that is off is rude or not what is expected: I thought it was a little off when he said he wished he'd never been invited. | Look, I know when someone's being off with me. OK?

10 an arranged event that is off will no longer happen: The wedding's off!

—compare on 2 (8) 11

a) be badly/well off to be poor or rich: They have to be fairly well off to have that big a house.

b) be badly/well off for sth informal to have a small amount or large amount of something: The school's fairly well off for books these days. | how are you off for sth?: How are you off for jeans? (=do you have enough pairs of jeans?)

12 be better off especially spoken to be in a situation where you would gain more advantage: be better off with: I always said she was better off with a boyfriend of her own age. | be better off doing sth: You'd be better off resigning and working part time.

13 off and on also on and off for short periods but not regularly, over a long period of time: We've been going out together for five years, off and on.

14 right off/straight off especially BrE informal immediately

15 not on the stage but still able to be heard in the theatre; offstage (1): noises off

2 preposition

1 not on something or not touching something: Keep off the grass. | Get off your backside and start digging. | I hope your dirty feet are off my clean floor.

—opposite on 1 (1)

2 away from a particular person or thing: Once we were off the main freeway the trip felt more like a vacation. | The referee ordered three players off the field.

3 taken from someone or something: Tom borrowed -500 off his sister. | I got this necklace off a woman outside the market. | What do you plan to live off while you're studying?

4 out of a bus, train, car etc: Both robbers jumped off the train while it was still moving.

5 no longer held or supported by a particular thing: Take your coat off the hook. | Suddenly the trophy fell off the platform.

6 no longer connected or fastened to something; removed: A button has come off my shirt. | Cut about an inch off my bangs please.

7

a) at a particular distance from something; removed: My house is about 50 yards off Main Street.

b) in the sea but near the land: an island off the coast of France | The ship began to sink 50 miles off Portsmouth.

8 if one room is off another, you get to the second room by passing through the first: Off the main bedroom was a beautiful en suite bathroom.

9 informal not in a particular building, area etc: Smoking is only allowed off the hospital premises.

10

a) no longer interested in something: Toby's been off his food for a few days. | go right off BrE: I've gone right off her books.

b) no longer taking something such as medicine: The operation was a success, and she's off the morphine.

11 off the top of your head if you say something off the top of your head, you are guessing

3 adjective (only before noun, no comparative)

1 off day/week etc a day, week etc when you are not doing something as well as you usually do: Brian never forgets the words - he must be having one of his off days.

2 off period/season etc a period or season which is not as busy as other times of the year: In the off season there's hardly anyone in the hotel at all.

3 used when talking about a pair of things such as wheels on a car, to mean the one on the right

—opposite near 2 (9b) 4 noun the off the start, especially of a race or a journey: The horses were in line, ready for the off. 5 verb (T) AmE slang to kill someone