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Added 9 October 2026

off

/ɒf/ adverb

adverb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about off at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

In a direction away from the speaker or other reference point.
He drove off in a cloud of smoke.
Into a state of non-operation or non-existence.
Please switch off the light when you leave.
So as to remove or separate, or be removed or separated.
He bit off the end of the carrot.

adjective

Inoperative, disabled.
All the lights are off.
Cancelled; not happening.
The party's off because the hostess is sick.
Not fitted; not being worn.
Your feet will feel better once those tight boots are off.

preposition

Not positioned upon; away from a position upon.
He's off the roof now.
Detached, separated, excluded or disconnected from; away from a position of attachment or connection to.
The phone is off the hook
Outside the area or region of.
The suspect is now believed to be off the campus.

verb

To kill.
To switch off.
Can you off the light?

Origin

From Middle English of, from Old English of, af, æf (“from, off, away”), from Proto-West Germanic *ab, from Proto-Germanic *ab (“from”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epo (“from, off, back”). Doublet of of. Cognate with Scots aff (“away, off”), Saterland Frisian oawe, ou (“from”), West Frisian ôf (“away, off”), Dutch af (“from, off”), German ab (“from, off”), German Low German, Luxembourgish of (“off”), Yiddish אָפּ (op, “off”), Danish, Icelandic af (“from, off”), Faroese, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk av (“off”), Swedish af, av (“off”), Gothic 𐌰𐍆 (af, “of, from”); and with Latin ab (“of, from, by”), Ancient Greek ἀπό (apó, “from”), and others.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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