Off means away from a place or surface, not operating or connected, cancelled, free from work or duty, or (informally) starting to move. It appears as an adverb, preposition, adjective, noun, and verb, and forms hundreds of common phrasal verbs in English.
What Does Off Mean?
Off is one of the most versatile and high-frequency words in English. It descends from Old English of, meaning simply "away from". Over time, stressed and unstressed pronunciations of the same word diverged into the two modern spellings off and of — which today have entirely different meanings.
At its core, off signals separation, removal, or distance. This basic sense fans out into many specific meanings: a light that is off is disconnected from its power source; a meeting that is off has been removed from the schedule; a day off is time taken away from work; food that has gone off has separated itself from an acceptable, edible state. Even the phrasal-verb use follows the same logic — to take off is to remove, to set off is to depart, to call off is to remove an event from existence.
Because off appears in so many phrasal verbs and fixed expressions, learning this word in chunks — rather than as an isolated item — is the most efficient approach for ESL learners.
Etymology
Old English of (unstressed: away, from) → Middle English of / off (the stressed, separated form gradually took the doubled consonant) → Early Modern English: the two spellings became fixed to two distinct words. The core sense of "away from" or "separation" has remained constant for over a thousand years.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| Please turn off the light when you leave the room. | A2 — phrasal verb; off = not operating |
| She was off sick last week but kept up with her studies online. | B1 — adjective; off = absent from work or school |
| The ferry departs from a small pier just off the main harbour. | B1 — preposition; off = a short distance from |
| The conference has been called off due to the forecasted storm. | B2 — phrasal verb; called off = cancelled |
| Years of determined practice finally paid off when she won the national competition. | C1 — phrasal verb; paid off = produced a successful result after effort |
Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| take off | remove; (of aircraft) leave the ground; become popular | The plane took off on time. |
| put off | postpone; discourage or repel | Don't put off what you can do today. |
| go off | explode; (food) spoil; (alarm) sound | The alarm went off at six. |
| set off | begin a journey; trigger | We set off at dawn to beat the traffic. |
| call off | cancel | They called off the match due to rain. |
| pay off | succeed; repay a debt in full | The hard work paid off in the end. |
| lay off | make redundant; (informal) stop doing something | The factory laid off 200 workers. |
| show off | display skills or possessions boastfully | He was clearly showing off to the crowd. |
| day off | a day free from work | She took a day off to recover. |
| well off | wealthy; in a good situation | They are quite well off after selling the business. |
Usage Notes
Off vs of: These two words are frequently confused because they sound alike in fast speech. Of shows belonging or relationship ('a piece of cake'); off indicates separation or removal ('a piece broke off'). In phrasal verbs, always use off: take off, run off, cut off.
Off of: In standard British English, 'off of' (e.g. 'off of the table') is considered redundant. Use off alone: 'She jumped off the wall.' The 'off of' construction is common in informal American English but should be avoided in formal British writing.
Food being off: In British English, food or drink that is off has spoiled and is no longer safe or pleasant: 'This milk has gone off.' American English tends to use bad or spoiled in the same situation.
Off as adjective after a verb: Off frequently appears as a predicative adjective after linking verbs — 'the deal is off', 'the heating is off', 'I'm off tomorrow'. It cannot usually be placed before a noun in this sense (*the off heating).
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
I need to take of my shoes before entering. (of is the wrong word)
I need to take off my shoes before entering. (phrasal verb: take off = remove)
She jumped off of the diving board. (redundant in British English)
She jumped off the diving board. (off alone is standard in British English)
The match is putted off until next week. (put is irregular)
The match has been put off until next week. (past participle of put is put, not putted)