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to come off

to come off

63 4.1
Happen as planned and go well
  • phrasal verb
  • /kʌm ɔf/
translation icon : celebrarse
  • Whoa, wasn't expecting that to come off so easy right here.
  • come off without a hitch
  • come off well
  • going to come off

OK, and it comes off very arrogant as well.

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Examples

  • The event came off without a hitch, and everyone had a great time.

  • Capcom was determined for this to come off as a major motion picture, as a star studded picture.

  • Excellent, yes, really happy with how that came off Brilliant.

  • And it was received in exactly the way it came off, which is this.

  • The party will come off as scheduled.

  • The dress rehearsal came off beautifully, everybody was excited about it.

  • That didn't come off so well.

  • We'll keep it secret until we're ready to release, in case it doesn't come off.

  • I mean, I know it's probably just a terrible folly, but, still, I can't help sometimes imagining that this crazy enterprise might just come off.

  • In the end, you'll come off as a cool girl who's rational but unwilling to be walked on.

    Fiction book (2000)

Synonyms

to go over
vsto come off
120 3.3

To make people like or dislike an idea

describe how something happens not how others perceive or react
to go off
vsto come off
  • Informal
97 3.4

Happen in a smooth, successful way, especially at events

happen in general rather than only in events or performances
to go as expected
vsto come off
1 2.3

Happen in the planned way

has identical meaning but uses different wording for the same sense

Antonyms

898 1.0

Not succeed in doing something you wanted to do

495 2.4

To fail or happen in a bad way

How Successful

to triumph
60 3.4
to succeed
846 2.0
to come off
63 4.1
to go wrong
495 2.4

Surface Forms

come off infinitive
coming off present participle
comes off third person singular
came off past
come off past participle

Morphology

come + off

Although the literal meanings of 'come' (move/arrive) and 'off' (away/from) give a loose metaphorical basis that could suggest something 'coming into being' or 'coming away' — allowing a learner to guess a meaning like 'happen' — the specific sense 'to happen or take place (especially successfully/as planned)' is an extended, partly idiomatic use of the particle. The relation is therefore only partly predictable from the parts and requires some exposure, so it is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Come off: One popular story says the phrase come off comes from shows and events — when a planned show comes off, it actually happens and goes well. That's why it means 'to happen or be successful'.