to go off
451
3.2
- phrasal verb
- /ɡoʊ ɔf/
:
sonar
- When the fryer timer goes off, take the fries out.
- an alarm goes off
- a timer goes off
- a bomb goes off
The fire alarm went off by itself.
- The fire alarm went off by itself.
- OK, so if this box goes off, it will play this sound.
- Imagine multiple nuclear bombs going off in different places.
- But as soon as that siren goes off, we respond.
- And when the gun goes off, I'm going to start running.
- Like there's bombs exploding, guns going off, grenades, all sorts of stuff.
- Had your sleep slept great till my alarm went off in the middle of the night.
- Your fight or flight goes, oh, the, the sensors go off pretty fast.
Examples
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And when that bomb went off, we didn't stop that one.
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And then the fire alarm went off, so everyone went outside.
-
OK, so if this box goes off, it will play this sound.
-
When that signal went off, I nearly fell off my chair.
-
The fire alarm went off by itself.
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If the bomb goes off now, I am happy with these last words.
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The alarm just went off, so let's see.
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And when the gun goes off, I'm going to start running.
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But as soon as that siren goes off, we respond.
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Every morning, the alarm clock goes off at 6:30, waking me up with its loud sound.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To shoot a gun at a target
579
2.8
To burst suddenly and violently, making a loud noise and flying pieces
534
2.7
To cause something to explode violently
192
6.5
Cause something like a bomb or firework to explode suddenly and violently
90
3.2
To make a short sharp sound, for example when a balloon bursts
26
3.6
To make a loud clear sound that people can hear far away
16
5.8
Fire a gun or other weapon
1
5.5
To begin to play music or make a sound to mark a start
Antonyms
How Explosive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to stop running/operate' is directly derivable from combining 'go' (indicating a change of state) with 'off' (indicating not operating or inactive); this yields a predictable change-of-state meaning for devices or lights. While 'go off' has other senses in different contexts (e.g., explode, ring), in the context of machines or lights the composition is transparent and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Go off for alarms, guns, or bombs comes from the image of something suddenly firing or exploding and making a loud noise. When a gun or alarm 'goes off' it makes that noise, so go off means 'to be activated' or 'to explode'.