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Glite Dictionary
😡 To get angry 🏃 To leave quickly 💀 To die 🔥 To perform greatly
to pop off

to pop off

1 9.1
To die, often said as a joke to make it seem less serious
  • phrasal verb
  • /pɑp ɔf/
  • Informal
: estirar la pata
  • I'll be a very rich man when the old fellow pops off.

I I mean, I remember his solution for someone pulling guard was just neck cranking them so hard that their head might pop off and that was the end of the match.

Examples

  • Why, it was the day poor old Alf popped off.

  • As Lennon told a reporter in 1965, "We'll either go in a plane crash or we'll be popped off by some loony."

  • I got my gun yoga because they know telling when it might pop off in this bitch.

Synonyms

to die
vsto pop off
∞ 1.0

To stop living and no longer be alive

is informal and usually used in a joking or euphemistic way
to go
vsto pop off
∞ 5.6

To stop working or start to fail

is a playful informal way to refer specifically to dying
to pass
vsto pop off
  • Formal
537 3.8

To stop living

is more casual and often used in humorous contexts
to perish
vsto pop off
  • Formal
121 6.0

To die suddenly or violently, often in large numbers

is more likely used humorously and not focused on violence
to drop dead
vsto pop off
  • Informal
52 8.4

Die suddenly, often from shock or extreme tiredness

is more lighthearted and not necessarily sudden or physical collapse
to croak
vsto pop off
  • Slang
32 9.0

To die, said in a casual or joking way

is similarly informal but usually more joking in tone
to expire
vsto pop off
  • Formal
31 8.6

To die, often used in medical or formal speech

is informal and used mostly in joking or light contexts
to exit
vsto pop off
  • Formal
10 8.6

To die

is informal and often employed for comic or euphemistic effect
to pass away
vsto pop off
8 3.8

To die peacefully in a gentle, respectful way

is informal and jokey rather than gentle or respectful
to kick the bucket
vsto pop off
  • Informal
7 8.6

To die, said in casual or joking speech

is equally informal but often sounds more playful
to buy the farm
vsto pop off
  • Slang
5 9.9

To die suddenly, often in an accident or during fighting

is more joking and not focused on sudden or accidental causes
to give up the ghost
vsto pop off
  • Informal
4 8.1

To die or stop working after a long time of problems

focuses more on joking about death rather than failure
to snuff it
vsto pop off
  • Slang
2 9.9

To stop living and not come back

is more euphemistic and less harsh in casual speech
to cash in one's chips
vsto pop off
  • Informal
9.6

To die in a light, not serious way

is used similarly but often more casual and jokey
to fall off one's perch
vsto pop off
  • UK
9.3

To die or suddenly lose an important position

is used more for joking about death rather than losing status

Antonyms

to live
∞ 1.0

To continue to be alive

Surface Forms

pop off infinitive
popped off past
popped off past participle
popping off present participle
pops off third person singular

Morphology

pop + off

Knowing 'pop' (to move or happen suddenly) gives a partial clue about suddenness or a striking action, but the slang sense 'to perform exceptionally well' is a metaphorical extension and not directly compositional from 'pop' + 'off'. The expression is informal and polysemous (other senses include 'suddenly die' or 'speak angrily'), so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would likely not reliably infer this specific meaning.

Etymology

Pop off may come from the idea of a sudden pop and then being off, like a light that goes out with a small sound. Because that shows a quick end, people use it to mean 'to die' in a light or joking way.