to take off
- phrasal verb
- /teɪk ɔf/
- So I'm going to use some powder and take off a lot of this excess shine.
- take off points
And once it is too much, just take some off and that.
- And once it is too much, just take some off and that.
- And they they, they took off a star for that.
Examples
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To calculate the final price, please take off 10% from the total amount.
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The mechanic said he could take off the cost of the repairs from my bill.
-
Add a little, take a little off, find the sweet spot.
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OK, well, we got to take this off and I will be right back.
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I think we have to take off the front.
-
Ah, we are going to take some off.
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Headquarters called to take two off.
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So I need to just take off the shield here.
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You got money, we'd be happy to take it off you.
-
Lilly, making up her mind, crosses to the picture and takes it off the wall.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
Take an amount from a total, usually money
To take one number away from another
To take an amount away from a total
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
take + off
The sense 'to become successful or popular' is a metaphorical extension of the literal 'take' + 'off' idea of departing or launching (as with a plane or a product), so there is a recognizable link to the constituent meanings. However, this extended, idiomatic sense is not fully predictable from the parts for an average B1 learner without prior exposure, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Take off in money or totals comes from the idea of removing an amount from a pile or bill. If you take $5 off the total, you have 'taken off' that amount, so it means 'to subtract' an amount.