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Glite Dictionary
to branch off

to branch off

4 3.3
Leave a main route, area, or topic and go in a different direction
  • phrasal verb
  • /bræntʃ ɔf/
translation icon : desviarse
  • A little road branched off to the left, and Kelso turned down it.

You know, like, first write one thing, and then when you get big, you can, like, branch off.

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Examples

  • After we acquired more confidence in our abilities, many of us branched off on our own.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The "southern route," which goes to Canelas, branches off to provide access to Topia.

    Academic text (2002)

  • We're planning to do even more as we branch off into schools as well.

  • In their junior and senior years, they branch off into more specific studies.

    Blog text (13)

  • It's about branching off on your own, staying with the group.

  • It's interesting to hear how the companies are planning on branching off their current business models.

    Blog text (1)

  • You know the spot not too far from the road that branches off to Lekki Beach?

    Fiction book (1995)

  • One large stream branched off to the right; another, smaller, veered to the left.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The southern route continues to Canelas but branches off to provide access to Topia.

    Academic text (2002)

  • From the summit, trails branch off to the east and south for more exploration.

Synonyms

to branch
vsto branch off
49 2.7

To split into two or more parts

is about leaving a main route or topic and going a different way
to fork
vsto branch off
13 4.6

To divide into two or more branches

covers separation from a main route or topic and includes single or multiway splits
to peel off
vsto branch off
3 4.1

To leave a group and move away in a different direction

applies to routes areas or topics splitting from the main line
to fork off
vsto branch off
5.9

To leave a main road and go in a different direction

also applies to separating topics as well as physical routes

Antonyms

to continue
∞ 1.0

To keep doing something without stopping

join
11 2.9

The place where two things meet and are fixed together

How Far

to break away
30 4.1
to diverge
19 6.8
to branch off
4 3.3
to turn off
30 1.8
to veer
63 4.2

Surface Forms

branch off infinitive
branched off past
branched off past participle
branching off present participle
branches off third person singular

Morphology

branch + off

The meaning is directly compositional: 'branch' (to split or diverge) combined with 'off' (away/from) yields the sense of splitting away from a main route or topic. This motion/divergence pattern is a common phrasal-verb construction and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Branch off comes from the simple picture of a tree or a road. A main path has a smaller branch that goes off to the side, so to branch off means 'to separate from a main route or topic and go in a different direction'.