Phrasal Verbs with OFF: 9 Core Meanings and How It’s Used

“Off” is one of the most common prepositions in phrasal verbs, used in over 600 combinations. It can have around 30-40 different meanings, but most meanings extend from a few core ideas. Let’s explore some of the common meanings of “off” and see example phrasal verbs for each.

💡At a Glance

1. “Off” means “Detach”

One basic meaning of “off” is to detach. For example:

• The handle breaks off the briefcase = The handle breaks and detaches from the briefcase
• A leaf falls off the tree = A leaf detaches and falls from the tree.

2. Move Away

Another core meaning is to move away. For example:

• The car drives off the house = The car drives away from the house
• The man backs off the snake = The man moves backward away from the snake

3. Remove

We can extend the idea of “detach” to get the meaning of remove. Some examples:

• The man saws off the branch = The man uses a saw to remove the branch.
• The wind blows off the man’s hat = The wind blows and removes the man’s hat.
• The man crosses off two names = The man removes two names by drawing a line through them.

4. Depart/Leave

We can also extend “away” to get depart or leave. Some examples:

• The ship sails off = The ship sails and leaves.
• The rocket blasts off = The rocket departs with a blast.
• The family sees him off = The man’s family sees him depart.

5. Emit

If something emits something, it detaches from it and it moves away. So “off” can mean emit. For example:

• The man fires off two rounds = The man fires a gun and emits two bullets
• The fireplace gives off a lot of heat = The fireplace emits and provides a lot of heat

6. Explode

We can extend “emit” to get explode, since when something explodes, it emits little pieces of itself in every direction. The preposition “off” can mean “explode” in a literal sense, like a bomb. Or it can be used in a figurative sense to mean “explode with noise,” which we interpret to mean “ring loudly,” like a fire bell.

Some examples:

• We light off a firecracker = We ignite a firecracker and make it explode
• The man sets off the alarm = The man causes the alarm to explode with noise / The man causes the alarm to ring loudly

7. Deactivate/Stop

If we detach a device from its power source, it will stop or deactivate. Therefore, we sometimes use “off” to convey the meaning of stop, deactivate, or disengage. For example:

• The man switches off the light = The man deactivates the light with a switch
• The man gets off work = The man becomes disengaged from work
• The man turns off the water = The man turns a handle and stops the water

8. Separate or Block Access

We can think of “off” as meaning separate or block access. For example:

• The man marks off the end of the board = The man draws a mark to separate the end of the board
• The employee ropes off the exhibit = The employee uses a rope to separate the exhibit / The employee uses a rope to block access to the exhibit
• The police cordon off the road = The police block access to the road with a line of officers

9. From

We can also think of “off” not only as meaning away but also as meaning from. Now, when “off” is used in this sense, it can be followed by the preposition “of.” That is, we can say
“… off something” or “… off of something” and they will mean the same thing. For example:

• The ball bounces off the wall / The ball bounces off of the wall = The ball bounces from the wall
• We download the file off the internet / We download the file off of the internet = We download the file from the internet
• The man hangs off the roof / The man hangs off of the roof = The man hangs from the roof