go off
12 synonyms and 0 antonyms for go off, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Phrasal verb — To speak or act with sudden intense energy — either ranting angrily or performing brilliantly. Which one is meant depends entirely on tone.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. phrasal verb informal
To speak or act with sudden intense energy — either ranting angrily or performing brilliantly. Which one is meant depends entirely on tone.
“Don't mention the parking situation or she'll go off for twenty minutes.”
2. phrasal verb
Of a bomb, gun or firework, to explode or be fired; of an alarm or alert, to start sounding.
“The device went off harmlessly in an empty field.”
How to use go off
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
The praise sense ('go off' meaning to excel, and the exclamation 'go off!') is young, informal and spoken.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between go off and go off on?
Go off on someone means to direct sudden anger at that person: he went off on the referee. Go off without a preposition can mean explode, sound, spoil, or simply perform superbly, and the meaning is decided by context.
Does 'go off' mean something is good or bad?
In current slang it is usually praise — a song or a performance that goes off is exciting and impressive. But the same phrase describes an angry outburst and, in British English, food that has spoiled, so it is genuinely one of the most context-dependent phrasal verbs in English.