take off

14 synonyms and 6 antonyms for take off, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Phrasal verb — To leave the ground and begin flying, as an aircraft or bird does.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

remove succeed boom leave

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

depart ascend

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

lift off become airborne strip off peel off catch on take flight clear off head off

Synonyms by Meaning

1. phrasal verb

To leave the ground and begin flying, as an aircraft or bird does.

“The plane took off twenty minutes late.”

lift off become airborne depart ascend

Opposites

land touch down

2. phrasal verb

To remove a piece of clothing or something attached.

“Take off your shoes before you come in.”

remove strip off peel off

Opposites

put on don

3. phrasal verb

To suddenly become popular or successful.

“The podcast really took off after it was mentioned on breakfast television.”

succeed boom catch on take flight

Opposites

flop stall

4. phrasal verb informal

To leave a place suddenly, often without explanation; also, to have a period away from work.

“He just took off in the middle of dinner.”

leave depart clear off head off

How to use take off

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

take off your coat the plane takes off take a day off business really took off

Everyday English in all senses; the "leave suddenly" sense is informal.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between take off and takeoff?

"Take off" as two words is the verb — the plane took off. "Takeoff" as one word is the noun for the moment of leaving the ground, and also for an imitation or parody: a takeoff of the prime minister.

Is take off separable?

Yes, in most senses. You can say "take off your coat" or "take your coat off", and a pronoun must go in the middle: "take it off", never "take off it". The flying sense is intransitive and takes no object at all.

What is the difference between take off and take away?

Take off means to remove something from a surface or body, or to depart. Take away means to remove something from a place or a person, or in British English to buy food to eat elsewhere.

People also searched

leave land remove don boom succeed stall depart flop ascend

Nearby words

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