phrasal verb

go off

goh OF

Go off (phrasal verb) means to speak or act with sudden intense energy — either ranting angrily or performing brilliantly. Which one is meant depends entirely on tone. Example: “Don't mention the parking situation or she'll go off for twenty minutes.”

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."

"He went off in the second half and scored twice."

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."

"My alarm goes off at half five."

British Of food or drink, to become unfit to eat through spoiling.

"The milk has gone off — don't put it in your tea."

How to use go off

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo explode or sound off, or to suddenly let loose in speech or performance.

When to use it

The praise sense ('go off' meaning to excel, and the exclamation 'go off!') is young, informal and spoken.

Memory tip

Go off on someone always means to shout at them. Go off with no object is ambiguous between anger and excellence, so listen for tone.

Easily confused with

go off vs. go off on go off vs. go out

Common pairings

alarm goes off bomb went off go off on someone milk has gone off

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Can you complete this real example?

Don't mention the parking situation or she'll _____ for twenty minutes.

Synonyms

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let rip erupt rant tear into it explode detonate blow up sound spoil turn go bad curdle

Related words

go turn sound voice seem pop healthy volume

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.

What is the meaning of go off?

"go off" (phrasal verb) means to speak or act with sudden intense energy — either ranting angrily or performing brilliantly. Which one is meant depends entirely on tone.

What is another word for go off?

Other words for "go off" include let rip, erupt, rant, tear into it, explode, detonate.

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