Phrasal verbs with ‚OFF‘

Call off – cancel

We had to call the exhibition off because of a very low interest.

Cut off – remove a piece from a bigger piece

He cut his finger off when using a table saw.

Cut off – to block

2 police cars cut off their getaway.

Doze off/ Nod off – fall asleep for a short time (informal)

It was difficult not to doze off during his presentation. It was very long and boring.

Yesterday, I nodded off when watching some talent show on TV.

Drive/Ride/Walk off – go away

She slammed the door and drove off in anger.

They rode off into the sunset.

He turned around and walked off due west.

Go off – bomb to explode, alarm clock/to start ringing

Two bombs went off during the Boston marathon in 2013.

I hate when my alarm clock goes off in the morning. I wish I could sleep a bit more.

Keep off – stay away from

The visitors are required to keep off the grass.

Kick off – start a game/an activity

The match kicks off at 3pm.

Lay somebody off – make redundant

There hasn’t been much work lately so the company has decided to lay some workers off.

Lay off something – stop using (informal)

If you want to lose weight, you should lay off chocolate and fatty food.

Put off – postpone, delay

You can’t put off this decision indefinitely.

Rip off – cheat somebody (informal)

They tried to rip me off by charging £50 for a pair of jeans.

Show off – trying to impress others with how good you are (informal)

She likes showing off when others are watching.

Set off – start a journey

We’re setting off at 6am tomorrow.

Take off – remove clothes, accessory

She took off her steamy glasses when she entered the room.

Take off – plane leaving the ground

We watched the plane taking off.

Tell somebody off – reprimand,rebuke (informal)

My father told me off for breaking a window.

Turn/Switch off – cut a supply of electricity

Can you turn off the TV before you go to bed, please?

She forgot to switch off the bathroom light when leaving the house for work.

Write off – damage a car so badly it can’t be repaired

He wrote off 2 cars in 3 years when racing.