go off

1
as in to explode
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure specialists were able to deactivate the bomb before it went off

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of go off Boston’s non-Pritchard reserves totaled just three points before garbage time, however, and his top competitor for NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Malik Beasley, went off for Detroit. Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2025 But after a seven-assist night against Denver the last time out (in a game his team won comfortably), there's a good chance tonight is the night Doncic goes off as a passer. Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025 The gun went off; a bullet hit the floor, then struck a coffee table. Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025 Guns have a way of going off at inconvenient moments. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for go off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for go off
Verb
  • Then people start getting killed: a fatal injection in the shower, someone who gets shot and falls into an exploding brickhouse of fireworks, and plenty of knives out.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 Mar. 2025
  • SpaceX's Starship spacecraft, which exploded just minutes into its flight on Thursday, was uncrewed, and no injuries have been reported.
    William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • But as the pandemic progressed, killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world, Cuomo’s response also faced intense scrutiny over a controversial directive to transfer recovering Covid-19 patients back to nursing homes.
    Gloria Pazmino, CNN, 1 Mar. 2025
  • As the evening progressed, the patio swelled with A-listers.
    Paul Chi, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Now, the beloved brand is entering a new phase: departing from the L’Oréal umbrella to be independently-owned once again.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 4 Mar. 2025
  • United 5690 had departed Springfield, Missouri, en route to Houston at 4:48 p.m. and made an emergency landing an hour and 40 minutes later at Waco Regional Airport.
    Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • That a cooking gas cannister won’t detonate in error, and spark a shoot-out that breaks the peace permanently.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Just before noon, an archeologist located what... Posted by Vancouver Police Department on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 The teams developed a plan to safely detonate the ordnance.
    Kerry Breen, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Then Sterling did some less effective things and got suspended anyway, so that mad idea was, at least, parked for the time being.
    Amy Lawrence, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • However, once the exchange went viral, his bosses urged him to do so on ESPN First Take, which Smith lead as talent and executive producer.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Security camera footage showed the two suspects entering the apartment building at about 4:24 p.m. Monday and going to the door of the apartment, then exiting from a rear staircase at approximately 4:30 p.m., according to the incident report.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Before exiting, Congressman Maxwell Frost also had a parting look.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 5 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Original Dallas cast members Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing) and Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), for example, initially popped into spinoff Knots Landing, which started out slow and ultimately ran for 14 seasons.
    Marc Berman, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Finally in November of last year, another one popped up on TheRealReal.
    Christian Allaire, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Strategic work can proceed in teams as organizations gain better reliability when moving from fire-response tactics to proactive risk mitigation.
    Sai Sandeep Ogety, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Their suspicions ended up being warranted, as the ever-elusive rapper proceeded to delay the record for more than a year despite pre-orders, merch, and numerous festival appearances.
    Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Go off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/go%20off. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on go off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!