OFF Synonyms: 433 Similar and Opposite Words

off 1 of 3

adverb

ˈȯf

Definition of off

as in away

from this or that place move off a few yards before I throw the football

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

off

2 of 3

adjective

as in wrong

falling short of a standard the milk tasted off

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dormant

not being in a state of use, activity, or employment the computer is off, so you'll have to turn it on in order to use it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in erroneous

not being in agreement with what is true that claim that everyone is actually related to everyone else seems a bit off

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in small

small in degree on the off chance that you do get straight A's, you can skip a grade

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in spicy

hinting at or intended to call to mind matters regarded as indecent a telltale smirk suggested that there was something off about his parting shot

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

off

3 of 3

verb

slang

as in to assassinate

to put to death deliberately the hit man was rumored to have offed at least three people in the last year alone

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 off

Adverb

Chief Kelvin Chute said the normal schedule consisted of 12 hours on, 12 hours off, Monday through Sunday, with work every other weekend. — Rashad Williams, CBS News, 31 July 2026 Shop the Haul Into Fall sale featuring 50% off, including the Old Navy Kids Uniform Shop. — ABC News, 30 July 2026

Adjective

Before dawn on November 13, 2022, four students at the University of Idaho—Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle—were brutally murdered in an off-campus home. — Forbestv, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 Two hikers are facing charges after their off-leash dog repeatedly ran toward and barked at a grizzly bear during an encounter in Banff National Park. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026

Verb

The masked murderer attempted to kill Sidney (Neve Campbell) in a bathroom in the original 1996 Scream, and succeeded in offing Phil (Omar Epps) in a movie theater bathroom stall in the 1997 sequel. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Feb. 2026 Keen observers, Anglophiles, and anyone who watches movies made before 1972 will notice more than a casual similarity to Kind Hearts and Coronets, the old Ealing comedy in which an enterprising young Dennis Price attempts to off his relatives in order to claim the family fortune. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for off

Recent Examples of Synonyms for off

Adverb

The parents blame state cuts and insurance changes that keep some specialists away from patients.

— Larry Seward, CBS News, 31 July 2026
But this replacement adoption has strings attached, in the form of a father (Fabrizio Odetto) who’d already been trying to get Giulia away from his dissolute ex, and is not about to hand her over to some rich third party.

— Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 July 2026

Definition of away

Adjective

Seneca, the Roman philosopher, argued that people kept getting the message of Homer’s epic poems wrong.

— John Blake, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
One person was killed and two others were critically injured when a wrong-way driver crashed into several other vehicles on Friday evening on the Dan Ryan Expressway on the South Side of Chicago.

— Todd Feurer, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrong

Adjective

The Unified Government and Eastside and its partners, the Arnold Development Group and Keystone Innovations, have hit an impasse over how much that prime real estate — which has been dormant since Indian Springs’ demolition — should sell for.

— Sofi Zeman July 30, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
However, the court has lain dormant in the 30 years since it was created and has never been used before.

— Elise Spenner, ABC News, 30 July 2026

Definition of dormant

Adjective

Reports based on the erroneous California Crash Reporting System entry surfaced Monday night, prompting Shanahan to address the crash Tuesday.

— Cam Inman, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
However, the vast majority of these folks did not actually vote, and many asked for their erroneous registrations to be purged, contrary to the Republican fantasy that millions of noncitizens are all gunning to illegally vote.

— New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026

Definition of erroneous

Adjective

They were first popularized in Georgian England as small tokens of affection, infatuation or mourning, and examples are scattered across major museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
Potential monetary policy task force recommendations may involve less transparent communication, a smaller balance sheet with stability risks, and inflation metrics that produce a lower reading.

— David Zhang, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of small

Adjective

The biggest crowd puller is the famous black cod miso but locals have unofficially crowned the Wagyu beef and foie gras dumplings with spicy ponzu Warsaw’s favorite.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
With base notes of leather, vanilla, and milky musk, the woody, spicy scent also has hints of bergamot, nutmeg, black tea, and palo santo.

— Jenny Berg, Vogue, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of spicy

Verb

Utah prosecutors are turning up the heat on Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk, arguing that the evidence against him easily meets the standard required to send the case to trial.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
In the days after the Zacatecas slayings, a mayor was assassinated in his office in the central state of Morelos and a journalist was shot dead in Oaxaca, in the south.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026

Definition of assassinate

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of course

off

offal

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Style

“Off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of off

adverb

adjective

verb

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