Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - off

~1 adv, adj 1 away or from where something is  (Travis got into his car and drove off. | Suddenly they turned off and parked in a side road. | be off (=to leave))  (We're off now. Thanks for the meal! | be off to (=to go to a particular place))  (They're off to Jamaica for a hard-earned vacation.) 2 out of a bus, train, car etc  (I'll get off at the next stop.) 3 removed; no longer connected or fastened to something  (Can anyone get the lid off? | Take off your shoes. | Waxing the table is a really good way of keeping the dust off.) 4 a machine, piece of equipment etc that is off is not working or operating  (Will someone switch the radio off?)  (- opposite on2 (6)) 5 not at work, school etc because you are ill or on holiday  (You look tired. Why don't you take tomorrow off? | day/afternoon etc off)  (I'm entitled to 25 days off a year. | be off (=to be absent))  (Mary is off with the flu today.) 6 be/go off a) especially BrE food that is off is beginning to decay  (Ugh! This milk is off.) b) be off not be available to be eaten in a restaurant  (The fish is off today, sir.) 7 a) 4 kilometres/3 days' walk etc off a particular distance away  (The hostel is at least two more miles off.) b) 4 hours/10 years etc off a particular amount of time away in the future  (The game is only two days off and our top player has been injured.) 8 a particular amount of money off is how much the price has been reduced by  (If you buy more than ten, they knock 10% off.) 9 BrE behaviour that is off is rude or not what is expected  (I thought it was a little off when he said he wished he'd never been invited. | Look, I know when someone's being off with me. OK?) 10 an arranged event that is off will no longer happen  (The wedding's off!)  (- compare on2 (8)) 11 a) be badly/well off to be poor or rich  (They have to be fairly well off to have that big a house.) b) be badly/well off for sth informal to have a small amount or large amount of something  (The school's fairly well off for books these days. | how are you off for sth?)  (How are you off for jeans? (=do you have enough pairs of jeans?)) 12 be better off especially spoken to be in a situation where you would gain more advantage  (be better off with)  (I always said she was better off with a boyfriend of her own age. | be better off doing sth)  (You'd be better off resigning and working part time.) 13 off and on also on and off for short periods but not regularly, over a long period of time  (We've been going out together for five years, off and on.) 14 right off/straight off especially BrE informal immediately 15 not on the stage but still able to be heard in the theatre; offstage (1)  (noises off) ~2 prep 1 not on something or not touching something  (Keep off the grass. | Get off your backside and start digging. | I hope your dirty feet are off my clean floor.)  (- opposite on1 (1)) 2 away from a particular person or thing  (Once we were off the main freeway the trip felt more like a vacation. | The referee ordered three players off the field.) 3 taken from someone or something  (Tom borrowed -500 off his sister. | I got this necklace off a woman outside the market. | What do you plan to live off while you're studying?) 4 out of a bus, train, car etc  (Both robbers jumped off the train while it was still moving.) 5 no longer held or supported by a particular thing  (Take your coat off the hook. | Suddenly the trophy fell off the platform.) 6 no longer connected or fastened to something; removed  (A button has come off my shirt. | Cut about an inch off my bangs please.) 7 a) at a particular distance from something; removed  (My house is about 50 yards off Main Street.) b) in the sea but near the land  (an island off the coast of France | The ship began to sink 50 miles off Portsmouth.) 8 if one room is off another, you get to the second room by passing through the first  (Off the main bedroom was a beautiful en suite bathroom.) 9 informal not in a particular building, area etc  (Smoking is only allowed off the hospital premises.) 10 a) no longer interested in something  (Toby's been off his food for a few days. | go right off BrE)  (I've gone right off her books.) b) no longer taking something such as medicine  (The operation was a success, and she's off the morphine.) 11 off the top of your head if you say something off the top of your head, you are guessing ~3 adj only before noun, no comparative 1 off day/week etc a day, week etc when you are not doing something as well as you usually do  (Brian never forgets the words - he must be having one of his off days.) 2 off period/season etc a period or season which is not as busy as other times of the year  (In the off season there's hardly anyone in the hotel at all.) 3 used when talking about a pair of things such as wheels on a car, to mean the one on the right  (- opposite near2 (9b)) ~4 n the off the start, especially of a race or a journey  (The horses were in line, ready for the off.) ~5 v AmE slang to kill someone