get off
Britishverb
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(intr, adverb) to escape the consequences of an action
he got off very lightly in the accident
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(adverb) to be or cause to be acquitted
a good lawyer got him off
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(adverb) to depart or cause to depart
to get the children off to school
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(intr) to descend (from a bus, train, etc); dismount
she got off at the terminus
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to move or cause to move to a distance (from)
get off the field
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(tr, adverb) to remove; take off
get your coat off
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(adverb) to go or send to sleep
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(adverb) to send (letters) or (of letters) to be sent
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slang (intr, adverb) to become high on or as on heroin or some other drug
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informal to establish an amorous or sexual relationship with
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informal to rebuke or criticize someone harshly
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Dismount, leave a vehicle, as in She got off the horse right away , or Let's get off the train at the next stop . [Late 1600s]
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Start, as on a trip; leave. For example, We got off at the crack of dawn . [Mid-1700s]
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Fire a round of ammunition; also, send away. For example, He got off two shots, but the deer fled , or I got off that letter just in time .
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Escape from punishment; also, obtain a lesser penalty or release for someone. For example, He apologized so profusely that he was sure to get off , or The attorney got her client off with a slap on the wrist . This sense is sometimes amplified to get off easy or get off lightly . Where there is no punishment at all, the expression is sometimes put as get off scot-free , originally meaning “be free from paying a fine or tax ( scot ),” dating from the 1500s. [Mid-1600s]
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Remove, take off, as in I can't seem to get this paint off the car . [Second half of 1600s]
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Succeed in uttering, especially a joke. For example, Carl always manages to get off a good one before he gets serious . [Mid-1800s]
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Have the effrontery to do or say something. For example, Where does he get off telling me what to do? [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
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Experience orgasm, as in She never did get off . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]
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Also, get off of one . Stop bothering or criticizing one, as in Get off me right now! or If you don't get off of me I'm walking out . [ Slang ; c. 1940] Also see get off on ; off one's back .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That meant the type of nitty-gritty negotiations needed to hash out potential structural changes to the sport never got off the ground.
“I didn’t get a final say, but Masali was incredible. She had just gotten off a plane from South Africa and it was a real lesson in auditioning for me.”
From Los Angeles Times
He had to warn C.C. to get off the Shipwreck as soon as possible before it was too late.
From Literature
The next person to get off was a big, stout woman.
From Literature
A 10-second limit will also be applied to substituted players - if they do not get off the pitch the replacement will not be allowed to come on.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
