intransitive verb
1. : to undergo removal : come to be taken off
protesting that if he had him, his head should go off — John Davies †1693
2.
a. : to undergo discharge or explosion : come to be discharged or exploded
what happened when the hydrogen bomb went off must have surprised and astonished the scientists — A.P.Ryan
b. : to burst forth or break out in a sudden and often noisy manner
went off into a … fit of laughter — M.V.Reidy
3.
a. : to go forth or away : depart
had to sit down and wait for her because I could not just go off like that without explaining — Francis Stuart
b. : to leave the stage
the directions called for the heroine to go off left
4.
a. : to pass into or as if into unconsciousness
went off at the first whiff of ether — O.S.J.Gogarty
b. : die
the doctors told me that he might go off any day — H.R.Haggard
5. : to find a purchaser : sell
trade flourishes and his commodities go off well — John Locke
6. : to undergo decline or deterioration
those clarkias have gone off very quickly — F.A.Swinnerton
a small quantity of water … goes off quickly and loses its freshness — Henry Wynmalen
7. : to follow the expected or desired course : proceed
I had the assignment of it, but it seemed to go off pretty well — O.W.Holmes †1935
8. : to make a characteristic noise : sound
around one in the morning the sirens had gone off — Irwin Shaw
: ring
•
- go off the deep end