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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Off Meaning, Examples, and Common Usage (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：moving away (off)

off 🔊

/ɒf/

adv., prep., adj.

away from a place or position; moving away.

Person walking away from house off meaning departure

moving away 🔊

➕

/ˈmuːvɪŋ əˈweɪ/

adv., prep., adj.

Indicates movement away from a location or point of origin.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'of', meaning 'away'. Related to German 'ab'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a light switch flicking 'off' — it separates the light from power.

📖 Example

The cat ran off when it saw the dog. 🔊 The cat ran away when it saw the dog.

🔗 Collocations

run off – to leave quickly or flee

walk off – to leave on foot, often abruptly

go off – to depart or leave a place

🔄 Synonyms

away (adv.) – to or at a distance from a place

elsewhere (adv.) – in or to another place

apart (adv.) – separated by a distance

🚫 Antonyms

toward (prep.) – in the direction of

towards (prep.) – in the direction of

here (adv.) – in, at, or to this place

📖 Cultural Story

Originally a variant of 'of', 'off' split in Middle English to emphasize separation. Common in phrasal verbs like 'go off'.

Meaning 2：switched off (off)

off 🔊

/ɒf/

adv., prep., adj.

not operating or functioning; switched to a stop position.

Hand pressing light switch to off position dim room

switched off 🔊

➕

/swɪtʃt ɒf/

adv., prep., adj.

Describes a device or system that is not active, typically after being turned off manually.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Please turn the TV off before you go to bed. 🔊 Please turn off the television before you go to sleep.

🔗 Collocations

turn off – to stop the operation of a device by pressing a switch

switch off – to deactivate an electrical device using a switch

power off – to shut down a machine completely

🔄 Synonyms

inactive (adj.) – not in operation or use

deactivated (adj.) – made inactive or no longer functioning

disconnected (adj.) – separated from a power source or network

🚫 Antonyms

on (adv./adj.) – functioning or operating

active (adj.) – engaging or in use

operating (adj.) – working or functioning normally

Meaning 3：cancelled (off)

off 🔊

/ɒf/

adv., prep., adj.

cancelled or no longer happening.

cancelled 🔊

➕

/ˈkænsəld/

adv., prep., adj.

Indicates that a planned event or activity has been called off and will not take place.

📁 Category：Entertainment & Sports 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The picnic is off due to the bad weather forecast. 🔊 The picnic has been cancelled because of the predicted bad weather.

🔗 Collocations

call off – to cancel an event or arrangement

be off – to be canceled or no longer scheduled

put off – to postpone (often leading to cancellation)

🔄 Synonyms

canceled (adj.) – no longer planned to happen

called off (adj.) – canceled after being arranged

aborted (adj.) – ended prematurely before completion

🚫 Antonyms

on (adv./adj.) – scheduled to happen as planned

scheduled (adj.) – arranged to take place at a particular time

happening (adj.) – taking place as expected