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Definition of take off in English:

take off

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phrasal verb

  • 1(of an aircraft or bird) become airborne.

    ‘the plane took off from the runway’
    • ‘The wheels drop off when the aircraft takes off, and the ground crew retrieves them.’
    • ‘British fighter aircraft taking off from West Malling airfield were guided by the terrible orange glow on the horizon.’
    • ‘The local press has played up the danger these birds might pose for aircraft landing and taking off.’
    • ‘Crowds regularly flocked to the base to see the aircraft take off on one of its many test flights.’
    • ‘Aircraft taking off from Manchester Airport could have crashed into part of a jumbo jet engine which had fallen on to the runway.’
    • ‘Any unfound debris on runways could cause damage to aircraft landing and taking off at the airport.’
    • ‘This will be used later with a stock shot of an aircraft taking off from the airport.’
    • ‘Coun Brand says the noise is mainly caused by aircraft taking off from the airport.’
    • ‘It worked and the plane's head rose a little bit and the aircraft took off safely.’
    • ‘The airline says it had no knowledge of the security breach before the aircraft took off.’
    become airborne, leave the ground, take to the air, take wing
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    1. 1.1(of an enterprise) become successful or popular.
      ‘the newly launched website has really taken off’
      • ‘Should it ever take off and become wildly popular, you'd be advised to sign up now to avoid MeFi style agony.’
      • ‘The Ferry was a success, and the fledgling company really started to take off.’
      • ‘Their pure fruit smoothie recipes took off, and they've grown steadily since.’
      • ‘But as we started to get the traditional boost of people voting on their way home from work it just took off.’
      • ‘Then Hotmail and the like took off and almost everyone started using web-based e-mail.’
      • ‘We were going to just count the number of nominations we were getting, but as it took off there were too many for us to read them all.’
      • ‘As Carlyle's career slowly took off, the couple moved to London, settling in Chelsea.’
      • ‘They were astonished at how the business took off with young Western-born Muslims.’
      • ‘The business really took off by the end of December, with all places now full.’
      • ‘His career took off when he was spotted by an Italian scout playing in a friendly tournament in a Paris park.’
      succeed, do well, become popular, catch on, progress, prosper, flourish, thrive, boom, turn out well, work, work out
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  • 2take something off, take off somethingRemove clothing from one's or another's body.

    • ‘she took off her cardigan’
    remove, doff, divest oneself of, shed, strip off, pull off, peel off, climb out of, slip out of, shrug off, throw off, cast off, fling off, fling aside, discard
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  • 3take something off, take off somethingDeduct part of an amount.

    • ‘they took $10 off the bill’
    deduct, subtract, take away, remove
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  • 4take something off, take off somethingChoose to have a period away from work.

    • ‘I took the next day off’

  • 5

    (British take oneself off)
    Depart hastily.

    ‘the officer took off after his men’
    • ‘He had retrieved it from a rubbish bin but was having little success in taking off with his prize.’
    • ‘Together they made millions, but when the relationship soured Doherty took off with just a small bag.’
    • ‘A taxi driver was beaten and robbed by three men who then took off in his car.’
    • ‘So myself and all my mates all took off for England, and I was to remain there in fact for five years.’
    • ‘The very saddest day of both of our lives was on my 18th birthday when my mother took off.’
    • ‘The guards were raiding and he took off like an Olympic sprinter, only to come to a sudden halt.’
    • ‘His leg was probably broken at this point but he held on as the Mondeo took off at great speed along Worksop Road.’
    • ‘The limousine took off, and the pensioners all moved to one side to let the car through.’
    • ‘Sixty-years ago last week, Glenn Miller took off in the fog for Paris and was never seen again.’
    • ‘The police were called and on arrival Robinson took off but was stopped soon after, the court heard.’
    run away, run off, flee, abscond, take flight, decamp, disappear, leave, go, depart, make off, bolt, make a break for it, make a run for it, take to one's heels, beat a hasty retreat, make a quick exit, make one's getaway, escape, head for the hills
    withdraw, retire, take one's leave, make one's departure, leave, exit, depart, go away, pull out, quit, make oneself scarce
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  • 6take someone off, take off someoneBritish informal Mimic someone humorously.

    • ‘they kept us all in fits of laughter as they took off their teachers’
    mimic, impersonate, imitate, ape, parody, mock, caricature, satirize, burlesque, lampoon, ridicule
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