Go Off

1. To leave unannounced.

Examples: Where did Jake go off to?
She got bored and went off to the mall.

2. To verbally express your anger towards another.

Examples: The bus drive went off on the passenger for disrupting the other passengers.
It takes a lot for me to go off, so when I do that means someone did something really bad.

3. To divert from a set path.

Examples: Don’t go off the trail or else you’ll get lost.
Adams Avenue goes off into the woods somewhere, so when you see a bunch of trees you know you went too far.

4. When an electronic device or system stops working.

Examples: I heard thunder, and then my computer just went off.
The power will go off if you overload the circuit.

5. When an alarm clock starts, a gun fires or a bomb explodes.

Examples: The bomb made a lot of people panic when it went off.
My alarm didn’t go off this morning, so I was late for work.

See our complete list of English phrasal verbs.