At a point more or less distant; away.Nautical: Away; clear (as from the land, a danger, etc.): opposed to on, on to, or toward.Away (as from the wind): opposed to close, near, or up: as, to keep a ship off a point or two.Away; quite away (expressing motion, or the act of departure or removal); to a distance; in such a manner as to drive or keep away; in another direction (opposed to toward): as, he ran off; to beat off an enemy; to stave off bankruptcy; to wave off an intruder; to put off the evil day; to head off a danger; to choke off inquiry; to laugh off an accusation; to look off.Away from a certain position, connection, attachment, or relation; away by physical removal or separation: as, to cut, pare, clip, peel, pull, strip, or tear off; to take off one's hat; to mark off the distance; to shake off a drowsy feeling.[In this sense often used with ellipsis of the verb (go, get, take, etc.), and often with with following.In such a way as to interrupt continuity or progress; so as to stop or cause a discontinuance: as, to break off negotiations; to leave off work; to turn off the gas.Away; in such a manner as to be or become abated or diminished: as, the fever began to pass off; the demand has fallen off.Quite to the end; so as to finish; utterly; to exhaustion or extermination: an intensive: as, to kill off vermin; to drain off a swamp.Forthwith; offhand: as, to rattle off a story; to dash off a string of verses.Nautical, on alternate tacks, now toward and now away from the land; to and fro.See the verbs.From; distant from.Not on (a street or highway); leading from or out of.Nautical, to seaward of at short distance; opposite or abreast of to seaward: as, the ship was off St. Lucia.A way from; with separation or removal from; so as no longer to be or rest on: as, to take a book off a shelf; he fell off his horse; my eye is never off him; that care is off his mind: often pleonastically from off.Deviating from, especially from what is normal or regular: as, off the mark; off the square; off the pitch (in music).In a state of not being engaged in or occupied with: as, he is off duty to-day.From: indicating source: as, I bought this book off him.Of: indicating material: as, to make a meal off fish: also pleonastically off of.By extension, not of the proper character; not of the highest quality, reputation, etc.; especially, equivocal or of doubtful morality, as a story or print.Out of sorts; indisposed.Foolish; crazy.More distant; further; hence, as applied to horses, oxen, etc., driven in pairs abreast (the driver's position being on the left of them), right; right-hand: opposed to near or left-hand: as, the off side in driving; the off horse.In cricket, on that side of the field which is to the left of the bowler: opposed to on. See diagram under cricket.Leading out of or away from a main line: applied to streets: as, we turned out of Oxford street into an off street.Characterized by discontinuance or interruption of that which is usual or normal; not occupied with or devoted to the usual business or affairs: as, this is an off day; off time; an off year (in United States politics, a year in which no important elections take place).A way from the mark or right direction; mistaken; wrong: as, you are quite off in that matter. [Colloq.]Conditioned; circumstanced.n. Same as offing.n. In cricket, that part of the field to the bowler's left.Away! depart! begone!Nautical, to move off shore; steer from the land: said of a ship, and used only in the present participle: as, the vessel was offing at the time the accident happened.An abbreviation. See Of.
