phrasal verb · neutral
go off
UK/ɡəʊ ɒf/US/ɡoʊ ɔf/go·OFF
speakingtask2
1) (alarm/ device) to start making a noise; 2) (food) to become rotten; 3) to explode
Examples
“The alarm went off at 6 a.m.”
“The milk has gone off; don't drink it.”
“The bomb went off near the station.”
Band 8 sentence
“I woke up because the alarm went off unexpectedly, and by then the kitchen smoke had already set off the detector.”
Collocations
- alarm/bomb goes off
- food goes off
- go off unexpectedly
Word family
go off verbgoes off verbgoing off verbwent off verb (past)gone off past participle
Common mistakes
My phone went off during the exam.→My phone went off during the exam.
The milk went off yesterday so I threw it away.→The milk went off yesterday so I threw it away.
Say it for a higher band
5spoil→6explode→7+go off
Synonyms
explode
spoil
Easily confused
go out
“The lights went out during the storm.”
Related words
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In go …
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