use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

-off
Share:
suff.
A contest, especially one centering around an ordinarily noncompetitive activity: dance-off; sing-off.
[From -off as in RUNOFF and PLAYOFF.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
off (ôf, ŏf)
Share:
adv.
1. From a place or position: He walked off in a huff.
2.
a. At a certain distance in space or time: a mile off; a week off.
b. From a given course or route; aside: The car swerved off into a ditch.
c. Into a state of unconsciousness: I must have dozed off.
3.
a. So as to be no longer on, attached, or connected: He shaved off his mustache.
b. So as to be divided: We marked off the playing field by yards.
4. So as to be no longer continuing, operating, or functioning: She switched off the radio.
5. So as to be completely removed, finished, or eliminated: Will the cats kill off the mice?
6. So as to be in a state of sudden violent or loud activity: The firecracker went off. The alarm went off.
7. So as to be smaller, fewer, or less: Sales dropped off.
8. So as to be away from or not engaged in work or duty: They took a day off.
9. Offstage.
adj.
1.
a. Distant or removed; farther: the off side of the barn.
b. Remote; slim: stopped by on the off chance that they're home.
2. Not on, attached, or connected: with my shoes off.
3. Not operating or operational: The oven is off.
4. No longer taking place; canceled: The wedding is off.
5. Slack: Production was off this year.
6.
a. Not up to standard; below a normal or satisfactory level: Your pitching is off today.
b. Not accurate; incorrect: Your statistical results are off.
c. Somewhat crazy; eccentric: I think that person is a little off.
7. Started on the way; going: I'm off to see the president.
8.
a. Absent, away from, or not engaged in work or duty: She's off every Tuesday.
b. Spent away from work or duty: My off day is Saturday.
9.
a. Being on the right side of an animal or vehicle.
b. Being the animal or vehicle on the right.
10. Nautical Farthest from the shore; seaward.
11. Sports Toward or designating the side of the field facing the batsman in cricket.
12. Off-color.
prep.
1. So as to be removed or distant from: The bird hopped off the branch.
2. Away or relieved from: off duty.
3.
a. By consuming: living off locusts and honey.
b. With the means provided by: living off my pension.
c. Informal From: "What else do you want off me?" (Jimmy Breslin).
4. Extending or branching out from: an artery off the heart.
5. Not up to the usual standard of: off his game.
6. So as to abstain from: went off narcotics.
7. Nautical To seaward of: a mile off Sandy Hook.
v. offed, off·ing, offs
v.intr.
To go away; leave: Off or I'll call the police.
v.tr.
Slang
To murder.
Idiom:
off and on
In an intermittent manner: slept off and on last night.
[Variant of Middle English of, from Old English; see apo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: The compound preposition off of is generally regarded as informal and is best avoided in formal speech and writing: He stepped off (not off of) the platform. Off is informal as well when used to indicate a source. Formal style requires I borrowed it from (not off) my brother.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products