# off

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ɒf/ · frequency rank #124

## Definitions
1. In a direction away from the speaker or other reference point.
2. Into a state of non-operation or non-existence.
3. So as to remove or separate, or be removed or separated.
4. Offstage.
5. Used in various other ways specific to individual idiomatic phrases, e.g. bring off, show off, put off, tell off, etc. See the entry for the individual phrase.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó
Proto-Germanic *ab
Proto-West Germanic *ab
Old English æf
Old English of
Middle English of
English off
From Middle English of, from Old English of, af, æf (“from, off, away”), from Proto-West Germanic *ab, from Proto-Germanic *ab (“from”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epo (“from, off, back”). Doublet of of.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots aff (“away, off”), Saterland Frisian oawe, ou (“from”), West Frisian ôf (“away, off”), Dutch af (“from, off”), German ab (“from, off”), German Low German, Luxembourgish of (“off”), Yiddish אָפּ (op, “off”), Danish, Icelandic af (“from, off”), Faroese, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk av (“off”), Swedish af, av (“off”), Gothic 𐌰𐍆 (af, “of, from”); and with Latin ab (“of, from, by”), Ancient Greek ἀπό (apó, “from”), and others.

## Easily confused with
- **on** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-on)
- **or** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-or)
- **OH** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-oh)
- **OK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-ok)
- **op** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-op)
- **OS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-os)
- **oz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-oz)
- **OT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-ot)
- **ou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-ou)
- **OG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-og)
- **oi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-oi)
- **ow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-ow)
- **oo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-oo)
- **om** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-om)
- **ox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-ox)
- **OJ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-oj)
- **oy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-oy)
- **ov** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-ov)
- **one** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-one)
- **out** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/off-vs-out)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/off