Skip to content

take off

teɪk ɔːf

Shoes, planes and prices all come off the same way

The picture Something attached comes away from the surface it was stuck to — and once free, it may soar. Put on sticks something onto the body; take off pulls it away again.

Everyday expressions

Where the picture shows up in take off

  1. clothes come off the body

    Take off your shoes at the door, please.

    teɪk ɔːf jʊr ʃuːz ət ðə dɔːr pliːz

    Please leave your shoes at the door.

    The shoe lets go of the foot and is set down by the door.

  2. the plane comes off the ground

    Our flight takes off at six.

    ˈaʊər flaɪt teɪks ɔːf ət sɪks

    Our flight leaves at six.

    The wheels leave the runway and the whole body parts from the ground.

  3. a day comes off your week

    I'm taking Friday off to see the doctor.

    aɪm ˈteɪkɪŋ ˈfraɪdeɪ ɔːf tə siː ðə ˈdɑːktər

    I'm taking Friday as a day off to see the doctor.

    Friday is torn off the strip of the working week and set aside.

    A day is peeled off the working week and kept for yourself.

  4. money comes off the price

    Can you take ten dollars off the price?

    kən juː teɪk ten ˈdɑːlərz ɔːf ðə praɪs

    Could you knock ten dollars off?

    Ten dollars is peeled off the number written on the price tag.

  5. leaving the ground and climbing

    The shop really took off after the holidays.

    ðə ʃɑːp ˈrɪli tʊk ɔːf ˈæftər ðə ˈhɑːlɪdeɪz

    The shop really surged after the holidays.

    The sales line that lay flat on the ground lifts off it and climbs.

All of it in one picture

Take off is one picture: something coming away from what it was stuck to. Off the body, it is undressing; off the ground, it is a plane leaving; off the working week, it is a day of leave; off the price, it is a discount. And when the thing that came loose keeps rising, the shop is booming. So take off always carries the same feeling — something has left the surface it was attached to.

Next

See all English core images