1
as in departing
to leave a place often for another
I can only stay for a few minutes, and then I'll need to take off again
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in removing
to rid oneself of (a garment)
take off your coat and stay awhile
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in subtracting
to take away (an amount or number) from a total
the store will take an additional 20% off if you bring in this coupon
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in robbing
slang
to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully
a gangbanger who decided to take off some fast-food joint
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of taking off
But once inside, as the crackling fire quickly warms you up, there’s no better feeling after hours on the trail than dropping your backpack on the floor, taking off your boots and settling in for a few days of peaceful escape.
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The Denver Post, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
The plane crashed near Rio Linda Boulevard and Claire Avenue in North Sacramento’s Robla neighborhood shortly after taking off from Rio Linda Airport.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Close your eyes and picture taking off your shoes and socks on a warm, spring day.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 11 Nov. 2025
At least seven people are dead and 11 injured after a UPS plane crashed after taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) on Tuesday evening.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
What to know As Wallace’s career was taking off, so was the oil boom.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2025
These getaways centered around learning are taking off in popularity, and destinations and hotels are taking notice.
—Essence, 20 Oct. 2025
Denver International and Newark Liberty International airports saw ground delays where flights were prohibited from taking off until controllers were able to handle them.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
The market is clearly taking off — and fast.
—Chris Dong, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking off
Verb
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Warren joins former Boise State wide receivers coach Matt Miller and safeties coach Tyler Stockton in departing the program in recent days.—
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Tourists seeking to visit the Statue of Liberty were defrauded daily by unscrupulous ticket-hawkers pitching water tours departing miles away that charge high prices and can’t land on Liberty Island.—
Verb
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Lucas offered to amend the ordinance, removing the requirement for detention facilities, as well as for other facilities or buildings paid for with public safety sales tax money.—
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If surrounding trees are contributing to harmful debris buildup in your AC unit, pruning overhanging branches or removing the trees might be necessary to protect the unit.—
Verb
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William also is understood to pay tax on his income, but only after subtracting household expenses, which were not specified in the latest report, People reported.—
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But, Montreal was able to add Danault without subtracting anyone because the Canadiens had the cap space to do it.—
Verb
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Injuries have ravaged this team, robbing it of some of its most impactful stars like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.—
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Investigators released security camera videos showing a man robbing an Upland ice cream shop cashier at knifepoint the day after Christmas.—
Verb
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While police approached, O’Neil was seen exiting the sporting goods store.—
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Comply with exiting the vehicle if ordered, but do not argue; dispute violations later in court.—
Verb
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This would include improvements to training programmes, public information campaigns to raise awareness of reckless driving, and tougher enforcement, including deducting points for more driving offences.—
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Their data for the average transaction prices — that's what a consumer pays after deducting all incentives and trade-in values — for new-vehicles show that those prices are not being driven down.—
Verb
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Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against moving ahead with the package, along with all but eight of his Democratic colleagues.—
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Director Michael Arden, meanwhile, is up to his elbows just moving the cumbersome Legos of Dane Laffrey’s set around.—
Verb
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Customers are also putting off purchases due to the back and forth on tariff levels.—
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Millions of Americans are shaving down their grocery budgets and putting off buying a home as wages fail to meet rising costs of living.—
Cite this Entry
“Taking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20off. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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