go off — leave suddenly
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To leave a place suddenly, often without telling anyone.
Say it like a native
Textbook He departed without informing anyone.
Native He just went off without saying a word.
'Go off' captures leaving abruptly. 'Departed without informing anyone' is formal.
Pattern: go off (no object) / go off (to/with someone/something)
In use
- She went off without saying goodbye to anyone.relationships
- Sometimes people go off to study in another country to experience a new culture.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She went off from the party early.
✓ She went off early. / She left the party early.
You don't 'go off from' a place. Use 'go off' alone, or 'go off + to a destination'.
Common collocations
go off + to/-ing— off to bed, off somewhere, off in a huff, off to find her
Don't confuse it
Not about noise or food.
Related
- go off (alarm rings or bomb explodes) — Another meaning of 'go off' is 'alarm rings or bomb explodes'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.