go out — stop burning or working
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To stop burning, shining, or working, especially for lights or fires.
Say it like a native
Textbook The fire was extinguished during the night.
Native The fire went out overnight.
For a fire or light dying on its own, natives say 'go out'. 'Was extinguished' implies someone put it out.
Pattern: go out
In use
- The candle went out because of the wind.daily life
- During the interview, the power went out for a few minutes, which made everyone a bit nervous.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ The candle went off.
✓ The candle went out.
For flames or lights stopping, use 'go out' (not 'go off', which is for alarms and explosions).
Common collocations
go out— the lights, the fire, the candle, the pilot light
Don't confuse it
'Go out' is used when something stops working on its own; 'turn off' is used when a person stops it.
Related
- go out (leave home socially) — Another meaning of 'go out' is 'leave home socially'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.