drop off — decrease
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To become less in amount, level, or number.
Say it like a native
Textbook Sales experienced a notable decline in the final quarter.
Native Sales dropped off in the last quarter.
'Drop off' is the natural verb for numbers falling; 'experienced a notable decline' is an analyst report.
Pattern: drop off (no object) / drop off (in [something])
In use
- Sales usually drop off after the holiday season.study
- According to the chart, the number of visitors drops off sharply in the winter months.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Attendance dropped off down after summer.
✓ Attendance dropped off after summer.
'Drop off' already means decrease — don't add 'down'.
Common collocations
drop off + metric— sales, demand, sharply, after
Don't confuse it
Different from 'drop out', which means to quit something.
Related
- drop off (take and leave) — Another meaning of 'drop off' is 'take and leave'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.