take off
(Informal)
[verb]
Synonyms:
- remove, discard, peel off, strip off
- lift off, take to the air
- depart, abscond, decamp, disappear, go, leave, slope off
- parody, caricature, imitate, lampoon, mimic, mock, satirize, send up (Brit. informal)

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Related Idioms: do a takeoff on, hit the road (or trail)

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English Thesaurus: leave, go, set off, take off, emigrate, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

take off phrasal verb (see also take)

1. REMOVE take something ↔ off to remove a piece of clothing Antonym : put on:
He sat on the bed to take his boots off.
Charlie was taking off his shirt when the phone rang.

2. AIRCRAFT if an aircraft takes off, it rises into the air from the ground Synonym : lift off ⇒ takeoff:
I felt quite excited as the plane took off from Heathrow.

3. SUCCESS to suddenly start being successful:
Mimi became jealous when Jack’s career started taking off.

4. HOLIDAY take something off (something) to have a holiday from work on a particular day, or for a particular length of time
take time off (work/school)
I rang my boss and arranged to take some time off.
take a day/the afternoon etc off
Dad took the day off to come with me.

5. COPY SOMEBODY take somebody ↔ off British English informal to copy the way someone speaks or behaves, in order to entertain people

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

ˈtake-off noun

1. [uncountable and countable] the time when a plane leaves the ground and begins to fly

2. [countable] a humorous performance that copies the way someone behaves

3. [countable] the time when your feet leave the ground when you are jumping

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

leave:
Just as I was leaving the house, the phone rang.
We left early to avoid the traffic.
go especially spoken to leave somewhere:
Come on, boys, it’s time to go.
When does the next bus go?
set off especially British English to leave somewhere and begin a journey:
The following day we set off for Vienna.
take off if a plane takes off, it leaves the ground at the beginning of a flight:
Our plane took off late because of the fog.
emigrate to leave your own country in order to live permanently in another country:
In 2002, his family emigrated to New Zealand.
depart formal to leave – used especially about trains, buses, planes etc:
Coaches depart for the airport every 30 minutes.
graduate to successfully finish your studies at a college or university, or at an American high school:
Kelly graduated from Harvard with a degree in East Asian Studies.
Approximately 80% of Americans graduate from high school.
drop out to leave school, college, or university before your course of study has finished, because you do not want to continue with it:
I failed my first year exams and decided to drop out and get a job.
quit American English to leave school without finishing your course of study:
He quit school at fourteen to work and help support his family.
resign to officially announce that you have decided to leave your job:
The company director was forced to resign over the scandal.
hand in your notice/resignation to write an official letter to your employer saying that you are going to leave your job on a particular date:
You have to hand in your notice at least four weeks before you leave.
retire to leave your job in order to stop working permanently, usually because you have reached the age when most people stop working:
After forty years of working for the bank, Karl retired in May.
He had to retire because of ill health.
annual leave (=an amount of time that you are allowed away from work for holidays etc)
Annual leave is 22 days plus public holidays.
maternity leave (=time that a mother is allowed away from work to have and take care of a new baby)
Two teachers were off on maternity leave.
paternity leave (=time that a father is allowed away from work to take care of a new baby)
He got five days’ paternity leave.
parental leave (=time that a parent is allowed away from work to take care of a child)
Parental leave is often unpaid.
sick leave (also medical leave American English) (=time that you are allowed away from work because you are ill)
The form must be filled in as soon as you return from sick leave.
compassionate leave (=time that you are allowed away from work because someone in your family is very ill or has died)
Eileen was given compassionate leave to go to the funeral.
paid/unpaid leave
She took three days unpaid leave in order to help her daughter.
home leave (=time that you are allowed to spend at home from a job that is far away, for example in the army, or from prison)
Roberts had failed to return from home leave, and there was a warrant out for his arrest.
shore leave (=time that a sailor is allowed to spend on land and away from work)
Hong Kong was a popular place for shore leave.
special leave (=time that you are allowed away from work for a special reason)
Some firms grant special leave when you move house.
study leave British English (=time that you are allowed away from work because you are taking a course)
The company offers study leave for staff development.
sabbatical leave (=time that a teacher is allowed away from work to study or travel)
Headteachers can take sabbatical leave every five years.
indefinite leave (=leave without a time limit)
She has gone on indefinite leave, suffering from exhaustion.
leave entitlement (=the amount of time that you are allowed to spend away from work on holidays etc)
The normal paid leave entitlement is 20 days.
have/get leave
How much annual leave do you get?
be entitled to leave (=be allowed to have as leave)
After five years, employees are entitled to 25 days’ leave.
go on leave (=start your time away from work)
I’ll get the report to you before you go on leave.
take leave (=use the time you are allowed)
I don’t think I’ll be able to take any leave in January because we’re too busy.
use (up) leave
I used all my leave in the summertime.
give/grant somebody leave
He was given compassionate leave.
cancel sb’s leave (=stop people taking leave)
The Police Department cancelled all leave because of the emergency.
vacation especially American English, holiday especially British English time you spend away from school or work:
Are you taking a vacation this summer?
We met on holiday in Cyprus.
What are you doing in the school holidays?
holiday a day that is set by law, when no one has to go to work or school:
the Thanksgiving holiday
New Year's Day is a national holiday.
In 2002, there was an extra public holiday to mark the Queen's golden jubilee.
the August bank holiday (=day when all the banks and shops are closed – used in British English)
break a time when you stop working or studying in order to rest, or a short vacation from school:
a ten-minute coffee break
Lots of college kids come to the beaches during the spring break.
sabbatical [usually singular] a period when someone, especially a teacher, stops doing their usual work in order to study or travel:
She was on sabbatical for six months.
I'm thinking of taking a sabbatical.
furlough a period of time when a soldier or someone working in another country can return to their own country as a holiday:
While on furlough, he and his girlfriend got married.
R & R (rest and relaxation) a holiday, especially one given to people in the army, navy etc after a long period of hard work or during a war:
Soldiers in Vietnam were taken to Hawaii for R & R.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

take off
take (something) off
to not work at your job for a period of time.
I've decided to take next semester off and travel and write.

Jim needs to take off for a little while.

1.
to leave the ground and fly.
The plane could not take off because of a problem with its fuel tanks.

2.
to suddenly succeed.
The style really took off among teens.

3.
to leave suddenly.
When he saw me coming, he took off in the other direction.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of take off (= remove your clothes)

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

take something off
take (something) off
to not work at your job for a period of time.
I've decided to take next semester off and travel and write.

Jim needs to take off for a little while.

1.
to leave the ground and fly.
The plane could not take off because of a problem with its fuel tanks.

2.
to suddenly succeed.
The style really took off among teens.

3.
to leave suddenly.
When he saw me coming, he took off in the other direction.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of take off (= remove your clothes)

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

take off
1. to depart suddenly or quickly, to run away
We decided to take off when the concert ended.

2. to leave (used for an airplane)
The flight took off right on time.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

take off something
• take off clothes/shoes etc.
to remove clothes shoes etc.
"Please take off your shoes before you enter our house."

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

take off
v. phr.
1a. To leave fast; depart suddenly; run away.
The dog took off after a rabbit.
Compare: LIGHT OUT.
1b. informal To go away; leave.
The six boys got into the car and took off for the drug store.
2. To leave on a flight, begin going up.
A helicopter is able to take off and land straight up or down.
3. informal To imitate amusingly; copy another person's habitual actions or speech.
He made a career of taking off famous people for nightclub audiences.
At the party, Charlie took off the principal and some of the teachers.
4. To take (time) to be absent from work.
When his wife was sick he took off from work.
Bill was tired out so he took the day off.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲