Definition of "take off"

take off

verb
third-person singular simple present takes off, present participle taking off, simple past took off, past participle taken off
1. (transitive) To remove.
  Quotations
  Sounds nice. Has a certain ring to it. Take your shirt off.
  1980 Charlie's Angels (TV, season 4.23)
  The Russian bear has always been eager to stick his paw in Latin American waters. Now we've got him in a trap, let's take his leg off right up to his testicles. On second thought, let's take off his testicles, too.
  1995, Richard Rhodes, quoting Curtis LeMay, “Scorpions in a Bottle”, in Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb‎, New York: Simon & Schuster, page 574
2. (transitive) To imitate somebody, often in a satirical manner.
  Quotations
  Yes, the Peaches, on a nearly non-existent budget, lack professionalism. The basic format of this show — taking off on television, with a soap opera, a quiz show , news, a cooking class and commercials for KY and grass, etc. — resembles kids getting up a skit.
  1978 April 22, Robert Chesley, “The Return Of The Peaches”, in Gay Community News, page 12
  Pym would take him off perfectly, thought Brotherhood. Pym would catch that accent to a tee.
  1986, John Le Carré, A Perfect Spy, Sceptre, published 2011, page 365
3. (intransitive, of an aircraft or spacecraft) To leave the ground and begin flight; to ascend into the air.
4. (intransitive) To become successful, to flourish.
  Quotations
  The message is now the medium – that is powerful and means products can take off practically all by themselves.
  2007 July 12, The Guardian, A welcome invasion.
  As well as the boom in off-peak leisure numbers, "there has been a big spike in passenger assistance - that's really taken off as well", he continues. "We're probably victims of our own success because we promote this more than we ever used to. We promote how accessible the railways are. I think that this area has more than doubled from pre-COVID levels.
  2023 November 1, Nick Brodrick talks to Jason Cocker, “A station that "oozes" customer service...”, in RAIL, number 995, pages 52-53
5. (intransitive) To depart.
  Quotations
  Ben threw twenty bucks on the table, grabbed the map and took off after the thief, following Susan who had run off before him.
  2020, Armando Lazzari, Dinner with the Mafia
6. (transitive) To quantify.
7. (transitive, intransitive) To absent oneself from (work or other responsibility), especially with permission.
8. (intransitive, slang, dated) To take drugs; to inject drugs.
9. (transitive, slang, dated) To steal (something) or rob (someone).
10. (transitive, archaic) To swallow.
noun
plural take offs
1. Alternative form of takeoff
  Quotations
  France never experienced a "take off" of the sort hypothesized by W. W. Rostow — a sudden spurt of output that begins sustained industrial growth.
  1986, Ira Katznelson, Aristide R. Zolberg, Working-class Formation, page 45
  Therefore, the only sure way to estimate the quantity of lumber required for any particular job is to do a take off of each piece of lumber needed for the work.
  2003, Calin M. Popescu, Kan Phaobunjong, Nuntapong Ovararin, Estimating Building Costs, page 354
  This is virtually equal to the minimum value shown above to be necessary in the case of a total loss in thrust from one of the four engines at take off.
  2003, N. A. Cumpsty, Jet Propulsion

Definition of "take off"

take off

verb

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noun

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