take off
5 meanings
remove something (especially clothes or jewellery)
What does "take off" mean in this sense?
Examples
- Please take off your shoes before entering the house.
- She took her jacket off and hung it on the chair.
- Your glasses are dirty — take them off and clean them.
How to use it
The most common structure — the object (the item being removed) comes directly after the particle.
Please take off your shoes before you come inside.
The object can also go between 'take' and 'off', especially with short, simple nouns. Both word orders are equally natural.
He took his jacket off and put it over the chair.
When you use a pronoun (it, them) instead of a noun, it must go between 'take' and 'off' — never after 'off'.
Your hat is in the way — take it off!
The passive form is used in official rules and signs, where it is not important who does the action.
Helmets must be taken off before entering the building.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
When you use a pronoun like 'it' or 'them', it must go between 'take' and 'off'. Putting it after 'off' is incorrect in English.
'Take off' means to remove something you are wearing, while 'put on' means to dress in or wear something. They are direct opposites, so be careful not to mix them up.
Usage
Completely neutral and used in all situations, from casual conversation to formal signs (e.g., at temples or airport security). It applies to clothing, accessories, and items like makeup or bandages.
become successful or popular very quickly
Sense 2: What does "take off" mean?
Examples
- The business took off after they started selling online.
- Her podcast has really taken off in the last few months.
- The product was well-designed, but it never took off commercially.
How to use it
This is the core intransitive pattern — the subject is always an abstract or commercial entity, never a person.
The startup really took off after it was featured in a major magazine.
A time or causal clause is frequently added to explain what triggered the success.
Sales took off once the company reduced its prices.
Infinitive constructions with verbs like 'start', 'begin', and 'expect' are natural when describing anticipated or emerging growth.
The new streaming service is expected to take off in international markets.
The negative construction with 'never' is very common when describing something that failed to become popular despite its potential.
The product was well-designed, but it never really took off with consumers.
Adverbs like 'really' and 'suddenly' are frequently used as intensifiers to emphasise the speed or scale of the growth.
Her YouTube channel suddenly took off and she gained half a million subscribers in a month.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
With this sense of 'take off', the subject must be an abstract or commercial entity — a business, idea, career, or trend. Using a person as the subject makes it sound like they suddenly left, which is a different meaning entirely.
When the subject is an aircraft or something that flies, 'take off' means to leave the ground — not to become successful. Make sure your subject is a product, business, trend, or idea to convey the 'become popular' meaning.
This sense of 'take off' is intransitive — it never has an object, so nothing should be placed between 'take' and 'off'.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral in register and works in both everyday conversation and semi-formal writing such as business articles. It is often followed by a time clause explaining the cause, like 'after they went viral' or 'once the app launched'.
leave a place suddenly
Sense 3: What does "take off" mean?
Examples
- She grabbed her jacket and took off before anyone could ask where she was going.
- The kids took off down the street as soon as they heard the ice cream van.
- By the time the police arrived, the suspect had already taken off.
How to use it
The most common structure — no object is needed because this is an intransitive use, meaning the verb stands alone.
As soon as the argument started, he just took off.
A directional phrase (e.g. 'down the road', 'into the park') is often added to show where the person went.
She took off across the field before we could say anything.
Adverbs like 'suddenly', 'without warning', or 'in a hurry' are commonly used to emphasise how fast or unexpected the departure was.
He took off without warning and didn't answer his phone all night.
A quick preceding action (e.g. 'grabbed her bag', 'jumped on his bike') is often paired with 'take off' to make the sudden departure vivid.
She grabbed her keys and took off before anyone could stop her.
A participle like 'running' or 'laughing' can follow to describe how the person left.
The dog spotted the open gate and took off running down the lane.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
In this sense, 'take off' is intransitive, which means it never takes a direct object. Adding a noun after it makes the sentence ungrammatical or changes the meaning entirely.
The same words have a completely different meaning when followed by an object like 'your shoes' or 'your jacket'. If there is no object, 'take off' means to leave suddenly — not to remove something.
'Take off' (to leave suddenly) is informal and can sound out of place in formal emails, reports, or academic writing. In those contexts, use 'leave suddenly', 'depart', or 'flee' instead.
Usage
This phrasal verb is informal and best suited to spoken English and casual writing. In formal contexts, use 'leave suddenly' or 'flee' instead.
have time away from work as a holiday or rest
Sense 4: What does "take sth off" mean?
Examples
- She took a whole week off after finishing the project.
- Are you planning to take any time off over the summer?
- He took Friday off to attend his daughter's school play.
How to use it
This is the most common structure. The time expression always goes between 'take' and 'off'.
She's taking a few days off next week to visit her parents.
A purpose clause with 'to' is very often added to explain why someone is taking the time off.
He took the afternoon off to go to a doctor's appointment.
A specific day of the week can be used as the time expression, placed between 'take' and 'off'.
Are you planning to take Friday off for the long weekend?
You can add 'from work' or a similar noun phrase to make the work context explicit.
I really need to take some time off from work before I burn out.
The present continuous is very natural for talking about arranged or upcoming time off.
We're taking a whole week off at the end of the month.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
The time expression must go between 'take' and 'off', not after 'off'. Saying 'take off a day' sounds unnatural in everyday English.
Because the object is always a time expression (a day, a week, etc.), you should state it clearly. Using 'it' instead sounds confusing or unnatural.
'Take off' has several meanings. When the object is a time expression (a day, Friday, the afternoon), it means to have free time from work. When the object is clothing, it means to remove it. Check the object to know which meaning is intended.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral and works in both spoken and written English, including workplace emails. It is commonly followed by a purpose clause with 'to': 'I'm taking Monday off to go to the doctor.'
leave the ground and start flying (a plane)
Sense 5: What does "take off" mean?
Examples
- The plane took off exactly on time and climbed quickly through the clouds.
- Our flight is taking off in twenty minutes, so we need to board now.
- By the time we arrived at the gate, the aircraft had already taken off.
How to use it
The most common pattern — the aircraft is the subject and there is no object after the verb.
The flight took off twenty minutes late due to heavy rain.
Use 'from' to say which airport or location the aircraft leaves from.
The helicopter took off from a small airfield on the coast.
Use a time expression to describe when or how punctually the aircraft departs.
Our connecting flight took off right on schedule.
Use 'be about to take off' to say the aircraft is going to leave the ground very soon.
Please fasten your seatbelts — the plane is about to take off.
Use the present perfect to say the aircraft has departed before a particular moment.
By the time we reached the gate, the jet had already taken off.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
In this aviation sense, the subject must always be the aircraft, never a person. Using a person as the subject switches the meaning to an informal sense about leaving quickly.
In this sense, 'take off' never has an object. If you add a noun after it, the sentence sounds like you are removing something rather than describing an aircraft leaving the ground.
The same words 'take off' can mean to remove something (e.g. clothing). The key difference is that the aviation sense has an aircraft as the subject and no object, while the removal sense always has an object.
Usage
This phrase is neutral and works in both spoken and written English, from casual conversation to news reports. The noun form 'takeoff' (written as one word) is also very common, especially in formal or technical contexts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'take off' always mean removing clothes?
No — 'take off' has several different meanings. When it is followed by a piece of clothing or an accessory, it means to remove it from your body. However, when there is no object, it usually has a different meaning, such as a plane leaving the ground or a person leaving quickly. On this page, we are only looking at the clothing and accessory sense.
Can I use 'take off' for things like makeup or a bandage?
Yes! 'Take off' works naturally for makeup, bandages, and similar things that are applied to or cover the body. For example, you can say 'She took off her makeup before going to bed.' In formal writing, 'remove' might be preferred, but 'take off' is very natural in everyday speech.
What kinds of things can follow 'take off'?
The most common objects are everyday clothing and accessories: shoes, boots, a coat, a jacket, a hat, glasses, sunglasses, a tie, gloves, a ring, a watch, earrings, and a scarf. Items like makeup, a helmet, or a bandage are also natural. The key is that the item must be something worn on or attached to the body.
Is 'take off' used in formal situations too, or only in casual conversation?
'Take off' is completely neutral and appears in all kinds of situations — from a parent telling a child to take their shoes off at the door, to official signs at temples, mosques, or airport security checkpoints. You will often see it in written instructions, for example: 'Please take off your shoes before entering.'
Does 'take off' always mean the same thing? I've heard it used in lots of different ways.
'Take off' has several distinct meanings in English. This entry focuses specifically on the sense of becoming suddenly successful or popular, which always requires an abstract subject like a business, trend, or idea. Other meanings — such as an aircraft leaving the ground or removing clothing — are completely separate senses covered elsewhere.
Can I use 'taking off' in the present continuous to describe something that is becoming popular right now?
It's possible, but it can sound slightly unnatural unless you're describing a very active and dynamic surge happening at this very moment. The simple past and present perfect are much more commonly used — for example, 'it took off last year' or 'it has really taken off recently'.
What kinds of things can 'take off' in this sense? Can I say a person 'took off' to mean they became famous?
No — the subject should always be something abstract or commercial, such as a product, business, career, idea, trend, or movement. If you want to talk about a person becoming successful, you need to use the thing associated with them, for example 'her career took off' or 'his podcast took off', not 'he took off'.
Is 'take off' too informal to use in a business report or article?
'Take off' is neutral in register and is widely used in business journalism, news articles, and semi-formal writing. It sits comfortably alongside more formal alternatives like 'surge' or 'skyrocket', and using it in a business report or feature article would sound natural and appropriate.
Can I say something 'took off' even if it eventually failed later?
Yes — 'took off' only describes the moment of rapid growth or popularity, not what happened afterwards. You can absolutely say 'the trend took off but faded quickly' or 'the app took off initially but lost users within a year'.
Does 'take off' always mean leaving suddenly, or can it describe a planned departure too?
When used in this sense, 'take off' almost always suggests something sudden, urgent, or unannounced. If someone leaves in a calm, scheduled way, it would sound odd to say they 'took off'. For planned departures, it is more natural to say 'leave', 'head off', or 'set off'.
Does 'take off' have other meanings? I want to make sure I'm using the right one.
Yes, 'take off' has several other meanings — for example, an aircraft leaving the ground, or removing clothing. The key sign that it means 'leave suddenly' is that the subject is a person or animal and there is no object after 'off'. Each sense is covered separately on this platform.
Can I use 'taking off' in the present continuous, like 'He is taking off right now'?
It is possible, but it can sound a little awkward unless you are describing something happening at that exact moment, such as watching someone run away in real time. In most storytelling or reporting situations, the simple past ('he took off') or past continuous ('he was taking off') sounds more natural.
Is 'take off' used in both British and American English?
Yes, it is widely understood and used in both British and American English. It is a common, informal expression in everyday spoken language on both sides of the Atlantic.
What kinds of subjects can I use with this meaning of 'take off'?
The subject is almost always a person or an animal — someone who can physically run or move away quickly. Avoid using abstract subjects like ideas or businesses, as that points to the 'become successful' sense of 'take off', which is a different meaning entirely.
Does 'take off' always refer to time away from a job? Can I use it for school or other commitments?
It is most commonly used in a work context, but you can also hear it used for school or other regular commitments — for example, 'She took a day off school.' However, the work/job context is by far the most natural and frequent use.
What's the difference between 'take a day off' and 'have a day off'?
'Take a day off' focuses on the action of choosing or arranging to be away from work. 'Have a day off' describes simply having that free time. In practice they are very close in meaning, but 'take a day off' is slightly more active — it suggests you decided to do it.
Can I say 'I am taking off tomorrow' to mean I won't be at work?
This could be understood, but it is more natural to include the time expression between 'take' and 'off': 'I'm taking tomorrow off.' Without the time expression in that position, 'taking off' can sound like you are leaving suddenly or departing, which is a different meaning.
Is it natural to say 'I took off some time last summer' without a specific time period?
It is more natural to be specific: 'I took some time off last summer' (with 'time' between 'took' and 'off') is the better structure. Vague expressions like 'some time' still work, but the more specific the time period, the more natural the sentence sounds.
Can I use 'take off' for rockets or spacecraft?
Not usually. For rockets and spacecraft, the standard phrase is 'lift off', not 'take off'. 'Take off' is used for planes, helicopters, jets, and drones. Saying 'the rocket took off' would sound a little unusual to most native speakers.
What is the difference between 'take off' and 'takeoff'?
'Take off' (two words with a space) is the verb — for example, 'The plane took off at 7am.' 'Takeoff' (one word) is the noun form — for example, 'The takeoff was delayed by bad weather.' Both are correct and very common in English.
Does 'take off' always mean an aircraft leaving the ground?
No — 'take off' has several different meanings in English. It can mean to remove something, to leave somewhere quickly, or to become suddenly successful. This page covers only the aviation sense. The subject being an aircraft is the clearest sign that this sense is being used.
Can I say 'The plane is taking off every morning at six'?
It is more natural to use the simple present for timetables and schedules: 'The plane takes off every morning at six.' The present continuous is best saved for imminent departures, like 'The plane is taking off in five minutes.'
Ready to practise?
Practise 1,000+ English phrasal verbs with interactive gap-fill exercises.
Start Practising →