What is the difference between off and away?
off | away |
In a direction away from the speaker or object.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4
, passage=No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or
Into a state of non-operation; into a state of non-existence.
Inoperative, disabled.
:All the lights are off .
Rancid, rotten.
:This milk is off !
(cricket) In, or towards the half of the field away from the batsman's legs; the right side for a right-handed batsman.
Less than normal, in temperament or in result.
:sales are off this quarter
Circumstanced (as in well off'', ''better off'', ''poorly off ).
*
Started on the way.
:off to see the wizard
:And they're off ! Whatsmyname takes an early lead, with Remember The Mane behind by a nose.
*
Far; off to the side.
:the off horse or ox in a team, in distinction from the nigh or near horse
*
*:So this was my future home, I thought!Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
*1937 , (Zora Neale Hurston), Their Eyes Were Watching God , Harper Perennial (2000), p.151:
*:He came in, took a look and squinched down into a chair in an off corner and didn’t open his mouth.
Designating a time when one is not strictly attentive to business or affairs, or is absent from a post, and, hence, a time when affairs are not urgent.
:He took an off''' day for fishing. an '''off''' year in politics; the '''off season
(Used to indicate movement away from a position on)
(colloquial) Out of the possession of.
Away from or not on.
Disconnected or subtracted from.
Distant from.
No longer wanting or taking.
(slang) To kill.
(Singapore) To switch off.
From a place, .
*{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers)
, chapter=5, title= *{{quote-magazine, date=2014-06-14, volume=411, issue=8891, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= Aside; off; in another direction.
From a state or condition of being; out of existence.
Come away; go away; take away.
* 1933 +, Fran Striker, The Lone Ranger , WXYZ-AM
On; in continuance; without intermission or delay.
Without restraint.
Being so engaged for the entire time.
At a distance in time or space.
* 1948 , , North from Mexico / The Spanish-Speaking People of The United States , J. B. Lippincott Company, page 25,
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-08, volume=407, issue=8839, page=52, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= Not here, gone, absent, unavailable, traveling; on vacation.
(following the noun modified) At a specified distance in space, time, or figuratively.
(chiefly, sports) Not on one's home territory.
(baseball, following the noun modified) Out.
Away is a synonym of off.
As adverbs the difference between off and away
is that off is in a direction away from the speaker or object while away is from a place, hence.As adjectives the difference between off and away
is that off is inoperative, disabled while away is not here, gone, absent, unavailable, traveling; on vacation.As a preposition off
is Used to indicate movement away from a position onAs a verb off
is to kill.As an interjection away is
come on!; go on.off
English
Adverb
(en adverb)Usage notes
* Used in many , off'' is an adverbial particle often mistakenly thought of as a preposition. (It ''can be used as a preposition, but such usage is rare and usually informal; see below.)Synonyms
* away, outAntonyms
* on, inDerived terms
* back off * bite off * break off * bring off * call off * clean off * cut off, cutoff * die off * drop off * fall off * fuck off * get off * go off * goof off * hold off * keep off * kick off, kickoff * knock off * lay off, layoff * leave off * let off * light off * live off * make off * make off with * nod off * pay off, payoff * piss off * pull off * put off * ring off * rip off, ripoff * round off * run off, runoff * see off * set off * show off, showoff * sleep off * shake off * switch off * take off * tell off * tick off * turn off, turnoff * walk it off * wear offAdjective
(en adjective)Antonyms
* (inoperative) on * (rotten) fresh * (cricket) on, legDerived terms
* off to the racesPreposition
(English prepositions)- I took it off''' the table.''; ''Come '''off the roof!
- He didn't buy it off''' him. He stole it '''off him.
- He's off''' the computer, but he's still on the phone.''; ''Keep '''off the grass.
- We've been off''' the grid for three days now.''; ''He took 20% '''off the list price.
- We're just off''' the main road.''; ''The island is 23 miles ' off the cape.
- He's been off''' his feed since Tuesday.''; ''He's '''off his meds again.
- Tantalum bar 6 off 3/8" Dia × 12" — Atom, Great Britain Atomic Energy Authority, 1972
- samples submitted … 12 off Thermistors type 1K3A531 … — BSI test report for shock and vibration testing, 2000
- I'd like to re-order those printer cartridges, let's say 5-off .
Antonyms
*Derived terms
* off-campus * off one's feedVerb
(en verb)- He got in the way so I had him offed .
- Can you off the light?
Derived terms
* off-licence, off-license, offie, offyaway
English
Etymology 1
(etyl) .Adverb
(further)A Cuckoo in the Nest, passage=The departure was not unduly prolonged.
It's a gas, passage=One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination.}}
- Hi-yo Silver, away !
- While De Anza was exploring the Bay of San Francisco, seeking a site for the presidio, the American colonists on the eastern seaboard, three thousand miles away , were celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The new masters and commanders, passage=From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away .}}
Synonyms
* (away from a place) at bay, offAdjective
(further)- The master is away from home.
- Would you pick up my mail while I'm away .
- He's miles away by now.
- Spring is still a month away .
- Next, they are playing away in Dallas.
- Two men away in the bottom of the ninth.