Meaning & use
pop off
Last updated
Meanings
phrasephrasal verbinformal
To suddenly speak out in anger, often loudly and with little warning.
Grammar: Intransitive, often with at or about: he popped off at his coach.
Patterns
- pop off at someone
- pop off about something
He popped off at the referee after the call.
Don't pop off at me just because you had a bad day.
She popped off about the late delivery in front of everyone.
phrasephrasal verbslang
To play or perform extremely well, especially in a game, a contest or on stage.
Grammar: No object; used for impressive performances: she popped off on stage.
Patterns
- pop off in a game
The rookie popped off with thirty points last night.
The whole cast popped off in the final scene.
You really popped off in that debate.
phrasephrasal verbBritishinformal
To leave quickly or for a short time.
Grammar: Intransitive and chiefly British: I'll just pop off to the shop.
Patterns
- pop off to somewhere
I'll pop off to the bakery and be back soon.
She popped off home early because she felt unwell.
Word forms
| third person singular | pops off |
|---|---|
| past tense | popped off |
| past participle | popped off |
| present participle | popping off |
Common combinations
- pop off at someone
- Please do not pop off at the waiter; the delay was not his fault.
- pop off about something
- He popped off about the schedule change during the meeting.
- really pop off
- Both rookies really popped off in the final quarter.
- pop off on social media
- Fans tend to pop off on social media after a loss.
- pop off to the shops
- I'm going to pop off to the shops before dinner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lash out
- Lash out suggests an attack aimed at someone, while pop off can be a quick burst of temper.
- snap
- Snap implies sudden loss of control and is shorter and more neutral than pop off.
- shine
- Shine means to perform brilliantly, but it lacks the loud, energetic feel of pop off in sports slang.
- slip away
- Slip away means leaving quietly, whereas pop off to a place just means a quick trip.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: pop off or pop out?
pop off vs pop out
Pop out means to leave a place briefly or to appear suddenly and does not suggest anger or great performance.
Practice
The crowd roared as the young guard ____ for forty points in the playoff game.
Choose one answer.
Pop off is a slang way of saying a player performed exceptionally well. Popped in or popped up would mean arriving or appearing, not performing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pop off”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.