# cock off

CEFR C1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/cock-off
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

to go away or leave. You use this as a very rude way to tell someone to leave you alone because you are angry with them.

For teachers: To depart or leave, primarily used as a vulgar imperative to dismiss an interlocutor. The phrase is intransitive and functions as a more aggressive alternative to 'bugger off'.

## Examples

- He tells the annoying salesman to cock off.
- After the argument in the pub, he just told his friends to cock off and walked home alone.
- The script relies heavily on regional dialect, with characters frequently telling one another to cock off during heated confrontations.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I'm tired, so I'll cock off now." but "I'm tired, so I'll head off now." — Learners may mistake this for a neutral way to say they are leaving, but it is actually a vulgar dismissal.

## Usage notes

- This is a vulgar British expression used almost exclusively as a rude dismissal.
- Teaching tip: Contrast this with 'bugger off' and 'piss off' to help students navigate the hierarchy of British dismissals.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.