# drive off

CEFR A2 · Phrasal verb

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

## Definition

to leave a place in a car or another vehicle. You use this when you see someone start their engine and go away.

For teachers: to depart from a specific location in a motor vehicle. The verb is typically intransitive in this sense, focusing on the act of leaving rather than the destination.

## Examples

- He got into his car and drove off.
- After saying goodbye to her parents, she started the engine and slowly drove off down the quiet street.
- The witnesses reported seeing a dark sedan drive off at high speed immediately following the sound of the collision.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The car drove off the garage." but "The car drove off from the garage." — When used with a starting point, the preposition 'from' is required because 'drive off' is intransitive.

## Usage notes

- This phrase is usually intransitive and does not take a direct object.
- Teaching tip: Contrast with 'drive away'; 'drive off' often highlights the suddenness or the visual of the vehicle disappearing from view.

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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.