# make off

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

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

## Definition

to leave a place very quickly, usually because you are trying to escape or avoid being caught.

For teachers: to depart hurriedly, especially to avoid capture or detection. The verb is intransitive in this sense.

## Examples

- The burglars made off before the police arrived.
- As soon as the window broke, the kids made off down the alleyway to avoid getting into trouble.
- Despite the heavy security presence, the pickpocket managed to make off into the crowded market, vanishing before the victim realized their wallet was gone.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I made off from the meeting early because I was tired." but "I left the meeting early because I was tired." — 'Make off' implies escaping from trouble or a crime, not just leaving a normal social situation.

## Usage notes

- This phrase usually implies a sense of guilt or a need for a quick escape.
- Teaching tip: Help students distinguish this from 'make off with', which specifically means to steal something while escaping.

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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.