1.
to leave a bus, a train or a bike
“Get off at the next stop.”
“I got off the bus too early.”
“She got off her bike.”
Synonyms: to disembark, to alight
Phrasal verb
What does get off mean?
Meaning: to leave a bus, a train or a bike
B1
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Quick answer
Get off = to leave a bus, a train or a bike. Get off at the next stop = leave the bus at the next stop. It is the opposite of get on. For a car or a taxi, use get out (of).
Meanings of the phrasal verb
2.
to finish work or school (informal)
common“What time do you get off work?”
Synonyms: to finish, to leave
3.
to have only a small punishment
idiomatic“He got off with a warning.”
Word order
Inseparable
The object goes after the particle, never between the verb and the particle.
Forms
- Present Simple:
- get off
- Past Simple:
- got off
- Past participle:
- got off (UK) / gotten off (US)
- -ing form:
- getting off
Common mistakes to avoid
Get off (bus, train) or get out of (car)?
Get off: a bus, a train, a bike. Get out of: a car, a taxi. Get off the bus / Get out of the car. It works like get on / get in.
Not separable
Nothing goes between get and off. Get off the bus ✓ / Get the bus off ❌. With a pronoun, get off it is rare: people usually say get off the bus.
Practice quiz
Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank
Related pages: get off
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Frequently asked questions
What does get off mean?+
Get off has three meanings: (1) to leave a bus, a train or a bike; (2) to finish work (informal); (3) to have only a small punishment, or none.
Is it get off or get out of?+
Use get off for a bus, a train, a plane, a bike or a motorbike. Use get out of for a car, a taxi or a small space. It works like get on / get in.
Is get off separable?+
No, it is not separable. Get off the bus ✓. With a pronoun, get off it is possible but rare. It is better to say the noun again: get off the bus.
What is the past simple of get off?+
Got off. Get → got → got (British English) / gotten (American English). I got off at Oxford Street.
What does get off with a warning mean?+
Get off with something means to have only a small punishment. He got off with a fine = he only had to pay some money, and nothing worse happened. This is meaning 3, an idiom (a fixed phrase).
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/phrasal-verbs/get-off
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.