1.
to leave the ground (a plane or rocket)
“The plane took off at 10 a.m.”
“When does our flight take off?”
Synonyms: to lift off, to depart
Phrasal verb
What does take off mean?
Meaning: to leave the ground; to remove clothes
B1
This page for:
Quick answer
Take off = to leave the ground (a plane) or to remove clothes. The plane took off = the plane left the ground. Take off your shoes = remove your shoes. For a plane, there is no object; for clothes, the verb is separable.
Meanings of the phrasal verb
2.
to remove clothes, shoes or glasses
“Take off your shoes, please.”
“He took his coat off.”
“Take it off, it's too warm.”
Synonyms: to remove, to put off
3.
to have a holiday from work
idiomatic“I'm taking next Friday off.”
4.
to become successful very quickly
figurative“Her career really took off.”
Word order
Separable
The object can go between the verb and the particle. With a pronoun (it, them), it always goes between.
Forms
- Present Simple:
- take off
- Past Simple:
- took off
- Past participle:
- taken off
- -ing form:
- taking off
Common mistakes to avoid
Meaning 1 (a plane): no object
When a plane leaves the ground, there is no object: The plane took off ✓. To say where it leaves from, add from: The plane took off from Brussels ✓. Never The plane took off Brussels ❌.
Meaning 2 (clothes): separable
With a noun: take off your shoes or take your shoes off. With a pronoun: take them off ✓ / take off them ❌.
Irregular verb: took / taken
Take is irregular: take → took → taken. Past Simple: I took off my hat. Past participle (after have): I have taken off my shoes.
Practice quiz
Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank
Related pages: take off
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
Take off: you understand the rule. Now practise it.
Understanding a rule is only the first step. On PLAY, you use it in real situations, at your own pace, until it becomes automatic.
Practise “take off” on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachersTake off: a ready-to-use lesson sequence
The Academy gives you step-by-step exercises, answer keys and a tracking dashboard: you keep the teaching, and the tool takes care of the practice and the marking.
Discover the Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
English contestTake off: often tested in the English contest
Instead of another class test, your students answer questions based on the CEFR levels, in a contest that brings the whole school together.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Frequently asked questions
What does take off mean?+
Take off has several meanings: (1) to leave the ground (a plane); (2) to remove clothes; (3) to have a day without work; (4) to become successful very fast. Meaning 1 has no object (no noun after it); meaning 2 is separable.
Is take off separable?+
It depends on the meaning. For a plane, there is no object: The plane took off. For clothes, it is separable: take off your shoes, take your shoes off, take them off.
What is the opposite of take off for clothes?+
Put on, which means to start wearing clothes. Put on your shoes / Take off your shoes. These two phrasal verbs often go together.
What is the past simple of take off?+
Took off. Take is irregular: take → took → taken. I took off my coat / The plane took off.
What does take a day off mean?+
It means to have one day without work (a day of holiday). I'm taking Friday off = I am not working on Friday. You can also say take time off = to stop working for a while.
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/take-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.