See off meaning
See off means to go to the airport or station with someone to say goodbye. It can also mean to make someone go away, or beat them in a game (UK).
see somebody off
see off · saw · seen · seeing
My whole family came to the airport to see me off.
See off meanings and examples
2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Go to the airport or station with someone to say goodbye
see somebody off
- My whole family came to the airport to see me off.
- We saw Grandma off at the train station.
- Are you going to see off your brother on Sunday?
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2
Make someone go away, or beat them in a game (UK)
see somebody or something off
- The farmer saw off the foxes with his dog.
- The home team easily saw off their rivals.
- Our goalkeeper saw them off with three great saves.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use see off in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is see off separable?
See off is separable, and the person usually goes in the middle: see Mum off, see her off. You can also say see off your friends with a longer noun.
See off is about going with someone to say goodbye. To only say goodbye at the door, people say see someone out.
Verb tenses for see off
| Present | I see off · she sees off |
|---|---|
| Past | saw off |
| Present perfect | have seen off |
| -ing form | seeing off |
Common mistakes with see off
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: My parents came to see off me at the airport.
Right: My parents came to see me off at the airport.
A pronoun goes between see and off.
Wrong: We saw her off from the station.
Right: We saw her off at the station.
Use at for the place where you say goodbye.
Wrong: Thanks for seeing me off. Come in!
Right: Thanks for coming. Come in!
See off is for someone who is leaving, not arriving.
Synonyms and opposites of see off
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- say goodbyethe general phrase; see off means you go with them
- wave goodbyemove your hand to say goodbye as someone leaves
- see outgo to the door with a guest who is leaving
Opposite
- pick upgo to the airport or station to collect someone
- meetgo to the airport or station to greet someone
See off quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Lots of friends went to the station to ___.
See someone off means go with them to say goodbye.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes between see and off.
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3A UK sports report says, “City saw off United 3-0.” What happened?
In UK sports news, see off can mean beat a team.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get offA2leave a bus, train, plane, boat or bike
- take offA2remove clothes, shoes or glasses from your body
- put offB1decide to do something later than you planned
- come offB1become separated from the thing it was fixed to
- go offB2start ringing loudly, like an alarm, or explode, like a bomb
- turn offA2make a light, machine or tap stop working
- give offB2produce a smell, heat, light or gas
- set offB1start a journey
See off FAQ
Questions people ask about see off.
What does see someone off mean?
It means go with someone to the place they are leaving from, like an airport, and say goodbye there. My mum saw me off at the bus stop.
See off vs see out: what is the difference?
You see someone off at a station or airport. You see someone out when you walk them to the door of your home or office.
What is the opposite of see off?
Meet or pick up. You see someone off when they leave and meet or pick them up when they arrive.
Use see off in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.