Work off meaning
Work off means to get rid of a feeling, energy or food you ate by doing physical activity. It can also mean to pay back a debt by working instead of paying money.
work something off
work off · worked · working
I went for a run to work off my anger.
Work 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
Get rid of a feeling, energy or food you ate by doing physical activity
work something off
- I went for a run to work off my anger.
- Let’s walk home to work off that big lunch.
- The kids need to work some energy off before bed.
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2
Pay back a debt by working instead of paying money
work something off
- He worked off the loan by helping in his uncle’s shop.
- She’s still working off the cost of the trip.
- I owed him money, so he let me work it off in his shop.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use work 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 work off separable?
Work off is separable: work off the stress, work the stress off, work it off. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle.
It often goes with words like stress, anger, energy, calories and a big meal. Work out is the exercise itself; work off is what the exercise gets rid of.
Verb tenses for work off
| Present | I work off · she works off |
|---|---|
| Past | worked off |
| Present perfect | have worked off |
| -ing form | working off |
Common mistakes with work off
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I ate too much cake. I need to work off it.
Right: I ate too much cake. I need to work it off.
A pronoun goes between work and off.
Wrong: I work off at the gym every evening.
Right: I work out at the gym every evening.
For doing exercise, use work out. Work off needs an object like stress.
Wrong: He worked off his stress by watching TV.
Right: He relaxed by watching TV.
Work off needs physical effort, not resting.
Synonyms and opposites of work off
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- burn offuse energy or calories through exercise
- let off steamdo something active to get rid of strong feelings
- work outdo exercise; work off is what the exercise removes
Opposite
- bottle upkeep strong feelings inside and not show them
- pile oninformal; put on a lot of weight
Work off quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1After the argument, she went to the pool to ___ her anger.
Work off a feeling means get rid of it with physical activity.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes between work and off.
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3“He’s working off his debt at the café.” What is he doing?
Work off a debt means pay it back by working.
More phrasal verbs with work
4 phrasal verbs start with work. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Work off FAQ
Questions people ask about work off.
Work off vs work out: what is the difference?
Work out means do exercise. Work off means get rid of something by exercise: I work out to work off stress.
What does work off a meal mean?
It means do something active after eating a lot, so you use the energy. Let’s go for a walk to work off dinner.
Can you work off stress?
Yes. Many people work off stress by running, dancing or cleaning. The activity must be physical.
Use work 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.