AAAmerican Accent US

make off with

Inseparable

The verb and particle never split. The object always follows the whole phrase.

How to say it

Main stress lands on the first particle: make OFF with. The trailing “with” reduces almost to nothing — expect a schwa, not a full vowel.

Link across the gap. The final /k/ of “make” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “make off” is said “ma-koff”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.

What it means

  1. To steal something and escape with it.

    • “Someone made off with two laptops overnight.”

    Similar: steal, abscond with

The particle logic

off

Contact is broken: something detaches, leaves, or stops.

with

The person or thing the action is done alongside.

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More MAKE phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

make up

To invent a story or an excuse.

make up for

To compensate for something you did wrong or failed to do.

make out

To manage to see, hear or understand something with difficulty.

make it

To succeed, arrive, or survive.

make do

To manage with whatever is available, even if it is not ideal.

make over

To transform someone's appearance or a space.

make off with — meaning, examples & how to say it