work off
SeparableThe object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: work OFF. Saying “WORK off” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
Link across the gap. The final /k/ of “work” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “work off” is said “wor-koff”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.
What it means
To get rid of something through effort — energy, weight or a debt.
- “He went for a run to work off the frustration.”
- “She worked off the loan over two summers.”
Similar: burn off, discharge