shoot off

present singular third person shoots off · participle present shooting off · participle past shot off · past shot off

1. colloquialTo leave quickly.

   I have to shoot off: my interview starts in under an hour.

   Synonyms: shoot

2. idiomaticTo do (something, usually a written or verbal communication) quickly, and without hesitation or forethought.

   In other situations, you might know someone who adds colour with personal anecdotes and feelings. You could shoot off a similar response – perhaps including a short story of your own to hammer home your point.

   2020 December 21, Bryan Lufkin, “How 'linguistic mirroring' can make you more convincing”, in BBC

3. broadcastingTo overshoot the bounds of a set when filming, showing part of what lies outside it.
4. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see shoot, off.

   His arm got shot off in the war.

   1 more example

   "But the Civil Aviation Authority is very worried about 'flyaway' - if someone has bought a GPS jammer on eBay because they don't want drones near their house, it can cause drones to get completely lost and shoot off in a random direction until they run out of battery.

   2025 July 23, Paul Clifton, “Air force: drones' developing railway role”, in RAIL, number 1040, page 29