Go off
Go off verb - To break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure.
Set off
Set off verb - To cause to function.
Mutual synonyms
Both terms in one sentence
- Heroic Mime Player CharacterSergeant Waters Badass: Under heavy fire, he runs to manually set off a bridge explosion when it fails to go off.
Source: Characters / Call of Duty - In Mega Man Battle Network 3, Wily's evil plan can go off at any time, yet you can go back and forth between ACDC Town and Wily's fortress as many times as you want, a process that takes half an hour according to the game, and Wily still hasn't set off his plans yet.
Source: Take Your Time -
One clip shows two men attempting to set off a "soda bomb." Not only does it take them numerous tries to actually get it to go off, but when it does, it hits the man holding the camera as if someone had aimed it at him.
Source: Series / World's Dumbest...
Cite this Source
Set off and Go off. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 13, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/go_off/set_off
Go off & Set off. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/go_off/set_off>.
Set off or Go off. 2016. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/go_off/set_off.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "go off" and "set off" have occurred on timeline