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peel off — to remove or come off in layers or strips

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: to remove or come off in layers or strips

Pronunciation (IPA): /piːl ɔːf/

Example Sentences

  • My sunburn is so bad that my skin is peeling off like a snake!
  • The old sticker wouldn't peel off easily, so I had to use a hair dryer.
  • Two jets peeled off from the formation for a surprise maneuver.

peel off

VERB

[/piːl ɔːf/]

to remove or come off in layers or strips

a painter uses a scraping tool to remove old paint from the wooden siding of a house. Large strips and flakes of white paint curl and fall away as the scraper moves across the surface. The paint comes off in long ribbon-like pieces, revealing the natural wood underneath. More loose paint hangs ready to fall from areas where the scraper has loosened it. A helper below catches some of the falling paint pieces in a bucket.  paint peeling off and being removed in layers and strips
💡 Concept

a painter uses a scraping tool to remove old paint from the wooden siding of a house. Large strips and flakes of white paint curl and fall away as the scraper moves across the surface. The paint comes off in long ribbon-like pieces, revealing the natural wood underneath. More loose paint hangs ready to fall from areas where the scraper has loosened it. A helper below catches some of the falling paint pieces in a bucket. paint peeling off and being removed in layers and strips

Peel off the fake to reveal what's real, and seal the deal!
🎵 Rhyme

Peel off the fake to reveal what's real, and seal the deal!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/piːl ɔːf/
🇬🇧 UK/piːl ɒf/

🌳Etymology

Rootpeel
Suffix-off

Origin

The phrasal verb 'peel off' emerged in the 14th century, combining the verb 'peel' (from Old French 'peler', meaning to remove skin or outer layer) with the adverb 'off' (indicating separation or removal). Originally used literally to describe the action of removing fruit skin, it developed extended meanings in navigation and aviation.

Breakdown

peel (Old French 'peler', to strip or remove outer layer) + off (adverb indicating separation or departure from a surface or group).

🎵Rhyme

feel
deal
real
meal

🔗Collocations

paint peels off
peel off stickers
skin peels off
peel off from the group
wallpaper peels off

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“My sunburn is so bad that my skin is peeling off like a snake!”

“The old sticker wouldn't peel off easily, so I had to use a hair dryer.”

“Two jets peeled off from the formation for a surprise maneuver.”

😄 Fun example

“The banana-shaped car freshener started to peel off, making the car smell like old glue.”

📚Related Words

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