Meaning trap
go off
food spoils
To become bad or no longer safe to eat because it is old.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To become bad or no longer safe to eat because it is old.
Another meaning of 'go off' is 'alarm rings or bomb explodes'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
The milk has gone off, so don’t drink it.
Food can go off quickly in hot weather if it’s not kept in the fridge.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: The fish is going off bad.
Say: The fish has gone off.
'Go off' already means spoil — don't add 'bad'. (AmE prefers 'go bad'.)
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
For food spoiling, natives say 'gone off' (BrE). 'Unfit for consumption' is label-speak. (AmE: 'gone bad'.)
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
go off
- the milk
- the meat
- leftovers
- the cream
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- go off (alarm rings or bomb explodes) — Another meaning of 'go off' is 'alarm rings or bomb explodes'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.