1 C1 informal
To eat something greedily and quickly (non-standard; extremely rare).
"He gobbled off the last of the cake before anyone else could get to it."
separable
gobble off
C1 informal separable transitive
A non-standard and extremely rare variant meaning to eat something quickly; not an established phrasal verb in mainstream English.
In plain English
To eat something fast (very rare way of saying it — most people would say 'gobble up' instead).
What does "gobble off" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To gobble (eat greedily) off (away from the plate).
Actually means
To eat something fast (very rare way of saying it — most people would say 'gobble up' instead).
Usage tip
This is not a recognised standard phrasal verb. It may occasionally appear in regional British dialects or as an idiosyncratic formation. ESL learners should use 'gobble up' or 'gobble down' instead. No reliable citations exist.
Words that pair with "gobble off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
food meal
How to conjugate "gobble off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
gobble off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
gobbles off
he/she/it
Past simple
gobbled off
yesterday
Past participle
gobbled off
have + pp
-ing form
gobbling off
continuous
Hear "gobble off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "gobble off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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