Definition

Verb (transitive): To send someone away quickly and often without much ceremony or preparation. It implies a sense of urgency or a desire to dispatch the person promptly.

Usage

The verb "bundle off" is used to describe the action of causing someone to depart hastily. It often carries a connotation that the departure is somewhat abrupt or unceremonious. The person being sent is typically the direct object.

Examples

• The children were bundled off to bed as soon as the guests arrived.
• After the argument, he was bundled off to his room.
• She bundled the kids off to school and then left for work.

Advanced Usage

• To bundle something/someone off to a place: This is the most common construction, specifying the destination.
  • The company bundled him off to their branch office in another city.
• The phrase can sometimes imply sending someone away to be dealt with by others or to get them out of the way.

Variants and Related Words

• Bundle (verb): To tie or wrap something into a compact parcel. This core meaning of gathering things together hastily is related to the hurried action in "bundle off."
• Pack off (verb, phrasal): A very close synonym, also meaning to send someone away, often with similar connotations of haste.

Synonyms

• Send away
• Pack off
• Dispatch
• Ship off

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Send off: To cause someone to leave for a destination. While similar, "send off" can be more neutral or even positive (e.g., a celebratory send-off), whereas "bundle off" is almost always informal and implies haste.
  • Compare: They gave him a great send-off party. vs. They bundled him off before he could cause more trouble.

Related Idioms

• To show someone the door: To ask or tell someone to leave. This is more direct and confrontational than "bundle off," which focuses on the action of making them go rather than the instruction to leave.

Verb

1. send off unceremoniously