put off

verb

put off; putting off; puts off

transitive verb

1

a

: disconcert

b

: repel

2

a

: to hold back to a later time

b

: to induce to wait

put the bill collector off

3

: to rid oneself of : take off

4

: to sell or pass fraudulently

Synonyms of put off

• postpone
• delay
• put over
• defer

Examples of put off in a Sentence

never put off until tomorrow what you can do today

put off your coat and stay awhile

Recent Examples on the Web

The decision to put off the NFL for a year was massive for the Bulldogs. — Connor Riley, AJC.com, 22 Aug. 2026

The search turned sour when one of the actors was put off to discover a young, inexperienced woman sitting in the director’s chair. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Multiple donors who gave thousands of dollars to Cornyn's campaign told ABC News that they were put off by Paxton's history of controversies and scandals. — Benjamin Siegel, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

City have looked for replacements in the market and had considered Pedro Neto from Chelsea, but were put off by the price tag. — Sam Lee, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for put off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

put off

verb

1

: to cause negative feelings in

your sloppy appearance put them off

2

: to hold back to a later time : defer

put off my visit to the dentist

3

: to rid oneself of

put off your coat