put off

verb

put off; putting off; puts off

transitive verb

1
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

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 And even though the birds don’t have it at lethal levels, the toxin still puts off one apex predator. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2024 Some might be put off by all-inclusive, for fear of being bored of the same food day after day. Harriet Marsden, The Week Uk, theweek, 26 Feb. 2024 For too long, the handful of relevant officials were preoccupied with other matters and were put off by a welter of confused and often superficial legal and financial arguments. Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023 Within the ranks, the departure of right-leaning officers and servicemen put off by vaccine mandates and left-wing political trainings has shifted the military’s composition left at the expense of service quality. Jacob Hornstein, National Review, 26 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for put off 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'put off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of put off was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near put off

Cite this Entry

“Put off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put%20off. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on put off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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