turnoff

1 of 2

noun

turn·​off ˈtərn-ˌȯf 

1

: a place where one turns off

especially : exit sense 4

2

informal : one that causes loss of interest or enthusiasm

the music was a turnoff

3

: a turning off

turn off

2 of 2

verb

turned off; turning off; turns off

transitive verb

1

: to stop the flow of or shut off by or as if by turning a control

turn the water off

2

informal : to cause to lose interest : bore

economics turns me off

also : to evoke a negative feeling in

3

a

: dismiss, discharge

b

: to dispose of : sell

4

: deflect sense 2, evade

5

: produce, accomplish

6

: hang sense 1b

7

a

: to remove (material) by the process of turning

b

: to shape or produce by turning

intransitive verb

1

: to deviate from a straight course or from a main road

turn off into a side road

2

a

British : to turn bad : spoil

b

: to change to a specified state : become

3

informal : to lose interest : withdraw

Synonyms of turnoff

Verb

• disgust
• repulse
• put off
• sicken

Examples of turnoff in a Sentence

Noun

His strong cologne was a real turnoff.

Verb

that memorably bad meal turned me off about restaurant food for a while

turn off at the third exit and follow the ramp to your left

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s nothing more of a turnoff than trying to chase approval. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2026

But establishment support has been a turnoff for some voters. — Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 23 July 2026

Verb

Apple's soon-to-be released iOS 27 comes with an overhaul of the Messages app, including AI overviews for lengthy texts, one-tap suggestions, like adding a coffee date directly to the Calendar app; and the ability to turn off speech-to-text. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 24 July 2026

Companies should also have the option to manually turn off a model’s network access as a failsafe when testing risky scenarios, like evaluating whether an AI agent can hack a bank, Ji added. — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1564, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3a

Rhymes for turnoff

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

Kids Definition

turnoff

1 of 2 noun

turn·​off ˈtər-ˌnȯf 

1

: a place where one turns off (as from a road)

2

: something that causes loss of interest or enjoyment

the music was a turnoff

turn off

2 of 2 verb

ˌtər-ˈnȯf, 

ˈtər-

1

: to turn aside

turned off onto a side road

2

: to stop by or as if by turning a control

turn off the light

turn the alarm off

3

: to cause dislike or loss of interest

that sort of thing turns me off