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 Stanford researchers estimated that sellers can roughly double revenue because of consumer inertia, when people forget or put off canceling, and cancellation friction, when ending a subscription takes too much time or effort. — Barbara Booth, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2026

Giving feedback is warranted and needed, but the conversation keeps getting put off. — Maren Perry, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Could there possibly be more gained from using Wilder’s nasal croon than lost in viewers put off by the manipulation of a dead man’s image (or rather, sound) for a game show? — Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026

SoftBank’s energy business and nuclear company Holtec put off their listings after investors balked, The New York Times reported. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 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