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 inconvenience of that military presence has brought certain compensations from the government, such as a strikingly modern, geometric contemporary art museum (Nagi MOCA) that draws visitors not put off by the arduous journey required to get there. —Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026

Commissioner Jessica Vasquez requested the AI proposal be deferred, likely putting off consideration for at least one month. —A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026

But Glasnow is expected to miss close to the minimum amount of time, and Los Angeles can’t put off making the decision forever. —Katie Woo, New York Times, 12 May 2026

But regular customers were put off by the Mac’s serious limitations. —Geoffrey Cain, Vanity Fair, 11 May 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