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

All of this means Owens has had to take shifts in the kitchen, putting off her front-of-house duties and paperwork to her evenings and days off. — Ayesha Rascoe, NPR, 1 Nov. 2026

But anything governing those players will likely get put off until after the labor dispute is resolved. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 29 Oct. 2026

While not all travel is avoidable, measles exposure risk may be a good reason to put off that family long weekend in Amish country. — Katie Lockwood, STAT, 28 Oct. 2026

According to Singhal, common signs include procrastination, impatience, feeling overwhelmed, and putting off decisions altogether. — Kriti Kumar, Vogue, 24 Oct. 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