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

• defer
• delay
• hold off (on)
• hold over
• hold up
• lay over
• postpone
• put over
• remit
• shelve

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

Those two things led Thurston to put off mentioning the lump to a doctor. —Jenna Anderson, Health, 22 Apr. 2025

Yes No If you are retried, has the volatility in stocks led you to put off major expenses or plans such as travel? —Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2025

UnitedHealth, like other insurers, enjoyed much lower MCRs during the Covid-19 pandemic when patients put off seeing their doctor or avoided healthcare altogether during the shutdowns of 2020. —Bruce Japsen, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025

But the central bank has put off further easing as inflation has proven more stubborn than expected. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

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