switch off

phrasal verb

switched off; switching off; switches off
1
: to turn off (something) by turning or pushing a button or moving a switch, lever, etc.
He switched off the light/lamp.
He switched the TV off.
2
informal : to stop paying attention
When the topic turned to the stock market, he switched off.

Examples of switch off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As the minutes ticked by, Ruby and Adrionn Perkins kept switching off who stayed in the car with the kids and who was helping at the scene. Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2025 Since these are not high-energy lasers, these defenses may require no more than switching off instruments or turning them away from the threat. New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2025 Babalola wasn’t a quarterback at the time, but Chance’s father, the team’s coach, found a way to use Babalola at the position and had the two switch off every drive. Grace Raynor, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025 Babonneau and Camus would switch off weeks sleeping in the bedroom, the other resigning himself to the hard foldout couch in the kitchen. Jeanne Malle, Air Mail, 4 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for switch off

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Cite this Entry

“Switch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/switch%20off. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

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