1
: a place where one turns off
especially
: exit sense 4
2
: one that causes loss of interest or enthusiasm
the music was a turnoff
3
: a turning off
turned off; turning off; turns off
1
: to stop the flow of or shut off by or as if by turning a control
turn the water off
2
: to cause to lose interest : bore
economics turns me off
also
: to evoke a negative feeling in
5
6
7
a
: to remove (material) by the process of turning
b
: to shape or produce by turning
1
: to deviate from a straight course or from a main road
turn off into a side road
3
: to lose interest : withdraw
Examples of turnoff in a Sentence
Noun
His strong cologne was a real turnoff.
Verb
that memorably bad meal turned me off about restaurant food for a while
turn off at the third exit and follow the ramp to your left
Recent Examples on the Web
Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
Other pages of the menu are comical and sometimes a turnoff with graphic sketches of rattlesnake, kangaroo and buffalo, calling attention to dishes made with these unfortunate species.
—Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 17 May 2025
That treatment involves removing cells responsible for generating blood cells from a patient, then genetically editing them using CRISPR to turn on a gene that makes fetal hemoglobin, which is normally turned off in adults.
—Alice Park, Time, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for turnoff
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Noun
Even worse for him, Trump’s MAGA movement is seen as overtly racist and pro-Russia, two huge turnoffs for the majority of British voters.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
Other pages of the menu are comical and sometimes a turnoff with graphic sketches of rattlesnake, kangaroo and buffalo, calling attention to dishes made with these unfortunate species.
—Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
Should travelers turn off Face ID at border crossings?
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 17 May 2025
That treatment involves removing cells responsible for generating blood cells from a patient, then genetically editing them using CRISPR to turn on a gene that makes fetal hemoglobin, which is normally turned off in adults.
—Alice Park, Time, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for turnoff
Cite this Entry
“Turnoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turnoff. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
turnoff
1 of 2 noun
turn·off
ˈtər-ˌnȯf 
1
: a place where one turns off (as from a road)
2
: something that causes loss of interest or enjoyment
the music was a turnoff
turn off
2 of 2 verbˌtər-ˈnȯf,
ˈtər-
1
: to turn aside
turned off onto a side road
2
: to stop by or as if by turning a control
turn off the light
turn the alarm off
3
: to cause dislike or loss of interest
that sort of thing turns me off
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