turnoff

noun turn·off \ ˈtərn-ˌȯf \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: turnoff in a Sentence

Definition of turnoff

1 : a place where one turns off; especially : exit 4

2 : one that causes loss of interest or enthusiasm

the music was a turnoff

3 : a turning off

See turnoff defined for English-language learners

See turnoff defined for kids

Examples of turnoff in a Sentence

His strong cologne was a real turnoff.

Recent Examples of turnoff from the Web

Directly across the highway is the turnoff for the Rim Road.

— roger naylor, azcentral, "Cool off this summer at these lakes near Payson," 8 June 2018
State television is a turnoff for most of the public.

— jim michaels, USA TODAY, "While the world is inundated with summit news, North Koreans are told almost nothing," 8 June 2018
Suburban sprawl, environmental negligence and the emphasis on careerism were unfortunate turnoffs from being among the first students at California Institute of the Arts, when the college opened in 1971.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "Becoming John Luther Adams: The evolution of one of America's hottest composers," 3 May 2018
Maybe the Valley’s rising rents are a turnoff for single renters, while single homeowners are loving life because of rising house values.

— catherine reagor, azcentral, "Chandler, Scottsdale and Mesa are hotspots for single homeowners," 7 May 2018
Perhaps the biggest turnoff with shrimp is the dark vein that runs along the back.

— susan selasky, Detroit Free Press, "National Shrimp Day: How to buy, store and cook the seafood favorite," 9 May 2018
Political scientists said the especially heated and negative campaigning in the Senate Republican race may have been a turnoff for some voters.

— kaitlin lange, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana primary 2018: Voter turnout less than 16% in Marion County," 9 May 2018
As Desare Kohn-Laski, broker and owner of Skye Louis Realty in Coconut Creek, FL tells Realtor.com in a recent article, a dark room is indeed one of the biggest turnoffs for buyers.

— Southern Living, "WATCH: This One Mistake Can Send Home Buyers Running," 24 Apr. 2018
As an investor, one of the things that’s a turnoff for me is for an entrepreneur without a plan on paper.

— estrohaze, The Root, "C.E. Hutton: Meet the Firm That’s Investing in Minority-Owned Cannabis Companies," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'turnoff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of turnoff

circa 1852

in the meaning defined at sense 3

See Words from the same year

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Other Civil Engineering Terms

asphalt, ballast, barrage, cantilever, infrastructure, sluice

turn off

verb

Definition of turn off

transitive verb

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

3 a : dismiss, discharge

b : to dispose of : sell

4 : deflect, evade

5 : produce, accomplish

6 : hang 1b

7 a : to remove (material) by the process of turning

b : to shape or produce by turning

intransitive verb

1 : to deviate from a straight course or from a main road

turn off into a side road

2 a British : to turn bad : spoil

b : to change to a specified state : become

3 : to lose interest : withdraw

See turn off defined for kids

Examples of turn off in a Sentence

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 of turn off from the Web

To shoot the dining room of the historic mansion, Devlin carried in a vase of flowers to provide a centerpiece and turned off the lights.

— cassie owens, Philly.com, "How this real estate photographer makes homes look listing-ready," 30 May 2018
On the other hand, if bitcoin's price crashed, miners would start turning off the least energy-efficient mining equipment, and energy use might actually fall.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "New study quantifies bitcoin’s ludicrous energy consumption," 17 May 2018
The female, upon seeing police, ran into the house and turned off the music.

— bob sandrick, cleveland.com, "Road rage leads to punches outside Circle K; drunk Cleveland man challenges police to fight: Berea police blotter," 10 May 2018
Folks in Ann Arbor could soon be taking a turn off Main Street onto Bob Seger Boulevard.

— brian mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "'Bob Seger Boulevard' could make its way to Ann Arbor's street map," 8 May 2018
An officer reached through the driver’s side window of the vehicle and turned off the engine.

— staff report, chicagotribune.com, "Norridge and Harwood Heights police reports," 28 Apr. 2018
The dump truck was making a right turn off of Sunset to go south on Main, while the cyclist entered into the intersection on a crosswalk and was struck by the right back tire of the truck.

— samantha ketterer, Houston Chronicle, "BikeHouston pushes for changes to intersection after fatal bicycle crashes near Rice University," 27 Apr. 2018
Music was blaring, but no players were present, so a team attendant turned off the iPad that provided the thumping beat.

— pete grathoff, kansascity, "Why the Royals' pitchers were doing pregame fielding drills Saturday | The Kansas City Star," 31 Mar. 2018
Petrenko said fire exits were blocked, and a private security guard turned off the fire alarm after receiving notice of the fire.

— matthew bodner, Anchorage Daily News, "Trapped children called their parents from burning Russian mall to say goodbye," 26 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'turn off.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of turn off

1564

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

turn off Synonyms

TURNOFF Defined for English Language Learners

turnoff

noun

Definition of turnoff for English Language Learners

: a road that allows vehicles to leave a highway
: something that you dislike or that causes you to stop being interested in or attracted to someone or something