put off

verb

Definition of put offnext
1
as in to postpone
to assign to a later time never put off until tomorrow what you can do today

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to remove
to rid oneself of (a garment) put off your coat and stay awhile

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to disgust
to cause to feel disgust she was put off by his blatantly sexist attitude

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of put off Perez put off college to take over her parents' landscaping business and care for her family in their absence. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 MonthiraYodtiwong/Getty Images There are some financial conversations families can put off without much consequence, but a discussion about end-of-life plans with aging family members isn't necessarily one of them. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 Some low-lying communities have been warned for years to prepare for rising sea levels, Ainsworth said, but have put off the inevitable. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 For example, footwear and athletic apparel sales have slowed as shoppers put off buying trendy items. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for put off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put off
  1. postpone
  2. remove
  3. disgust
  4. delay
  5. repulse
  6. put over
  7. sicken
  8. defer
Verb
  • For months, Riyadh maintained a veneer of business as usual despite the war, but this has become harder to sustain with the city postponing events, from tennis tournaments to conferences, and now doing a U-turn on schools.
    — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In defense of their defections, Perez and Golden said the underlying legislation — Russia sanctions and protections for Maine's lobstermen — were too important to postpone their passage.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of postpone
Verb
  • Next coil targets full current With coil #17 removed, the magnet cold test facility will prepare for toroidal field coil #19, which was manufactured as a spare.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The Illinois State Board of Elections removed both from the ballot, finding them hundreds of valid signatures short.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of remove
Verb
  • Nonpartisan voters are just as disgusted by politicians who sacrifice the public good for their personal gain.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Kaufhold thinks that something might be a heightened sensitivity to disgust.
    — Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of disgust
Verb
  • The resort delayed its opening by a few days to allow for more snowmaking, and a few intermediate runs will be open beginning tomorrow.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Chicago Board of Elections spokesperson Julie Metea said final results are delayed because of a surge of 34,000 same-day voter registrations Tuesday.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of delay
Verb
  • Her widowed aunt plays chaperone as Susanna attends heady lectures and repulses her many suitors.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Young people just aren’t interested, partly because they’re repulsed by bodily fluids.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of repulse
Verb
  • Our top picks In an effort to figure out which aprons best marry form and function, my colleagues and I put over a dozen options to the test in our own homes.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
  • After losing nearly a stroke and a half to the field on the greens in Round 1, Åberg has gained nearly three strokes putting over the last two days.
    — Justin Ray, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of put over
Verb
  • The Aliso Canyon gas leak took nearly four months to control, sickened thousands of families and forced them from their homes near the San Fernando Valley to escape a sulfurous stench and maladies including headaches, nausea and nose bleeds.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The finding also comes on the heels of a record-breaking cyclospora outbreak this summer that sickened 12,883 people across 21 states, hospitalized at least 570 and was associated with two deaths in Michigan.
    — Megan R. Wilson, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of sicken
Verb
  • Prop 40 includes provisions that would allow qualifying taxpayers with illiquid wealth to defer payments, but Rauh argues those protections are inadequate.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The deal calls for $35 million annual salaries, including $11 million deferred each year.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of defer

Browse Nearby Words

put into words
put off
put on
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Put off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put%20off. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All