1
as in disgusting
to cause to feel disgust
that memorably bad meal turned me off about restaurant food for a while
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deviating
to change one's course or direction
turn off at the third exit and follow the ramp to your left
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in removing
to let go from office, service, or employment
eventually, the supervisor turned off the insubordinate employee
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in shutting off
to cause to stop functioning
please turn off the fan when you're done
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of turning off
Kids can't absorb too many rules without turning off and tuning out.
—
Barrie Gillies, Parents, 9 Mar. 2026
But the department has struggled to keep tabs on whether officers are breaking the rules by turning off their cameras during public encounters.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Frozen Pipes This may be the most serious risk of turning off your heat during the winter.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
Make a point of occasionally turning off notifications or taking a walk without any smart devices — anything to reset your mind.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
Choosing shorter showers, turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth, running full loads of laundry and dishes, fixing dripping faucets, adjusting irrigation schedules and watering lawns only when needed can all reduce demand on our aquifers.
—Claire Marks, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
With two feet of snow falling across five states, and 600K households without power per reports in the latest winter cyclone bomb, cinemas are turning off the lights, specifically AMC with 60 closures in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Boston areas.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
Solarization Instead of turning off the light, this method kicks it into overdrive.
—Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 22 Feb. 2026
Duke recommends lowering thermostats, turning off unnecessary devices and not using major appliances such as washing machines, dryers and dishwashers during that time.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2026
Barrie Gillies, Parents, 9 Mar. 2026
But the department has struggled to keep tabs on whether officers are breaking the rules by turning off their cameras during public encounters.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Frozen Pipes This may be the most serious risk of turning off your heat during the winter.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
Make a point of occasionally turning off notifications or taking a walk without any smart devices — anything to reset your mind.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
Choosing shorter showers, turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth, running full loads of laundry and dishes, fixing dripping faucets, adjusting irrigation schedules and watering lawns only when needed can all reduce demand on our aquifers.
—Claire Marks, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
With two feet of snow falling across five states, and 600K households without power per reports in the latest winter cyclone bomb, cinemas are turning off the lights, specifically AMC with 60 closures in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Boston areas.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
Solarization Instead of turning off the light, this method kicks it into overdrive.
—Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 22 Feb. 2026
Duke recommends lowering thermostats, turning off unnecessary devices and not using major appliances such as washing machines, dryers and dishwashers during that time.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turning off
Verb
-
Discharge Papers • Aw, The Pitt is back and happy to be disgusting again!—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On the flip side, deviating from perfection—not landing the lead in a school play or getting hormonal acne—registers as a personal humiliation rather than an inevitable part of growing up and being human.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Dim Sum Night at Arcadia PC Arcadia is deviating from its usual menu to offer a special night of Dim Sum.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When removing the 3% annual increase cities and counties were already allowed, the cap amounted to a 5% budget increase from growth.—
Mark Dee
March 6,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
-
There are several organic methods for removing these persistent weeds, and some are more effective than others.—
Alexandra Jones,
The Spruce,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Slip on an eye mask and feel your way through a wall of surprise elements like robber gorilla hands, fuzzy fabric, and sneakers, shutting off one sense and heightening another.—
Liz Regalia,
Parents,
3 Mar. 2026
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Like clockwork, the City of Boston released its annual payroll just before shutting off the lights for the month.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Of all the recent poster boys for appalling misbehavior by the State Police, Michael Proctor would of course rank number one.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Truly appalling friend counsel here from Mindy.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
There’s water everywhere, approach angles that punish the wrong side of the fairway, and a closing stretch with a long history of turning good rounds into cautionary tales.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Video later showed Good turning her wheel away from the agent who shot her.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So Green can go back to sad-sacking and triple-singling starting Saturday against the Thunder, and certainly Monday against the Jazz.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Getty Images Tottenham Hotspur are searching for their eighth manager/head coach (interim and permanent) since 2019 after sacking Thomas Frank on Wednesday amid a run of two wins in 17 Premier League games.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Three glide bombs struck the center of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, killing four people, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin, said Tuesday.—
HANNA ARHIROVA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
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Most of the strikes occur in the summer, killing 20 people each year, according to the NWS.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turning off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turning%20off. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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