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 Hamilton figured that a digital dead man’s switch, which would release a document payload instead of switching off a machine, could help someone to recover their wallet or pass credentials to an inheritor without having to trust a third party. Joel Khalili, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024 Heat cables made by Frost King, a popular brand, have thermostats that turn on heat when pipes are below 38 degrees and switch off above 45 degrees. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024 For example, Russia is known to have made station runways inaccessible and to have switched off station radios to block parties landing to conduct internal inspections. Elizabeth Buchanan, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2024 This is its virtue: to switch off, to put a stop to make-believe. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 The battery can last for up to 300 hours with the backlighting switched off. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024 As the group walks into the elevator for Ducky's memorial, Jimmy returns to the autopsy room to switch off the lights, a slight smile across his face. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 California utilities now switch off power lines when fire danger is highest — typically, in advance of wind storms during the annual dry season — leaving homeowners and businesses to fend for themselves. David R. Baker, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 But the scene becomes a stealth emotional shakeup marked by superb work from Plaza, who switches off her default deadpan setting and eases into melancholy in a moment that’s quietly shattering. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'switch off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Switch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/switch%20off. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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