put off

verb

put off; putting off; puts off

transitive verb

1

a

: disconcert

b

: repel

2

a

: to hold back to a later time

b

: to induce to wait

put the bill collector off

3

: to rid oneself of : take off

4

: to sell or pass fraudulently

Synonyms

• defer
• delay
• hold off (on)
• hold over
• hold up
• lay over
• postpone
• put over
• remit
• shelve

Examples of put off in a Sentence

never put off until tomorrow what you can do today

put off your coat and stay awhile

Recent Examples on the Web

Course corrections have also been taken in the campaigns for Minecraft, which originally put off fans of the game in its live-action take. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2025

But the demand for them remains high, with a big driving force coming from young adults who are increasingly putting off having children but opting to get pets — and paying lots of money to treat them well. —Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2025

Thank goodness the fight is at night or one of them might be put off by a glint of sunlight like receiver CeeDee Lamb. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2025

Until the retirement industry can figure this out, my recommendation would be to put off any early retirement plans and work toward a comprehensive solution that addresses all possibilities. —Tanmay Gupta, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

put off

verb

1

: to cause negative feelings in

your sloppy appearance put them off

2

: to hold back to a later time : defer

put off my visit to the dentist

3

: to rid oneself of

put off your coat