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

Aspects of the special are bound to resonate with people your age, especially jokes about putting off having kids for the sake of your career. —Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024

Nippon asked in September to refile its acquisition bid, a move that put off a decision on approving the deal until after the presidential election. —Juliann Ventura, The Hill, 14 Dec. 2024

Will they be put off by my heavy-handed use of spices? —Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

But more often than not, delaying infrastructure upgrades is just putting off the inevitable. —Tal Dagan, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

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