put off

British  

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to postpone or delay

   they have put off the dance until tomorrow

2. (tr, adverb) to evade (a person) by postponement or delay

   they tried to put him off, but he came anyway

3. (tr, adverb) to confuse; disconcert

   he was put off by her appearance

4. (tr, preposition) to cause to lose interest in or enjoyment of

   the accident put him off driving

5. (intr, adverb) nautical to be launched off from shore or from a ship

   we put off in the lifeboat towards the ship

6. archaic (tr, adverb) to remove (clothes)

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noun

1. a pretext or delay

put off Idioms  

1. Delay or postpone, as in He always puts off paying his bills. This idiom, dating from the late 1300s, gave rise to the proverb Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today, first recorded in the late 1300s (in Chaucer's Tale of Melibee) and repeated ever since. Also see put one off.

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Example Sentences

Prices have been steadily rising, making paying for basic necessities a challenge, with anything but immediate needs put off.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Horton recorded lower second-quarter profit as affordability concerns and economic uncertainty continued to put off homebuyers, forcing it to offer elevated incentives.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Well, I kind of hate to say, for fear you’re already put off by how simple and easy it is.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

Dilapidated buildings and decaying signage may put off the casual observer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

In the right situation, a nap and a snack could sometimes be put off for a little exploring.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• adjourn
• postpone
• reschedule
• shelve
• suspend