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

Fans put off by prices, some denied visas, and locals more fired up about basketball: the 2026 World Cup is kicking off without much enthusiasm in the United States.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

While employees were occasionally put off by his style, many have said they understood why it was necessary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

This hyperstylishness may put off viewers who demand complete faithfulness to the source material, but that discomfort is Fennell’s point.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

A 10-episode series will put off the moment when they have “nothing to watch,” while the streamer gets to keep them in the ecosystem longer.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

I'd order the skirt steak with a medley of suffocated peaches, but I'm put off by the aspirin sauce.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• adjourn
• postpone
• reschedule
• shelve
• suspend