turn off

British  

verb

1. to leave (a road, pathway, etc)

2. (of a road, pathway, etc) to deviate from (another road, etc)

3. (tr, adverb) to cause (something) to cease operating by turning a knob, pushing a button, etc

   to turn off the radio

4. informal (tr) to cause (a person, etc) to feel dislike or distaste for (something)

   this music turns me off

5. informal (tr, adverb) to dismiss from employment

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noun

1. a road or other way branching off from the main thoroughfare

2. informal a person or thing that elicits dislike or distaste

turn off Idioms  

1. Stop the operation, activity, or flow of; shut off, as in Turn off the lights when you leave . [Mid-1800s]

2. Affect with dislike, revulsion, or boredom; cause to lose interest. For example, That vulgar comedian turned us off completely , or The movie was all right for an hour or so, but then I was turned off . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

You can opt out of model training in settings under “data controls,” which allows you to turn off improving the model with your inputs and face less risk of data leakage.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026

Defending the use of geofence warrants, the government argued that a smartphone user can always choose to turn off location services.

From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026

To turn off laptops completely if they're going to be put in check in bags.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

Because it’s liquid-fueled, “you can deep throttle it, you can turn it way down, you can turn it off, you can turn off and on an infinite number of times.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

I close the book gently and turn off the lamp, but the chaos in the next room has already woken Harlow.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• alienate
• bore
• irritate
• offend