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

See Examples For:

turn off

The company must turn off push notifications on teens’ accounts overnight and by default hide the number of “likes” on photos, the judge said in his order.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Without the "Big Bang" power saving effort, the Voyager team would have needed to turn off another instrument aboard Voyager 2 before the end of 2026.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

When it’s not scorching or flooding or burning outside, it’s a nice time to just turn off your brain and relax.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 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

Grandpa made a left turn off the main street at the hotel and passed under a big arch.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• alienate
• bore
• irritate
• offend