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

That’s easier said than done — and if ignoring the market’s volatility is impossible, you should turn off the financial news altogether.

From MarketWatch • May 2, 2026

"You can't just turn off the taps and expect these jobs to appear magically in renewables."

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

They were illuminated as the plane approached the runway, but are designed to turn off two to three seconds before the plane reached the intersection where the truck was approaching, the report said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

He remembers rushing out of his house in the middle of the night without time to turn off the gas, so he also likes the idea of reducing fire risk by eliminating it all together.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 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