turn off
Britishverb
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to leave (a road, pathway, etc)
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(of a road, pathway, etc) to deviate from (another road, etc)
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(tr, adverb) to cause (something) to cease operating by turning a knob, pushing a button, etc
to turn off the radio
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informal (tr) to cause (a person, etc) to feel dislike or distaste for (something)
this music turns me off
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informal (tr, adverb) to dismiss from employment
noun
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a road or other way branching off from the main thoroughfare
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informal a person or thing that elicits dislike or distaste
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Stop the operation, activity, or flow of; shut off, as in Turn off the lights when you leave . [Mid-1800s]
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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]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ahmed was travelling in the same direction on the same road as the officers and had indicated to turn off before the collision, prosecutors say.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Returning YouTube TV customers pay $378 this season, while new subscribers can get it for $240, giving customers an incentive to turn off automatic renewal and wait for a deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The thermostat had been set to 71 degrees Fahrenheit and a worker forgot to turn off the air-conditioning.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
Edison didn’t turn off power on its Eaton Canyon transmission lines, despite emergency conditions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Did the apartment manager turn off our electricity?
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.