turnoff

American  

[turn-awf, -of] / ˈtɜrnˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

noun

1. a small road that branches off from a larger one, especially a ramp or exit leading off a major highway.

   He took the wrong turnoff and it took him some 15 minutes to get back on the turnpike.

2. a place at which one diverges from or changes a former course.

3. an act of turning off.

4. the finished product of a certain manufacturing process, as weaving.

5. the quantity of fattened livestock distributed to market.

6. Slang. something or someone that makes one unsympathetic or antagonistic.

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Etymology

Origin of turnoff

First recorded in 1680–90; noun use of verb phrase turn off

Example Sentences

So, it’s understandable if the iShares quality ETF, QUAL, goes for a little more, but it’s a bigger turnoff that it does so after having underperformed since its launch in 2013.

From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025

Yet there is also a possibility that OpenAI’s mass-market appeal becomes a turnoff for corporate customers who want AI to be more boring and useful than fun and edgy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

"Peter Dutton's face behind him was a huge turnoff - for me personally too."

From BBC • May 7, 2025

I passed the turnoff to the waterfall, climbed the steep paved hill and touched the Pinecrest Gate leading out to the streets of Altadena.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2025

Before the tears come, I dash out of the shop, down the street, past the bus turnoff, past our neighbors’ houses and up the stairs.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

Related Words

• bore
• deterrent
• drag
• nuisance
• pain