turnoff
Americannoun
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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.
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a place at which one diverges from or changes a former course.
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an act of turning off.
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the finished product of a certain manufacturing process, as weaving.
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the quantity of fattened livestock distributed to market.
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Slang. something or someone that makes one unsympathetic or antagonistic.
Etymology
Origin of turnoff
First recorded in 1680–90; noun use of verb phrase turn off
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.
She doesn’t need the imprimatur of an established brand to maintain an audience; as trust in institutions plummets, such affiliations can even be a turnoff.
From Slate ● May 6, 2026
That last bit represents an especially stubborn turnoff for some Academy members over the years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
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
"Peter Dutton's face behind him was a huge turnoff - for me personally too."
From BBC ● May 7, 2025
He misses the turnoff, goes right over the grassy center to the other side, and climbs back onto the interstate, heading in the opposite direction.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
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.
