Women who put off having a baby often make the best mothers. [VP v-ing/n]
The Association has put the event off until October. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
2. phrasal verb
If you put someone off, you make them wait for something that they want.
The old priest tried to put them off, saying that the hour was late. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
3. phrasal verb
If something puts you off something, it makes you dislike it, or decide not to do or have it.
The thought of caring for young plants can put people off growing their own veg. [V n P n/v-ing]
His personal habits put them off. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
The country's worsening reputation does not seem to be putting off the tourists. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
We tried to visit the Abbey but were put off by the queues. [beVERB-ed PARTICLE]
4. phrasal verb
If someone or something puts you off, they take your attention from what you are trying to do and make it more difficult for you to do it.
She asked me to be serious–said it put her off if I laughed. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
It put her off revising for her exams. [V n P n/v-ing]
[Also VERBPARTICLE noun (not pronoun)]
More Synonyms of put off
See full dictionary entry for put
put off in British English
verb
1. (tr, adverb)
to postpone or delay
they have put off the dance until tomorrow
2. (tr, adverb)
to evade (a person) by postponement or delay
they tried to put him off, but he came anyway
3. (tr, adverb)
to confuse; disconcert
I was put off by his appearance
4. (tr, preposition)
to cause to lose interest in or enjoyment of
the accident put me off driving
5. (intr, adverb) nautical
to be launched off from shore or from a ship
we put off in the lifeboat towards the ship
6. (tr, adverb) archaic
to remove (clothes)
nounputoff
7. mainly US
a pretext or delay
put off in American English
1.
to leave until later; postpone; delay
2.
to discard
3.
to evade; divert
4.
to perturb; upset; distress
See full dictionary entry for put
Examples of 'put off' in a sentence
put off
I bought two tickets, charging them to my Visa card to put off the day of reckoning.
Adam, Paul A NASTY DOSE OF DEATH
But she always found some reason to put off anything too adventurous.
Clive Barker COLDHEART CANYON (2001)
It was after five o'clock, with more than four hours until dark, but the plan was too tempting to put off.
Metz, Don KING OF THE MOUNTAIN (1990)
In other languages
put off
British English: put off /pʊt ɒf/ VERB
If you put something off, you delay doing it.
She put off telling him until the last moment.
American English: put off
Arabic: يُطْفِئ
Brazilian Portuguese: adiar
Chinese: 推迟
Croatian: odgađati
Czech: odložit na později
Danish: udsætte
Dutch: uitstellen
European Spanish: posponer
Finnish: siirtää myöhemmäksi
French: ajourner
German: aufschieben
Greek: υπεκφεύγω
Italian: rimandare
Japanese: 延期する
Korean: 연기하다
Norwegian: utsette
Polish: odłożyć
European Portuguese: adiar
Romanian: a amâna
Russian: откладывать
Latin American Spanish: posponer
Swedish: skjuta upp
Thai: เลื่อนออกไป
Turkish: ertelemek
Ukrainian: відкладати
Vietnamese: hoãn
Chinese translation of 'put off'
put off
vt
[event] (= delay) 推迟(遲) (tuīchí)
[person] (= ask to wait) 使等待 (shǐ děngdài)
⇒ They wanted to come this evening but I put them off until tomorrow.他们今晚想来，但我让他们等到明天。 (Tāmen jīnwǎn xiǎng lái, dàn wǒ ràng tāmen děngdào míngtiān.)
(Brit, = distract) 使分心 (shǐ fēnxīn)
⇒ Every time Peter served, a man in the crowd coughed and put him off.每次轮到彼得时，人群中就有人咳嗽让他分心。 (Měi cì lúndào Bǐdé shí, rénqún zhōng jiù yǒu rén késou ràng tā fēnxīn.)
(= discourage) 使失去兴(興)趣 (shǐ shīqù xìngqù)
⇒ His personal habits put her off.他的个人习惯使她失去了兴趣。 (Tā de gèrén xíguàn shǐ tā shīqùle xìngqù.)
to put off doing sth (= postpone) 推迟(遲)做某事 (tuīchí zuò mǒushì)
to put sb off sth/sb (= alienate from) 使某人摆(擺)脱(脫)某事/某人 (shǐ mǒurén bǎituō mǒushì/mǒurén)
to put sb off doing sth使不再喜欢(歡)做某事 (shǐ bùzài xǐhuan zuò mǒushì)
See put
All related terms of 'put off'
to put off doing sth
( postpone ) 推迟(遲)做某事 tuīchí zuò mǒushì
to put sb off sth/sb
( alienate from ) 使某人摆(擺)脱(脫)某事/某人 shǐ mǒurén bǎituō mǒushì/mǒurén