What is Put off in English? How to use Put off in English correctly!

Meaning

Example

to switch off (a light)

• Please put the television off. 
• Please put the music off.

to delay/to postpone

• She put off her dentist appointment until next week. 
• They decided to put off the meeting until next month.

to cancel an arranged meeting with (a person)

• They had to put off the concert due to bad weather.
• The airline had to put off the flight due to technical issues. 

to cause (a person) to feel disgust or dislike (for)

• The rude behavior of the staff put me off visiting that restaurant again. 
• The violent scenes in the movie put me off watching it. 

Words/ phrases used with Put off in English

Meaning

Example

put somebody off their stride

to take someone's attention away from what they are doing, so that they stop doing it or do it wrong

• The constant distractions in the office didn't put the employee off his stride.
• The unexpected technical glitch in the middle of the performance didn't put the experienced musician off her stride. 

put somebody off their stroke

• The constant noise in the coffee shop put me off my stroke while I was trying to study. 
• The unexpected criticism from her colleagues put her off her stroke during the presentation. 

put somebody off the scent

to give someone false or confusing information to prevent them from discovering something that you do not want them to know about

• The misleading clues in the investigation were meant to put the detectives off the scent of the real culprit. 
• The suspect deliberately changed his appearance and went into hiding to put the police off the scent. 

put years on somebody

make someone appear much older

• The stress of his demanding job has put years on him. 
• The constant worry and financial struggles have put years on her parents. 

Structure

Example

Subject + put off something/ put something off

• She put off her vacation until next month due to work commitments. 
• Mary put off buying a new car until she saves enough money. 

Subject + put off someone/ put someone off

• The negative reviews put off many people from trying the new brand. 
• The teacher's strict demeanor put the students off from asking questions in class. 

Synonyms of Put off in English

Meaning

Example

defer

/dɪˈfɜː(r)/

to delay/to postpone

John decided to defer his enrollment at the university for one year to gain more life experience.

postpone

/pəˈspəʊn/

The concert was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. 

delay

/dɪˈleɪ/

The flight departure was delayed by two hours due to technical issues with the aircraft. 

interrupt

/ˌɪntəˈrʌpt/

The loud noise from the construction site interrupted the meeting. 

cancel

/ˈkænsl/

to cancel an arranged meeting with (a person)

The event had to be canceled due to the sudden onset of bad weather. 

halt

/hɔːlt/

The construction work was halted when the workers discovered an underground pipe that needed to be repaired. 

stop

/stɒp/

The doctor advised him to stop Smoking in order to improve his overall health.

turn off

/tɜːn ɒf/

to switch off (a light)

Don't forget to turn off the lights when you leave the room. 

turn out

/tɜːn aʊt/

Please remember to turn out the stove before leaving the kitchen. 

switch off

/swɪtʃ ɒf/

Please remember to switch off your cell phones during the movie. 

disillusion

/ˌdɪsɪˈluːʒn/

to cause (a person) to feel disgust or dislike (for)

The company's failure to deliver on its promises disillusioned the investors. 

disappoint

/ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnt/

The poor quality of the food at the restaurant disappointed the customers. 

dismay

/dɪsˈmeɪ/

The cancellation of the long-awaited concert dismayed the fans. 

Delay

Postpone

Put off

Similarities

Used to express an action of arranging for (something) to take place at a time later than that first scheduled

Differences

Delay means extending the expected time compared to the actual time.

Delay can be caused by incidents or calculated actions of the subject.

phrase: Delay + V-ing/noun

For example:

• The train was delayed because of a signal failure on the tracks.
  
   
• The project manager decided to delay the implementation of new software to allow for additional testing and bug fixes.

Postpone means to reschedule something to a later time. The subject of the action always has a purpose and is not influenced by external factors.

phrase:

• Postpone + V-ing
• Postpone sth from/to sth

For example

• The company had to postpone launching the new product due to production delays.
• The organizers have postponed the conference from the original date to a later date to ensure a higher attendance.

Put off has a similar meaning to Postpone, but is used in less formal situations and carries a more negative connotation.

phrase:

• Put off sth
• Put sth off

For example:

• I keep putting off cleaning my room because I find it tedious.
• The students often put studying for exams off until the night before. 

Phrasal verbs with Put

Meaning

Example

Put down 

​to write something; to make a note of something

She put down her thoughts in a journal.

Put on

to dress yourself in something

He put on his coat before going outside due to  the cold weather. 

Put back

to return something to its usual place or to the place where it was before it was moved

After using the book, she put it back on the shelf. 

Put forth/ Put forward

to suggest yourself/somebody as a candidate for a job or position

The team put forth several ideas for the new project. 

Put through

to connect somebody by phone

Please hold on while I put you through to the manager. 

Put up with

to accept somebody/something that is annoying, unpleasant, etc. without complaining

She has been putting up with her noisy neighbors for months. 

Put about/ around

to tell a lot of people news, information, etc. that may be false

Rumors were put about that the company was going bankrupt. 

Put aside = Put by

to save something or keep it available to use

They put aside some money each month for their vacation fund. 

Exercise 1

1. Put down

2. Put off/ put back

3. Put up with

4. Put on

5. Put aside/ put by

6. Put back

7. Put forth/ put forward

8. Put through

9. Put about/ around

10. Put off/ put back

Exercise 2

1. A

2. D

3. A

4. C

5. B