put off

12 synonyms and 4 antonyms for put off, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Phrasal verb — To move something to a later time, or to delay doing something you would rather not do.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

delay throw

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

postpone deter discourage distract

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

defer push back reschedule repel turn off unsettle

Synonyms by Meaning

1. phrasal verb

To move something to a later time, or to delay doing something you would rather not do.

“We had to put off the wedding until her father was out of hospital.”

postpone delay defer push back reschedule

Opposites

bring forward expedite

2. phrasal verb

To make someone lose interest in or feel distaste for something.

“The smell of the fish market put me off my lunch.”

deter discourage repel turn off

Opposites

attract encourage

3. phrasal verb chiefly British

To distract someone who is trying to concentrate.

“Sorry, the crowd noise put me off my shot.”

distract unsettle throw

How to use put off

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

put off a decision put off until tomorrow put someone off their food easily put off

Neutral and very common in everyday speech.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between "put off" and "put out"?

"Put off" means to postpone or to repel; "put out" means to extinguish something, to inconvenience someone, or to describe someone as annoyed. "He put off the meeting" delays it; "he was put out by the meeting" means he was irritated.

Is "put off" separable?

Yes. You can say "put off the decision" or "put the decision off", and with a pronoun the split is compulsory: "put it off", never "put off it".

What does "putting off" mean when talking about food?

It means killing your appetite. "That description put me off my dinner" means you no longer want to eat, not that you have delayed eating.

People also searched

throw encourage delay attract discourage distract deter postpone defer repel unsettle expedite

Nearby words

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