Meanings
present singular third person puts off · participle present putting off
- transitiveTo postpone, especially through procrastination.
Don't put off your homework to the last minute.
- transitiveTo delay (a task, event, etc.).
The storm put off the game by a week.
2 more examples
The storm put the game off by a week.
I'm too busy to see Mr Smith today. I'll have to put him off.
- transitiveTo distract; to disturb the concentration of.
Please be quiet. I'm trying to concentrate and you're putting me off.
- archaictransitiveTo take off (something worn).
to put off a mask
1 more example
The power of turning into an animal has this serious disadvantage that it lays you open to the chance of being wounded or even slain in your animal skin before you have the chance to put it off and scramble back into your human integument.
1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 11, page 207
comparative more put off · superlative most put off
- offended, repulsed
The guest was quite put off by an odor.
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
verbhold back to a later time
verbavoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Bulgarian отлагам
- отлагам (otlagam)to delay
Chinese Mandarin 推遲 /推迟, 順延 /顺延
- 推遲 /推迟 (tuīchí)to delay
- 順延 /顺延 (shùnyán)to delay
- 延期 (yánqī)to delay
Finnish lykätä
- lykätäto delay
French ajourner, rebuter
- ajournerto delay
- rebuterto cause to dislike; to discourage
German hinausschieben, hinauszögern
- hinausschiebento delay
- hinauszögernto delay
- verschiebento delay
- verzögernto delay
- zurückstellento delay
- abschreckento cause to dislike; to discourage
- entmutigento cause to dislike; to discourage
- verprellento cause to dislike; to discourage
- die Lust nehmento cause to dislike; to discourage
Greek αναβάλλω
- αναβάλλω (anavállo)to delay
Hungarian halaszt, elhalaszt
- halasztto delay
- elhalasztto delay
- elodázto delay
- elnapolto delay
- taszítto cause to dislike; to discourage
- elveszi a kedvét (tőle)to cause to dislike; to discourage
Icelandic draga á langinn (see langur)
- draga á langinn (see langur)to delay
Japanese 延期する
- 延期する (enki suru)to delay
Māori whakahoro, pāuhu
- whakahoroto delay
- pāuhuto delay
Norwegian Bokmål utsette
- utsetteto delay
Persian به تعویق انداختن
- به تعویق انداختنto delay
Polish przekładać, przełożyć
- przekładaćto delay
- przełożyćto delay
- odkładaćto delay
- odłożyćto delay
- odrzucaćto cause to dislike; to discourage
- odrzucićto cause to dislike; to discourage
Portuguese adiar
- adiarto delay
Romanian amâna
- amânato delay
Russian откла́дывать, отложи́ть
- откла́дывать (otkládyvatʹ)to delay
- отложи́ть (otložítʹ)to delay
- отталкивать (ottalkivatʹ)to cause to dislike; to discourage
Spanish perecear
- perecearto delay
Swedish dra i långbänk, dra på
- dra i långbänkto delay
- dra påto delay
- skjuta uppto delay
Thai เลื่อน
- เลื่อน (lʉ̂ʉan)to delay
Turkish oyalamak
- oyalamakto delay
Ukrainian відклада́ти, відкла́сти
- відклада́ти (vidkladáty)to delay
- відкла́сти (vidklásty)to delay
- відстро́чувати (vidstróčuvaty)to delay
- відстро́чити (vidstróčyty)to delay
Cite this entry
put off. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20off
“put off.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20off. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put off,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20off.
Source: put off on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.