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put off

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put someone off

 

1. to delay dealing with someone until a later time. I hate to keep putting you off, but we are not ready to deal with you yet. I had to put off the plumber again. He really wants his money.

2. to repel someone; to distress someone. You really put people off with your scowling face. You put off people with your arrogance.

3. to avoid or evade someone. I don't wish to see Mr. Brown now. Please put him off. I won't talk to reporters. Tell them something that will put them off. Put off those annoying people!

See also: off, put

put someone off (of) something

 and put someone off

to remove someone from a form of transportation, such as a train, ship, or airplane, owing to illness or misbehavior. (See also put someone off. Of is usually retained before pronouns.) The captain ordered that the unruly passengers be put off the ship at the next port. We put the thief off at the dock.

See also: off, put

put something off

to postpone something; to schedule something for a later time. I have to put off our meeting until a later time. I put off a visit to the dentist as long as I could.

See also: off, put

put somebody off

also put off somebody

1. to cause someone to dislike someone or something His appearance put people off. Her approach to the issues put off voters.

2. to try to discourage someone by making them wait He keeps asking me out, and I keep putting him off. I put off Eleanor, hoping she would find someone else to work with her on this.

See also: off, put

put off something

also put something off

to delay something Something must be wrong because she's put off her wedding twice. Her vacation was scheduled to begin next week, and she was afraid she would have to put it off.

See also: off, put

put off

Delay or postpone, as in He always puts off paying his bills. This idiom, dating from the late 1300s, gave rise to the proverb Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today, first recorded in the late 1300s (in Chaucer's Tale of Melibee) and repeated ever since. Also see put one off.

See also: off, put

put off

v.

1. To delay or postpone something: I always put off paying the bills and end up paying a late fee. If you keep putting your homework off, you won't get it done.

2. To persuade someone or something to postpone an activity: I managed to put off the creditors for another week. We succeeded in putting the meeting off until next week.

3. To cause someone to be offended, disgusted, and repelled: His indifferent attitude has put us off. Her arrogance put off the interviewers.

4. To discourage someone from doing something: The bad weather put us off from trying to climb the mountain.

5. To cause someone to be distracted from something and perform poorly: That athlete is sensitive, and too much crowd noise puts off his game. She throws the ball pretty well, but the pain in her arm put her aim off.

See also: off, put