turn-off
turn-off — noun
1. a place where you leave a main road and go onto a smaller or different road
a place where you leave a main road and go onto a smaller or different road
Take the second turn-off after the petrol station and follow the farm road.
take the turn-off after [landmark]
Drivers missed the turn-off to Hsinchu because the road sign was broken.
A narrow turn-off led from the highway to the lakeside campsite.
turn-off to [place]
The bus stopped beside the turn-off for the mountain village.
- take the turn-off
- miss the turn-off
- turn-off to [place]
- a narrow turn-off
- main road
the larger road that the turn-off leaves
Usage Note
Usually follows a landmark, road number, or destination: 'the turn-off for the village', 'the next turn-off after the bridge'. In British English, 'slip road' can be more specific for a motorway exit.
Common Mistakes
2. something that makes you lose interest, feel bored, or stop feeling attracted to
something that makes you lose interest, feel bored, or stop feeling attracted to someone or something
For many diners, loud chewing is an instant turn-off on a first date.
instant turn-off
The long lecture became a turn-off for students who wanted practical advice.
A rude reply from the seller was a complete turn-off for Aylin.
a complete turn-off
For some readers, pages of tiny text are a major turn-off.
- instant turn-off
- major turn-off
- complete turn-off
- a turn-off for [person]
- deal-breaker
stronger informal word for something that makes a relationship or plan impossible
- deterrent
more formal and often used for something that discourages action
- put-off
close in meaning, but less common as a noun than turn-off
- turn-on
something that creates interest, excitement, or sexual attraction
Usage Note
Most often used in informal opinions about dating, style, habits, or entertainment. It usually appears after 'be' or with modifiers such as 'instant', 'major', or 'complete'.
Common Mistakes
turn-off — phrasal verb
- turn-offbase form
- turn-offs3rd person singular
- turn-offing-ing form
- turn-offedpast simple
1. to leave the road you are on and start travelling on another road
to leave the road you are on and start travelling on another road
At the church, turn off and drive toward the river market.
turn off at [landmark]
The taxi turned off near the tunnel and headed up the hill.
Minho forgot to turn off for the airport and ended up downtown.
turn off for [destination]
Cyclists turned off the busy road onto a quiet canal path.
- turn off at the lights
- turn off for [place]
- turn off onto [road]
- turn off near [landmark]
- exit
common for leaving a motorway or major road at a marked place
- pull off
often suggests moving out of the traffic lane and stopping as well
- branch off
often used when a road itself divides into another route
- stay on
to continue travelling on the same road instead of leaving it
Grammar Patterns
[driver/vehicle] + turn off + onto/into [road]
Usage Note
In this travel sense, the subject is the driver, vehicle, or group moving along the road. It is often followed by 'at', 'for', 'onto', or 'into' to show where the new route begins.
Common Mistakes
2. to stop paying attention to someone or to stop having something in mind because
to stop paying attention to someone or to stop having something in mind because it no longer interests you
Christopher turned off halfway through the speech and stared at the window.
turn off halfway through [event]
After the same warning again, the class turned off completely.
Gita turned off when the podcast drifted into computer terms.
turn off when [topic changes]
Many viewers turned off as soon as the host began shouting.
- turn off completely
- turn off during the talk
- turn off halfway through
- turn off when [someone] speaks
- tune out
close informal synonym that stresses mentally stopping attention
- lose interest
broader and more neutral than the phrasal verb
- disengage
more formal and often used in education or work settings
- focus
to keep your attention fixed on what is being said or done
Grammar Patterns
[person/group] + turn off + during/when ...
Usage Note
The subject is the listener or audience, not the speaker. This sense often appears with time clauses such as 'when', 'as soon as', or 'halfway through' to show the moment attention fades.
Common Mistakes
3. to make someone stop feeling interested in a person, activity, or subject
to make someone stop feeling interested in a person, activity, or subject
The endless delays turned off several volunteers before the festival began.
turn somebody off
A stiff sales pitch can turn off customers in seconds.
Madison's dry teaching style turned off the younger players.
cause loss of interest
The confusing menu turned off diners who wanted something simple.
- turn customers off
- really turn somebody off
- turn off potential buyers
- turn someone off a subject
Grammar Patterns
[thing/person] + turn + somebody + off
Usage Note
This causative sense needs an object: a person or group who loses interest. It is broader than sexual attraction and often applies to classes, products, events, or people.
Common Mistakes
4. to make someone lose sexual attraction, or to leave them with a sharp sense of d
to make someone lose sexual attraction, or to leave them with a sharp sense of dislike
Dirty fingernails turn Aylin off immediately on a first date.
turn somebody off immediately
Bragging about money really turns some people off.
The actor's cruel joke turned off half the audience.
strong dislike caused by behavior
Seeing plastic on the beach turned Ingrid off the resort.
- turn somebody off immediately
- really turn me off
- turn someone off a person
- turn people off with bad manners
Grammar Patterns
[thing/person] + turn + somebody + off
Usage Note
Unlike sense 3, this one often carries a stronger emotional reaction. It is especially common in dating, appearance, smell, and behavior, where something makes attraction disappear or creates sudden dislike.
Common Mistakes
5. to stop electricity, gas, water, or a machine by using a switch, button, tap, or
to stop electricity, gas, water, or a machine by using a switch, button, tap, or similar control
Please turn off the bedroom fan before you leave for school.
turn off + device
The nurse turned off the oxygen pump after the alarm stopped.
Ignacio forgot to turn off the garden tap before the storm.
turn off + water control
Workers turned off the main power at noon for repairs.
- turn off the lights
- turn off the water
- turn off the main power
- turn off the engine
- switch off
very close synonym, especially common with electrical devices
- shut off
often used for flows such as water, gas, or fuel
- cut off
suggests stopping a supply completely, often from a main source
Grammar Patterns
turn off + [light/machine/supply]
Usage Note
The object is the device, light, or supply being stopped. This is the everyday form for lights, taps, radios, and power, while 'switch off' and 'shut off' vary slightly by region or context.
Common Mistakes
turn-off — verb
- turn-offpresent simple I / you / we / they
- turn-offs3rd person singular
- turn-offing-ing form
- turn-offedpast simple
1. to make a flow or system stop by using a control or by causing it to stop in tha
to make a flow or system stop by using a control or by causing it to stop in that way
The caretaker turned off the water to the top floor at midnight.
turn off + supply to [place]
Engineers turned off the cooling system before replacing the broken valve.
Sivan turned off the radio the moment the baby woke up.
turn off + device
A wall switch turned off the screen during the safety test.
- turn off the water
- turn off the heating
- turn off the radio
- turn off the system
- switch off
everyday synonym, especially with electrical equipment
- shut off
common with pipes, fuel, gas, and other flowing supplies
- disable
more technical and often used for systems or functions
Grammar Patterns
turn off + [flow/system/device]
Usage Note
This verb sense often appears with supplies or systems as the object, especially water, gas, heating, and power. Distinguish from phrasal verb sense 5 only in style: the meaning is the same, but this entry reflects dictionary treatment of the verb itself.
Common Mistakes
2. to make a person lose interest or feel dislike toward someone or something
to make a person lose interest or feel dislike toward someone or something
The fake smile turned Tamás off at once.
turn somebody off at once
That smug reply turned Eve off the whole project.
Cheap jokes about migrants turn many listeners off.
cause strong dislike
The endless waiting turned Tendai off the course before week two.
- turn somebody off at once
- turn listeners off
- really turn me off
- turn someone off a plan
Grammar Patterns
[thing/person] + turn + somebody + off
Usage Note
This broad transitive sense covers both boredom and dislike, often with a person as the object. Sense 3 of the phrasal verb leans toward lost interest, while phrasal verb sense 4 leans toward attraction or stronger personal dislike.
Common Mistakes
3. to leave a straight path or main road and go in another direction
to leave a straight path or main road and go in another direction
The delivery van turned off just before the border checkpoint.
turn off just before [place]
A deer crossed the lane, and the driver turned off suddenly.
The footpath turns off near the old stone bridge.
road or path as subject
After the petrol station, the road turns off toward the harbour.
- turn off suddenly
- turn off near [place]
- the road turns off
- the path turns off
- veer off
often suggests a sharper or more sudden change of direction
- branch away
used especially when a road or path divides from another
- bend away
stresses the physical change in route shape
- go straight on
to continue without leaving the present route
Grammar Patterns
[vehicle/road/path] + turn off + near/from ...
Usage Note
This sense can describe a vehicle, a person steering, or the road or path itself. Distinguish it from phrasal verb sense 1, which focuses on choosing an exit to take another road.
Common Mistakes
Synonym discussion
Sense: phrasal verb/5
'Turn off' is the everyday choice for stopping lights, fans, radios, taps, and many other things. 'Switch off' is almost interchangeable, especially for electrical devices, though some speakers feel it sounds slightly more tied to a literal switch. 'Shut off' is common when the thing stopped is a flow or supply, such as water, gas, or fuel, and it can sound a little stronger or more mechanical. 'Power down' is more technical and is often used for computers, machines, or whole systems rather than ordinary household objects. So you might turn off a bedside lamp, switch off your phone, shut off the water valve, or power down a server before maintenance.
Etymology
This word grows out of the verb phrase 'turn off'. In literal use, it first described changing direction away from a main line or road. From there it also came to mean stopping a flow or device by turning a control. The hyphenated noun developed from those uses, first for a road exit and later, in informal English, for anything that kills interest or attraction.
First known use
1814
1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb