Meaning trap
put off
discourage or repel
to make someone not want to do something, or to lose interest in it.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
to make someone not want to do something, or to lose interest in it.
Another meaning of 'put off' is 'postpone'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- The smell of smoke really put me off eating in that restaurant.communication
- Some people are put off by the idea of public speaking because they feel nervous in front of an audience.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: put off + noun/pronoun
WrongThe long queue put off me.
RightThe long queue put me off.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'put me off'.
Patternput off + noun/pronoun
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Put off' is the everyday verb for losing appetite/interest; 'diminished my appetite' is clinical.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
put + someone + offput me offoff my foodoff the ideaoff completely
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'put out', which means to extinguish something like a fire.
Related
- put off (postpone) — Another meaning of 'put off' is 'postpone'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.