Definition of put off

put offphrasal verb

hoãn

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The origin of the word "put off" can be traced back to Old English, where it was spelled "upāfan" and pronounced "ypāfan". This Anglo-Saxon word had the same meaning as the modern English "put off", which is to cause something to happen at a later time or to postpone it. The Old English word "upāfan" is a compound of two separate parts: "upā" meaning "away from" or "off", and "āfan" meaning "send". This compound word suggests that the Old English use of "put off" meant to "send away" or "send off". Over time, the pronunciation and spelling of "put off" evolved alongside the English language. The modern English spelling of "put off" and its pronunciation ("pət ˈɒf") is a combination of Old and Middle English forms, which have been influenced by various historical events such as the Norman Conquest and the Great Vowel Shift. In a nutshell, the origin of the word "put off" lies in the Anglo-Saxon language, where it held a similar meaning to its modern English usage, and has since changed in both form and pronunciation due to the evolving history of the English language.

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to cancel a meeting or an arrangement that you have made with somebody

hủy bỏ một cuộc họp hoặc một thỏa thuận mà bạn đã thực hiện với ai đó

Example:
  • It's too late to put them off now.

    Bây giờ đã quá muộn để trì hoãn rồi.

  • She put him off with the excuse that she had too much work to do.

    Cô từ chối anh với lý do cô còn quá nhiều việc phải làm.

to make somebody dislike somebody/something or not trust them/it

làm cho ai đó không thích ai đó/cái gì đó hoặc không tin tưởng họ/nó

Example:
  • She's very clever but her manner does tend to put people off.

    Cô ấy rất thông minh nhưng cách cư xử của cô ấy có xu hướng khiến mọi người khó chịu.

  • Don't be put off by how it looks—it tastes delicious.

    Đừng sợ vẻ ngoài của nó, nó có vị rất ngon.

Related words and phrases

to interrupt somebody who is trying to give all their attention to something that they are doing

ngắt lời ai đó đang cố gắng tập trung toàn bộ sự chú ý vào việc họ đang làm

Example:
  • Don't put me off when I'm trying to concentrate.

    Đừng làm tôi nản lòng khi tôi đang cố gắng tập trung.

  • The sudden noise put her off her game.

    Tiếng động đột ngột khiến cô ngừng chơi.

to stop in order to allow somebody to leave

dừng lại để cho phép ai đó rời đi

Example:
  • I asked the bus driver to put me off at the station.

    Tôi yêu cầu tài xế xe buýt đưa tôi xuống ở trạm xe.

Related words and phrases