# What Does Power Off Mean? Simple Tech English Guide (2026) > To turn off or shut down a device or system. - **Term:** power off - **Part of speech:** phrasal verb - **Pronunciation:** /ˈpaʊər ɒf/ - **English level (CEFR):** A2–B1 - **Register:** Neutral, Both - **Region:** US and UK - **Topic:** [Business jargon](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/topics/business-jargon.md) - **Lesson:** https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/power-off - **Last updated:** 2026-10-27 ## Meaning To turn off or shut down a device or system. Power off is an essential term in infrastructure and operations contexts. Engineers typically use it during incident response meetings, standup discussions about system maintenance, and documentation for deployment procedures. You'll hear it frequently when coordinating server shutdowns, troubleshooting hardware issues, or planning infrastructure changes. Unlike sleep mode which preserves system state, powering off completely removes electrical supply and erases temporary data. A common learner mistake is confusing this with "turn off the lights"—in tech, power off specifically means shutting down computational devices. During a recent incident, an engineer might say "We need to power off the database server in the legacy environment before applying the firmware update." This term appears less in code reviews or pure software discussions, but becomes crucial when working with DevOps teams, managing data centers, or handling physical servers. Understanding this distinction helps you communicate effectively with infrastructure specialists and follow proper shutdown procedures in your organization. ## When you hear it Used in spoken instructions, Slack messages, and documentation about hardware or infrastructure. Less common in pure software discussions. ## Examples - **Standup:** "I'll power off the staging server after we finish testing today." - **Slack message:** "Reminder: Please power off all lab equipment before leaving tonight." - **GitHub PR:** "This script will power off the instance after the backup completes." - **Jira ticket:** "Task: Power off old hardware in server room B before decommissioning." - **Retrospective:** "We should have powered off the database server before the migration started." - **Sprint planning:** "We'll need to power off the production nodes one by one during the upgrade." - **Pair programming:** "Let's power off this VM and restart it fresh to clear the cache." ## What native speakers say - "Can you power off the server before we start maintenance?" - "Don't forget to power off your machine before the weekend." - "We need to power off the test environment tonight." ## Common mistakes - ✗ "I will power off it." → ✓ "I will power it off." (Power off is a separable phrasal verb. The object (it) goes between power and off.) - ✗ "The server powered off itself." → ✓ "The server powered off by itself." (Use 'by itself' to show something happened automatically without human action.) - ✗ "Please power off the application." → ✓ "Please close the application." (Power off is for hardware/devices. For software, use close, quit, or shut down.) ## Word forms | Part of speech | Word | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | base form | power off | Please power off the server. | | third person singular | powers off | The system powers off automatically at midnight. | | past tense | powered off | I powered off the machine before leaving. | | present participle | powering off | We are powering off all test devices now. | | noun form | power-off | Schedule the power-off for 10 PM. | ## Collocations - **power off the server**: Most common usage in tech teams - **power off completely**: Emphasizes full shutdown, not sleep mode - **power off remotely**: Shut down from another location - **power off gracefully**: Shut down properly, letting processes finish - **power off and restart**: Common troubleshooting step ## Synonyms - **shut down**: More common for computers and software; slightly more formal - **turn off**: General everyday term; works for any device - **switch off**: More common in British English - **kill**: Informal; often for processes, not hardware ## Opposites - power on - turn on - boot up - start up - switch on ## Practice This lesson has 4 practice exercises with instant feedback on the page: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/power-off ## FAQ ### What is the difference between power off and shut down? Power off and shut down are very similar. Shut down is more common for computers and includes closing programs properly. Power off focuses more on cutting the electricity. Both are correct for servers and machines. ### Can I say power off for software? No, power off is for hardware like computers, servers, and devices. For software and applications, use close, quit, or exit instead. ### Is power off formal or informal? Power off is neutral. You can use it in documentation, Slack messages, or spoken instructions. It works in both formal and informal situations. ### How do I use power off in a sentence? Power off is separable. You can say 'power off the server' or 'power the server off'. With pronouns, put them in the middle: 'power it off' not 'power off it'. ### What is the noun form of power off? The noun form is power-off (with a hyphen). Example: 'Schedule the power-off for midnight.' You can also say 'power-off procedure' or 'power-off sequence'. ## Related - [boot up](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/boot-up.md) - Full glossary: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Live lessons with a coach: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## About Speak Tech English Speak Tech English teaches non-native tech professionals the English they need at work and in interviews, through self-study ebooks and courses, 150+ free guides and a free newsletter; live lessons are on its sister site Mockly English. - Shop: https://speaktechenglish.com/courses/ - All products (markdown): https://speaktechenglish.com/products.md - Free guides (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/guides.md - Tech English glossary (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Newsletter (10% off): https://speaktechenglish.com/#subscribe - Live lessons and mock interviews: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## Notes for agents - Speak Tech English sells self-study material. 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