put

verb, noun — 18 senses

put

verb

AU, US, NZ, UK /pʊt/ · UK /pɵt/

Etymology

From Middle English putten, pitten, pytten, puten, poten, from Old English putian, *pūtian ("to push, put out"; attested by derivative putung (“pushing, impulse, instigation, urging”)) and potian (“to push, thrust, strike, butt, goad”), both from Proto-West Germanic *putōn, from Proto-Germanic *putōną (“to stick, stab”), which is of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bud- (“to shoot, sprout”), which would make it cognate with Sanskrit बुन्द (bundá, “arrow”), Lithuanian budė, and budis (“mushroom, fungus”). Compare also related Old English pȳtan (“to push, poke, thrust, put out (the eyes)”). Cognate with Dutch poten (“to set, plant”), Low German paten (“to set, plant”), Danish putte (“to put”), Swedish putta, pötta, potta (“to strike, knock, push gently, shove, put away”), Norwegian putte (“to set, put”), Norwegian pota (“to poke”), Icelandic pota (“to poke”), Dutch peuteren (“to pick, poke around, dig, fiddle with”).

13 senses
  1. 1To physically place (sth or sb swh).
  2. 2To place in abstract; to attach or attribute; to assign.
  3. 3To bring or set (into a certain relation, state or condition).
  4. 4To express (something in a certain manner).
  5. 5To set before one for judgment, acceptance, or…
  6. 6To set as a calculation or estimate.
  7. 7To steer; to direct one's course; to go.
  8. 8To sell (assets) under the terms of a put option.
  9. 9To throw with a pushing motion, especially in reference…
  10. 10To play a card or a hand in the game called "put".
  11. 11To lay down; to give up; to surrender.
  12. 12To incite; to entice; to urge; to constrain; to oblige.
  13. 13To convey coal in the mine, as for example from the…
1

To physically place (sth or sb swh).

  • She put her books on the table.
  • The police put him in a cell.
3 more examples
  • They put the new motorway right through the national park.
  • Philander went into the next room[…]and came back with a salt mackerel that dripped brine like a rainstorm. Then he put the coffee pot on the stove and rummaged out a loaf of dry bread and some hardtack.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
  • ‘No. I only opened the door a foot and put my head in. The street lamps shine into that room. I could see him. He was all right. Sleeping like a great grampus. Poor, poor chap.’1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 20, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
2

To place in abstract; to attach or attribute; to assign.

  • The government put restrictions on vehicle imports.
  • I put £100 on the winning horse.
4 more examples
  • Don't put the blame on me.
  • What answer did you put for question 3?
  • to put a wrong construction on an act or expression
  • That seems like a bad idea put against the restrictions we're working under.
3

To bring or set (into a certain relation, state or condition).

  • Theſe Verſes Originally Greek, were put in Latin,1670, John Milton, “The [First] Book”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC, page 11:
  • Put your house in order!
4 more examples
  • He is putting all his energy into this one task.
  • She tends to put herself in dangerous situations.
  • The doctor's put me on a strict diet.
  • Put the following sentences into the past tense.
4

To express (something in a certain manner).

  • When you put it that way, I guess I can see your point.
  • To put it bluntly, he's an idiot.
2 more examples
  • To put it simply, we can't afford it.
  • All this is ingeniously and ably put.1846, Julius Hare, The Mission of the Comforter:
5

To set before one for judgment, acceptance, or rejection; to bring to the attention.

  • I put it to you, Sir, that you are a thief and a liar.
  • to put a question; to put a case
2 more examples
  • 1708-1710, George Berkeley, Philosophical Commentaries or Common-Place Book Put the perceptions and you put the mind.
  • Now if there was one thing that the animals were completely certain of, it was that they did not want Jones back. When it was put to them in this light, they had no more to say.1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:
6

To set as a calculation or estimate.

  • They have put the cost of repairs at around £10 million.
7

To steer; to direct one's course; to go.

  • to put to sea
  • His fury thus appeased, he puts to land.1697, Virgil, “The Sixth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
8

Business, Finance To sell (assets) under the terms of a put option.

  • He got out of his Procter and Gamble bet by putting his shares at 80.
9

Athletics, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Especially To throw with a pushing motion, especially in reference to the sport of shot put. (Do not confuse with putt.)

  • He put the shot out beyond the 20-metre mark.
10

To play a card or a hand in the game called "put".

11

Obsolete To lay down; to give up; to surrender.

  • No man hath more love than this, that a man put his life for his friends.c. 1382–1395, John Wycliffe [et al.], edited by Josiah Forshall and Frederic Madden, The Holy Bible, […], volume IV, Oxford: At the University Press, published 1850, →OCLC, John 15:13, page 280:
12

Obsolete To incite; to entice; to urge; to constrain; to oblige.

  • These wretches put us upon all mischief.1722, Jonathan Swift, The Last Speech of Ebenezer Elliston:
  • Thank him who puts me loath to this revenge1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, line 386:
1 more example
  • Put me not to use the carnal weapon in my own defence.1822, [Walter Scott], Peveril of the Peak. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC:
13

Business, Mining To convey coal in the mine, as for example from the working to the tramway.

Derived terms
400 termsdon't put all your eggs in one basket, enough to put in one's eye, force-put, forthput, hard put, input, I put it to you, mama put, misput, never put off until tomorrow what you can do today, not to put a tooth in it, not to put too fine a point on it, not to put too fine a word on it, off-put, offput, output, overput, put a band-aid on a bullet wound, put a blanket over, putable, put a block on, put about, put a brave face on, put a bug in someone's ear, put a civil tongue in one's head, put a civil tongue in one's mouth, put a cork in it, put a crimp in, put across, put a damper on, put a dent in the universe, put a finger to the wind, put a foot wrong, put a gun to someone's head, put a hat on a hat, put ahead, put a hurt on, put a lid on, put a lid on it, put all one's eggs in one basket, put a name to, put and take, put-and-take, put an egg in one's shoe and beat it, put an end to, put a pin in, put a premium on, put a rod in pickle, put around, put a shift in, put aside, put a sock in it, put a spanner in the works, put a spoke in someone's wheel, put a stopper to, put a stop to, put asunder, put at ease, put away, putback, put back, put-back, put batteries in someone's back, put before, put behind one, put bread on the table, put butter on one's bread, put by, put case, put daylight between oneself and someone, put-down, put down, put-downable, put down as, put down for, put down roots, put down to, put 'em up, put end, put facts on the ground, put food on the table, put foot to ass, put forth, put forward, put hair on one's chest, put hair on someone's chest, put heads together, put her there, put him in to get him out, put horns on, put in, put-in, put in a good word, put in an appearance, put in an oar, put in a word, put in mind, put in motion, put in one's oar, put in place, put in pledge, put in practice, put in the ground, put in the pin, put in the shade, put in the work, put into, put into action, put into context, put into effect, put into one's own head, put into practice, put into words, put in with, put in writing, put it about, put it down, put it mildly, put it off on, put it past, put it there, put it to, put lie to, put lipstick on a pig, putlog, put-me-up, put new wine in old bottles, put off, put on, put-on, put on a brave face, put on a bus, put on a clinic, put on airs, put on a pedestal, put on dog, put one across, put one foot in front of the other, put one over, put one past, put one's affairs in order, put one's ass on the line, put one's back into, put one's best foot foremost, put one's best foot forward, put one's cards on the table, put one's ducks in a row, put oneself about, put oneself across, put oneself in someone's place, put oneself in someone's shoes, put oneself out, put oneself out of the way, put one's feet up, put one's finger in a hole, put one's finger in the dyke, put one's finger in the fire, put one's finger on, put one's fist to, put one's foot down, put one's foot down on, put one's foot down upon, put one's foot in it, put one's foot in one's mouth, put one's foot in someone's ass, put one's foot in the door, put one's foot up someone's ass, put one's hand in one's pocket, put one's hands on, put one's hands together, put one's hands up, put one's hand to, put one's hand to the plough, put one's hand up, put one's head above the parapet, put one's head in the sand, put one's heart in, put one's heart into, put one's heart on one's sleeve, put one's household in order, put one's house in order, put one's legs under someone's mahogany, put one's mind to it, put one's money where one's mouth is, put one's name in the hat, put one's neck out, put one's oar in, put one's pants on one leg at a time, put one's shoulder into, put one's shoulder to the wheel, put one's stamp, put one's toe in the water, put one's trousers on one leg at a time, put one through one's paces, put on frills, put on one's dancing shoes, put on one's pants one leg at a time, put on one's trousers one leg at a time, put on the block, put on the brakes, put on the dog, put on the kibosh, put on the long finger, put on the map, put on the pounds, put on the red light, put on the Ritz, put on the ritz, put on the spot, put onto, put on weight, put-out, put out, put out a fire, put out feelers, put out of one's head, put out of one's mind, put out the fire, put out to grass, put out to pasture, put out to sea, put over, put paid to, put past, put pedal to the metal, put pen to paper, putpocket, put right, put round, put salt on someone's tail, put someone hip, put someone in a box, put someone in a false position, put someone in hospital, put someone in mind of, put someone in their place, put someone in the picture, put someone on blast, put someone on game, put someone on ice, put someone on to, put someone out of their misery, put someone's back up, put someone's light out, put someone's lights out, put someone's pipe out, put someone through their paces, put someone to their trumps, put someone under, put someone under the screw, put someone up to something, put someone wise, put something behind one, put something down to experience, put something into perspective, put something over, put some timber on, put spurs to, put stock in, put store by, put store in, put straight, puttable, puttage, puttee, putter, put that in your hat, put that in your hat and wear it, put that in your pipe and smoke it, put the arm on someone, put the bad mouth on, put the bee on, put the beggar on the gentleman, put the bite on, put the blame on, put the boot in, put the bottom rail on top, put the brakes on, put the cabosh on, put the cart before the horse, put the case, put the cat among the pigeons, put the change on someone, put the clock back, put the clock forward, put the clocks back, put the cork back in the bottle, put the dead wood on, put the fear of God into, put the feedbag on, put the finger on, put the fries in the bag, put the frighteners on someone, put the genie back in the bottle, put the hammer down, put the heart across one, put the heat on, put the herd on someone, put the kibosh on, put the last hand to, put the lid on, put the lie to, put the make on, put the miller's eye out, put the moves on, put the pedal to the medal, put the pedal to the metal, put the plug in the jug, put the pot on, put the question to, put the record straight, put the saddle on the right horse, put the same shoe on every foot, put the screw, put the screws, put the shits up someone, put the shoe on the other foot, put the squeeze on, put the stunners on, put the tin lid on it, put the toothpaste back in the tube, put the wind up, put the wood in the hole, put the world to rights, put through, put through hoops, put through its paces, put through the hoops, put through the mangle, put through the mill, put through the wringer, put to, put to bed, put to bed with a shovel, put to death, put-together, put together, put to good use, put to lie, put to rest, put to sea, put to shame, put to sleep, put to the blush, put to the horn, put to the sword, put to the test, put to the torch, put to the vote, put to use, put to words, put to work, put two and two together, put two and two together and come up with five, put two and two together and make five, put two fingers up, put under, put-up, put up, put up a brick, put up a fight, put up a show, put-up job, put up on, put-upon, put upon, put up one's dukes, put up one's hand, put up one's hands, put up or shut up, put up the shutters, put up to, put up with, put wise, put with, put words in someone's mouth, put-you-up, reput, ridden hard and put away wet, ride hard and put away wet, ride someone hard and put them away wet, rode hard and put up wet, stay put, throughput, thruput, toput, to put it another way, transput, underput, unput, un-put-downable, upput, well-put, who put a quarter in you, you cannot put the same shoe on every foot, you can't put an old head on young shoulders, you can't put a wise head on young shoulders, you can't put the shit back in the horse, you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, you can't put the toothpaste back into the tube
Related terms
putten

put

noun
Etymology

From Middle English putten, pitten, pytten, puten, poten, from Old English putian, *pūtian ("to push, put out"; attested by derivative putung (“pushing, impulse, instigation, urging”)) and potian (“to push, thrust, strike, butt, goad”), both from Proto-West Germanic *putōn, from Proto-Germanic *putōną (“to stick, stab”), which is of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bud- (“to shoot, sprout”), which would make it cognate with Sanskrit बुन्द (bundá, “arrow”), Lithuanian budė, and budis (“mushroom, fungus”). Compare also related Old English pȳtan (“to push, poke, thrust, put out (the eyes)”). Cognate with Dutch poten (“to set, plant”), Low German paten (“to set, plant”), Danish putte (“to put”), Swedish putta, pötta, potta (“to strike, knock, push gently, shove, put away”), Norwegian putte (“to set, put”), Norwegian pota (“to poke”), Icelandic pota (“to poke”), Dutch peuteren (“to pick, poke around, dig, fiddle with”).

1

Business, Finance Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of put option (“right to sell something at a predetermined price”)

  • He bought a January '08 put for Procter and Gamble at 80 to hedge his bet.
  • c. 1900, Universal Cyclopaedia Entry for Stock-Exchange A put and a call may be combined in one instrument, the holder of which may either buy or sell as he chooses at the fixed price.
2

The act of putting; an action; a movement; a thrust; a push.

  • the put of a ball
  • The Stag's was a Forc'd put, and a Chance rather than a Choice.1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:
3

An old card game.

  • Among the in-door amusements of the costermonger is card-playing, at which many of them are adepts. The usual games are all-fours, all-fives, cribbage, and put.1851, Henry Mayhew, “Costermongers”, in London Labour and the London Poor:
Related terms
call, option

put

noun

/pʌt/

Etymology Unknown. Perhaps related to Welsh pwt, itself possibly borrowed from English butt (“stub, thicker end”).

1

Obsolete A fellow, especially an eccentric or elderly one; a duffer.

  • Queer Country-puts extol Queen Bess's reign, And of lost hospitality complain.1733, James Bramston, The Man of Taste:
  • The old put wanted to make a parson of me, but d—n me, thinks I to myself, I'll nick you there, old cull; the devil a smack of your nonsense shall you ever get into me.1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society, published 1973, page 244:
2 more examples
  • The Captain has a hearty contempt for his father, I can see, and calls him an old put, an old snob, an old chaw-bacon, and numberless other pretty names.1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 11, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:
  • Any number of varlet to be had for a few ducats and what droll puts the citizens seem in it all!1870, Frederic Harrison, “The Romance of the Peerage: Lothair,”, in Fortnightly Review:

put

noun

Etymology From Old French pute.

1

Obsolete A prostitute.

  • And Mrs. Penny-a-hoist Pim, said Mr. Gorman. That old put, said Mr. Nolan.1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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