put-down

1 of 2

noun

ˈpu̇t-ˌdau̇n 

: an act or instance of putting down

especially : a humiliating remark

put down

2 of 2

verb

put down; putting down; puts down

transitive verb

1

: to bring to an end : stop

put down a riot

2

a

: depose, degrade

b

: disparage, belittle

mentioned his poetry only to put it down

c

: disapprove, criticize

was put down for the way she dressed

d

: humiliate, squelch

put him down with a sharp retort

3

: to make ineffective : check

put down the gossip

4

: to do away with (an injured, sick, or aged animal) : destroy

5

a

: to put in writing

b

: to enter in a list

6

a

: to place in a category

I put him down as a hypochondriac

—O. S. J. Gogarty

b

: attribute

put it down to inexperience

7

: to pack or preserve for future use

8

: consume

putting down helping after helping

—Carson McCullers

Phrases

put down roots

: to establish a permanent residence

Synonyms

Noun

• insult
• offence
• sarcasm

Verb

• dismiss
• minimize
• run down
• diminish
• talk down
• play down
• dump on

Examples of put-down in a Sentence

Noun

new hires always have to deal with put-downs and practical jokes from the older employees

your never-ending put-down of my musical talents is really starting to annoy me

Verb

he has the annoying habit of putting down others under the guise of offering constructive criticism

we had the whole agreement put down on paper

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Lynch was a no-nonsense character for many years on UK soap opera Coronation Street, who favoured animal-print clothing and withering put-downs). —Nick Miller, New York Times, 24 Aug. 2025

Given that Fuller had only broken with Crowley the man, rather than his basic yoga teachings, this put-down should not be taken too seriously. —Stewart Home august 22, Literary Hub, 22 Aug. 2025

Verb

Private Mortgage Insurance, known as PMI, is typically required when a buyer puts down less than 20% of the purchase price. —Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 15 Sep. 2025

Kids who like coding will enjoy the Thames & Kosmos My Robotic Pet Coding Chameleon and Miko the Smart Robot, while younger children won’t be able to put down the Toniesbox 2; the original is one of our favorite audio players for kids. —Katrina Cossey, Parents, 15 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1932, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for put-down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

put down

verb

1

: to bring to an end by force

put down a riot

2

: to write down (as in a list)

3

: belittle, criticize

put-down

ˈpu̇t-ˌdau̇n

noun