putter

1 of 3

noun (1)

put·​ter ˈpu̇-tər 

: one that puts

a putter of questions

putter

2 of 3

noun (2)

putt·​er ˈpə-tər 

1

: a golf club used in putting

2

: one who putts

putter

3 of 3

verb

put·​ter ˈpə-tər 

puttered; puttering; putters

intransitive verb

1

: to move or act aimlessly or idly

2

: to work at random : tinker

putterer

ˈpə-tər-ər 

noun

Synonyms

Verb

• potter (around)
• play
• goof (around)
• fiddle (around)
• monkey (around)
• fool around
• hang about [British]

Examples of putter in a Sentence

Verb

the motorboat puttered across the lake

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The 28-year-old lefty drained the par save to stay at 15-under and turned to the crowd, holding a finger up to his lips and then pointing his putter toward the fan. —Bennett Conlin, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2025

The golf company’s Odyssey brand recently created a new putter modeled after the one used by Happy Gilmore in the Adam Sandler movies. —Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 31 July 2025

Verb

In the video, a man putters up and down the street carrying a pitchfork, shouting at his neighbors and at no one, punctuated by the occasional obscenity. —Ethan Bauer, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2025

Even when just puttering along in the village around the Lamborghini factory, something feels different. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

alteration of potter

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing putter

• putter around

Rhymes for putter

• butter
• clutter
• cutter
• flutter
• gutter
• mutter
• nutter
• rutter
• shutter
• sputter
• stutter
• utter

Kids Definition

putter

1 of 3 noun

put·​ter ˈpu̇t-ər 

: one that puts

putter

2 of 3 noun

putt·​er ˈpət-ər 

1

: a golf club used in putting

2

: a person who putts

putter

3 of 3 verb

put·​ter ˈpət-ər 

1

: to move or act without obvious purpose

2

: to work by chance or without skill

putterer

-ər-ər 

noun

Etymology

Noun

from put and -er (noun suffix)

Noun

from putt and -er (noun suffix)

Verb

an altered form of earlier potter "to move about idly without aim or purpose"