put

1 of 3

verb

put; putting

transitive verb

1
a
: to place in a specified position or relationship : lay
put the book on the table
b
: to move in a specified direction
c(1)
: to send (something, such as a weapon or missile) into or through something : thrust
(2)
: to throw with an overhand pushing motion
put the shot
d
: to bring into a specified state or condition
a reapportionment … that was put into effect at the September primariesCurrent Biography
e
: to prescribe a specified regimen for
usually used with on
put her on medication
put him on a diet
2
a
: to cause to endure or suffer something : subject
put traitors to death
b
: impose, inflict
put a special tax on luxuries
3
a
: to set before one for judgment or decision
put the question
b
: to call for a formal vote on
put the motion
4
a(1)
: to convey into another form
want to put my feelings into words
(2)
: to translate into another language or style
put the poem into English
(3)
: adapt
lyrics put to music
b
: express, state
putting it mildly
5
a
: to devote (oneself) to an activity or end
put himself to winning back their confidence
b
: apply
put her mind to the problem
c
: assign
put them to work
d
: to cause to perform an action : urge
put the horse over the fence
e
: impel, incite
put them into a frenzy
6
a
: repose, rest
puts his faith in reason
b
: invest entry 1 sense 1
put her money in the company
7
a
: to give as an estimate
put the time as about eleven
b
: attach, attribute
puts a high value on their friendship
c
: impute
put the blame on the partners
8
: bet, wager
put $2 on the favorite

intransitive verb

1
: to start in motion : go
especially : to leave in a hurry
2
of a ship : to take a specified course
put down the river

put

2 of 3

noun

1
: a throw made with an overhand pushing motion
specifically : the act or an instance of putting the shot
2
: an option to sell a specified amount of a security (such as a stock) or commodity (such as wheat) at a fixed price at or within a specified time compare call sense 3d

put

3 of 3

adjective

: being in place : fixed, set
stay put until I call
Phrases
put forth
1
b
: to make public : issue
2
: to bring into action : exert
3
: to produce or send out by growth
put forth leaves
4
: to start out
put forward
: propose
put forward a theory
put in mind
: remind
put one's finger on
: identify
put his finger on the cause of the trouble
put one's foot down
: to take a firm stand
put one's foot in one's mouth
: to make a tactless or embarrassing blunder
put paid to
chiefly British
: to finish off : bring an end to
put the arm on or put the bite on
: to ask for money
put the finger on
: to inform on
put the finger on … heroin pushersBarrie Zwicker
put the make on
: to make sexual advances toward
put to bed
: to make the final preparations for printing (something, such as a newspaper)
put together
1
: to create as a unified whole : construct
2

Examples of put in a Sentence

Verb Put the car in the garage. I put the keys on the table. He put his arms around her and held her tight. He fell and accidentally put his hand through a window. The illness put her in the hospital for three days. They put her in prison for forgery. Her parents decided to put her in a special school for deaf children. If she drove 55 mph for 20 minutes, that would put her about halfway there by now. Don't forget to put your signature on the check. He put his phone number on a napkin. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
To put things into perspective, insurance rates across Florida have tripled over the past three years. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 11 Sep. 2023 In an age of mass extinction, people are going to enormous lengths to put species back into place. Dino Grandoni and Melina Mara, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2023 The intention is to put the issue of the training center on the ballot. Jozsef Papp, ajc, 11 Sep. 2023 Montaigne put cruelty first, identifying it as the worst thing people do; Machiavelli did not. Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 The renewable company Heritage Sustainable Energy first put panels at the site in 2017. Izzy Ross, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2023 After the crash, the tow boat operator sounded the alarm and deckhands put a boat into the water to help White and his son, officials said in a news release. Tanasia Kenney The Charlotte Observer (tns), al, 11 Sep. 2023 Son Benjamin, 13, stands in front of Jack and wears a matching jacket with his dad as sister Vivian, 10, puts a hand on his shoulder and leans in. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2023 The storm’s maximum-sustained winds diminished slightly to 125 miles per hour putting it in the Category 3 range again, which is still considered a major hurricane. Jon Kamp, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2023
Noun
Burry, who predicted the subprime mortgage crisis of the 2000s, bought nearly $890 million in puts against the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, which tracks the overall stock market. Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, 14 Aug. 2023 For every $100 in notional — the value an options contract covers — investors now pay only $3.50 for an S&P 500 put option expiring a year from now with a strike price 5% below current levels, data compiled by Bank of America show. Elena Popina, Fortune, 30 July 2023 There has been record trading in options this year and activity in put options hit a fever pitch lately. WSJ, 18 Aug. 2023 Burry’s fund, Scion Asset Management, bought $866 million in put options (that’s the right to sell an asset at a particular price) against a fund that tracks the S&P 500, and $739 million in put options against a fund that tracks the Nasdaq 100. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 16 Aug. 2023 Among the women, Maggie Ewen (shot put), Brooke Andersen (hammer), Valerie Allman (discus) and Katie Moon (pole vault) and, on the men’s side, Ryan Crouser (shot put) and JuVaughn Harrison (high jump) have posted world-leading marks this season. Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2023 The NBCUniversal owner and pay TV, media and technology giant has to decide on the future of its one-third stake in Hulu, while potentially using a put option that would require Disney, which owns the remaining two-thirds, to take over its minority stake. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2023 Taylor Fletcher-Douglass, Yorktown (115-3) Shot put: 1. Matthew Glenesk, The Indianapolis Star, 24 May 2023 Starting in January 2024, Comcast can use a put option to require Disney to take over its stake, while Disney can tell Comcast to sell its stake. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2023
Adjective
Throw on a thin leather brown or black belt with gold hardware and the ensemble instantly looks more put together. Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 2 June 2023 Of the ten largest companies in the S&P 500, Nvidia is the only stock for which the price of call options — which are desirable if the stock goes up — is higher than put options, according to data from Nations Indexes. Byryan Vlastelica, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2023 Recently, the venture capital arm of L’Oreal put money into a San Diego startup, Debut, that, like Arcaea, is seeking to leverage biotech to create consumer products. Scott Kirsner, BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2023 Overall deals like the one Lay Lay is under put child stars in positions of greater creative power than ever before, but her path to the top was partially paved by her father’s foresight — something that is potentially more valuable than millions of followers. Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 June 2023 Unfortunately there’s not much motiving Gen Z employees to stay put. Irina Anghel, Bloomberg.com, 8 Feb. 2023 Indeed, federal data shows that any worker who switches jobs generally gets higher pay increases - an annual increase of about 7.7 percent, as of December - compared to 5.5 percent for employees who stay put. Abha Bhattarai and Maggie Penman, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Feb. 2023 Call it another effect of the cooling labor market: Workers are deciding to stay put. WSJ, 17 Jan. 2023 Unless you’re ordered to evacuate or need to go somewhere else for health reasons, do your best to stay put. Jessica Roy, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'put.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English putten; akin to Old English putung instigation, Middle Dutch poten to plant

First Known Use

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of put was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near put

Cite this Entry

“Put.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

put

1 of 3 verb
put; putting
1
a
: to place in or move into a position or relationship
put the book down
b
: to throw with an overhand pushing motion
put the shot
c
: to bring into a state or condition
put it to use
put the matter right
put us at risk
2
a
: to cause to undergo something
was put to death
b
: impose sense 1a
put a special tax on luxuries
3
: to set before one for judgment or decision (as by a formal vote)
put the motion
4
: express entry 4 sense 1a
put your feelings into words
5
a
: to devote or urge to an activity or end
put them to work
b
: invest entry 2 sense 1
put our money in the company
6
a
: estimate entry 1 sense 1
put the time at about eleven
b
: attach sense 5
puts a high value on friendship
7
: go entry 1 sense 1, proceed
the ship put to sea

put

2 of 3 noun
: a throw made with an overhand pushing motion

put

3 of 3 adjective
: fixed sense 1a, set
stay put until I come back

Legal Definition

put

noun
: put option at option 3

More from Merriam-Webster on put

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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