: an act or instance of putting down
especially
: a humiliating remark
put down; putting down; puts down
1
: to bring to an end : stop
put down a riot
2
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
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
Carson McCullersExamples 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
Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 31 Jan. 2025
Future Saturday Night Live alum and Y2K director Kyle Mooney briefly donned the role popularized by world-class dramatic talent to echo and underline Holmes’s withering put-downs.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2025
This felt like a Miami Heat season looking for a way to end, to be over, to be put out of its misery like a crippled racehorse humanely put down.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for put-down
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Noun
The perfect vague yet totally true aphorism to throw at any put-down.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 31 Jan. 2025
Future Saturday Night Live alum and Y2K director Kyle Mooney briefly donned the role popularized by world-class dramatic talent to echo and underline Holmes’s withering put-downs.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
Prospective ticket buyers can pay in full, split the cost with friends, or put down as little as 10 percent of the price.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2025
This felt like a Miami Heat season looking for a way to end, to be over, to be put out of its misery like a crippled racehorse humanely put down.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Cite this Entry
“Put-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put-down. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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