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

see also put down roots

Synonyms of put-down

Noun

• insult
• 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

Many of them are amusing enough to get chuckles and the odd big laugh but a little more wit amongst the throwaway put-downs would have been welcome. —Richard Kuipers, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026

One day, a historian will win a contract to assemble the collected quotations of the forty-fifth and forty-seventh President—all the press-room rants, the Oval Office put-downs, the 3 A.M. Truth Social fever dreams. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2025

Verb

The ideal is to put down at least 20% to avoid paying private mortgage insurance, which is generally required for mortgages that exceed 80% of the home's value. —Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026

Since temperatures have warmed up a bit, Indy DPW crews and Snow Force have put down small amounts of salts on the road. —Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 27 Jan. 2026

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