putz

\ ˈpəts

How to pronounce putz (audio)

\

Definition of putz

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 US, informal : a stupid, foolish, or ineffectual person : jerk

2 US, vulgar slang : penis

putz

putzed; putzing; putzes

Definition of putz (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

US, informal

: to spend time in an aimless or idle manner : putter, fool around —usually + aroundBut come July or August, I invariably find myself putzing around the kitchen, making something sort of weird, like potato-Roquefort salad sandwiches, heavy on the dill.— Karen MacNeil

Examples of putz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Yoda: Don’t underestimate the wizened little green guy putzing around with a lightsaber. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "The 50 best 'Star Wars' characters ever, definitively ranked," 17 Dec. 2019 Yoda: Don’t underestimate the wizened little green guy putzing around with a lightsaber. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "The 50 best 'Star Wars' characters ever, definitively ranked," 17 Dec. 2019 Yoda: Don’t underestimate the wizened little green guy putzing around with a lightsaber. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "The 50 best 'Star Wars' characters ever, definitively ranked," 17 Dec. 2019 Yoda: Don’t underestimate the wizened little green guy putzing around with a lightsaber. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "The 50 best 'Star Wars' characters ever, definitively ranked," 17 Dec. 2019 Yoda: Don’t underestimate the wizened little green guy putzing around with a lightsaber. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "The 50 best 'Star Wars' characters ever, definitively ranked," 17 Dec. 2019 But don’t putz around and let another session go by without housing reform. — BostonGlobe.com, "It was the top issue voters wanted to talk about with Charlie Baker when he ran for re-election last year, and it has been top of mind for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who last week made an impassioned plea for more middle-class housing in his annual speech to Boston bigwigs.," 17 Oct. 2019 Really made just for putzing around in the woods, but stick some road-like tires on it and race it on a compacted-dirt track, why not? — Rasputin Todd, Cincinnati.com, "The first time I raced motorcycles, a breath at a time," 5 Sep. 2019 She and her dad would spend the weekends putzing around race tracks, talking their way into hospitality tents, begging team owners for a shot. — Zak Keefer, Indianapolis Star, "Danica Patrick on her last race, the Indy 500 that got away, and why she can win," 18 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'putz.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about putz

Dictionary Entries near putz

put words in/into someone's mouth

Puvis de Chavannes

Statistics for putz

Cite this Entry

“Putz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/putz. Accessed 24 Feb. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

acumen

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

More Confusing Words—Quiz

The magician ______ moved the selected card to the top of the deck.

discreetly discretely

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.