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Origin and Etymology of putz
Yiddish puts, literally, "finery, show," probably from putsn "to clean, shine"; akin to German putzen "to adorn, clean"
First Known Use: 1928
in the meaning defined at sense 1
Definition of putz
US, informal
: to spend time in an aimless or idle manner : putter, fool around
—usually + around
- But 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
Recent Examples of putz from the Web
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Yoda: Don’t underestimate the wizened little green guy putzing around with a lightsaber.
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Wait until summer, get a tent and sleeping bag, and go putz around a part of the country.
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Golden State has a habit of putzing around for two quarters, letting Zaza Pachulia play too much, and then turning on the jets in the third before burying opponents with ease.
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My normal thing to do is putz around on my antique collection of tractors.
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Yoda: Don’t underestimate the wizened little green guy putzing around with a lightsaber.
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.
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