1
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
new hires always have to deal with put-downs and practical jokes from the older employees
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in criticism
the act of making a person or a thing seem little or unimportant
your never-ending put-down of my musical talents is really starting to annoy me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to dismiss
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
he has the annoying habit of putting down others under the guise of offering constructive criticism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to record
to make a written note of
we had the whole agreement put down on paper
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to enter
to put (someone or something) on a list
put her down as one of the chaperones for the field trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to quell
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
a tyrant who ruthlessly put down uprisings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to attribute
to explain (something) as being the result of something else
a fender bender that probably can be put down to the young driver's inexperience
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in to eat
to take in as food
the husky youngster seemed to put down her own weight in food at one sitting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of put-down
Rory Doherty, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
This sneering put-down is even more bizarre than the swipe at Carter’s phantom operatic output.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 28 July 2025
The footage, captured in a Walmart parking lot, show a man being approached by several people who shout at him to put down a knife.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Noun
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
This sneering put-down is even more bizarre than the swipe at Carter’s phantom operatic output.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
Her weapon drawn, the officer tried to convince the man standing outside the Occidental home to put down the sword.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 28 July 2025
The footage, captured in a Walmart parking lot, show a man being approached by several people who shout at him to put down a knife.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-down
Noun
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Several diss tracks followed, with the musicians hurling increasingly spiteful insults at each other relating to accusations of domestic abuse, exploitation and pedophilia.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Aug. 2025
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According to a cell phone video, obtained through CAIR, the man shouted several Islamophobic insults, including insults attacking Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Two weeks after first pointing a firehose of blistering criticism at the Donald Trump administration, South Park is still going full bore against Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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YouTube and other social media platforms are cracking down on age verification measures after facing criticism that teens could circumvent their safeguards by signing up with a fake birthdate.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The claims against him were dismissed in late July, though Joseph was given time to amend his complaint.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
5 Aug. 2025
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All charges were dismissed against Scott and Springsteen that October.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Fellow southpaw Bennett Sousa recorded the final out of Monday’s game and could be in line for higher-leverage chances if Hader is unavailable.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
12 Aug. 2025
-
The highest residential sale ever recorded in Pebble Beach, along the Central Coast, stands at $45 million, according to a representative of Sotheby’s.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Gunn’s rule at the new DC Studios is that no movie will move forward into the pre-production and production processes until the screenplay is finished, unlike Marvel Studios where movies often enter production with the script still taking shape.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
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The month begins with fiery Mars entering Libra, and your eighth house of intimate affairs and emotional bonds.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The system is expected to hook around a large plume of African dust that has been quelling hurricane development for the past several weeks, Fox Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross wrote on his blog, Hurricane Intel.—
David Schutz,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Aug. 2025
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America’s military establishment tried to quell the outrage with a piece in Harper’s by Henry Stimson, a retired Secretary of War.—
Jane Mayer,
New Yorker,
3 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Key Facts Health departments in several states are warning residents about a mysterious and unusual rise in the bacteria after dozens of cases were confirmed across 11 states and at least nine deaths were attributed to an infection, with a tenth attributed to another vibrio species.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Best Luxury Mattress Tempur-Pedic’s reputation as a luxury mattress brand with exceptional performance can be attributed to its roots—the cushioning material was originally developed for NASA’s pilot test expeditions.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This spot for soccer fans offers lots of pub fare to eat and drink.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Mar. 2025
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The calls came while eating lunch, while lying in bed at night.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Put-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-down. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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