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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of put-down
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2025
The perfect vague yet totally true aphorism to throw at any put-down.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 31 Jan. 2025
Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
This Labor Day weekend, put down the phone.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Noun
And playing him night after night…and then just those put-downs.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2025
The perfect vague yet totally true aphorism to throw at any put-down.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
That financial breathing room may also explain why some expats put down roots in the country – 54% have lived there for five or more years already, and 30% want to stay forever, according to the report.
—Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
This Labor Day weekend, put down the phone.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-down
Noun
-
Young Thug wasn’t the only target, however, as his girlfriend, Mariah The Scientist, also caught a few shots for entertaining Thugger’s insults over the phone.—
Jessica Bennett,
VIBE.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Bluesky, part of the decentralized internet, is slower paced and caters to niche interests, rewarding internecine fights over minutiae, whereas X is deliberately chaotic, encouraging the gathering of follower-armies and ideological insult-comedy for an audience that may be largely made up of bots.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Among Democrats, criticism has grown louder as the war becomes deeply unpopular with the party base.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
But the Cowboys, who gave out big extensions to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott, couldn't come to terms with him on a new deal, which led to Jones receiving plenty of criticism.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Despite lacking any legal education or experience, Routh dismissed his lawyers earlier this year and intends to defend himself at trial.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
-
When retail loses money, it’s often dismissed as inexperience.—
Anmol Verma,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Polish military said no airspace violations were recorded on Saturday after jets were deployed in the airspace along the border with Ukraine.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Tatis has been crafty on the base paths, recording 29 steals on 35 attempts.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Police can log into a dashboard, enter a case number, and search not just by plate number, but also by make, model, or even bumper stickers.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello entered Saturday’s start with the best ERA among all starting pitchers who’ve made at least 10 starts against New York in the past 25 years.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Five people died and 140 police officers were injured before the insurrection was quelled.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
-
In its way, this was a high occasion of state, an opportunity for the government to make a display of its brisk, sober ability to act, and to quell the unrest that this horrific and very public murder had aroused.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
More news The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reports that LeBron James did not write an article attributed to him in a Chinese newspaper.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
-
According to Monitoring Analytics, an independent watchdog of PJM, roughly three-quarters of the increase, totaling over $9 billion, can be attributed to current and projected future demand from data centers.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
No doubt Nelson was in trouble, but referee Robert Boyle called an end to the fight as Nelson ate some hard combinations.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Making some art, eating some really good food, and then ending with a sunset at Blacks Beach.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Put-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-down. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share