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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to record
to make a written note of
we had the whole agreement put down on paper
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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
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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
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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
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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
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 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
Annita Katee, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026
After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.
—Grant Peck, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Noun
Crockett, a representative from a deep-blue district that includes much of Dallas, has attained fame with snappy put-downs of Republicans, many of which have gone viral on social media.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 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
Buried in that repetition and the constant temptation to permanently put down the crochet hook, a lightbulb went off.
—Annita Katee, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026
After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.
—Grant Peck, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-down
Noun
-
An unusual insult in Grease came to be thanks to a flub on an actor's part.—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
-
And, to add insult to Cardinals’ fans’ injury, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of that same game, Jordan Walker hit a ball nearly 100-mph into the gap in left-center.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Both players have been regular targets for fan criticism over their attitude this term.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
But that market has faced growing criticism for its dependence on mass production and cultural appropriation — and a portion of travelers are responding by spending their money differently.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The lawsuit was eventually dismissed.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
The ruling came after similar cases in Michigan and Georgia were dismissed by the courts and a special prosecutor dropped a federal case in late 2024 that charged Trump with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election.—
Jacques Billeaud,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Escobar recorded the final out in the seventh on a strikeout to strand the tying and go-ahead runs on first and second base.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
Wrobleski recorded a ninth strikeout, for the second out of the sixth, before surrendering a hit.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
An increasing number of Palestinians from the West Bank have tried to enter Israel illegally to work in recent years.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Critics worry that the buffer zones could be used to quell nonviolent demonstrations or criminalize free speech.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
-
While the emergency response quelled the threat of a violent explosion as of Monday night, 16,000 residents, largely from the city of Stanton, were still unable to return home until all evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday evening.—
Victoria Le,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
But a retirement album this is not, and not just because Latto walked back her assertion in her interview with Nadeska, attributing the impulse to a depressive low in the new-album-and-new-motherhood process.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Pitchfork,
4 June 2026
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While mass layoffs, especially those attributed to AI, make the headlines, economists aren’t sounding the alarm bells.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Houser grinded through a pair of long innings that ate into his pitch count, throwing 37 pitches in the first inning and 27 more pitches in the third inning.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
31 May 2026
-
Cats become infected by eating raw meat, birds, mice or contaminated soil, and only cats that are actively shedding parasites in their stool can spread it.—
Dr. Megan Yanny,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Put-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-down. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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