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
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
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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
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
David Remnick, New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2025
And the jubilation likely expressed in Moscow over Washington’s put-downs of Europe is reminiscent of the glee over Trump and Vance’s public scolding of Zelensky in the Oval Office later that month.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 9 Dec. 2025
Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2026
Dubois could have wilted early on when he was put down in the first and the third.
—Chris McKenna, New York Times, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Noun
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
And the jubilation likely expressed in Moscow over Washington’s put-downs of Europe is reminiscent of the glee over Trump and Vance’s public scolding of Zelensky in the Oval Office later that month.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
One pet parent shopper shared how within one hour of putting down this quilt, their muddy dog got all over it.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2026
Dubois could have wilted early on when he was put down in the first and the third.
—Chris McKenna, New York Times, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-down
Noun
-
When Azik tries to rid himself of the stigma, calling someone else weak as if to offload the physical weight of the insult, a startling act of violence occurs.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
Sometimes, there’s no better way to pay tribute to a dear friend than by lambasting them with insults.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
Noun
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For all the billionaire invasion criticism, the event has long been an advertising, media promotion and networking ritual for the wealthy and powerful, so what changed, really?—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
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And Rubio’s diplomacy with the pope could fade, should Trump take to Truth Social later this week with more criticisms.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The court recommended that the petition be dismissed, and that the organizations be given one month to submit the employee lists.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
Even the foundations of today’s artificial intelligence boom were laid by the NSF in the 1980s and 1990s, when neural networks were a backwater dismissed by mainstream computer science.—
Gautam Mukunda,
Twin Cities,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Mostun recorded a 315 in the clean-and-jerk and 245 in the snatch (560 total) in the 169-pound weight class.—
Alex Kushel,
Sun Sentinel,
9 May 2026
-
The right-hander allowed one walk with seven strikeouts and has 25 strikeouts over his last three outings after recording 18 over his first four starts of the year.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
This beguiling wine bar on one of the original streets of Chinatown is a model for how to enter a historic neighborhood respectfully, without erasing what came before.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
In another tape, also viewed by social workers, Guojun enters a classroom shortly after a teacher has kicked and pummelled his four-year-old son to the ground.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Physicist and former director of the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office Sean Kirkpatrick says the files are likely to fuel speculation rather than quell it.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
8 May 2026
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But in the wake of discovering the hantavirus aboard the Hondius, health officials and infectious disease experts have been quick—and virtually unanimous—in trying to quell fears.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Cisco also attributed the latter layoffs to the need to restructure around AI and security, The Register reported at the time.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
14 May 2026
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Commissioner Ben Sorensen attributed some of the initial delays to the pandemic.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The question of what to eat before dessert is not, usually, top of my mind.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
-
The larva will hatch and eat the paralyzed cicada.—
Pamm Cooper,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Put-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-down. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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