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
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
Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
And earlier this year, a Massachusetts congressman urged fellow lawmakers to put down their phones and touch grass.
—Mike Stunson, USA Today, 14 Apr. 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
As graduation approaches, many college seniors are choosing where to start their careers and put down roots.
—Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
And earlier this year, a Massachusetts congressman urged fellow lawmakers to put down their phones and touch grass.
—Mike Stunson, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-down
Noun
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There are comic insults and lines of great beauty.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The president often hurled insults at Bezos and his ownership of The Washington Post, as well as his tax record.—
Annie Palmer,Justin Papp,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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His first collection, Death of a Naturalist, was published by Faber and Faber in 1966 and was followed by eleven other volumes of poetry, as well as collections of literary criticism, anthologies, translations, and verse plays.—
Nick Laird,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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With Minnesota viewing them as soft, the Nuggets hardly seem bothered by the criticism.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As part of her agreement to plead guilty, prosecutors will dismiss four felony counts of perjury, procurement or false or forged document to be filed, and two counts of not being entitled to vote in an election.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Though often dismissed as bubblegum soul, the early Jackson 5 hits were intricate and infectious.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Samuel Isturiz tossed 5 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, two runs and three walks while recording two strikeouts for the Tigers.—
Alex Kushel,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
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Tottenham have picked up just two league wins from 24 league matches since the start of November, and are yet to record one this calendar year.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gilgeous-Alexander is trying to go back-to-back, Jokic — who has been first or second in five straight seasons, entering this year — is seeking his fourth MVP in six years and Wembanyama is a finalist for the first time.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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The 6-foot-5 center is entering her 13th year in the league and will be the most veteran player on Seattle’s rebuilding roster.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nor has the admission that there were performance problems done much to quell rampant speculation that the company is running short of computing resources and that Anthropic’s efforts to ration precious computing power were the real reason for the performance issues.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Over the past few months, the pending consolidation sparked many fears, which David Ellison tried to quell.—
Mandalit del Barco,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The work demonstrates that mathematical ideas from classical physics can be used to describe weird and ‘spooky’ behavior that is often attributed to quantum particles.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
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The first relegation with Fulham should not be attributed solely to Parker, who took over when the side was 19th with just 10 matches to play.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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My family spent many weekend mornings here, but during the pandemic, my husband and I would occasionally get fancy takeout food and cocktails and eat at one of the private picnic tables by the light of a camping lantern.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
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Hennessy said that eating too much of any nutrient risks causing unwanted side effects.—
Rich Bellis,
NBC news,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Put-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-down. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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