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
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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
Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 9 Dec. 2025
Because all those snarky memes and cheeky presidential put-downs won’t seem so funny if JD Vance is inaugurated in January 2029.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2025
CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Pannakara’s peace talks, given at stops along the way, have urged listeners to put down their phones and find peace within themselves.
—Deepa Bharath, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Noun
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
Because all those snarky memes and cheeky presidential put-downs won’t seem so funny if JD Vance is inaugurated in January 2029.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2025
Verb
Pannakara's peace talks, given at stops along the way, have urged listeners to put down their phones and find peace within themselves.
—CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Pannakara’s peace talks, given at stops along the way, have urged listeners to put down their phones and find peace within themselves.
—Deepa Bharath, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-down
Noun
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Where Vance seems only to have desired to berate and insult, there was something more urgently coaxing in Rubio’s tone.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Employees at an El Dorado Hills fast food restaurant went on a one-day strike, after a manager reportedly flung insults and acted unprofessionally to Latino workers.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Their comments drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties, and the administration quickly backtracked.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
-
For Schwartz, positive support from other businesses all over the country and across the political spectrum has kept him going through the criticism.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Marty Singer, attorney for the spouses at the time, dismissed the controversy.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Yesterday, Judge Aran Subramanian dismissed some portions of the suit but allowed other claims to proceed in the DOJ’s efforts to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Intriguingly, the lunar surface is littered with craters that record the chaotic early days of the solar system when planets and asteroids were smashing into one another.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Meyers is also accused of coercing the 15-year-old into recording the high school’s wrestling team, the complaint alleges.—
Brittany Kubicko,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fortunately for the Panthers, Tkachuk enters the stretch run of the NHL season relatively healthy after avoiding a significant injury in Milan.—
Chris Kudialis,
Miami Herald,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Ssense is entering its next phase.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While acids like salicylic and gluconolactone resurface and clarify skin, botanicals like mugwort and cica (and many of its compounds, such as madecassoside and asiaticoside) work to quell redness, irritation, and inflammation, leaving behind calmer-looking skin with every cleanse.—
Emily Orofino,
Vogue,
19 Feb. 2026
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The case helped fuel a revolt across Wall Street, mostly since quelled, by junior talent tired of 120-hour weeks.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Scattered across the property are midcentury-modern structures—several attributed to Lloyd Wright—designed according to the principles of organic architecture, in which buildings are meant to exist in dialogue with the landscape rather than dominate it.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
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The United States attributed that attack to Iran.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Breakfast is a busy affair, but those in signature suites can eat in the lounge (soon to be renovated but with a great view) or order room service.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
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He's traded soybeans for corn in an attempt to eat the cost.—
Adam Duxter,
CBS News,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Put-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-down. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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