verb

put

puut

verb

To move something into a particular place or position.

"Put the keys on the table when you come in."

"She put her coat on the hook by the door."

To express something in a particular way.

"Let me put it another way — this simply won't work."

To bring someone or something into a certain state or condition.

"The news put her in a good mood for the rest of the day."

To estimate or calculate roughly.

"I'd put the cost at around two hundred pounds."

noun

In finance, an option giving the holder the right to sell an asset at a set price.

"He bought a put to protect against a fall in the share price."

How to Use Put

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishOne of the most basic English verbs, meaning to place, position, or express something.

Common mistake

Not to be confused with "putt," the golf term for a gentle stroke on the green.

Easily confused with

putt →

Common pairings

put something down put it this way put someone in a mood

Word Forms

put past tense, putten past tense, put plural, puts plural, puts plural, puts singular, put singular, puttest singular, puttedst singular, putteth singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____ the keys on the table when you come in.

Etymology

From Old English roots meaning "to push" or "to thrust" — the sense of physically placing something came later.

Rhymes for put

input kaput output Rajput

See all rhymes for put →