put down meaning

  "put down" in a sentence
1. put down sthput sth down to stop holding, carrying, or using something and put it somewhere:
Stanley put down his newspaper and glared at her.
He puts the axe down and wipes his hands on his trousers, eyeing me as he does so.
What are you doing with that knife? Put it down!
OPPOSITE: pick up
2. put down the phone/put the phone down BrE to put the receiver back onto the telephone after you have finished your conversation. The receiver is the part of the telephone that you pick up and speak into.:
"I can't talk now," she said and put the phone down.
As Prinz was putting the phone down, he wondered what had brought Herrmann to Cologne.
When he heard my voice he put down the phone immediately.
put the phone down on sb (=put the phone down and stop talking to someone because you feel very angry)
I'm sorry I lied! Don't put the phone down on me!
SIMILAR TO: hang up
3. put sb down to criticize someone in an unkind way that makes them seem stupid or unimportant, when other people are present:
Her ex-husband was always putting her down in front of her friends.
I'm fed up with being put down and made to feel stupid by him.
SIMILAR TO: belittle formal
putdown n C something unkind that someone says to another person, which makes that person seem stupid or unimportant:
The remark was clearly intended as a putdown, and she felt like punching him in the face.
4. put yourself down especially spoken to tell other people that you are not very successful, do not have good qualities etc, when in fact this is not true - use this about someone who lacks confidence in their own abilities:
Of course you're a good teacher. You shouldn't put yourself down all the time.
SIMILAR TO: be so hard on yourself
5. I couldn't put it down/it's impossible to put down etc especially spoken used to say that a book is so exciting or interesting that you do not want to stop reading it:
It's one of the best novels I've ever read. I just couldn't put it down.
It's more than just a cookbook. You'll find that once you pick it up, it's very hard to put down.
6. put down a rebellion/coup/revolt/riot etc to use force to stop a violent attempt to change the government a violent protest by a large group of people etc:
Panama's military government has succeeded in putting down a coup led by some of the country's most senior officers.
In 1745 the Prince led his army across the border into England, but the rebellion was soon put down.
SIMILAR TO: suppress
7. put sth downput down sth to kill an animal without causing it any pain, because it is old or ill:
Our cat got cancer, and we had to have him put down.
The horse had to be put down after breaking a leg at Kelso yesterday.
SIMILAR TO: put sth to sleep
8. put sth downput down sth to write something on paper instead of just thinking about it, for example your ideas about something, or something that you have to do:
"Have you got the phone fixed yet?" " No. I'll put it down on my list of things to do."
put sth down on paper
It often helps to put your thoughts down on paper.
SIMILAR TO: write down, jot down
9. put sb downput down sb to write someone's name on a list so that they can take part in an activity, join a school or other organization etc:
I'm organizing a trip to the lakes. Shall I put you down?
+ to do sth BrE
So far only 12 students have put their names down to do the course.
put yourself down to do sth BrE
I've put myself down to run in the charity race next Saturday.
+ for
His parents put him down for the best school in the area.
SIMILAR TO: sign up
10. put down sthput sth down to pay part of the total cost or value of something when you arrange to buy it or rent it
put down a deposit (=a deposit is the part of the total cost or value of something that you put down)
They put down a $10,000 deposit on the house when they bought it.
11. put down sthput sth down BrE to officially ask for something to be discussed or voted on by the other people in a meeting or in parliament:
Yesterday Japanese MPs put down a motion calling for him to resign.
Republicans have put down so many amendments that it is unlikely that the bill will be passed in this session of Congress.
SIMILAR TO: table formal
12. put down sthput sth down to put a carpet or other covering onto the floor or the ground:
They're having a wooden floor put down in the bedroom.
We chose the carpet at the weekend, and the man's coming to put it down later this week.
SIMILAR TO: lay
13. put downput sth down BrE if a plane puts down somewhere, or the pilot puts it down, it lands there, especially when this was not planned:
One of the engines caught fire and he had to put down in the desert.
SIMILAR TO: land ► compare come down
14. put sb downput down sb BrE if a driver puts someone down somewhere, he or she stops the car, bus, etc and lets them get out there:
They asked the driver to put them down at the station.
SIMILAR TO: set down
15. put sb down if you put a baby down to sleep, you put it in a bed so that it can sleep:
Harry seems a lot quieter now. I think I'll put him down for a nap.

[American idiom]
to belittle or degrade someone or something. (Slang.)
It's an old car, but that's no reason to put it down.
Please stop putting me down all the time. It hurts my feelings.
You put down everything you don't understand!

[American slang]
v. phr. 1. To stop by force, crush. In 24 hours the general had entirely put down the rebellion. 2. To put a stop to; check. She had patiently put down unkind talk by living a good life. 3. To write a record of; write down. He put down the story while it was fresh in his mind. 4. To write a name in a list as agreeing to do something. The banker put himself down for $1000. Sheila put Barbara down for the decorations. 5. To decide the kind or class of; characterize. He put the man down as a bum. He put it down as a piece of bad luck. 6. To name as a cause; attribute. He put the odd weather down to nuclear explosions. 7. To dig; drill; sink. He put down a new well.

Examples

More:   Next
  1. the crate is marked " put down crefully ".
  2. troops put down a rising in the capital.
  3. put down that knife before you hurt somebody!
  4. he stops his work and puts down his hammer.
  5. he put down a newspaper he had been glancing at.

Related Words

Browse

  1. put bond meaning
  2. put by meaning
  3. put case meaning
  4. put dibs on something meaning
  5. put differently meaning
  6. put down as meaning
  7. put down for meaning
  8. put down roots meaning
  9. put down to meaning
  10. put for meaning
PC Version