Dictionary

put down en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative spelling of put-down.
   alt of put-down

Forms

put down en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, transitive) To insult, belittle, or demean.
   • They frequently put down their little sister for walking slowly.
   • People try to put us down / Just because we get around. 1965, The Who, My Generation:
2. (transitive) Of money as deposit, to pay.
   • We put down a $1,000 deposit.
3. To halt, eliminate, stop, or squelch, often by force.
   • The government quickly put down the insurrection.
   • 22 March 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Gameshttp://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games,71293/ For the 75 years since a district rebellion was put down, The Games have existed as an assertion of the Capital’s power, a winner-take-all contest that touts heroism and sacrifice—participants are called “tributes”— while pitting the districts against each other.
   • When the Nexus first arrived in Andromeda and an uprising arose among the desperate crew, it was William Spender who convinced clan leader Nakmor Morda to put down the mutineers. By all accounts, it did not go well. 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Nexus: William Spender Codex entry:
4. (euphemistic) To euthanize (an animal).
   • Rex was in so much pain, they had to put him down.
   • A couple walking in Kirkleatham Woods, Redcar, heard whimpering and found the terrier-type animal in a mound of earth at about midday. It was rushed to a vet but its injuries were so serious it had to be put down. 2016, Dog found buried alive in Redcar with nail in head, BBC:
5. (euphemistic) To execute (a person), especially extrajudicially.
   • The only thing left to do before putting the plan into action was checking the barracks for stragglers, and putting them down. She placed the first three bombs, then crept to the final door and opened it. 2023 October 12, HarryBlank, “Fire in the Hole”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 22 May 2024:
6. To write (something).
   • I hope you don't mind That I put down in words How wonderful life is while you're in the world 1970, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, “Your Song”, in Elton John, performed by Elton John:
   • Put down the first thing you think of on this piece of paper.
7. To terminate a call on (a telephone); to hang up.
   • Don't put the phone down. I want a quick word with him, too.
   • Ray eventually called at 7pm and took the school’s side. He sounded imperious and distant and made me even angrier. I told him he sounded just like my father, and put the phone down on him. 1992 June 24, Edwina Currie, Diary:
8. To add a name to a list.
   • I've put myself down for the new Spanish conversation course.
9. (Ireland, UK) To make prices, or taxes, lower.
   • BP are putting petrol and diesel down in what could be the start of a price war.
10. (idiomatic) To place a baby somewhere to sleep.
    • I had just put Mary down when you rang. So now she's crying again.
11. (idiomatic) To give something as a reason for something else.
    • She put her long life down to daily meditation.
12. (idiomatic) Of an aircraft, to land.
    • The pilot managed to put down in a nearby farm field.
13. (idiomatic) To drop someone off, or let them out of a vehicle.
    • The taxi put him down outside the hotel.
14. (idiomatic) To cease, temporarily or permanently, reading (a book).
    • I was unable to put down The Stand: it was that exciting.
15. (US, slang) To drink.
    • I put down two bottles of red wine.
16. (obsolete) To set type in lowercase; to switch type from capital to lowercase letters.
17. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see put, down.
    • "There he is!" cried Mrs. Flanders, coming round the rock and covering the whole space of the beach in a few seconds. "What has he got hold of? Put it down, Jacob! Drop it this moment! 1922 October 26, Virginia Woolf, chapter 1, in Jacob’s Room, Richmond, London: […] Leonard & Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, →OCLC; republished London: The Hogarth Press, 1960, →OCLC:
    • As she did so Fanny put down her book, stood up and stretched her arms, and at once Jessamy noticed a difference. 1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 105:
    • Why don't you put down your briefcase and stay awhile?

Forms

Antonyms

pick up · compliment · talk up · put up · pick up

Deriveds

put down to · unputdownable · un-put-downable · put down for · put-downable · putdownable · put down as

Relateds

put up

Synonyms

stop · touch down (land an aircraft) · down · execute · eliminate · register (add a name to a list) · end · hang up · set down (land an aircraft) · euthanize · extinguish · put to sleep · eliminate

Translations (119)

hu letol (belittle or demean) · nan-hbl 放下 (set down, stop carrying) · de abstellen (set down, stop carrying) · hu hozzáadja a nevét (add a name to a list) · id mendaftarkan (add a name to a list) · id membayar (pay a deposit) · hu felvesz (add a name to a list) · fi laskea maahan (set down, stop carrying) · es menospreciar (belittle or demean) · hu lever (halt, eliminate, often by force) · de weglegen (cease reading a document) · de unterdrücken (halt, eliminate, often by force) · hu letorkol (halt, eliminate, often by force) · es inscribir (add a name to a list) · de hinterlegen (pay a deposit) · hu elkönyvel (to give sth. as a reason for sth.) · fi tiputtaa (drop someone off) · hu kritizál (belittle or demean) · de einschläfern (administer euthanasia to an animal) · de hinlegen (to place a baby somewhere to sleep) · de zurückführen (to give sth. as a reason for sth.) · de runtermachen (belittle or demean) · ro așeza (set down, stop carrying) · hu beír (add a name to a list) · hu előleget/foglalót ad/fizet/tesz le (pay a deposit) · hu cikiz (belittle or demean) · hu lealáz (belittle or demean) · de absetzen (set down, stop carrying) · hu letesz (drop someone off) · ht depoze (set down, stop carrying) · hu lerak (set down, stop carrying) · de absetzen (drop someone off) · hu lejegyez (add a name to a list) · fi laskea käsistään (cease reading a document) · cmn 放下 (set down, stop carrying) · hu megaláz (belittle or demean) · fr poser (cease reading a document) · de ablegen (set down, stop carrying) · ru поста́вить (set down, stop carrying) · ko 안락사시키다 (administer euthanasia to an animal) · fr mater (halt, eliminate, often by force) · hu elfojt (halt, eliminate, often by force) · hu elaltat (to place a baby somewhere to sleep) · hu landol (to land an aircraft) · ru усыпля́ть (administer euthanasia to an animal) · fi maksaa takuu (pay a deposit) · hu leír (add a name to a list) · fi kukistaa (halt, eliminate, often by force) · fr reposer (terminate a telephone conversation) · de auf die Liste setzen (add a name to a list) · fr inscrire (add a name to a list) · fi vähätellä (belittle or demean) · de runtersetzen (to reduce prices or taxes) · hu éget (belittle or demean) · de runterputzen (belittle or demean) · hu lerak (to place a baby somewhere to sleep) · hu kitesz (drop someone off) · hu letesz (i a telefont) (terminate a telephone conversation) · it abbattere (administer euthanasia to an animal) · hu elhallgattat (halt, eliminate, often by force) · de herabsetzen (to reduce prices or taxes) · hu tulajdonít (to give sth. as a reason for sth.) · hu leszáll (to land an aircraft) · hu lehord (belittle or demean) · fr poser (set down, stop carrying) · yue 放低 (set down, stop carrying) · hu bejegyez (add a name to a list) · ru усыпи́ть (administer euthanasia to an animal) · hu rácsapja a telefont (terminate a telephone conversation) · es pagar un depósito (pay a deposit) · fi lopettaa (administer euthanasia to an animal) · hu elaltat (administer euthanasia to an animal) · fr déposer (pay a deposit) · hu felír (add a name to a list) · ja 殺処分 (administer euthanasia to an animal) · de eintragen (add a name to a list) · hu elnyom (halt, eliminate, often by force) · grc κατατίθημι (set down, stop carrying) · de niederschlagen (halt, eliminate, often by force) · id menurunkan (drop someone off) · fi laskea (set down, stop carrying) · fr endormir (administer euthanasia to an animal) · fi lisätä (add a name to a list) · hu letesz (pay a deposit) · fr déposer (set down, stop carrying) · id berhenti membaca (cease reading a document) · gu મૂકી દેવું (terminate a telephone conversation) · hu leteszi a gépet (to land an aircraft) · hu letesz (to place a baby somewhere to sleep) · hu kifizet (pay a deposit) · de aufsetzen (to land an aircraft) · hu betud (to give sth. as a reason for sth.) · ms meletakkan (set down, stop carrying) · yue 擺低 /摆低 (set down, stop carrying) · bth pasan (set down, stop carrying) · fi halventaa (belittle or demean) · hu csökkent (to reduce prices or taxes) · id meletakkan (set down, stop carrying) · fi varata (pay a deposit) · hak 放下 (set down, stop carrying) · fi laskea (terminate a telephone conversation) · ba кәмһетеү (belittle or demean) · fi rekisteröidä (add a name to a list) · hu lefektet (to place a baby somewhere to sleep) · fr déposer (drop someone off) · hu letesz (set down, stop carrying) · mi whakatakē (belittle or demean) · hu ágyba dug (to place a baby somewhere to sleep) · de niederlegen (to place a baby somewhere to sleep) · ko 내려놓다 (set down, stop carrying) · kok फोन दवरचे (terminate a telephone conversation) · fi kirjata (add a name to a list) · ru ста́вить (set down, stop carrying) · hu letesz (cease reading a document) · fr médire (belittle or demean) · nn setja ned (set down, stop carrying) · hu leszól (belittle or demean) · de auflegen (terminate a telephone conversation) · mi whakatīkai (belittle or demean)