{v. phr.} 1. To save; put something aside for a special
purpose. •/Peter puts $100 aside every week./ 2. To let go of; put away.
•/The teacher to the students, "Put your books aside and start writing your
tests!"/
[put away]
{v.} 1. To put in the right place or out of sight. •/She
put away the towels./ 2. To lay aside; stop thinking about. •/He put his
worries away for the weekend./ 3. {informal} To eat or drink. •/He put
away a big supper and three cups of coffee./ Compare: STOW AWAY. 4.
{informal} To put in a mental hospital. •/He had to put his wife away
when she became mentally ill./ 5. To put to death for a reason; kill. •/He
had his dog put away when it became too old and unhappy./
[put back the clock]
or [turn back the clock]{v. phr.} To go back
in time; relive the past. •/If I could put back the clock I’d give more
thought to preparing for a career./ •/Richard wishes that he had lived in
frontier days, but he can’t turn back the clock./
[put by]
{v.} To save for the future; lay aside. •/He had put by a
good sum during a working lifetime./
[putdown]
{n.} An insult, •/It was a nasty putdown when John called
his sister a fat cow./
[put down]
{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./
[put forth]
{v. phr.} To produce; issue; send out. •/In the spring
the apple trees put forth beautiful white blossoms./ •/The chairman of the
board put forth an innovative proposal that was circulated by mail./
[put ideas into one’s head]
{v. phr.} To persuade someone to do
something negative; put one up to something. •/Billy would never have poured
glue into his father’s shoes if the neighbor’s son hadn’t been putting ideas
into his head./
[put in]
{v.} 1. To add to what has been said; say (something) in
addition to what others say. •/While the boys were discussing the car
accident, Ben put in that the road was icy./ •/My father put in a word for
me and I got the job./ 2. To buy and keep in a store to sell. •/He put in a
full stock of drugs./ 3. To spend (time). •/He put in many years as a
printer./ •/He put in an hour a day reading./ 4. To plant. •/He put in
a row of radishes./ 5. To stop at a port on a journey by water. •/After the
fire, the ship put in for repairs./ 6. To apply; ask. — Used with "for".
•/When a better job was open, he put in for it./ •/The sailor put in for
time to visit his family before the ship went to sea./