What does "put" mean?
Ellipsis of put option (“right to sell something at a predetermined price”)
Put
/pʊt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Ellipsis of put option (“right to sell something at a predetermined price”)
- Grammar: put is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: assign, invest, lay, place.
- Useful contrasts: dismiss, remove, save.
- Usage evidence: If you don't want to put on sunscreen, that's your problem. Just don't come complaining to me when you get a sunburn.
How to use "put"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "put" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "put" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "put" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "put" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "put" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "assign" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "put", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Ellipsis of put option (“right to sell something at a predetermined price”) abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
"He bought a January '08 put for Procter and Gamble at 80 to hedge his bet."
- 2 A fellow, especially an eccentric or elderly one; a duffer. obsolete
"Queer Country-puts extol Queen Bess's reign, And of lost hospitality complain."
- 3 A prostitute. obsolete
"And Mrs. Penny-a-hoist Pim, said Mr. Gorman. That old put, said Mr. Nolan."
- 4 Acronym of parameterized unit test. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, countable, uncountable
- 5 the option to sell a given stock (or stock index or commodity future) at a given price before a given date wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 The act of putting; an action; a movement; a thrust; a push. countable, uncountable
"the put of a ball"
- 7 Acronym of parameterized unit testing. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, countable, uncountable
- 8 An old card game. uncountable
"Among the in-door amusements of the costermonger is card-playing, at which many of them are adepts. The usual games are all-fours, all-fives, cribbage, and put."
- 9 Initialism of programmable unijunction transistor. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 10 Initialism of person using television. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To physically place (something or someone somewhere).
"She put her books on the table."
- 2 estimate wordnet
- 3 To place in abstract; to attach or attribute; to assign.
"The government put restrictions on vehicle imports."
- 4 arrange thoughts, ideas, temporal events wordnet
- 5 To bring or set (into a certain relation, state or condition).
"Theſe Verſes Originally Greek, were put in Latin,"
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 formulate in a particular style or language wordnet
- 7 To express (something in a certain manner).
"When you put it that way, I guess I can see your point."
- 8 attribute or give wordnet
- 9 To set before one for judgment, acceptance, or rejection; to bring to the attention.
"I put it to you, Sir, that you are a thief and a liar."
- 10 cause to be in a certain state; cause to be in a certain relation wordnet
- 11 To set as a calculation or estimate.
"They have put the cost of repairs at around £10 million."
- 12 put into a certain place or abstract location wordnet
- 13 To steer; to direct one's course; to go.
"to put to sea"
- 14 adapt wordnet
- 15 To sell (assets) under the terms of a put option.
"He got out of his Procter and Gamble bet by putting his shares at 80."
- 16 cause (someone) to undergo something wordnet
- 17 To throw with a pushing motion, especially in reference to the sport of shot put. (Do not confuse with putt.) especially
"He put the shot out beyond the 20-metre mark."
- 18 make an investment wordnet
- 19 To play a card or a hand in the game called "put".
- 20 To lay down; to give up; to surrender. obsolete
"No man hath more love than this, that a man put his life for his friends."
- 21 To incite; to entice; to urge; to constrain; to oblige. obsolete
"These wretches put us upon all mischief."
- 22 To convey coal in the mine, as for example from the working to the tramway.
Example
"If you don't want to put on sunscreen, that's your problem. Just don't come complaining to me when you get a sunburn."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "put"?
Common synonyms include: assign, invest, lay, place, position, set.
How do you use "put" in a sentence?
If you don't want to put on sunscreen, that's your problem. Just don't come complaining to me when you get a sunburn.
How do you pronounce "put"?
Pronounced /pʊt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English putten, puten, poten, from Old English putian, *pūtian ("to push, put out"; attested by derivative putung (“pushing, impulse, instigation, urging”)) and potian (“to push, thrust, strike, butt, goad”), both from Proto-West Germanic *putōn, from Proto-Germanic *putōną (“to stick, stab”), which is of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bud- (“to shoot, sprout”), which would make it cognate with Sanskrit बुन्द (bundá, “arrow”), Lithuanian budė, and budis (“mushroom, fungus”). Compare also related Old English pȳtan (“to push, poke, thrust, put out (the eyes)”). Cognate with Dutch poten (“to set, plant”), Danish putte (“to put”), Swedish putta, pötta, potta (“to strike, knock, push gently, shove, put away”), Norwegian putte (“to set, put”), Norwegian pota (“to poke”), Icelandic pota (“to poke”), Dutch peuteren (“to pick, poke around, dig, fiddle with”).
Etymology 2
Unknown. Perhaps related to Welsh pwt, itself possibly borrowed from English butt (“stub, thicker end”).
Etymology 3
From Old French pute.