What does "putt" mean?
The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green.
Putt
/pʌt/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green.
- Grammar: putt is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: golf stroke, nudge, putting, putting stroke.
- Useful contrasts: chip, drive.
- Usage evidence: There were the golfers. Was it possible that they were going on with their game? Yes, there was a fellow driving off from a tee, and that other group upon the green were surely putting for the hole.
How to use "putt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "putt" 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 "putt" 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 "putt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "putt" 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 "putt" is acting as noun, verb, slang 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 "golf stroke" 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 "putt", 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 The act of tapping a golf ball lightly on a putting green.
- 2 A regular sound characterized by the sound of "putt putt putt putt...", such as made by some slowly stroking internal combustion engines. onomatopoeic
- 3 Small cart.
- 4 hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter wordnet
- 5 A motorcycle. British, slang
Verb
- 1 To lightly strike a golf ball with a putter.
"There were the golfers. Was it possible that they were going on with their game? Yes, there was a fellow driving off from a tee, and that other group upon the green were surely putting for the hole."
- 2 To make a putting sound.
- 3 Obsolete form of put. alt-of, obsolete
"We have a custome, that when one sneezes, every one els putts off his hatt, and bowes, and cries God bless ye Sir."
- 4 strike (a golf ball) lightly, with a putter wordnet
- 5 To ride one's motorcycle, to go for a motorcycle ride. slang
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 hit a putt wordnet
- 7 To move along slowly.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"There were the golfers. Was it possible that they were going on with their game? Yes, there was a fellow driving off from a tee, and that other group upon the green were surely putting for the hole."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "putt"?
Common synonyms include: golf stroke, nudge, putting, putting stroke, short stroke, stroke.
How do you use "putt" in a sentence?
There were the golfers. Was it possible that they were going on with their game? Yes, there was a fellow driving off from a tee, and that other group upon the green were surely putting for the hole.
How do you pronounce "putt"?
Pronounced /pʌt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Scots putt (“to put”). Compare Middle Dutch putten (“to dig a pit”). The Old English putian (“to push; thrust; put; place”) derivation is commonly assumed, although no longer valid. In Dutch, the word is instanced in a description of golf in an early seventeenth-century edition of Pieter van Afferden's Tyrocinium linguae latinae. All derive from Proto-Germanic *putōną.
Etymology 2
Onomatopoeic, from putt-putt.
Etymology 3
Probable variant of pot (“vessel”) or butt (“cask”).