What does "putter" mean?
One who puts or places.
Putter
/ˈpʌtə(ɹ)/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who puts or places.
- Grammar: putter is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: beguile the time, burn daylight, club, consume time.
- Useful contrasts: accelerate, chippers, complete.
- Usage evidence: Sergio Garcia, a Spanish golfer, broke his putter over his knee on Friday after taking 32 putts in the second round of the Players' Championship.
How to use "putter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "putter" 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 "putter" 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 "putter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "putter" 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 "putter" 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 "beguile the time" 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 "putter", 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 One who puts or places.
"He was a model of anal defensiveness: fastidious in his dress and appearance, a collector and putter of things in order, a classifier and labeler."
- 2 A golf club specifically intended for a putt.
- 3 the iron normally used on the putting green wordnet
- 4 A shot-putter.
- 5 A person who is taking a putt or putting.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a golfer who is putting wordnet
- 7 One who pushes the small wagons in a coal mine, to transport the coal mined by the getter.
Verb
- 1 To be active, but not excessively busy, at a task or a series of tasks. intransitive
"We tiptoed into the house, up the stairs and along the hall into the room where the Professor had been spending so much of his time. 'Twas locked, of course, but the Deacon man got a big bunch of keys out of his pocket and commenced to putter with the lock."
- 2 To produce intermittent bursts of sound in the course of operating. intransitive
"By the time the engine had puttered and died Atkins and some of the others were out of the trenches and walking towards this new wonder machine."
- 3 move around aimlessly wordnet
- 4 do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly wordnet
- 5 work lightly wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Sergio Garcia, a Spanish golfer, broke his putter over his knee on Friday after taking 32 putts in the second round of the Players' Championship."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "putter"?
Common synonyms include: beguile the time, burn daylight, club, consume time, coquet, dabble.
How do you use "putter" in a sentence?
Sergio Garcia, a Spanish golfer, broke his putter over his knee on Friday after taking 32 putts in the second round of the Players' Championship.
How do you pronounce "putter"?
Pronounced /ˈpʌtə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Alteration of potter.
Etymology 2
From put + -er.
Etymology 3
From putt + -er.
Etymology 4
Onomatopoeic.