1 B1 neutral
To save money regularly for future use.
"She puts aside a little money every month for her children's education."
separable
put aside
B1 neutral separable transitive
To save money or time for a specific purpose, or to temporarily stop thinking about or dealing with a problem or feeling.
In plain English
To save something for later, or to stop worrying about a problem for now.
What does "put aside" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic neutral
To temporarily stop thinking about or dealing with a feeling, problem, or disagreement.
"The two rivals had to put aside their differences and work together to win the contract."
separable
3 B1 neutral
To reserve or keep something for a particular person or purpose.
"The librarian put aside the new arrival for her favourite regular customer."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To place something to one side, out of the way.
Actually means
To save something for later, or to stop worrying about a problem for now.
Usage tip
Two very distinct uses: financial (saving money) and emotional/cognitive (ignoring a feeling or problem temporarily). Both are very common. The emotional sense often appears in phrases like 'put aside their differences.'
Words that pair with "put aside"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
money differences feelings time work disagreements
How to conjugate "put aside"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
put aside
I/you/we/they
3rd person
puts aside
he/she/it
Past simple
put aside
yesterday
Past participle
put aside
have + pp
-ing form
putting aside
continuous
Hear "put aside" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "put aside" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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