1 A2 neutral
To place something on a surface or in a lower position.
"She put down her coffee and turned to face him."
separable
put down
B1 neutral separable transitive
To place something on a surface; to criticise or humiliate someone; to end an animal's life humanely; or to suppress a rebellion.
In plain English
To lay something down, to say mean things to make someone feel bad, or to end a sick animal's suffering.
What does "put down" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
To criticise someone harshly or to make them feel stupid or worthless.
"He has a habit of putting his colleagues down in meetings, which makes everyone uncomfortable."
separable
3 B1 idiomatic neutral
To end a sick or injured animal's life humanely.
"The vet said the dog was suffering too much and that the kindest thing was to put him down."
separable
4 B2 idiomatic neutral
To use force to stop a rebellion, protest, or uprising.
"Government troops put down the revolt within three days."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To place something in a lower position, on a surface.
Actually means
To lay something down, to say mean things to make someone feel bad, or to end a sick animal's suffering.
Usage tip
One of the most versatile phrasal verbs in English with many distinct senses. The 'criticise/humiliate' sense is very common in everyday speech. 'Put down' as a noun means a hurtful remark. The euthanasia sense is a well-known euphemism.
Words that pair with "put down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
phone gun roots deposit rebellion animal name
How to conjugate "put down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
put down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
puts down
he/she/it
Past simple
put down
yesterday
Past participle
put down
have + pp
-ing form
putting down
continuous
Hear "put down" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "put down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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