1 B2 idiomatic neutral
To believe that something is caused by a particular factor.
"She put her success down to years of hard work and a little bit of luck."
inseparable
put down to
B2 neutral inseparable transitive
To say that something is caused by or is the result of a particular thing.
In plain English
To say that something happened because of something else.
What does "put down to" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
To explain something negative or unexpected by pointing to a particular cause.
"Doctors put his fatigue down to a poor diet and lack of sleep."
inseparable
Usage tip
Very common in spoken and written English to express causation. More conversational than 'attribute to.' The cause can be a positive or negative factor. Structure: 'put X down to Y.'
Words that pair with "put down to"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
experience luck stress coincidence hard work circumstance
How to conjugate "put down to"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
put down to
I/you/we/they
3rd person
puts down to
he/she/it
Past simple
put down to
yesterday
Past participle
put down to
have + pp
-ing form
putting down to
continuous
Hear "put down to" in the wild
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