1 B1 idiomatic neutral
To attribute something to a particular reason or cause (always followed by 'to').
"I made so many mistakes on the exam — I put it down to nerves."
inseparable
put it down
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
To attribute something to a particular cause or reason; also used literally to place an object on a surface.
In plain English
To say that something happened because of a particular reason, like blaming a mistake on being tired.
What does "put it down" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
To place something on a surface (literal, transparent use).
"She put it down on the table and walked out of the room."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To place an object onto a lower surface — the physical meaning is transparent.
Actually means
To say that something happened because of a particular reason, like blaming a mistake on being tired.
Usage tip
The idiomatic phrase 'put it down to' means to attribute or explain something by a cause. The literal sense (physically setting something down) is transparent. The attributive sense is especially common in British English.
Words that pair with "put it down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
experience bad luck tiredness nerves coincidence stress
How to conjugate "put it down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
put it down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
puts it down
he/she/it
Past simple
put it down
yesterday
Past participle
put it down
have + pp
-ing form
putting it down
continuous
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