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put oneself about

C1 informal inseparable intransitive

To make oneself known in social or professional circles; or to be sexually promiscuous.

In plain English

To go out a lot and meet many people; or to have sex with many different people.

What does "put oneself about" mean?

2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.

1 C1 idiomatic informal

To be socially active and work hard to become known in a community or field.

"If you want clients, you need to put yourself about — attend events, join groups, be visible."

inseparable
2 C1 idiomatic slang

To have sexual relations with many different people.

"He had quite a reputation for putting himself about in his younger years."

inseparable
Usage tip

Primarily British English. In the social networking sense, it means to actively make yourself visible and known. The sexual sense is mildly vulgar. Register varies depending on sense.

Words that pair with "put oneself about"

Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.

socially professionally town network party scene

How to conjugate "put oneself about"

The five tense forms you'll use most often.

Base
put oneself about
I/you/we/they
3rd person
puts oneself about
he/she/it
Past simple
put oneself about
yesterday
Past participle
put oneself about
have + pp
-ing form
putting oneself about
continuous

Hear "put oneself about" in the wild

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Other ways to say "put oneself about"

Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.

be promiscuous circulate get around network socialize

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