1 A2 neutral
To extinguish a fire, flame, or light.
"Firefighters worked through the night to put out the blaze."
separable
put out
A2 neutral separable transitive
To extinguish a flame or light; to publish or release something; to cause someone inconvenience or annoyance; to dislocate a body part.
In plain English
To stop a fire or light from burning; to produce and release something like a book or album; to bother or annoy someone.
What does "put out" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To produce, publish, or release something such as a book, album, or official statement.
"The band put out their third album last spring."
separable
3 B1 idiomatic informal
To cause someone inconvenience or annoyance; to upset or bother someone.
"He seemed quite put out when we arrived an hour late without calling."
separable
4 B2 idiomatic informal
To dislocate or injure a joint such as a shoulder or back.
"She put her back out while lifting those boxes."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To move something outward — transparent in some senses (putting your hand out) but not in others.
Actually means
To stop a fire or light from burning; to produce and release something like a book or album; to bother or annoy someone.
Usage tip
Highly versatile with multiple distinct senses. Separable: 'put out the fire' or 'put the fire out.' In the annoyance sense, often used as an adjective: 'she looked put out.' The nautical sense (to leave port) is intransitive and inseparable.
Words that pair with "put out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
fire candle statement album hand shoulder
How to conjugate "put out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
put out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
puts out
he/she/it
Past simple
put out
yesterday
Past participle
put out
have + pp
-ing form
putting out
continuous
Hear "put out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "put out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "put out"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
annoy extinguish inconvenience issue publish release
Keep exploring
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