put-down

1 of 2

noun

ˈpu̇t-ˌdau̇n 

: an act or instance of putting down

especially : a humiliating remark

put down

2 of 2

verb

put down; putting down; puts down

transitive verb

1

: to bring to an end : stop

put down a riot

2

a

: depose, degrade

b

: disparage, belittle

mentioned his poetry only to put it down

c

: disapprove, criticize

was put down for the way she dressed

d

: humiliate, squelch

put him down with a sharp retort

3

: to make ineffective : check

put down the gossip

4

: to do away with (an injured, sick, or aged animal) : destroy

5

a

: to put in writing

b

: to enter in a list

6

a

: to place in a category

I put him down as a hypochondriac

—O. S. J. Gogarty

b

: attribute

put it down to inexperience

7

: to pack or preserve for future use

8

: consume

putting down helping after helping

—Carson McCullers

Phrases

put down roots

: to establish a permanent residence

Synonyms

Noun

• affront
• barb
• brickbat
• cut
• dart
• dig
• dis [slang]
• diss
• epithet
• gird
• indignity
• insult
• name
• offense
• offence
• outrage
• personality
• poke
• sarcasm
• slap
• slight
• slur

Verb

• bad-mouth
• belittle
• cry down
• decry
• denigrate
• deprecate
• depreciate
• derogate
• diminish
• dis [slang]
• diss
• discount
• dismiss
• disparage
• kiss off
• minimize
• play down
• poor-mouth
• run down
• talk down
• trash
• trash-talk
• vilipend
• write off

Examples of put-down in a Sentence

Noun

new hires always have to deal with put-downs and practical jokes from the older employees

your never-ending put-down of my musical talents is really starting to annoy me

Verb

he has the annoying habit of putting down others under the guise of offering constructive criticism

we had the whole agreement put down on paper

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Jerry Seinfeld is working through his range of heckler put-downs after he was interrupted once more during his stand-up show in Australia on Saturday evening. —Caroline Frost, Deadline, 23 June 2024

Who knows how her shtick will go down the second season, but one thing is certain: Her quips and put-downs against the rest of the cast will surely be entertaining. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2024

Verb

The analysis, looking at major metropolitan areas, found homebuyers earning the median income need to put down 35.4%, which equates to almost $127,750, to comfortably afford payments on the typical home in America. —Byalena Botros, Fortune, 21 June 2024

The Fullerton Police Department said the cop car’s lights were flashing and several flares had been put down on the road when the blue Tesla plowed into the vehicle. —David Matthews, New York Daily News, 13 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1932, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

put down

verb

1

: to bring to an end by force

put down a riot

2

: to write down (as in a list)

3

: belittle, criticize

put-down

ˈpu̇t-ˌdau̇n

noun