putter

1 of 3

noun (1)

put·​ter ˈpu̇-tər 

: one that puts

a putter of questions

putter

2 of 3

noun (2)

putt·​er ˈpə-tər 

1

: a golf club used in putting

2

: one who putts

putter

3 of 3

verb

put·​ter ˈpə-tər 

puttered; puttering; putters

intransitive verb

1

: to move or act aimlessly or idly

2

: to work at random : tinker

putterer

ˈpə-tər-ər 

noun

Synonyms

Verb

• doodle
• fiddle (around)
• fool around
• fribble
• goof (around)
• hang about [British]
• kick around
• mess around
• monkey (around)
• play
• potter (around)
• trifle

Examples of putter in a Sentence

Verb

the motorboat puttered across the lake

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Ko was the Olympic favorite but struggled with her putter all week. —Brendan Quinn, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024

Justin Leonard had a two-shot lead with five holes to play until his putter went cold. —Doug Ferguson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2024

Verb

Surely, every aggravated Cleveland fan cursing at their TV every time a top half of the inning ended with two or three base runners puttering back to the dugout also declared Thomas would snap out of his funk and fuel the Guardians to victory. —Zack Meisel, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024

This is the second in an eight-part series exploring the 1989 murder of Kevin Hughes, a country music chart director who knew too much. NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The little red Volkswagen puttered northbound along 16th Avenue South. —Keith Sharon, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

alteration of potter

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing putter

• putter around

Kids Definition

putter

1 of 3 noun

put·​ter ˈpu̇t-ər 

: one that puts

putter

2 of 3 noun

putt·​er ˈpət-ər 

1

: a golf club used in putting

2

: a person who putts

putter

3 of 3 verb

put·​ter ˈpət-ər 

1

: to move or act without obvious purpose

2

: to work by chance or without skill

putterer

-ər-ər 

noun

Etymology

Noun

from put and -er (noun suffix)

Noun

from putt and -er (noun suffix)

Verb

an altered form of earlier potter "to move about idly without aim or purpose"