Verb A2 — Elementary /pʊt/

Put — Definition, Examples & Usage

To move something to a particular place or position — and the root of dozens of essential phrasal verbs.

Quick Definition — Verb

To put something means to move it to a particular place or position. It is also used figuratively to mean expressing something in words or causing someone to be in a particular state or situation.

What Does Put Mean?

Put descends from Old English putian, meaning "to push" or "to thrust", which is related to the Low German puten. The word entered the core of Middle English and has remained one of the most common verbs in the language ever since. Its root idea of physical movement broadened over the centuries to cover expression ("put it in writing"), states ("put someone at ease"), and concepts ("put an idea forward").

As a physical verb, put nearly always requires both a direct object and a location phrase: you put something somewhere. This is different from lay (which emphasises a flat, horizontal surface) or place (which is more formal and suggests careful positioning). In everyday British English, put is the default choice for most positioning actions.

Put is also notable as the base for an exceptionally large family of phrasal verbs — put off, put up with, put forward, put out, put on, and many more — each with a meaning quite distinct from the base verb. Mastering these phrasal verbs is one of the most effective steps an ESL learner can take towards sounding natural in British English.

Example Sentences

SentenceLevelUsage note
Please put your phone away during the meeting.A2put + object + location adverb
She put the shopping bags on the kitchen table and sat down to rest.B1put + object + prepositional phrase
The manager put forward several ideas for improving staff morale.B1phrasal verb: put forward = propose
It is difficult to put into words exactly how relieved we felt when the results arrived.B2figurative: express in language
The committee put considerable pressure on the government to revise its proposed legislation.C1idiomatic: put pressure on = exert pressure

Common Collocations

CollocationMeaning & example
put pressure onto stress or force — The deadline put pressure on the whole team.
put into practiceto apply in a real situation — It is time to put these ideas into practice.
put forwardto suggest or propose — She put forward a compelling argument.
put offto postpone or delay — Don't put off what you can do today.
put up withto tolerate — I can't put up with this noise any longer.
put onto wear or to add — Put on a coat before you go out.
put outto extinguish or inconvenience — Firefighters put out the blaze within an hour.
put emphasis onto stress the importance of — The course puts great emphasis on spoken fluency.
put in writingto record formally in text — Please put your complaint in writing.
put to useto use productively — How can we put these skills to use?

Usage Notes

Key Points

  • Always needs a location: When used physically, put almost always requires a location phrase. Saying "I put it" without saying where sounds unnatural; say "I put it on the shelf" or "I put it away".
  • Irregular past tense: The past simple and past participle are both put — never putted. The present participle doubles the t: putting.
  • Formal alternative: In formal or written contexts, place is often preferred over put when careful positioning is implied: She placed the document on his desk rather than She put the document on his desk.
  • Phrasal verbs are central: Many everyday British English phrases use a phrasal verb with put. Learning them as set expressions is more effective than trying to guess the meaning from the individual words.
  • Figurative uses: Put appears in many abstract collocations: put into words, put someone's mind at rest, put a stop to something. These are fixed expressions worth learning as chunks.

Common Mistakes

Watch Out For

I putted the book on the table.

I put the book on the table. (past tense of put is put, not putted)

She put the keys. (missing location phrase)

She put the keys in her bag. (put requires a location when used physically)

He put forward to finish the project early.

He put forward a proposal to finish the project early. (put forward needs a noun object)

Related Words

putting put off put forward put up with put out put on put down place set lay

Practise This Word

Flash Cards Complete the Sentence Vocabulary Quiz Hangman

Frequently Asked Questions about “put”

What does put mean?
Put means to move something to a particular place or position. It is a transitive verb, so it always needs an object: 'Put the bag on the chair.' It can also mean to express something in words ('Let me put it another way') or to cause someone to be in a state ('The news put her in a good mood').
What is the past tense of put?
Put is an irregular verb whose past tense and past participle are both put — the form does not change. For example: 'I put the keys on the table yesterday' (past simple) and 'I have put the keys on the table' (present perfect). There is no 'putted' in standard British English.
What are common phrasal verbs with put?
English has many phrasal verbs built on put. The most common include: put off (delay or postpone), put up with (tolerate), put forward (suggest or propose), put out (extinguish), put on (wear or add), put down (place on a surface, or criticise), and put away (store in the correct place). Each phrasal verb has a distinct meaning that cannot always be guessed from the individual words.
Is put regular or irregular?
Put is an irregular verb. Its base form, past simple, and past participle are all identical: put. This makes it easy to conjugate but easy to forget — learners sometimes add -ted incorrectly. The present participle follows the regular pattern: putting (note the double t before -ing).
What is the difference between put and place?
Both put and place mean to move something to a position, but place is more formal and implies greater care or precision. You would say 'She placed the vase carefully on the shelf' in a formal or literary context, but 'She put the vase on the shelf' in everyday conversation. Put is far more frequent in spoken British English.
Can put be used without a location?
When put means to move physically, it almost always needs a location phrase (put it here, put it on the table). Without a location, it sounds incomplete: 'Where should I put it?' is natural; 'I put it' alone is not. However, in figurative uses such as 'let me put it simply' or 'to put it bluntly', no location is needed.
How do you say put in British English?
In British English, put is pronounced /pʊt/ — the vowel sound is the same short 'oo' as in 'foot' and 'book', not the long 'oo' as in 'boot'. The word rhymes with 'foot', 'soot', and 'good'. American English uses the same pronunciation.
What does put forward mean?
Put forward means to suggest or propose an idea, plan, or candidate for consideration. For example: 'She put forward a new proposal at the meeting.' It is common in formal and professional contexts. You can also put someone forward for a job or award, meaning you nominate them.
What is the noun form of put?
Put is not commonly used as a noun in general English. In finance, a put (or put option) is a contract giving the right to sell an asset at a set price. In athletics, the shot put is a throwing event. For everyday contexts, the noun you need is usually placement or position rather than a noun form of put.
How can I practise using put in English?
Try LexFizz's Complete the Sentence exercise to practise put and its phrasal verbs in context, or use the Flash Cards tool to test your knowledge of put, putting, put off, put forward, and put up with. Focusing on phrasal verbs with put is one of the fastest ways to sound more natural in everyday spoken English.