put away

verb

1. to return (something) to the correct or proper place

   he put away his books

2. to save

   to put away money for the future

3. to lock up in a prison, mental institution, etc

   they put him away for twenty years

4. to eat or drink, esp in large amounts

5. to put to death, because of old age or illness

   the dog had to be put away

Idioms and Phrases

Place in a designated spot for storage; also, place out of reach. For example, Please put away your clothes , or This young tennis player can really put away the ball . Also see set aside , def. 1.

Renounce, discard, as in Put away all those negative thoughts . [Late 1300s]

Consume quickly, ingest readily, as in He put away his dinner in just a few minutes . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]

Confine to a mental health facility, as in The doctor said we had to put her away . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]

Kill, as in The vet put our old cat away . [ Colloquial ; late 1500s]

Example Sentences

The expectation is that the dancing shoes will soon be put away, as these hot-and-free young women prepare to fulfill their God-given destiny as trapped helpmeets to the men they are expected to quickly marry.

From Salon

In the clips shared with TMZ, the “Call Me By Your Name” artist speaks to a driver behind the camera about a party and repeatedly tells him to put away his phone.

From Los Angeles Times

Her books have been put away for the summer, but Mahnoor is now looking forward to going to university.

From BBC

"It's the lightest we've been in key areas of the pitch," he remarked about their preparation for a tie of such magnitude, a £40m head-to-head with a team they were hot favourites to put away.

From BBC

Then again, the tourists won the two Tests Bumrah did not play and comfortably put away England 4-1 last year without Pant in the team.

From BBC

Related Words

• polish off 
• put down