put-down

Or put·down

[poot-doun]

noun

1. a landing of an aircraft.

2. Informal.

   1. a disparaging, belittling, or snubbing remark.

   2. a remark or act intended to humiliate or embarrass someone.

put down

verb

1. to make a written record of

2. to repress

   to put down a rebellion

3. to consider; account

   they put him down for an ignoramus

4. to attribute

   I put the mistake down to his inexperience

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

   the vet put the cat down

6. to table on the agenda

   the MPs put down a motion on the increase in crime

7. to put (a baby) to bed

8. to dismiss, reject, or humiliate

noun

1. a cruelly crushing remark

Word History and Origins

Origin of put down¹

First recorded in 1960–65; noun use of verb phrase put down

Idioms and Phrases

Write down; also, enter in a list. For example, Please put down my name for a free ticket , or Put me down as a subscriber . [Second half of 1500s]

Bring to an end, repress, as in They managed to put down the rebellion in a single day , or We've got to put down these rumors about a takeover . [c. 1300]

Kill a sick animal, as in The vet said the dog must be put down . [Mid-1500s] Also see put away , def. 5.

Belittle, disparage, criticize, as in Her husband was always putting her down . [c. 1400] Also see run down , def. 6.

Ascribe, attribute, as in We put her poor performance down to stage fright . [Late 1700s]

Regard, classify, as in We put her down as a hypochondriac . [Mid-1800s]

Pay a deposit, as in We put down $2,000 for the car .

Store for future use, as in David put down ten cases of this year's Chablis . [Mid-1800s]

Land in an aircraft; also, land an aircraft, as in What time will we put down at Heathrow ? or She put the plane down exactly on the runway . [c. 1930]

Put a child to bed, as in The sitter said she'd put Brian down at 8:30 . [Second half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

So far so good for Metal Gear Solid without Hideo Kojima - which Ras put down to the game being true to the original.

From BBC

In a statement from the BBC on Thursday, his withdrawal was put down to "unexpected medical reasons".

From BBC

As the series wore on, her pain, if not its actual source, became more and more evident and my private commentary solidified into: “For the love of God, put down your phone.”

From Los Angeles Times

He told the BBC he was struck by the men's differing attitudes to detail, which he put down to Putin's training in the Soviet intelligence service.

From BBC

Single mum Roxanne Freeman says she lived beyond her means and used her credit cards to support her family, even using one to put down a deposit on a caravan.

From BBC

Related Words

• jibe