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• put-down
  put-down

  noun

  a landing of an aircraft.
• put down
  put down

  verb

  to make a written record of

put-down

American  

[poot-doun] / ˈpʊtˌdaʊn /

Or putdown

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.

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put down British  

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

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noun

1. a cruelly crushing remark

put down Idioms  

1. 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]

2. 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]

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. 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]

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

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Etymology

Origin of put-down

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

Example Sentences

Put down the pizza and get ready for a slew of health-focused ads in this year’s Super Bowl.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

Put down the book, pick up the phone.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025

Put down some of each on paper and spitball some numbers so you know what you’re working toward.

From Slate • May 6, 2024

Put down the judgment and the need to see eye-to-eye.

From Washington Post • Feb. 8, 2023

“Don't fight, Cydops brother. Put down the—” Polyphemus spun toward his voice.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• crush
• quash
• quell
• repress
• stamp out
• suppress