place

[ pleys ]

See synonyms for: place placed places placing on Thesaurus.com

noun

a particular portion of space, whether of definite or indefinite extent.
space in general: time and place.

the specific portion of space normally occupied by anything: Every item on the shelf had its place.
any part or spot in a body or surface: a decayed place in a tree.
a particular passage in a book or writing: to find the place where one left off reading.
a space or seat for a person, as in a theater, train, etc.: Please save a place for me.
position, situation, or circumstances: I would complain if I were in your place.
a proper or appropriate location or position: A restaurant is not the place for an argument.
a job, post, or office: persons in high places.
a function or duty: It is not your place to offer criticism.
proper sequence or relationship, as of ideas, details, etc.: My thoughts began to fall into place.
high position or rank: aristocrats of power and place.
a region or area: to travel to distant places.
an open space, or square, as in a city or town.
a short street, a court, etc.
a portion of space used for habitation, as a city, town, or village: After decades of neglect and decay, those places are making a comeback thanks to urban renewal.
a building, space, location, etc., set apart or used for a specific purpose: A nightclub is a place of entertainment.You are encouraged to dress modestly in places of worship.
a part of a building: The kitchen is the sunniest place in the house.
a residence, dwelling, or house: Please come and have dinner at my place.
lieu; substitution (usually followed by of): Use yogurt in place of sour cream.
a step or point in order of proceeding: in the first place.
a fitting or promising opportunity: There's a place in this town for a man of his talents.
a reasonable ground or occasion: This is no place for such an outburst.
a mental or emotional state: I’m not in a good place right now.
Arithmetic.
- the position of a figure in a series, as in decimal notation.
- Usually places. the figures of the series.
Drama. one of the three unities.: Compare unity (def. 8).
Sports.
- a position among the leading competitors, usually the first, second, or third at the finish line.
- the position of the competitor who comes in second in a horse race, harness race, etc.: Compare show (def. 27), win¹ (def. 16).
places, Theater. a call summoning performers for the beginning of a performance or an act.
room or space for entry or passage: to make place for the crowds.

verb (used with object),placed, plac·ing.

to put in the proper position or order; arrange; dispose: Place the silverware on the table for dinner.
to put or set in a particular place, position, situation, or relation.

to put in a suitable place for some purpose: to place an advertisement in the newspaper.
to put into particular or proper hands: to place some incriminating evidence with the district attorney.
to give (an order or the like) to a supplier: She placed the order for the pizza an hour ago.
to appoint (a person) to a post or office: The president placed him in the Department of Agriculture.
to find a place, situation, etc., for (a person): The agency had no trouble placing him with a good firm.
to determine or indicate the place or value of: to place health among the greatest gifts in life.
to assign a certain position or rank to: The army placed him in the infantry.
to succeed in attaining a position for in an athletic or other contest: to place players on the all-American team; to place students in the finals of the interscholastic chess tournament.
to identify by connecting with the proper place, circumstances, etc.: to be unable to place a person; to place a face; to place an accent.
to employ (the voice) for singing or speaking with consciousness of the bodily point of emphasis of resonance of each tone or register.

verb (used without object),placed, plac·ing.

Sports.
- to finish among the first three competitors in a race.
- to finish second in a horse race, harness race, etc.
to earn a specified standing with relation to others, as in an examination, competition, etc.: He placed fifth in a graduation class of 90.

Idioms about place

give place to,
- to give precedence or priority to: Any local ordinance must give place to federal law.
- to be succeeded or replaced by: Travel by trains has given place to travel by airplanes.
go places, Informal. to succeed or advance in one's career: He'll never go places if he stays in his hometown.

in place,
- in the correct or usual position or order: Dinner is ready and everything is in place.
- in the same spot, without advancing or retreating: Stand by your desk and jog in place for a few minutes of exercise.
- in the place or building that one already occupies: Residents were asked to shelter in place during the storm—evacuation was deemed too risky.Ninety percent of older adults would prefer to age in place, in their own homes and communities.
know / keep one's place, to recognize one's position or rank, especially if inferior, and behave or act accordingly: They treated their servants well but expected them always to know their place.
out of place,
- not in the correct or usual position or order: The library books are all out of place.
- unsuitable to the circumstances or surroundings; inappropriate: He had always felt out of place in an academic environment. A green suit was out of place at the funeral.
put someone in his / her place, to lower someone's self-esteem; humble, especially an arrogant person: She put me in my place by reminding me who was boss.
take place, to happen; occur: The commencement exercises will take place outdoors unless it rains.

Origin of place

First recorded before 950; Middle English noun plaas, plas, a conflation of Old English plæce, plætse and Middle French place, plasse “space, available space,” from Medieval Latin placea, from Vulgar Latin plattea, from Latin platea, platēa “wide street, courtyard, area,” from Greek plateîa (hodós) “wide (street),” noun use of feminine of platýs “wide, broad, level”; verb derivative of the noun; see flat¹, plate¹

synonym study For place

9. See position. 30. See put.

Other words for place

1	location, locale, locality, site
9	rank, employment
10	charge, responsibility
13	section, sector
30	situate, station
32	locate, set, deposit, lay, seat
35	hire

See synonyms for place on Thesaurus.com

Other words from place

place·a·ble, adjective
place·less, adjective
place·less·ly, adverb
pre·place, verb (used with object), pre·placed, pre·plac·ing.
un·placed, adjective
well-placed, adjective

Words Nearby place

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use place in a sentence

Not only did they use them, but they could go to women setting up a new place to live.
Hints From Heloise: New scam tied to coronavirus pandemic | Heloise Heloise | February 12, 2021 | Washington Post
There should be room for both views — and a time and a place to air them.
The pregame national anthem — in all its roiling contradictions — still has something to offer | Barry Svrluga | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post
The amaro is an aromatic snapshot of a place I loved, and it has a powerful pull on my memory.
Aromas can evoke beloved journeys — or voyages not yet taken | Jen Rose Smith | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post
We wanted to make sure that we had something in place that more young players that thought this was right for them, they could take advantage of it.
An NBA experiment lets draft prospects skip college, stay home and get paid to play | Michael Lee | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post
I realized they were going places when Renee revealed to me that she and Willie were texting during our post-date interview.
Date Lab: One of our setups is still going strong two years later. We caught up with Willie and Renee for an update. | Marin Cogan | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post

The world that Black Dynamite lives in is not the most PC place to be in.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical | Stereo Williams | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
“This is the only place in the souk you can buy safety pins,” he said.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech | Liza Foreman | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
He hasn't bothered to visit Iguala, the place where the students were abducted and killed.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting | Ruben Navarrette Jr. | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
A place that has multiplied success for generation after generation of its children.
Mario Cuomo, Always Moving Us Toward the Light | Mike Barnicle | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents.
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society | Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
This is the place where the Muscovite criminals are banished to, if they are not put to death.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801) | Daniel Defoe
He looked strangely out of place in the dusty combat uniform.
Sense of Obligation | Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
The associations of place recall her strange interview with Mr. Longcluse but a few months before.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
As Spain, however, has fallen from the high place she once held, her colonial system has also gone down.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour, and make a fat offering, and then give place to the physician.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various

British Dictionary definitions for place (1 of 2)

place

/ (pleɪs) /

noun

a particular point or part of space or of a surface, esp that occupied by a person or thing
a geographical point, such as a town, city, etc

a position or rank in a sequence or order
- an open square lined with houses of a similar type in a city or town
- (capital when part of a street name): Grosvenor Place
space or room
a house or living quarters
a country house with grounds
any building or area set aside for a specific purpose
a passage in a book, play, film, etc: to lose one's place
proper or appropriate position or time: he still thinks a woman's place is in the home
right or original position: put it back in its place
suitable, appropriate, or customary surroundings (esp in the phrases out of place, in place)
right, prerogative, or duty: it is your place to give a speech
appointment, position, or job: a place at college
position, condition, or state: if I were in your place
- a space or seat, as at a dining table
- (as modifier): place mat
maths the relative position of a digit in a number: See also decimal place
any of the best times in a race
horse racing
- British the first, second, or third position at the finish
- US and Canadian the first or usually the second position at the finish
- (as modifier): a place bet
theatre one of the three unities: See unity (def. 8)
archaic an important position, rank, or role
all over the place in disorder or disarray
another place British parliamentary procedure
- (in the House of Commons) the House of Lords
- (in the House of Lords) the House of Commons
give place to someone to make room for or be superseded by someone
go places informal
- to travel
- to become successful
in place of
- instead of; in lieu of: go in place of my sister
- in exchange for: he gave her it in place of her ring
know one's place to be aware of one's inferior position
pride of place the highest or foremost position
put someone in his place to humble someone who is arrogant, conceited, forward, etc
take one's place to take up one's usual or specified position
take the place of to be a substitute for
take place to happen or occur
the other place facetious
- (at Oxford University) Cambridge University
- (at Cambridge University) Oxford University

verb(mainly tr)

to put or set in a particular or appropriate place
to find or indicate the place of

to identify or classify by linking with an appropriate context: to place a face
to regard or view as being: to place prosperity above sincerity
to make (an order, a bet, etc)
to find a home or job for (someone)
to appoint to an office or position
(often foll by with) to put under the care (of)
to direct or aim carefully
(passive) British to cause (a racehorse, greyhound, athlete, etc) to arrive in first, second, third, or sometimes fourth place
(intr) US and Canadian (of a racehorse, greyhound, etc) to finish among the first three in a contest, esp in second position
to invest (funds)
to sing (a note) with accuracy of pitch
to insert (an advertisement) in a newspaper, journal, etc

Origin of place

C13: via Old French from Latin platēa courtyard, from Greek plateia, from platus broad; compare French plat flat

British Dictionary definitions for Place (2 of 2)

Place

/ (pleɪs) /

noun

Francis. 1771–1854, British radical, who campaigned for the repeal (1824) of the Combination Acts, which forbade the forming of trade unions, and for parliamentary reform

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with place

place

In addition to the idiom beginning with place

place in the sun

also see:

all over the place
between a rock and a hard place
fall in place
friend in court (high places)
go places
have one's heart in the right place
in place
in someone's shoes (place)
instead (in place) of
in the first place
jumping-off place
know one's place
out of place
pride of place
put someone in his or her place
run in place
take place
take someone's place

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