put out

American  

[poot out] / ˈpʊt ˈaʊt /

verb phrase

1. to extinguish, as a fire.

   Don't forget to put the candle out before you go to bed.

2. to confuse; embarrass.

   It put her out badly when she went to pay and realized her wallet was still at home.

3. to vex or annoy.

   He was put out when I missed our appointment.

4. to subject to inconvenience.

   I don't want to put you out, so I'll wait until after dinner to stop by.

5. Baseball, Softball, Cricket. to cause to be removed from an opportunity to reach base or score; retire.

   Ramirez was put out at third for the second out of the inning.

6. to publish.

   She puts out a new mystery every other year.

7. to go out to sea.

   The fishermen put out well before sunrise.

8. to manufacture; prepare; produce.

   The factory puts out thousands of candy bars an hour.

9. to exert; apply.

   They were putting out their best efforts.

10. Slang: Offensive. (usually of a woman) to demonstrate willingness or offer to engage in sexual intercourse.

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idioms

1. put someone out of their misery,

   1. to euthanize.

      We had to put the dog out of his misery, and everyone is still upset.

   2. to end a period of waiting, suspense, or the like.

      After she agonized for days about whether she'd be laid off, upper management finally put her out of her misery and sent her home.

2. put oneself out, to take pains; go to trouble or expense.

   She has certainly put herself out to see that everyone is comfortable.

put out British  

verb

1. (often passive)

   1. to annoy; anger

   2. to confound or disturb; confuse

2. to extinguish or douse (a fire, light, etc)

   he put out the fire

3. to poke forward

   to put out one's tongue

4. to be or present a source of inconvenience or annoyance to (a person)

   I hope I'm not putting you out

5. to issue or publish; broadcast

   the authorities put out a leaflet

6. to render unconscious

7. to dislocate

   he put out his shoulder in the accident

8. to show or exert

   the workers put out all their energy in the campaign

9. to pass, give out (work to be done) at different premises

10. to lend (money) at interest

11. cricket to dismiss (a player or team)

12. baseball to cause (a batter or runner) to be out by a fielding play

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noun

1. baseball a play in which the batter or runner is put out

put out More Idioms  

1. Extinguish, as in We put out the fire before we turned in . [Early 1500s]

2. Also, put to sea . Leave a port or harbor, as in They put out yesterday morning . [Late 1500s]

3. Publish, as in They put out a weekly newsletter . [Early 1500s]

4. Engage in sex. This usage is applied solely to women, as in She had a reputation for putting out . [ Vulgar slang ; mid-1900s] Also see put one out .

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Etymology

Origin of put out

First recorded in 1350–1400; 1730–40 put out for def. 5; 1925–30 put out for def. 10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

put out

“We funded and trucked in fire cannons from oil fields in Texas to get them cannons with much more velocity to help put out the fire,” Lehmkuhl said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

So far, 114 S&P 500 companies have put out third-quarter earnings forecasts, according to a report from FactSet published on Friday.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 13, 2026

More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units rushed to the scene to put out the flames and assess any injuries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Here, volunteer firefighters have been risking their lives and lungs to extinguish burning peatlands which are notoriously difficult to put out.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

“Welcome, Ida. I’m Ms. Washington,” she said, and she put out her hand to shake mine.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

Related Words

• angry
• dissatisfied
• offended
• upset