put-down
noun
a landing of an aircraft.
put-down
American
[poot-doun]
/ ˈpʊtˌdaʊn /
Or
putdown
noun
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put-downs
plural
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a landing of an aircraft.
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Informal.
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a disparaging, belittling, or snubbing remark.
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a remark or act intended to humiliate or embarrass someone.
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put down
British
verb
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to make a written record of
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to repress
to put down a rebellion
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to consider; account
they put him down for an ignoramus
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to attribute
I put the mistake down to his inexperience
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to put to death, because of old age or illness
the vet put the cat down
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to table on the agenda
the MPs put down a motion on the increase in crime
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to put (a baby) to bed
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to dismiss, reject, or humiliate
noun
put down
Idioms
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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]
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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]
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Kill a sick animal, as in The vet said the dog must be put down . [Mid-1500s] Also see put away , def. 5.
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Belittle, disparage, criticize, as in Her husband was always putting her down . [c. 1400] Also see run down , def. 6.
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Ascribe, attribute, as in We put her poor performance down to stage fright . [Late 1700s]
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Regard, classify, as in We put her down as a hypochondriac . [Mid-1800s]
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Pay a deposit, as in We put down $2,000 for the car .
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Store for future use, as in David put down ten cases of this year's Chablis . [Mid-1800s]
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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]
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Put a child to bed, as in The sitter said she'd put Brian down at 8:30 . [Second half of 1900s]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of put-down
First recorded in 1960–65; noun use of verb phrase put down
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Trump, who has feuded with O'Donnell for decades, saw an opportunity for a put-down when the veteran comic's name came up during Wednesday's meeting.
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2025
“Illegal” is a term that relates to a position on law and is not a put-down.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 13, 2024
The German accused the Dane of being "unsporting" and Magnussen responded with a withering put-down.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2022
After pausing for the crowd to cheer the put-down, she continued, one hand over her heart.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 12, 2022
It’s the quintessential Toronto middle-class-matron put-down, the ultimate disapproval.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Life returned to normal in Niger's capital Niamey on Sunday, after the military regime and its Russian paramilitary partners put down a mutiny by soldiers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
Every hard-earned dollar put down in the name of “Coyote vs. Acme” also goes toward ensuring that “Looney Tunes,” as a property, survives.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
This incident was also put down to "human error" by Sainsbury's and the technology firm.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
But by Wednesday evening, county officials said Bruce had been put down humanely after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the group’s motion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
When they were finished, they put down their pencils and bopped bright yellow hotel bells.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
Trump's spokeswoman -- who is best known for her acid put-downs of journalists -- posted a picture of herself in a nursery, cradling her baby daughter to her chest.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
Plaza says that Waters is known for being provocative and loves reading tabloids but that he asked to tone down Armando’s snide put-downs of celebrities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026
Instead, the trailers focus on Miranda’s withering put-downs and Andy’s former fashion-deficient way of dressing.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026
The first Stanford was made of real students, who defy tidy put-downs of “kids these days.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
At the colleges, I’ve developed some stock put-downs for them: “You must be a law student, aren’t you?”
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
