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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

put-downs plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• put-downs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of put-down

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

put-down put down put-downs

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

And let's not forget her iconic put-down to unwanted male attention that I'll admit to rolling out endlessly in my teens: "Ugh, as if!"

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2025

It was not only her contemptuous put-down: “You have no foreign policy experience and it shows.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2023

After pausing for the crowd to cheer the put-down, she continued, one hand over her heart.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 12, 2022

My comments must have struck Farmer as a put-down, because when I looked across the room his pale blue eyes were fixed on me.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

The service personnel's dates of birth were not recorded which meant the dates of 1800 and 1900 were put down.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

A grill can be more than the place where dinner happens; it can become the center of the party, giving everyone a reason to pull up a chair, put down their phone and get involved.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

In some cities, first-time buyers typically put down more than 20%.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

It’s time to put down the orange slices, stop singing “Country Roads” and send in the electric guitars with briefcases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

It is now widespread all over the world, and unless it is put down soon it will do great evil.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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

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

As played by Hawke, Hart adores holding court, entertaining his captive audience with witty put-downs and gossipy Broadway anecdotes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 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

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