put it to
Idioms-
Present for consideration, as in Let's put it to a vote , or I put it to you, I did the best I could under the circumstances . [Mid-1700s]
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Present something in a forceful, candid manner to someone, as in I can't put it to you any more clearly—stay away from the electrical equipment .
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Overburden with tasks or work, as in They really put it to him, expecting to do all the packing .
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Blame on, as in They didn't know who broke the window so they put it to Sam .
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Take unfair advantage, cheat, as in That used-car dealer really put it to Betty .
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.
“We said, ‘Let’s put it to the universe: Universe, why don’t you manifest that somebody buys the rights to the show and decides to reboot it and bring us all back.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
He wasn’t one of these “candidates grown in vats,” as Platner strategist Dan Moraff put it to the Wall Street Journal.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Using the subjunctive verb correctly in all languages can be tricky, but journalists mostly put it to use in contrary-to-fact statements.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
As one former senior government adviser once put it to me, "there is no Plan B".
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
She put it to Caleb's ear, then mine.
From "Sarah, Plain and Tall" by Patricia MacLachlan
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.
