putt
Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
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an act of putting.
-
a stroke made in putting.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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puttsimple
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puttssimple
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have puttedperfect
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has puttedperfect
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am puttingprogressive
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are puttingprogressive
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is puttingprogressive
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have been puttingperfect progressive
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has been puttingperfect progressive
Past
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puttedsimple
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had puttedperfect
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was puttingprogressive
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were puttingprogressive
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had been puttingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of putt
First recorded in 1735–45; originally Scots, variant of put
Explanation
To putt is to hit a golf ball softly with a club, usually when you're close to the hole. Golfers use a special club called a putter when they're ready to putt. The distance between your golf ball and the hole determines how you putt, but the stroke is generally gentle, intended to get the ball on the green or all the way into the hole. Unlike other golf strokes that send the ball arcing through the air, a putt is always meant to simply roll it. Putt is a Scottish word that originally meant "to shove" or "to push," and came to include the golf meaning in 1743.
Vocabulary lists containing putt
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:
He missed a three-footer at the eighth for birdie, but finally holed a birdie putt on the par-four ninth after driving the green to finish one over at the turn.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
When Burns barely missed a putt at the 18th that would have tied the lead, Clark was still just up one with three holes to play.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
The Monday-night regulars at Sullivan County come mostly for “the hang,” Mr. Coyne writes, in contrast to the friendly but eccentric old gentleman who comes by himself most evenings to putt on distant greens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Although she missed the green on her approach, chipped up for a short birdie putt but missed it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
It was an eight-foot putt and he made it.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
On a day that will be remembered for a pair of long putts, Rai also went bogey free over the final 10 holes because he missed only one fairway in that span.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
"The players underestimated the difficulty of playing this golf course from the rough and we're not seeing a whole lot of putts holed," said former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
Two putts later and a second jacket was his, a one-shot victory over Scheffler.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
The sight of Player holing birdie putts and celebrating by lifting one young fan into his arms, contrasted superbly with nine-year-old Frankie Fleetwood's focus and determination to clear the water and hit the ninth green.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
“But we always putts them fan-shaped like that.”
From The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett by MacKenzie, Compton
Here’s the way my golf buddies roll: Obviously, eagle or birdie putts must be putted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
"But the way I putted, you know, especially inside 10 feet, and my pace behind it has been really on point."
From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026
"I felt like I did everything well. Drove it well, approach play was good, and chipped and putted well."
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2025
So Rodriguez began holding off on his antics until other players had putted out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2024
We putted into the light of a flickering sign announcing that we had arrived at the Red Carpet In_ and, yes, there was Vaca_cy.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Ask “What’s my written plan for getting down this mountain, what does the Monte Carlo say, and how much can I spend this year without putting anything at risk?”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
Three-year degrees would disrupt that by putting students’ interests ahead of institutions’.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Garner said his company continued putting up buildings over the past few years in fast-growing markets such as Houston, where he is based.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Brewdog said it was putting in a range of measures to improve workplace culture following the release of the programme.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
‘Good,’ I said, putting my head on her shoulder, and we sat together in the growing darkness.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
