putt

American  

[puht] / pʌt /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to strike (a gollf ball) gently so as to make it roll along the green into the hole.

---

noun

1. an act of putting.

2. a stroke made in putting.

putt British  

/ pʌt /

noun

1. a stroke on the green with a putter to roll the ball into or near the hole

---

verb

1. to strike (the ball) in this way

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.

Example Sentences

Playing in the second group, Juarez was one under through 13 and blasted out of a frontside bunker to within four feet of the hole at 14 before sinking his birdie putt.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

He followed that up with two birdies in the next four holes and, finally, his epic putt on the 17th.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

Expertly draining a 69-foot putt on the 17th green - the second longest putt of the whole week - all but clinched victory.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

And he sealed it with one signature putt.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

Bull calculated the distance between himself and Ben, then lobbed the shot putt in the air.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy