putt
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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putts,
present (3rd person singular)
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putted,
past participle, past
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putting
present participle
noun
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putts
plural
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an act of putting.
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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:
Henseleit initially forced an extension to play by sinking a 45-foot birdie putt to draw level at five under par with Kuwaki, who sat nervously inside the clubhouse watching on.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
He regained the lead with a birdie putt at No. 17 and finished the four rounds at seven-under par.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Koivun’s talent shone through and he sank the putt anyway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
That was even true with his final putt on 18.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
“I’ll bet anything that if it had been me who hit him with that shot putt, he’d be setting this tree on fire right now,” Ben said.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
In his second round alone, he missed seven birdie putts from 15 feet or less - four inside 10 feet - and was ranked 60th in the field on the greens.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
But she was 10 putts better in the final two circuits even with crucial misses at the ninth, 12th and 14th holes of the final round.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Like most other players, he putts glove free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Two putts later and a second jacket was his, a one-shot victory over Scheffler.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
If it were not so easy, if there were good excuse for failure, those putts would not be missed so frequently.
From The Happy Golfer Being Some Experiences, Reflections, and a Few Deductions of a Wandering Golfer by Henry Leach
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 putted really well, hit my driver great and I’m excited to be in the hunt for the second straight week,” Bridgeman said after coolly sinking an eight-foot birdie putt on the last hole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
Mickelson very nearly chipped in for eagle while Fowler three putted in the gloom.
From BBC ● May 13, 2024
Until one morning I putted to work and there were five pickups and more people all with mowers and bags and rakes....
From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen
That has caused some companies to quickly launch their AI products without first putting in more mechanisms to prevent images from appearing without copyright holders’ permission.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Instead of putting faith in talks, they took the past two months to prepare for a bigger fight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
As well as putting out videos on his own accounts on X and TikTok, he has sought to broaden his audience by appearing on entertainment channels run by creators with large followings.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
The question is whether putting a price on UPI could weaken the network that made it such a success.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
“That’s a relief,” he says, putting his hand on my shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
