putter

¹ American  

[puht-er] / ˈpʌt ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to busy or occupy oneself in a leisurely, casual, or ineffective manner.

   to putter in the garden.

2. to move or go in a specified manner with ineffective action or little energy or purpose.

   to putter about the house on a rainy day.

3. to move or go slowly or aimlessly; loiter.

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noun

1. puttering or ineffective action; dawdling.

verb phrase

1. putter away to spend or fill in a random, inconsequential, or unproductive way; fritter away; waste.

   We puttered the morning away.

putter ² American  

[puht-er] / ˈpʌt ər /

noun

Golf.

1. a person who putts.

2. a club with a relatively short, stiff shaft and a wooden or iron head, used in putting.

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putter ³ American  

[poot-er] / ˈpʊt ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that puts.

2. Track. a shot-putter.

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putter ¹ British  

/ ˈpʌtə /

verb

1. (intr;often foll by about or around) to busy oneself in a desultory though agreeable manner

2. (intr;often foll by along or about) to move with little energy or direction

   to putter about town

3. to waste (time)

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noun

1. the act of puttering

putter ² British  

/ ˈpʌtə /

noun

1. a club for putting, usually having a solid metal head

2. a golfer who putts

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putter ³ British  

/ ˈpʊtə /

noun

1. a person who puts

   the putter of a question

2. a person who puts the shot

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Other Word Forms

• putterer noun
• putteringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of putter¹

First recorded in 1825–30; variant of potter ²

Origin of putter²

First recorded in 1740–50; putt + -er ¹

Origin of putter³

First recorded in 1570–90; put + -er ¹

Example Sentences

I think I’m just a serial putterer, in that I putter around and I don’t know what I’m doing a lot of the time.

From Los Angeles Times

"My tee shot and putter were the things I was focusing on and I really practiced them a lot. I think that was the foundation to my success today," Lee said through a translator.

From Barron's

Shahed drones have been dubbed "flying mopeds" by Ukrainians because of their puttering engines.

From BBC

They also proved he was among the worst with the putter.

From BBC

But it was a switch from his trusted blade to a mallet putter "to help him with lining up putts" that really sparked a change in fortunes.

From BBC

Related Words

• loiter