put to bed

Idioms

Complete something and either set it aside or send it on to the next step, as in We put the magazine to bed at ten, or They said they'd put the whole project to bed at least a month ago. This expression, transferring nighttime retirement to other kinds of completion, was first applied to a newspaper, where it meant “send to press,” that is, start to print. [Mid-1900s]

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put to bed

As earnings season gets under way, festering worries about artificial-intelligence stocks could be put to bed.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

It was eventually put to bed when the two appeared, together, in a music video.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

The decrease is unlikely to put to bed the row over the steep pricing that also drew rebukes from football's governing body, FIFA.

From Barron's ● May 7, 2026

My children were eventually put to bed, but my wife stayed up to watch with me for a few hours, her expression stoic.

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026

Dr. Harlow dresses the burnt skin and has Phineas put to bed with his head elevated.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

put to bed

Example Sentences

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