put away

British  

verb

1. to return (something) to the correct or proper place

   he put away his books

2. to save

   to put away money for the future

3. to lock up in a prison, mental institution, etc

   they put him away for twenty years

4. to eat or drink, esp in large amounts

5. to put to death, because of old age or illness

   the dog had to be put away

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put away Idioms  

1. Place in a designated spot for storage; also, place out of reach. For example, Please put away your clothes , or This young tennis player can really put away the ball . Also see set aside , def. 1.

2. Renounce, discard, as in Put away all those negative thoughts . [Late 1300s]

3. Consume quickly, ingest readily, as in He put away his dinner in just a few minutes . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]

4. Confine to a mental health facility, as in The doctor said we had to put her away . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]

5. Kill, as in The vet put our old cat away . [ Colloquial ; late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

put away

Even if you can only put away a little bit each year, it will compound and this money will help you sustain your lifestyle in retirement.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Both of those add up to a 10% total employer contribution, but employees don’t need to put away as much in order to get it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

With a cross-court forehand from Gauff threatening to fizz straight past her, the Czech player stretched out, leapt into the air and put away the volley winner before falling face down on the grass.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Here and there, stewards asked some fans to put away the banners or face expulsion, but hundreds remained on display during the game inside the 70,000-seat stadium.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

I put away my sketchbook when Mama places the boiled potatoes on plates and passes them to everyone.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

• polish off
• put down