putter
verb (used without object)
to busy or occupy oneself in a leisurely, casual, or ineffective manner.
was puttering
-
past progressiveof putter.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
At the Rivertime Lodge, where cyclists and walkers stay in cabins or pitch tents on the riverbank during the summer, manager Frances Marshall was puttering about in fluffy orange slippers.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 14, 2022
And it was happening in the rural northeast, where Baird was puttering down dusty roads outside Serrinha, closing in on the home-run operation of an organic peanut butter producer.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2019
“I was puttering around a bookshop to go and have a little think, and I found a book on ‘Muriel’s Wedding,’” Ms. Pavlovic said.
From New York Times ● Jul. 5, 2018
Next door, June Broome was puttering near the edge of her yard, clearly interested in observing whatever might come next.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 20, 2016
At the corner the old man, wrapped in an army overcoat, his feet covered with gunny sacks, his head in a knitted cap, was puttering with a stack of paper bags.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
