: an act or instance of putting down
especially
: a humiliating remark
put down; putting down; puts down
1
: to bring to an end : stop
put down a riot
2
3
: to make ineffective : check
put down the gossip
4
: to do away with (an injured, sick, or aged animal) : destroy
5
a
: to put in writing
b
: to enter in a list
6
a
: to place in a category
I put him down as a hypochondriac—
O. S. J. Gogarty
O. S. J. Gogarty
b
: attribute
put it down to inexperience
7
: to pack or preserve for future use
8
: consume
putting down helping after helping—Carson McCullers
Carson McCullersSynonyms
Examples of put-down in a Sentence
Noun
new hires always have to deal with put-downs and practical jokes from the older employees
your never-ending put-down of my musical talents is really starting to annoy me
Verb
he has the annoying habit of putting down others under the guise of offering constructive criticism
we had the whole agreement put down on paper
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2024
The result is a book laden with put-downs of the English working class, who are cast in eugenicist terms as a degenerate race.
—Lennard J. Davis, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2024
Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
This means putting down your phone and really engaging with your kids.
—Katherine Lewis, Parents, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for put-down 
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Noun
There is no end of put-downs that attach to the job of vice president, a position that’s widely treated as irrelevant when its occupant is not ignored altogether.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2024
The result is a book laden with put-downs of the English working class, who are cast in eugenicist terms as a degenerate race.
—Lennard J. Davis, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2024
Verb
Wealthy tech titans who have put down roots in the city — and see San Francisco as an international hub for high tech — poured millions of dollars into campaign contributions, pressing for an outcome that would infuse this famously liberal city with more centrist politics.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
This means putting down your phone and really engaging with your kids.
—Katherine Lewis, Parents, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for put-down
Dictionary Entries Near put-down
Cite this Entry
“Put-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put-down. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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