1
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
new hires always have to deal with put-downs and practical jokes from the older employees
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in criticism
the act of making a person or a thing seem little or unimportant
your never-ending put-down of my musical talents is really starting to annoy me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to dismiss
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
he has the annoying habit of putting down others under the guise of offering constructive criticism
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to record
to make a written note of
we had the whole agreement put down on paper
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3
as in to enter
to put (someone or something) on a list
put her down as one of the chaperones for the field trip
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to quell
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
a tyrant who ruthlessly put down uprisings
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to attribute
to explain (something) as being the result of something else
a fender bender that probably can be put down to the young driver's inexperience
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6
as in to eat
to take in as food
the husky youngster seemed to put down her own weight in food at one sitting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of put-down
David Remnick, New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2025
And the jubilation likely expressed in Moscow over Washington’s put-downs of Europe is reminiscent of the glee over Trump and Vance’s public scolding of Zelensky in the Oval Office later that month.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 9 Dec. 2025
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
This air fryer recipe only needs six ingredients to create zesty hot wings that no one can put down.
—Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Noun
One day, a historian will win a contract to assemble the collected quotations of the forty-fifth and forty-seventh President—all the press-room rants, the Oval Office put-downs, the 3 A.M. Truth Social fever dreams.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2025
And the jubilation likely expressed in Moscow over Washington’s put-downs of Europe is reminiscent of the glee over Trump and Vance’s public scolding of Zelensky in the Oval Office later that month.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
Shiffrin put down two mostly clean and aggressive runs.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
This air fryer recipe only needs six ingredients to create zesty hot wings that no one can put down.
—Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for put-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-down
Noun
-
The president has spent a decade calling his rivals communists and traitors, among other hyperbolic insults.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
According to Politico, the conversation was nothing but a tirade of insults.—
Tom Jurkowsky,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His first collection, Death of a Naturalist, was published by Faber and Faber in 1966 and was followed by eleven other volumes of poetry, as well as collections of literary criticism, anthologies, translations, and verse plays.—
Nick Laird,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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With Minnesota viewing them as soft, the Nuggets hardly seem bothered by the criticism.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That lawsuit, along with a countersuit by the PGA Tour, was dismissed a year later.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
There’s too much effort, too much time, and too much sincerity apparent behind this film to dismiss it outright.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Samuel Isturiz tossed 5 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, two runs and three walks while recording two strikeouts for the Tigers.—
Alex Kushel,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
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Tottenham have picked up just two league wins from 24 league matches since the start of November, and are yet to record one this calendar year.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After the game, Bauer returned the favor for those at the Pennsylvania ballpark, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans after entering his name into the Ducks’ record books.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Dallas entered the draft with this being one of the biggest positions of need.—
Jon Machota,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nor has the admission that there were performance problems done much to quell rampant speculation that the company is running short of computing resources and that Anthropic’s efforts to ration precious computing power were the real reason for the performance issues.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Over the past few months, the pending consolidation sparked many fears, which David Ellison tried to quell.—
Mandalit del Barco,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Charlotte diocese attributes some of its growth to the region’s growing population overall, especially folks moving in from more traditionally Catholic areas such as the Northeast, Midwest and Latin American countries, Chandler said.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
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The statement attributed to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was read aloud by a presenter on Iranian state TV.—
April 30,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The shots rang out from the back of the ballroom as attendees were eating their first course, several minutes after White House Correspondents’ Association President Weija Jiang delivered remarks.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
26 Apr. 2026
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Word got around and surfers came to the restaurant from all over San Diego County, gathered around the tables, ate burgers and swapped their tales.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Put-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-down. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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