put-down
noun
a landing of an aircraft.
put-down
American
[poot-daun]
/ ˈpʊtˌdaʊn /
Or
putdown
noun
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put-downs
plural
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a landing of an aircraft.
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Informal.
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a disparaging, belittling, or snubbing remark.
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a remark or act intended to humiliate or embarrass someone.
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put down
British
verb
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to make a written record of
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to repress
to put down a rebellion
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to consider; account
they put him down for an ignoramus
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to attribute
I put the mistake down to his inexperience
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to put to death, because of old age or illness
the vet put the cat down
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to table on the agenda
the MPs put down a motion on the increase in crime
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to put (a baby) to bed
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to dismiss, reject, or humiliate
noun
put down
Idioms
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Write down; also, enter in a list. For example, Please put down my name for a free ticket , or Put me down as a subscriber . [Second half of 1500s]
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Bring to an end, repress, as in They managed to put down the rebellion in a single day , or We've got to put down these rumors about a takeover . [c. 1300]
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Kill a sick animal, as in The vet said the dog must be put down . [Mid-1500s] Also see put away , def. 5.
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Belittle, disparage, criticize, as in Her husband was always putting her down . [c. 1400] Also see run down , def. 6.
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Ascribe, attribute, as in We put her poor performance down to stage fright . [Late 1700s]
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Regard, classify, as in We put her down as a hypochondriac . [Mid-1800s]
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Pay a deposit, as in We put down $2,000 for the car .
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Store for future use, as in David put down ten cases of this year's Chablis . [Mid-1800s]
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Land in an aircraft; also, land an aircraft, as in What time will we put down at Heathrow ? or She put the plane down exactly on the runway . [c. 1930]
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Put a child to bed, as in The sitter said she'd put Brian down at 8:30 . [Second half of 1900s]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of put-down
First recorded in 1960–65; noun use of verb phrase put down
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.
See Examples For:
“Obtuse” means “stupid” or “simpleminded” and is always a put-down in this context.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
"To this day when people don't like me they introduce me as a former Bunny, as a put-down," she told the New York Times in 2016.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Trump, who has feuded with O'Donnell for decades, saw an opportunity for a put-down when the veteran comic's name came up during Wednesday's meeting.
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2025
The word “decorative,” with its evocation of surfacey dazzle, is often a put-down in art.
From New York Times ● May 16, 2024
He gestures towards the general, who smiles inanely at his own put-down.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
That scheme, which initially ran between 2013 and 2021, enabled all home purchasers to put down a 5% deposit on a newly built home worth up to £600,000.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Dan Rubin put down a $1,000 deposit on the bestselling SUV earlier this month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"So many teenagers, it's put down to hormones and unfortunately they said they see it every day."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
In 2017, Tesla said it would sell 1,000 “Founders Series” models, each of which required buyers to put down $250,000 at the time.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
“They put down the Bear Stearns credit card and started buying rounds of ammunition,” said Charlie.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Trump's spokeswoman -- who is best known for her acid put-downs of journalists -- posted a picture of herself in a nursery, cradling her baby daughter to her chest.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
The first Stanford was made of real students, who defy tidy put-downs of “kids these days.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Long may his critics - whoever and wherever they are - take potshots at him, because the put-downs make him rise up.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
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.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2024
Savanna’s really good at those kinds of put-downs, where it’s all in the eyes and the corners of the mouth.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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