putter around
phrasal verb
puttered around; puttering around; putters around
US
: to spend time in a relaxed way doing small jobs and other things that are not very important
I didn't do much last weekend. I just puttered around.
He spent his vacation puttering around the house/garden.
Examples of putter around in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These types of tournaments often become putting contests, and Bezuidenhout is one of the best putters around.
—
Dennis Esser, The Athletic, 7 Aug. 2024
For the remainder of the film, Sorvino putters around the Pole tinkering with his sled, doing step aerobics with the elves, and performing in a jazz quartet.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Fall is simultaneously a wonderful time of year to get outside or putter around at home.
—Sara Coughlin, SELF, 28 Oct. 2024
This year, the characters fighting for the Iron Throne of Westeros spent a lot of time puttering around, but also delivered a really good dragon fight and even a surprising death.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
That’s in part because slower forms of walking, like puttering around the house, aren’t necessarily intense enough to register as moderate-to-vigorous activity on a fitness monitor, but still count toward the number of steps taken.
—Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 21 May 2024
This heightens any desire to putter around your space, focusing on self-care, rather than going out and facing the cold, hard world.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2024
My husband was puttering around shoving a few last items into the cars.
—Sarah Stankorb, Longreads, 9 May 2024
The Mad Men star gets to show off his comedic chops as the amnesiac Gabriel, puttering around the bookshop and smiling blankly.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 20 July 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dennis Esser, The Athletic, 7 Aug. 2024
For the remainder of the film, Sorvino putters around the Pole tinkering with his sled, doing step aerobics with the elves, and performing in a jazz quartet.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Fall is simultaneously a wonderful time of year to get outside or putter around at home.
—Sara Coughlin, SELF, 28 Oct. 2024
This year, the characters fighting for the Iron Throne of Westeros spent a lot of time puttering around, but also delivered a really good dragon fight and even a surprising death.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
That’s in part because slower forms of walking, like puttering around the house, aren’t necessarily intense enough to register as moderate-to-vigorous activity on a fitness monitor, but still count toward the number of steps taken.
—Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 21 May 2024
This heightens any desire to putter around your space, focusing on self-care, rather than going out and facing the cold, hard world.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2024
My husband was puttering around shoving a few last items into the cars.
—Sarah Stankorb, Longreads, 9 May 2024
The Mad Men star gets to show off his comedic chops as the amnesiac Gabriel, puttering around the bookshop and smiling blankly.
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 20 July 2023
Dictionary Entries Near putter around
Cite this Entry
“Putter around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/putter%20around. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share