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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to record
to make a written note of
we had the whole agreement put down on paper
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
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
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 27 Jan. 2025
Per the footage, the man is seen in the grabbing one end of the tarp sheet that had been put down before the snow fell.
—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 25 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for put-down 
Noun
This sneering put-down is even more bizarre than the swipe at Carter’s phantom operatic output.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
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
Verb
In 1982, the Assads put down a rebellion of the Muslim Brotherhood in the city of Hama.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 27 Jan. 2025
Per the footage, the man is seen in the grabbing one end of the tarp sheet that had been put down before the snow fell.
—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 25 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for put-down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-down
Noun
-
Finally, Smith reiterated that no insult was directed at Williams.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
13 Feb. 2025
-
During the interview, McEnany spoke openly about being compared, as an insult, to the character of Pat, because of her gender expression.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Among those who lost their jobs were members of the civic integrity group, which was known to be outspoken in its criticism of Zuckerberg’s leadership.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2025
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In contrast, toxic conflict involves criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling—patterns that can lead to emotional disconnection and resentment, Scevoli said.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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However, Cave pushed back against the idea of fully dismissing an artist’s work due to their personal failings.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
18 Feb. 2025
-
Chutkan granted a request from Smith to dismiss the case after Mr. Trump won the presidential election in November because of a Justice Department policy that forbids the prosecution of a sitting president.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
What To Know China, home to 1.4 billion people, recorded just 6.1 million marriages last year, a 20.5 percent drop from 2023 and part of a decade-long decline, new data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs shows.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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The firm recorded revenue of $186.8 million, far below the consensus forecast of $362.5 million.—
Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The Stars, who advanced to the Western Conference Finals each of the last two seasons, entered Saturday in second place in the Central Division standings.—
Curtis Pashelka,
The Mercury News,
9 Feb. 2025
-
The 29-year-old entered Saturday ranked in the top 10 among NBA qualifiers in a slew of advanced metrics, including fifth in net rating and true shooting percentage and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio and offensive rebounding percentage.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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It's even recently been associated with quelling aggression.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Feb. 2025
-
Stocks bounced back a bit around mid-week after Microsoft and Facebook parent Meta reiterated their AI spending goals, quelling fears companies would pull back AI dollars.—
Medora Lee,
USA TODAY,
1 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But Trump – who on Feb. 9 became first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl – did not share the social media post attributed to him that blames those initiatives for the Chiefs’ loss.—
Joedy McCreary,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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The duo attributed this drop to the global shutdown at the height of the pandemic.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Miami was last in the NFL at 57 plays per game last season partly because the offense didn’t convert effectively on third downs, but also because the porous run defense allowed opponents to eat up the clock.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun-Sentinel.com,
19 July 2017
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The casual restaurant and bar also offers an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at 8 a.m. Sundays.—
Vickie Snow Jurkowski,
Daily Southtown,
19 July 2017
Thesaurus Entries Near put-down
Cite this Entry
“Put-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-down. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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