PUT, v.t. pret. and pp. put. [Gr.a germ, shoot or twig. We find the same word in the L. puto, to prune, that is, to thrust off, also to think or consider, that is, to set in the mind, as we use suppose, L. supono. But we see the English sense more distinctly in the compounds, imputo, to impute, that is, to put to or on; computo, to compute, to put together. The L. posui, from pono, is probably a dialectical orthography of the same root.

A strumpet; a prostitute.

1. To go or move; as, when the air first puts up. [Obs.] – Bacon.
2. To steer. His fury thus appeas'd, he puts to land. – Dryden.
3. To shoot; to germinate. The sap puts downward. – Bacon. To put forth, to shoot; to bud; to germinate. Take earth from under walls where nettles put forth. – Bacon. #2. To leave a port or haven. – Shak. To put in, to enter a harbor; to sail into port. #2. To offer a claim. A. puts in for a share of profits. To put in for, to offer one's self; to stand as a candidate for. – Locke. To put off, to leave land. To put on, to urge motion; to drive vehemently. To put over, to sail over or across. – Abbot. To put to sea, to set sail; to begin a voyage; to advance into the ocean. – Dryden. To put up, to take lodgings; to lodge. We put up at the Golden Ball. #2. To offer one's self as a candidate. – L'Estrange. To put up to, to advance to. [Little used.] – Swift. To put up with, to overlook or suffer without recompense, punishment or resentment; as, to put up with an injury or affront. #2. To take without opposition or dissatisfaction; as, to put up with bad fare. This verb, in all its uses, retains its primary sense, to set, throw, thrust, send, &c.; but its signification is modified in a great variety of ways, by other words standing in connection with it.

1. To set; lay or place; in a general sense. Thus we say, to put the hand to the face; to put a book on the shelf; to put a horse in the stable; to put fire to the fuel; to put clothes on the body. God planted a garden and there he put Adam.
2. Put is applicable to state or condition, as well as to place. Put him in a condition to help himself. Put the fortress in a state of defense. The apostles were put in trust with the gospel. We are often put in jeopardy by our own ignorance or rashness. We do not always put the best men into office.
3. To repose. How wilt thou … put thy trust on Egypt for chariots? – 2 Kings xviii.
4. To push into action. Thank him who puts me, loth, to this revenge. – Milton.
5. To apply; to set to employment. No man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. – Luke ix.
6. To throw or introduce suddenly. He had no time to put in a word.
7. To consign to letters. He made a proclamation … and put it also in writing. – 2 Chron. xxxvi.
8. To oblige; to require. We are put to prove things which can hardly be made plainer. – Tillotson.
9. To incite; to instigate; to urge by influence. The appearance of a formidable enemy put the king on making vigorous preparations for defense. This put me upon observing the thickness of the glass. – Newton. These wretches put us upon all mischief, to feed their lusts and extravagances. – Swift.
10. To propose; as, to put a question to the witness; to put a case in point.
11. To reach to another. – Hab. ii.
12. To bring into a state of mind or temper. Solyman, to put the Rhodians out of all suspicion of invasion … – Knolles.
13. To offer; to advance. I am ashamed to put a loose indigested play upon the public. – Dryden.
14. To cause. The natural constitutions of men put a wide difference between them. – Locke. To put about, to turn; to change the course; to gibe ship. To put by, to turn away; to divert. The design of the evil one is to put thee by from thy spiritual employment. – Taylor. A fright hath put by an ague fit. – Grew. #2. To thrust aside. Jonathan had died for being so, / Did not just God put by th' unnatural blow. – Cowley. To put down, to baffle; to repress; to crush; as, to put down a party. #2. To degrade; to deprive of authority, power or place. #3. To bring into disuse. Sugar hath put down the use of honey. [Obs.] – Bacon. #4. To confute; to silence. Mark now how a plain tale shall put you down. – Shak. To put forth, to propose; to offer to notice. Sampson said, I will now put forth a riddle to you. – Judges xiv. #2. To extend; to reach; as, to put forth the hand. #3. To shoot out; to send out, as a sprout; as, to put forth leaves. #4. To exert; to bring into action; as, to put forth strength. #5. To publish, as a book. To put in, to introduce among others; as, to put in a word while others are discoursing. #2. To insert; as, to put in a passage or clause; to put in a cion. #3. To conduct into a harbor. To put in fear, to affright; to make fearful. To put in mind, to remind; to call to remembrance. To put in practice, to use; to exercise; as, to put in practice the maxims of the wise man. To put into another's hands, to trust; to commit to the care of. To put off, to divest; to lay aside; as, to put off a robe; to put off mortality or the mortal body; to put off haughty airs. #2. To turn aside from a purpose or demand; to defeat or delay by artifice. I hoped for a demonstration, but Themistices hopes to put me off with a harangue. – Boyle. This is an unreasonable demand, and we might put him off with this answer. – Bentley. #3. To delay; to defer; to postpone. How generally do men put off the care of their salvation to future opportunities! #4. To pass fallaciously; to cause to be circulated or received; as, to put off upon the world some plausible reports or ingenious theory. #5. To discard. The clothiers all put off / The spinsters, carders, fullers, weavers. – Shak. #6. To recommend; to vend; to obtrude. – Bacon. #7. To vend; to sell. #8. To pass into other hands; as, to put off a counterfeit coin or note. #9. To push from land; as, to put of the boat. To put on or upon, to impute; to charge; as, to put one's own crime or blame on another. #2. To invest with, as clothes or covering; as, to put on a cloke. #3. To assume; as, to put on a grave countenance; to put on a counterfeit appearance. Mercury put on the shape of a man. – L'Estrange. #4. To forward; to promote. This came handsomely to put on the peace. [Obs.] – Bacon. #5. To impose; to inflict. That which thou puttest on me, I will bear. – 2 Kings xviii. To be put upon, to be imposed on; to be deceived; used chiefly in the passive form. To put over, to refer; to send. For the certain knowledge of that truth, / I put you o'er to heaven and to my mother. – Shak. #2. To defer; to postpone. The court put over the cause to the next term. To put out, to place at interest; to lend at use. Money put out at compound interest, nearly doubles in eleven years. #2. To extinguish; as, to put out a candle, lamp or fire; to put out the remains of affection. Addison. #3. To send; to emit to shoot; as a bud or sprout; as, to put out leaves. #4. To extend; to reach out; to protrude; as, to put out the hand. #5. To drive out; to expel; to dismiss. When I am put out of the stewardship. Luke xvi. #6. To publish; to make public; as, to put out a pamphlet. [Now vulgar.] #7. To confuse; to disconcert; to interrupt; as, to put one out in reading or speaking. To put out the eyes, to destroy the power of sight; to render blind. To put to, to add; to unite; as, to put one sum to another. #2. To refer to; to expose; as, to put the fate of the army or nation to a battle; to put the safety of the state to hazard. #3. To punish by; to distress by; as, to put a man to the rack or torture. To put to it, to distress; to press hard; to perplex; to give difficulty to. O gentle lady, do not put me to 't. – Shak. To be put to it, in the passive form, to have difficulty. I shall be hard put to it to bring myself off. – Addison. To put the hand to, to apply; to take hold; to begin; to undertake; as, to put the hand to the plow. – See Deut. xii. 7. #2. To take by theft or wrong; to embezzle. Then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand to his neighbor's goods. – Exod. xxii. To put to the sword, to kill; to slay. – Bacon. To put to death, to kill. To put to a stand, to stop; to arrest by obstacles or difficulties. To put to trial, or on trial, to bring before a court and jury for examination and decision. #2. To bring to a test; to try. To put together, to unite in a sum, mass or compound; to add; as, to put two sums together; put together the ingredients. #2. To unite; to connect. Put the two chains together. #3. To place in company or in one society. To put trust in, to confide in; to repose confidence in. To put up, to pass unavenged; to overlook; not to punish or resent; as, to put up injuries; to put up indignities. Such national injuries are not to be put up, but when the offender is below resentment. – Addison. [I have never heard this phrase used in America. We always say, to put up with; we can not put up with such injuries.] #2. To send forth or shoot up, as plants; as, to put up mushrooms. [Obs.] – Bacon. #3. To expose; to offer publicly; as, to put up goods to sale at auction. #4. To start from a cover. [Obs.] – Spectator. #5. To hoard. Himself never put up any of the rent. – Spelman. #6. To reposit for preservation; as, to put up apples for winter. #7. To pack; to reposit in casks with salt for preservation; as, to put up pork, beef or fish. #8. To hide or lay aside. Put up that letter. – Shak. #9. To put in a trunk or box; to pack; as, to put up clothing for a journey.

1. An action of distress; as, a forced put. – L'Estrange.
2. A game at cards.

A rustic; a clown.

1. A pit.
   
   
   [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Put, contracted from putteth.
   
   
   Chaucer.
3. A rustic; a clown; an awkward or uncouth person.
   
   

   Queer country puts extol Queen Bess's reign. Bramston.

   What droll puts the citizens seem in it all. F. Harrison.

4. To move in any direction; to impel; to thrust; to push; -- nearly obsolete, except with adverbs, as with by (to put by = to thrust aside; to divert); or with forth (to put forth = to thrust out).
   
   

   His chief designs are . . . to put thee by from thy spiritual employment. Jer. Taylor.

5. To go or move; as, when the air first puts up.
   
   
   [Obs.] Bacon.
6. The act of putting; an action; a movement; a thrust; a push; as, the put of a ball.
   
   
   "A forced put." L'Estrange.
7. A prostitute.
   
   
   [Obs.]
8. To bring to a position or place; to place; to lay; to set; figuratively, to cause to be or exist in a specified relation, condition, or the like; to bring to a stated mental or moral condition; as, to put one in fear; to put a theory in practice; to put an enemy to fight.
   
   

   This present dignity,
   In which that I have put you. Chaucer.

   I will put enmity between thee and the woman. Gen. iii. 15.

   He put no trust in his servants. Job iv. 18.

   When God into the hands of their deliverer
   Puts invincible might. Milton.

   In the mean time other measures were put in operation. Sparks.

9. To steer; to direct one's course; to go.
   
   

   His fury thus appeased, he puts to land. Dryden.

10. A certain game at cards.
    
    
    Young.
11. To attach or attribute; to assign; as, to put a wrong construction on an act or expression.
12. A privilege which one party buys of another to "put" (deliver) to him a certain amount of stock, grain, etc., at a certain price and date.
    
    
    [Brokers' Cant]

    A put and a call may be combined in one instrument, the holder of which may either buy or sell as he chooses at the fixed price. Johnson's Cyc.

13. To play a card or a hand in the game called put.
    
    

    To put about (Naut.), to change direction; to tack. -- To put back (Naut.), to turn back; to return. "The French . . . had put back to Toulon." Southey. -- To put forth. (a) To shoot, bud, or germinate. "Take earth from under walls where nettles put forth." Bacon. (b) To leave a port or haven, as a ship. Shak. -- To put in (Naut.), to enter a harbor; to sail into port. -- To put in for. (a) To make a request or claim; as, to put in for a share of profits. (b) To go into covert; -- said of a bird escaping from a hawk. (c) To offer one's self; to stand as a candidate for. Locke. -- To put off, to go away; to depart; esp., to leave land, as a ship; to move from the shore. -- To put on, to hasten motion; to drive vehemently. -- To put over (Naut.), to sail over or across. -- To put to sea (Naut.), to set sail; to begin a voyage; to advance into the ocean. -- To put up. (a) To take lodgings; to lodge. (b) To offer one's self as a candidate. L'Estrange. -- To put up to, to advance to. [Obs.] "With this he put up to my lord." Swift. -- To put up with. (a) To overlook, or suffer without recompense, punishment, or resentment; as, to put up with an injury or affront. (b) To take without opposition or expressed dissatisfaction; to endure; as, to put up with bad fare.

14. To lay down; to give up; to surrender.
    
    
    [Obs.]

    No man hath more love than this, that a man put his life for his friends. Wyclif (John xv. 13).

15. To set before one for judgment, acceptance, or rejection; to bring to the attention; to offer; to state; to express; figuratively, to assume; to suppose; -- formerly sometimes followed by that introducing a proposition; as, to put a question; to put a case.
    
    

    Let us now put that ye have leave. Chaucer.

    Put the perception and you put the mind. Berkeley.

    These verses, originally Greek, were put in Latin. Milton.

    All this is ingeniously and ably put. Hare.

16. To incite; to entice; to urge; to constrain; to oblige.
    
    

    These wretches put us upon all mischief. Swift.

    Put me not use the carnal weapon in my own defense. Sir W. Scott.

    Thank him who puts me, loath, to this revenge. Milton.

17. To throw or cast with a pushing motion "overhand," the hand being raised from the shoulder; a practice in athletics; as, to put the shot or weight.
18. To convey coal in the mine, as from the working to the tramway.
    
    
    Raymond.

    Put case, formerly, an elliptical expression for, put or suppose the case to be.

    Put case that the soul after departure from the body may live. Bp. Hall.

    -- To put about (Naut.), to turn, or change the course of, as a ship. -- To put away. (a) To renounce; to discard; to expel. (b) To divorce. -- To put back. (a) To push or thrust backwards; hence, to hinder; to delay. (b) To refuse; to deny.

    Coming from thee, I could not put him back. Shak.

    (c) To set, as the hands of a clock, to an earlier hour. (d) To restore to the original place; to replace. -- To put by. (a) To turn, set, or thrust, aside. "Smiling put the question by." Tennyson. (b) To lay aside; to keep; to sore up; as, to put by money. -- To put down. (a) To lay down; to deposit; to set down. (b) To lower; to diminish; as, to put down prices. (c) To deprive of position or power; to put a stop to; to suppress; to abolish; to confute; as, to put down rebellion or traitors.

    Mark, how a plain tale shall put you down. Shak.

    Sugar hath put down the use of honey. Bacon.

    (d) To subscribe; as, to put down one's name. -- To put forth. (a) To thrust out; to extend, as the hand; to cause to come or push out; as, a tree puts forth leaves. (b) To make manifest; to develop; also, to bring into action; to exert; as, to put forth strength. (c) To propose, as a question, a riddle, and the like. (d) To publish, as a book. -- To put forward. (a) To advance to a position of prominence or responsibility; to promote. (b) To cause to make progress; to aid. (c) To set, as the hands of a clock, to a later hour. -- To put in. (a) To introduce among others; to insert; sometimes, to introduce with difficulty; as, to put in a word while others are discoursing. (b) (Naut.) To conduct into a harbor, as a ship. (c) (Law) To place in due form before a court; to place among the records of a court. Burrill. (d) (Med.) To restore, as a dislocated part, to its place. -- To put off. (a) To lay aside; to discard; as, to put off a robe; to put off mortality. "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet." Ex. iii. 5. (b) To turn aside; to elude; to disappoint; to frustrate; to baffle.

    I hoped for a demonstration, but Themistius hoped to put me off with an harangue. Boyle.

    We might put him off with this answer. Bentley.

    (c) To delay; to defer; to postpone; as, to put off repentance. (d) To get rid of; to dispose of; especially, to pass fraudulently; as, to put off a counterfeit note, or an ingenious theory. (e) To push from land; as, to put off a boat. -- To put on or upon. (a) To invest one's self with, as clothes; to assume. "Mercury . . . put on the shape of a man." L'Estrange. (b) To impute (something) to; to charge upon; as, to put blame on or upon another. (c) To advance; to promote. [Obs.] "This came handsomely to put on the peace." Bacon. (d) To impose; to inflict. "That which thou puttest on me, will I bear." 2 Kings xviii. 14. (e) To apply; as, to put on workmen; to put on steam. (f) To deceive; to trick. "The stork found he was put upon." L'Estrange. (g) To place upon, as a means or condition; as, he put him upon bread and water. "This caution will put them upon considering." Locke. (h) (Law) To rest upon; to submit to; as, a defendant puts himself on or upon the country. Burrill. -- To put out. (a) To eject; as, to put out and intruder. (b) To put forth; to shoot, as a bud, or sprout. (c) To extinguish; as, to put out a candle, light, or fire. (d) To place at interest; to loan; as, to put out funds. (e) To provoke, as by insult; to displease; to vex; as, he was put out by my reply. [Colloq.] (f) To protrude; to stretch forth; as, to put out the hand. (g) To publish; to make public; as, to put out a pamphlet. (h) To confuse; to disconcert; to interrupt; as, to put one out in reading or speaking. (i) (Law) To open; as, to put out lights, that is, to open or cut windows. Burrill. (j) (Med.) To place out of joint; to dislocate; as, to put out the ankle. (k) To cause to cease playing, or to prevent from playing longer in a certain inning, as in base ball. -- To put over. (a) To place (some one) in authority over; as, to put a general over a division of an army. (b) To refer.

    For the certain knowledge of that truth
    I put you o'er to heaven and to my mother. Shak.

    (c) To defer; to postpone; as, the court put over the cause to the next term. (d) To transfer (a person or thing) across; as, to put one over the river. -- To put the hand to or unto. (a) To take hold of, as of an instrument of labor; as, to put the hand to the plow; hence, to engage in (any task or affair); as, to put one's hand to the work. (b) To take or seize, as in theft. "He hath not put his hand unto his neighbor's goods." Ex. xxii. 11. -- To put through, to cause to go through all conditions or stages of a progress; hence, to push to completion; to accomplish; as, he put through a measure of legislation; he put through a railroad enterprise. [U.S.] -- To put to. (a) To add; to unite; as, to put one sum to another. (b) To refer to; to expose; as, to put the safety of the state to hazard. "That dares not put it to the touch." Montrose. (c) To attach (something) to; to harness beasts to. Dickens. -- To put to a stand, to stop; to arrest by obstacles or difficulties. -- To put to bed. (a) To undress and place in bed, as a child. (b) To deliver in, or to make ready for, childbirth. -- To put to death, to kill. -- To put together, to attach; to aggregate; to unite in one. -- To put this and that (or two and two) together, to draw an inference; to form a correct conclusion. -- To put to it, to distress; to press hard; to perplex; to give difficulty to. "O gentle lady, do not put me to 't." Shak. -- To put to rights, to arrange in proper order; to settle or compose rightly. -- To put to the sword, to kill with the sword; to slay. -- To put to trial, or on trial, to bring to a test; to try. -- To put trust in, to confide in; to repose confidence in. -- To put up. (a) To pass unavenged; to overlook; not to punish or resent; to put up with; as, to put up indignities. [Obs.] "Such national injuries are not to be put up." Addison. (b) To send forth or upward; as, to put up goods for sale. (d) To start from a cover, as game. "She has been frightened; she has been put up." C. Kingsley. (e) To hoard. "Himself never put up any of the rent." Spelman. (f) To lay side or preserve; to pack away; to store; to pickle; as, to put up pork, beef, or fish. (g) To place out of sight, or away; to put in its proper place; as, put up that letter. Shak. (h) To incite; to instigate; -- followed by to; as, he put the lad up to mischief. (i) To raise; to erect; to build; as, to put up a tent, or a house. (j) To lodge; to entertain; as, to put up travelers. -- To put up a job, to arrange a plot. [Slang]

    Syn. -- To place; set; lay; cause; produce; propose; state. -- Put, Lay, Place, Set. These words agree in the idea of fixing the position of some object, and are often used interchangeably. To put is the least definite, denoting merely to move to a place. To place has more particular reference to the precise location, as to put with care in a certain or proper place. To set or to lay may be used when there is special reference to the position of the object.