put down
phrasal verb·4 senses·particle down
Meanings
Place on a surface
Why “down”? Movement goes from high to low.
“Put the box down on the table.”
“She put her cup down beside the sink.”
“He put the phone down and walked away.”
Insult or belittle someone
Why “down”? A structure, a system, or someone's mood can go down when it fails.
“Stop putting yourself down.”
“The coach put the player down in front of the team.”
“Don't put her down. She did her best.”
Euthanize an animal
“The vet had to put the dog down.”
“They put the injured horse down.”
“It broke her heart to put her cat down last week.”
Commit to writing
Why “down”? Information is fixed in words, on paper or in a recording.
“Put down whatever comes to mind.”
“He put his thoughts down in a diary.”
Memory hook
You set something down, or push someone's confidence down.
Common mistake
He always puts down me.
He always puts me down.
With a pronoun object, it goes in the middle: put me down.
Natural collocations
The word partners “put down” most often appears with — learn the phrase, not just the verb.
Don't confuse with
Put down means place on a surface. Put up means raise or lift.
Test yourself
“Put the box down on the table.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
put up
A contrast learners often mix up
Raise or lift; Provide accommodation; Tolerate (put up with); Erect or construct; Display a notice, poster or sign in a public place; Increase a price, rate or value
back down
Same down pattern: losing
Withdraw from a position
bear down
Same down pattern: downward
Move quickly and threateningly toward someone
beat down
Same down pattern: downward
(of sun or rain) fall strongly and steadily
bend down
Same down pattern: downward
Lean the upper body downward
blow down
Same down pattern: downward
Cause something to fall by blowing
break down
Same down pattern: losing
(of a vehicle or machine) stop working; Lose emotional control and start crying; Separate something into smaller parts to understand it; (of negotiations or relationships) fail or end; Force a door open by hitting it; Decompose into simpler chemical substances
bring down
Same down pattern: downward
Cause something to fall or land; Make something lower in level or amount; Cause a government or leader to lose power; Make someone feel sad or depressed
Tell it apart
Side-by-side comparisons with the verbs learners most often confuse for “put down”.
Sink In — iOS & Android
Practice “put down” in Sink In
Drill “put down” and 1,300+ other phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by the particle patterns that connect them.
- Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
- Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
- Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
