Phrasal verbs with put: 25 meanings with example sentences

B1–B225 words

“Put” is one of the small verbs English builds dozens of meanings on, and none of them can be guessed from the parts. Learn them as whole units, in sentences, and they stop sounding like a grammar problem.

Where you will use it: Conversation, telephone English and workplace talk.

Phrasal Verbs with Put — The word list

Word	Meaning
put off	To postpone something.“We put off the meeting until Monday.”
put up with	To tolerate something unpleasant.“I can't put up with the noise any longer.”
put on	To dress in something, or to start a device.“Put on your coat, it's cold.”
put through	To connect someone by phone.“I'll put you through to accounts.”
put away	To return something to its place.“Put the tools away when you finish.”
put out	To extinguish a fire or light.“They put out the fire in minutes.”
put down	To place something on a surface; to criticise.“He put down the box and sighed.”
put forward	To suggest an idea for consideration.“She put forward a simpler plan.”
put aside	To save something for later.“We put aside money every month.”
put back	To return something, or to delay it.“The launch was put back a week.”
put in for	To formally request something.“He put in for a transfer.”
put together	To assemble or prepare something.“I put together a short report.”
put across	To communicate an idea clearly.“She put her argument across well.”
put by	To save money for later.“We put a little money by each month.”
put down to	To believe something was caused by a factor.“I put the mistake down to tiredness.”
put forth	To suggest an idea or make an effort.“The committee put forth a new proposal.”
put into	To invest time, effort or money.“She put a lot of work into the presentation.”
put off by	To make someone dislike or avoid something.“Don't be put off by the long introduction.”
put oneself through	To make yourself experience something difficult.“He put himself through years of training.”
put over	To communicate an idea successfully.“The speaker put the message over clearly.”
put someone up	To let someone stay in your home.“We can put you up for the weekend.”
put up	To build or display something.“They put up a notice by the entrance.”
put upon	To treat someone unfairly by expecting too much.“She felt put upon at work.”
put to	To present a question or proposal.“The chair put the motion to a vote.”
put toward	To contribute money to a cost.“I'll put fifty pounds toward the gift.”

Useful learning tips

Learn in small groupsTake five words at a time and review them before adding more.
Say the examples aloudReading each sentence aloud connects spelling, sound and meaning.
Write your own sentenceUse each word in a true sentence about your life or work.

How to study this list

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

Studying phrasal verbs with put pairs well with our phrasal verbs with get, phrasal verbs with take and essential phrasal verbs list, or browse all free English word lists.

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Questions about this list

How can I practise Phrasal Verbs with Put?

Start with five words and say each example aloud. Then recall the word from its meaning and review it over several days.

Where can I use Phrasal Verbs with Put?

Conversation, telephone English and workplace talk.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 English words with definitions and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete syllabus.

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