Phrasal Verbs with ‘Put’

Regular readers of the Intrepid English Blog may have already read some of the many other blog posts about phrasal verbs we have put up on the blog. In today’s blog post we will go over the meanings of four phrasal verbs which use the verb ‘put’. At the end of the post, we will also see three common English idioms with ‘put’.


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Put up with

To put up with someone or something means to tolerate it.

For example, “I can’t put up with the neighbour’s loud parties anymore! I need to have a serious conversation with him.”

“My socks got wet at the beginning of the hike, but I hadn’t packed any spare ones, so I just had to put up with the discomfort.”

Put up

We can use this phrasal verb both literally and figuratively. If I put something up on a wall, I place it there and display it. If I put my friend up for the night, it means that I provide accomodation and a place for them to stay.

For example: “We will be visiting London next weekend for the Taylor Swift concert. Is there any chance you could put us up for the night?”

“The proud grandma put the birthday card from her grandchildren up on her fridge.”

Put down

To put down also has a couple of meanings. To put down an object means to place it on a floor or surface and stop holding it. To put down a person means to make negative or unsupportive comments to them and to make them feel bad about themselves.

For example: “I realised that the friendship I had with Loreen was very toxic. She was always putting me down when I tried to talk about my goals or plans.”

“The police told the robber to put down the knife.”

Put off

Finally, put off also has a couple of meanings. To put off an event or task means to postpone it. To put someone off something means to repel them or make them not want to continue with what they are doing.

For example: “I keep putting off doing my homework. I’m such a procrastinator!”

“They saw a cockroach coming out of the kitchen at the restaurant and it put them off their food.”

Common idioms with ‘put’

Have you heard these common idioms with ‘put’ before?

Put two and two together

Meaning: To figure something out from the evidence at hand.

“When I couldn’t find John at the party, and saw that his car was gone, I put two and two together and realised he must have gone home.”

Put your money where your mouth is

Meaning: To live by or follow through on what you are saying and claims you are making.

“If you think you can do a better job, then put your money where your mouth is and show us.”

Put all your eggs in one basket

Meaning: To depend on a single person, option or plan for your success, instead of having alternative, back-up plans.

“She decided to apply to multiple colleges instead of just one, because she didn’t want to put all her eggs in one basket.”

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In the course, you will learn dozens of phrasal verbs covering a variety of different themes. You will study these about sport, love, nature, business meetings, negotiations, and many more. You will learn the grammar in context – accompanied by audio recordings of English speakers using these verbs in conversation.

We also have a Community of English learners to practise with. Write your own sentences in our Figure Out Phrasal Verbs forum or book a lesson with one of our teachers who will correct any mistakes.

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