PUT Phrasal Verbs in English: Meanings and Examples

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A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word (a particle) that together make a new meaning. The verb put forms more phrasal verbs than almost any other, and many have several meanings: put on, put off, put up with, put down, and more.

This guide is for B1 to C1 learners. It focuses on the most useful put phrasal verbs, with a clear meaning and an example for each, the words that have many meanings, which ones can be separated by an object, and the mistakes learners make most. Three exercises are on this page so you can practice straight away.

On this page

Quick video summary
What a phrasal verb is
The most useful PUT phrasal verbs
Put down: many meanings
Put on and put off
Separable or not
Common mistakes
Practice exercises
FAQ
Key takeaways

A quick video summary

What a phrasal verb is

A phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle (an adverb or a preposition) to form a single expression. The particle often changes the meaning of the verb completely, so you cannot work out the meaning by translating each word on its own.

The trick is to learn the whole phrase as one unit of meaning. Note that put is irregular but keeps the same form everywhere: put, put, put. "Yesterday I put it away" looks the same as the present.

The most useful PUT phrasal verbs, with examples

Phrasal verb	Common meaning	Example
put on	to get dressed in something; to turn on	Put on your coat, it's cold.
put off	to postpone; to discourage or disgust someone	They put off the meeting until Friday.
put up with	to tolerate someone or something unpleasant	I can't put up with the noise.
put away	to return something to its place; to save money	Please put away your toys.
put up	to build or erect; to let someone stay the night	They put up a tent by the lake.
put out	to extinguish; to inconvenience someone	Firefighters put out the fire.
put forward	to suggest an idea, plan or candidate	She put forward a new plan.
put back	to postpone; to return something to its place	The launch was put back a week.
put in	to invest time or effort; to install; to submit	He put in a lot of hours on the project.
put through	to connect by phone; to make someone endure	I'll put you through to the sales team.
put together	to assemble; to compile or organise	We put together the flat-pack desk.
put aside	to save for later; to ignore temporarily	She puts aside some money each month.
put across	to communicate an idea clearly	He put across his argument very well.

Put has more phrasal verbs than you can memorise from a list. The way they stick is to use them in conversation. Book a free trial lesson and practice put phrasal verbs with an experienced native teacher, no credit card needed.

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"Put down" has many meanings

Some put phrasal verbs carry several meanings, and the context tells you which one is meant. "Put down" is the clearest example.

Meaning	Example
to place something on a surface	He put down his heavy bags.
to criticise or insult someone	Stop putting me down in front of others.
to write something down	Please put down your name and address.
to pay a deposit	We put down ten percent on the house.
to suppress by force	The army put down the rebellion.

Put on and put off: watch the meanings

These two are very common and each has more than one meaning, so the context matters.

Sentence	Meaning
She put on her shoes.	to get dressed in something
Can you put on the light?	to turn on a device
We put off the trip.	to postpone
The smell put me off.	to make someone feel dislike

Separable or not: where the object goes

Most two-word put phrasal verbs are separable, so a pronoun object goes in the middle. The three-word ones are inseparable, so the object stays after the whole phrase.

Separable: put on, put off, put away, put down, put back, put up. "Put your coat on" or "put it on" (not "put on it").
Inseparable: put up with, put in for, put down to, put up to. "I can't put up with it," not "put it up with."

Common mistakes with PUT phrasal verbs

Translating word by word. "Put off" is not "put" plus "off." Learn the whole phrase as one meaning.
Wrong pronoun placement. Say "put it on" (separable), but "put up with it" (the three-word verb is inseparable).
Mixing the meanings of put off. "Put off the meeting" is postpone; "the noise put me off" is discourage or disgust.
Changing the form of put. Put is irregular and never changes: put, put, put. "He putted on his hat" is wrong; use "put on."

Practice exercises on PUT phrasal verbs

Exercise 1. Select the correct phrasal verb of put to fit each sentence.

Exercise 2. Select the correct phrasal verb of put to fit each sentence.

Exercise 3. Match the meanings to the phrasal verbs.

Quick self-check

Choose the right put phrasal verb, then reveal the answers.

1. I can't ____ his constant complaining. (tolerate)
2. They ____ the wedding ____ until next year. (postpone)
3. The firefighters ____ the fire. (extinguish)

Show answers

1. put up with. 2. put ... off (or put off). 3. put out.

How did that feel? Recognising a phrasal verb in an exercise is one thing. Reaching for the right one while you speak is the goal. In a free trial lesson, an experienced native teacher will have you using put phrasal verbs in real sentences within minutes.

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Frequently asked questions

What does "put off" mean?

Put off has two common meanings: to postpone something ("they put off the meeting until Friday") and to make someone feel dislike or discourage them ("the smell put me off"). The context tells you which one is meant.

What does "put up with" mean?

Put up with means to tolerate someone or something unpleasant or annoying, for example "I can't put up with the noise." It is a three-word phrasal verb, so the object always comes after the whole phrase.

What does "put on" mean?

Put on most often means to get dressed in something ("put on your coat") or to turn on a device ("put on the light"). It can also mean to gain weight, to host or organise an event, or to pretend.

What does "put down" mean?

Put down has several meanings: to place something on a surface ("put down your bags"), to criticise someone ("stop putting me down"), to write something down, to pay a deposit, and to suppress something by force. The context decides which one is meant.

Are put phrasal verbs separable?

Most two-word ones are separable, so a pronoun object goes in the middle ("put it on," "put it away"). The three-word ones, like put up with, put in for and put down to, are inseparable, so the object stays after the whole phrase ("put up with it").

Key takeaways

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a particle with a new, combined meaning.
Put forms many phrasal verbs, and several (put on, put off, put down) have more than one meaning.
The most common ones: put on, put off, put up with, put away, put up, put out.
Two-word put verbs are usually separable (put it on); three-word ones are inseparable (put up with it).
Put is irregular but never changes form: put, put, put.

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Written and reviewed by the experienced native English teachers at Live English, online since 2007.