10 Common Phrasal Verbs with “Put” – Meanings and Example Sentences (Audio)

Put away

to return (something) to the correct or proper place. If you put something away, you put it into the place where it is normally kept when it is not being used.

You never put away your toys.

Put away your money! I won’t accept money from you.

The teacher asked the students to put away their phones during the lecture.

Put out

to make something stop burning (fire, candle, cigarette); to switch off a light

It’s late at night; put out the lights and go to sleep.

Remember to put out the candle before you leave.

Put out your cigarette before entering the building.

Put off

to delay doing something, especially because you do not want to do it; to wait until the last minute to do something

I always put off my homework until the last minute.

It’s a bad habit to put off work until the last minute.

I can’t put off going to the dentist any longer.

Put on

the act of wearing clothing or jewelry; to start or host an event

I put on my jacket before I go outside.

The singer will put on a show this weekend.

Remember to put on your necklace before going to the wedding.

Put aside

to save time or money so that you can use it later; to stop thinking or worrying about something

Let’s put some money aside for our retirement.

Why don’t we put aside our concerns and start doing it now?

Every day, Laura puts aside $1 to buy a birthday present for her mom.

Put back

to return something to the place where it belongs; to delay a planned event

Can you please put the remote control back after you use it?

I’m afraid that we have to put the trip back until next week.

We will need to put the meeting back in case we can’t contact him.

Put in

to install a piece of equipment or furniture; to elect someone; to invest your time or effort

They’ve put in a lot of time and effort to complete the project.

We had a new air-conditioner put in yesterday.

No one put in for him.

Put across

to successfully communicate ideas and thoughts to someone

He was struggling to put his ideas across in the debate.

Jenny tried to put her messages across through her body language.

He put his viewpoints across well and won the competition.

Put forth/forward

to suggest a plan or person

His new plan has been put forth.

He put forth a proposal for the marketing plan for the next three months.

Thinking that he suited the position, Mark put himself forward as a candidate.

Put up with

to accept someone or something that is unpleasant

Her dad has put up with her disrespect for years.

I don’t understand how he can put up with his wife.

I can’t stand him anymore. I can’t put up with the messes he makes every day.