Here are 30 phrasal verbs with **put**, each with detailed explanations and examples for clearer understanding:
1. **put up with** – **to tolerate or endure something unpleasant**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “up with” adds the sense of enduring or tolerating.
• _I can’t put up with his bad behavior anymore._ (The speaker is tired of enduring the person’s behavior.)
• _She has to put up with long hours at work._ (She tolerates the long work hours, though it’s unpleasant.)
2. **put off** – **to delay or postpone something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “off” adds the sense of postponing or delaying an action.
• _We had to put off the meeting until next week._ (The meeting was delayed.)
• _Don’t put off your homework until the last minute._ (The speaker is advising against delaying homework.)
3. **put on** – **to wear or apply something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “on” adds the sense of applying or wearing.
• _She put on her coat before leaving._ (She wore her coat.)
• _He put on sunscreen to protect his skin._ (He applied sunscreen.)
4. **put down** – **to criticize or belittle someone**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “down” adds the sense of lowering someone’s confidence through criticism.
• _He’s always putting me down in front of others._ (He constantly belittles the speaker.)
• _Don’t put yourself down; you did a great job!_ (The speaker is telling the other person not to criticize themselves.)
5. **put out** – **to extinguish or stop something from burning**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “out” adds the sense of stopping something, like a fire.
• _The firefighters put out the blaze quickly._ (They extinguished the fire.)
• _Please put out your cigarette before entering the building._ (The speaker is asking someone to extinguish their cigarette.)
6. **put aside** – **to save or set something apart for later use**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “aside” adds the sense of setting something apart for future use.
• _She put aside some money for her vacation._ (She saved money for later.)
• _Let’s put aside our differences and work together._ (The speaker suggests ignoring their differences for now.)
7. **put through** – **to connect someone on the phone or to cause someone to undergo something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “through” adds the sense of moving someone or something from one point to another.
• _Can you put me through to the manager?_ (The speaker is asking to be connected on the phone.)
• _He was put through rigorous training before the competition._ (He underwent difficult training.)
8. **put forward** – **to propose or suggest something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “forward” adds the sense of presenting an idea or proposal.
• _She put forward a new idea during the meeting._ (She suggested a new idea.)
• _They put forward a plan to reduce costs._ (They proposed a plan.)
9. **put back** – **to return something to its original place**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “back” adds the sense of returning something to where it belongs.
• _Please put the book back on the shelf._ (The speaker is asking someone to return the book.)
• _He put the phone back after making the call._ (He returned the phone to its place.)
10. **put off by** – **to be discouraged or dissuaded by something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “off by” adds the sense of being dissuaded or discouraged from continuing.
• _She was put off by his rude behavior._ (She felt discouraged or dissuaded because of his behavior.)
• _I was put off by the high prices at the store._ (The speaker was discouraged from buying because of the high prices.)
11. **put in** – **to contribute time, effort, or resources to something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “in” adds the sense of contributing or investing effort or time.
• _He put in a lot of hours to finish the project._ (He invested a lot of time in the project.)
• _They put in money to support the cause._ (They contributed financially.)
12. **put out for** – **to inconvenience oneself for someone else’s benefit**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “out for” adds the sense of making an effort or sacrifice for another person.
• _She really put herself out for us by hosting the event._ (She made an extra effort to help by hosting the event.)
• _I don’t want you to put yourself out for my sake._ (The speaker doesn’t want the other person to inconvenience themselves.)
13. **put together** – **to assemble or organize something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “together” adds the sense of combining or assembling parts into a whole.
• _He put together the furniture by following the instructions._ (He assembled the furniture.)
• _They put together a great team for the project._ (They organized a strong team.)
14. **put off by** – **to be repelled or deterred by something unpleasant**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “off by” adds the sense of being discouraged by something unpleasant.
• _I was put off by the strong smell in the room._ (The smell discouraged or bothered the speaker.)
• _She was put off by his attitude and didn’t want to continue the conversation._ (She was discouraged from continuing due to his attitude.)
15. **put up** – **to provide lodging or accommodation for someone**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “up” adds the sense of providing a temporary place for someone.
• _She put me up for the night when I missed my train._ (She provided a place for me to stay.)
• _They put up their guests in a nearby hotel._ (They arranged for accommodation for their guests.)
16. **put away** – **to store something or put it in its proper place**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “away” adds the sense of storing or placing something where it belongs.
• _Please put away the dishes after washing them._ (The speaker asks for the dishes to be stored.)
• _He put away his clothes after folding them._ (He stored his clothes properly.)
17. **put out with** – **to manage or deal with something or someone difficult**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “out with” adds the sense of coping with or managing a difficult situation.
• _She has to put out with her noisy neighbors every night._ (She tolerates the difficulty of her neighbors.)
• _He’s putting out with a tough schedule at work._ (He’s managing a challenging work schedule.)
18. **put someone off** – **to deter or dissuade someone from doing something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “off” adds the sense of discouraging someone.
• _His rude comments really put me off the idea of working with him._ (The comments discouraged the speaker.)
• _The bad weather put them off from going hiking._ (The weather discouraged them from going.)
19. **put forward to** – **to propose or present something to someone**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “forward to” adds the sense of proposing an idea to someone.
• _They put forward the proposal to the board for approval._ (They presented the proposal to the board.)
• _He put forward his ideas to the team._ (He suggested his ideas to the group.)
20. **put across** – **to communicate or explain something clearly**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “across” adds the sense of delivering information effectively.
• _She put her ideas across clearly during the presentation._ (She explained her ideas well.)
• _He struggled to put his point across in the debate._ (He had difficulty communicating his argument.)
21. **put upon** – **to take advantage of someone’s kindness**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “upon” adds the sense of placing a burden or taking advantage of someone.
• _I hate to feel like I’m being put upon when I help people._ (The
speaker doesn’t like feeling taken advantage of.)
• _She felt put upon when her coworkers kept asking her for favors._ (She felt burdened by constant requests.)
22. **put down to** – **to attribute something to a cause**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “down to” adds the sense of attributing something to a specific cause or reason.
• _We can put his success down to hard work and determination._ (The success is attributed to his effort.)
• _She put her illness down to stress._ (She believes stress caused her illness.)
23. **put out by** – **to be inconvenienced or annoyed by something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “out by” adds the sense of being bothered or annoyed by something.
• _I was a bit put out by his late arrival._ (The speaker felt inconvenienced by his lateness.)
• _She was put out by the last-minute changes to the schedule._ (She felt annoyed by the sudden changes.)
24. **put in for** – **to apply for something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “in for” adds the sense of submitting an application or request.
• _I put in for a promotion at work._ (The speaker applied for a promotion.)
• _She put in for a vacation next month._ (She applied for time off.)
25. **put someone up to** – **to encourage or persuade someone to do something, often mischievous**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “up to” adds the sense of convincing someone to act, often in a negative or mischievous way.
• _Who put you up to playing that prank?_ (The speaker asks who encouraged the prank.)
• _He was put up to asking the embarrassing question._ (Someone persuaded him to ask the question.)
26. **put up for** – **to nominate or offer someone for something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “up for” adds the sense of offering someone for a position or award.
• _She was put up for a leadership role in the organization._ (She was nominated for a leadership position.)
• _They put her up for the Employee of the Month award._ (They nominated her for the award.)
27. **put off until** – **to delay something until a later time**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “off until” adds the sense of postponing something to a specific later time.
• _We’ve put off the meeting until next week._ (The meeting is delayed until next week.)
• _She put off her vacation until after the project is done._ (Her vacation was delayed until the project was completed.)
28. **put someone down as** – **to label or categorize someone as something**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “down as” adds the sense of labeling or categorizing someone.
• _I put him down as an honest person from the start._ (The speaker categorized him as honest.)
• _They put her down as a strong candidate for the job._ (They considered her a strong candidate.)
29. **put one’s foot down** – **to assert authority or insist on something firmly**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “foot down” adds the sense of taking a firm stand or making a strong decision.
• _She finally put her foot down and refused to work overtime._ (She asserted her authority to say no to overtime.)
• _He put his foot down when the children asked for more candy._ (He firmly refused the children’s request.)
30. **put under** – **to anesthetize someone for surgery**
**Base meaning:** “put” means “to place something.”
**Extended meaning:** “under” adds the sense of being placed under anesthesia or into unconsciousness.
• _The doctor put him under for the surgery._ (The doctor anesthetized him.)
• _They had to put the patient under before the operation._ (The patient was anesthetized before surgery.)
These 30 phrasal verbs with **put** cover a wide range of meanings, from simple actions like “putting something aside” to more complex ideas like “putting up with” difficulties or “putting off” tasks. The explanations and examples will help you understand how to use each phrasal verb in different contexts.