📦 To place ✍️ To write 🌈 To euthanize 😞 To belittle 🚌 To drop off 🛬 To land

to put down

117 2.4

To write something so you do not forget it

phrasal verb
/pʊt daʊn/

: anotar

And from William Maxwell, I learned that the best editors know when to put their pencils down.

I suspect they fear I'll listen, Put something else down in ink.

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Examples

Anna picked up the pencil again and tried to put down what she thought he would need to know.

Fiction book (1999)
Don't self-censor; put down all your ideas, even if morbid or weird.

Academic text (2010)
I really think when you put something down on paper sounds so simple.
Eventually, these accounts were put down in the written word as well.

Academic text (1998)
The purpose is to get students to put ideas down on paper quickly and accurately.

Academic text (2013)
I know there's something in my head; I just can't put it down in words.

Fiction book (1996)
Whether you are a frequent flyer or a first-time traveler, I urge you to put down your reading materials and pay attention to this very important information.

United 93 (2006)
In order to remember the meeting details, please put down your notes on the agenda.
The teacher encouraged us to put down our ideas for the project during the brainstorming session.
To prepare for the exam, make sure you put down all the important formulas in your notebook.

Synonyms

to write

vsto put down

∞ 1.0

Put letters and words onto a surface using a pen or keyboard

is specifically about making a brief written note for memory

to record

vsto put down

762 2.3

To make a written, audio, or video copy of something for later use

is limited to making a written mark rather than other media

to enter

vsto put down

267 1.4

To put information into a form or computer

is the basic making of a short written note for memory

to write down

vsto put down

214 1.1

Put information on paper to help you remember it later

is the general act of making a short written note

to note

vsto put down

158 1.3

To write something down so you do not forget it

is the basic act of making a short written record

to get down

vsto put down

52 3.4

To write something down on paper or a screen

is the everyday act of making a short written note

to take down

vsto put down

30 3.4

To write something so you can remember it

is the simple act of making a short written note

to jot down

vsto put down

Informal

27 2.9

To write a short note quickly to remember something

is the neutral act of making a written note without speed implied

to write out

vsto put down

25 2.4

Put all the details on a form or paper

is about making a short or simple written note rather than detail

to set down

vsto put down

13 3.8

To write words or information so they are recorded

is the informal act of making a short personal written note

to pen in

vsto put down

1 4.2

To write down an idea, plan, or appointment

is the general making of a written note, not only plans

to dash down

vsto put down

1 4.4

To write something quickly without much care

is the ordinary act of making a written note with no haste

to key down

vsto put down

5.5

To type notes or information on a computer keyboard

is the simple act of making a handwritten or brief written note

Antonyms

to erase

144 1.6

Remove marks, writing, or digital files so they are no longer visible

How Thorough

to record

350 2.6

to put down

117 2.4

to jot down

Informal

27 2.9

Surface Forms

put down infinitive

put down past

put down past participle

putting down present participle

puts down third person singular

Morphology

put + down

The sense of lowering someone (put = place; down = lower/low) gives a clear metaphorical route from the literal constituents to the idiomatic meaning of belittling, so learners who know both words can often infer the general idea. However, the shift from a physical action to a social/ evaluative meaning (criticize or demean) is a metaphorical extension and not strictly compositional or fully predictable, so it is only partially transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Put down The phrasal verb put and down paints the simple picture of lowering a pen or pencil onto paper so the words stay there, like placing a note in a safe spot. So, it means 'to write something down' or make a note.