Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🔑 To insert 💡 To install 📝 To submit 💬 To interrupt 📦 To store
to put in

to put in

172 2.5
Install something so it stays in place and is ready to use
  • phrasal verb
  • /pʊt ɪn/
translation icon : instalar
  • -We're putting in a new playground...
  • put in place
  • put in a system
  • put in new guidelines

But you are going to have to put in your graphics card yourself.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • A transitional government has been put in place until the next free elections.

    Freelance (2023)

  • But the first one they put in today is right in here.

  • I see that, but when did you get a pool put in?

    My Mom's New Boyfriend (2008)

  • And now we just need to put in these screws.

  • The protocols are put in place for everyone's protection.

    The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

  • We had knocked out a wall and put in a bar and a spiral staircase.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • They just put in new rails.

    Bound By Movement (2019)

  • We need to put in the new software before the launch of the product.

  • The technician will put in the new air conditioning unit this afternoon.

  • Make sure to put in the batteries before turning on the remote control.

Synonyms

to place
vsto put in
∞ 1.0

To put something in a particular position or job

is about making items ready for use rather than mere assignment
to set up
vsto put in
983 2.7

To assemble and prepare equipment or objects so they are ready to use

is more about placing rather than full assembly or preparation
to install
vsto put in
480 3.2

To set up a machine or computer program so it works

is broader, also covers placing nontechnical items ready for use
to position
vsto put in
159 2.5

To put something in a particular place carefully

is more about making items ready for use than careful arrangement
to situate
vsto put in
61 3.9

Put someone or something in a certain place

is more about preparing items for use than choosing their context
to stick in
vsto put in
45 3.0

Push something into another thing so it goes inside

is about readying an item for use rather than forcing it into something
to emplace
vsto put in
  • Specialized
1 9.1

To put something firmly in a chosen place, often for machines or heavy equipment

is more general, covering making items ready rather than firm placement

Antonyms

to remove
∞ 1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

How Ready

to activate
715 3.6
to put in
172 2.5
to install
480 3.2
to fit
761 1.0
to place
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

put in infinitive
putting in present participle
puts in third person singular
put in past
put in past participle

Morphology

put + in

The sense 'to formally submit' is an extended, metaphorical use of 'put' + 'in' (you 'place' an application into a process or system), so there is a visible link to the literal meanings. However, the submission sense depends on collocational convention (put in an application/request) rather than strict compositional rules, so a B1 learner who only knows the words may only partially infer the meaning and may not reliably predict it without prior exposure.

Etymology

Put in comes from fitting something into its place so it is ready to work, like carpenters who put new windows in a house or electricians who put a light in the ceiling. So, it means 'to install or make ready to use'.