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Glite Dictionary
to put right

to put right

7 3.6
To fix a mistake or problem and return things to normal
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : corregir
  • The teacher helped the student put right his misunderstanding of the math problem.
  • put right what's wrong
  • striving to put right

There was a few things that the guys put right which weren't in the plan to make it work.

Examples

  • So we made real progress, putting right what went so badly wrong.

  • Why don't you get them put right before someone else falls?

    The Remains of the Day (1993)

  • Peter, it's got to be put right and quickly.

    An Enemy of the People (1978)

  • I want you to put right the wrong you did nine years ago.

    Inkheart (2008)

  • That's something I should have put right years ago

    Wrecking Ball (2020)

  • I believe I have given Cross Country every opportunity to put right the wrongs in this case.

    Blog text (9)

  • You'd know the score if you had; it's not that easy to put right!

    Blog text (27)

  • Just the painstaking work of putting right what went so badly wrong.

  • She is determined to put right the mistakes she made in her previous project.

  • After the confusion during the meeting, he worked hard to put right the agenda.

Synonyms

to correct
vsto put right
483 1.0

To make something right by fixing a mistake

is broader, focusing on restoring proper state rather than only accuracy
to adjust
vsto put right
317 2.7

To change something so it is in the right position or works correctly

is broader and often means full restoration rather than small adjustments
to straighten out
vsto put right
167 3.4

To solve a problem or make a misunderstanding clear

focuses on fixing problems generally rather than only clarifying confusion
to repair
vsto put right
71 2.1

To try to make a damaged relationship or reputation better

is less specific covering physical restoration and broader forms of fixing
to rectify
vsto put right
45 6.0

To fix something that is wrong and make things right

is the general act of fixing mistakes and restoring proper condition
to right
vsto put right
41 4.4

To put something back into an upright position

emphasizes restoring physical order rather than only correcting abstract faults
to iron out
vsto put right
22 3.8

Settle problems or disagreements by talking and finding a solution

is more general covering corrections not only negotiated settlements

How Fixed

to overhaul
35 4.6
to restore
219 3.5
to put right
7 3.6
fix
76 1.0
to patch
151 2.5

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

put + right

The sense 'to correct or restore' is directly compositional from 'put' (to bring into a state) + 'right' (to make correct/upward), so a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE meaning. This is a common and regular verb + particle/verb combination found cross-linguistically, so it should be accessible to a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrasal verb put right comes from the simple image of moving something that is wrong back into the right place. To put something right is to make it 'correct' again, so the phrase means to 'fix' a mistake or problem.