Put away meaning
Put away means to put something in the place where it is kept. It can also mean to save money to use later.
put something away
put away · put · putting
Put your toys away before dinner.
Put away meanings and examples
2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
-
1
Put something in the place where it is kept
put something away
- Put your toys away before dinner.
- I put away the shopping and made lunch.
- The cups are dry now. I’ll put them away.
-
2
Save money to use later
put something away
- We put away a little money every month.
- She’s putting some cash away for a new car.
- I couldn’t put anything away last year.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use put away in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is put away separable?
Put away is separable: put away the dishes, put the dishes away. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: put them away.
In informal English, put away can also mean eat a lot: Wow, he can really put it away!
Verb tenses for put away
| Present | I put away · she puts away |
|---|---|
| Past | put away |
| Present perfect | have put away |
| -ing form | putting away |
Common mistakes with put away
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: The plates are clean. Put away them, please.
Right: The plates are clean. Put them away, please.
A pronoun goes between put and away.
Wrong: I put away the old newspapers in the bin.
Right: I threw away the old newspapers.
Put away means store; throw away means put in the bin.
Wrong: Can you put down the dishes in the cupboard?
Right: Can you put away the dishes in the cupboard?
Put down means place on a surface for a moment.
Synonyms and opposites of put away
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- tidy upmake a room neat and clean
- put backreturn something to the exact place it was before
- savethe usual word for keeping money
Opposite
- take outremove something from a bag, box or cupboard
- spenduse money to buy things
Put away quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
-
1Please ___ your toys before bed.
Put away means put things where they are kept.
-
2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes between put and away.
-
3Lucy saves £50 every month. She ___ money.
Put money away means save it.
More phrasal verbs with put
All phrasal verbs with put, by level, with an exercise
11 phrasal verbs start with put. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- put onA2dress yourself in clothes, shoes or glasses
- put offB1decide to do something later than you planned
- put downB1place something you are holding on a table or the floor
- put outB1stop a fire, a cigarette or a light from burning or shining
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- put backB1return something to the place where it was before
- put up withB2accept something or someone annoying without complaining
- put togetherB2make something by joining its parts
- put forwardC1suggest an idea or a plan so people can discuss it
- put inA2put something inside a container, a machine or a drink
Put away FAQ
Questions people ask about put away.
What is the difference between put away and put back?
Put away means put something in its usual place, often after tidying. Put back means return it to the exact place you took it from.
What does put someone away mean?
Informally, it means send someone to prison or a hospital: The judge put him away for ten years.
What does put money away for a rainy day mean?
It means save money for a future time when you might need it, like when your car breaks down.
Use put away in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.