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put by

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put something by

 and lay something by

to reserve a portion of something; to preserve and store something, such as food. I put some money by for a rainy day. I laid some eggs by for our use tomorrow.

See also: put

put by

v.

1. To place something at the side of something else: We put the plates by the cake.

2. To save something for later use: The family put by the extra wrapping paper for next year.

See also: put