1. Home
2. Idioms
3. put away

put away

---

---

put someone away

 

1. Sl. to kill someone. (Underworld.) The gangster threatened to put me away if I told the police. They've put away witnesses in the past.

2. Euph. to bury someone. My uncle died last week. They put him away on Saturday. They put away my uncle in the cold ground.

3. and send someone away Euph. to have someone put into a mental institution. My uncle became irrational, and they put him away. They put away my aunt they ear before.

4. and send someone away Euph. to sentence someone to prison for a length of time. (Underworld.) They put Richard away for fifteen years. The judge put away the whole gang.

See also: away, put

put something away

 

1. Lit. to return something to its proper storage place. When you are finished with the hammer, please put it away. Don't leave it out. Put away this mess!

2. Fig. to eat something. Are you going to put this last piece of cake away? Did you put away that whole pizza?

See also: away, put

put away somebody

also put somebody away

1. to defeat someone The Devils still have two more chances to put away the Flyers this season.

2. to remove a criminal or mentally ill person from society You have to put away the people who are so crazy that they are a danger to the rest of us.

See also: away, put

put away something

also put something away

1. to save or store something for future use I found the box where I had put away the children's toys. When you finish using the lawn mower, put it away in the garage.

2. to decide to forget or ignore something unpleasant put something behind you Nervous residents tried to put away their fears.

3. to win something Ella watched in amazement as Melissa simply walked to the net to put away an easy volley.

4. to eat or drink a lot of something He put away a whole apple pie in one sitting. I like to put away a few beers with my friends after work.

See also: away, put

put away

1. Place in a designated spot for storage; also, place out of reach. For example, Please put away your clothes, or This young tennis player can really put away the ball. Also see set aside, def. 1.

2. Renounce, discard, as in Put away all those negative thoughts. [Late 1300s]

3. Consume quickly, ingest readily, as in He put away his dinner in just a few minutes. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

4. Confine to a mental health facility, as in The doctor said we had to put her away. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

5. Kill, as in The vet put our old cat away. [Colloquial; late 1500s]

See also: away, put

put away

v.

1. To put something in a place where it is kept when not in use: Remember to put away the milk when you are finished with it. Please put your toys away.

2. To stop thinking about something: Put that old daydream away and use your imagination. We put away our fear of losing and just concentrated on doing our best.

3. To eat or drink something completely, readily, and quickly: They put away two bottles of wine over lunch. I ordered a large pizza and put it away in five minutes.

4. To confine to a prison, mental health facility, or other institution: If you get caught stealing again, they will put you away. The judicial system puts away both drug dealers and drug users.

5. To bury someone: They put the preacher away in that cemetery next to the church.

See also: away, put