put by
Related to put by: put off, put out, put up, protective put
put (something) by
1. To position something next to something else. I put the note by his computer so that he would be sure to see it. Thanks, Bill, you can put those by the front door.
2. To save, preserve, or reserve something for future use. You should always put a chunk of money by in case you ever run into trouble down the line. A: "There's way too much food." B: "Well, let's put some by, and we can have it for dinner this weekend."
3. To attempt to carry something through by deceptive or surreptitious means in order not to draw someone's attention. You can't put anything by my dad—he's like a bloodhound whenever we try to get away with anything! They tried to put the embezzlement scheme by the watchful eyes of the auditors.
See also: by, put
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
put something by
and lay something byto 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: by, put
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
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: by, put
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
- put (something) by
- put in
- put in at (some place)
- put an animal down
- put down (an animal)
- put (one's) back into (something)
- put (something) in with (someone or something)
- put (something) on the block
- put on the block
- put (someone or something) inside (something)