put back
Britishverb
-
to return to its former place
-
to move to a later time or date
the wedding was put back a fortnight
-
to delay or impede the progress of
the strike put back production severely
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Unsurprisingly, the unvarnished thoughts couldn’t be put back into the bottle.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026
“They were getting rid of the Lee and the Stonewall Jackson statues, and they said, ‘We don’t want them put back up for further veneration,’” Hamza Walker said.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
The Needham analysts said that “it sounds as though China has become a puzzle that management is struggling mightily to put back together.”
From MarketWatch • Jan. 8, 2026
The case has been put back until April because of a delay involving the disclosure of sensitive documents.
From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026
Katz and I welcomed them with smiles and started to pitch in, then paused and put back the bowls when we realized the couple were mumbling grace.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
