put away

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The phrase "put away" is a phrasal verb in English that has several meanings, but it generally refers to the action of placing something in a specific location, often for storage or safekeeping. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you understand it better:

Basic Meaning

• To store something: When you "put away" something, you are moving it from its current location to a place where it can be kept safely or is not needed at the moment.

Usage Instructions

• "Put away" is often used with objects or items that need to be cleaned up or stored. You can use it in both formal and informal contexts.

Examples

1. Everyday Use:

   • "After dinner, please put away the dishes."
   • This means to clean the dishes and store them in their proper place.

2. Child-related Use:

   • "The children were told to put away their toys."
   • This means the children should clean up and store their toys after playing.

Advanced Usage

• "Put away" can also be used in a more emotional or metaphorical context, like "putting away childish things," which means to stop acting in a naive or immature way as one grows up.

Word Variants

• Putaway (noun): In some contexts, "putaway" can refer to the act of storing items or a storage location, though this usage is less common.

Different Meanings

• To put someone away: This can mean to imprison someone or to confine them.
  • Example: "The criminal was put away for ten years."

Synonyms

• Store: To keep something in a particular place.
• Organize: To arrange items neatly.
• Lock up: To secure something in a place where it cannot be accessed.

Idioms and Related Phrasal Verbs

• Put aside: This means to set something aside for later use or consideration, often used in a context of saving or reserving something.

  • Example: "She put aside some money for a vacation."

• Put down: This means to place something on a surface or to stop holding it.

  • Example: "Please put down the book on the table."

Conclusion

"Put away" is a versatile phrase used in many contexts, from the physical act of storing items to metaphorical uses in discussions about maturity and responsibility.

Academic

Verb

1. turn away from and put aside, perhaps temporarily
   • it's time for you to put away childish things
2. eat up; usually refers to a considerable quantity of food
   • My son tucked in a whole pizza
3. kill gently, as with an injection
   • the cat was very ill and we had to put it to sleep
4. stop using
   • the children were told to put away their toys
   • the students put away their notebooks
5. lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
   • The suspects were imprisoned without trial
   • the murderer was incarcerated for the rest of his life
6. throw or cast away
   • Put away your worries
7. place in a place where something cannot be removed or someone cannot escape
   • The parents locked her daughter up for the weekend
   • She locked her jewels in the safe

Synonyms

• put aside
• tuck in
• tuck away
• put to sleep
• lock in
• lock away
• lock
• shut up
• shut away
• lock up