put paid to

present singular third person puts paid to · participle present putting paid to

1. UKdatedTo mark a bill or a debt record as "paid".

   Well, then, I'll put paid to that little account.

   1893 December, Mrs. Alexander, “Found Wanting”, in Belgravia, volume 82, page 353

   Synonyms: put a stop to, put an end to, finish off

2. UKTo put an end to.First known use early 20th century

   If Harry had always seemed a sickly child, Harrow put paid to notions that he was really a physical weakling.

   2010, David Brown, Palmerston: A Biography

   3 more examples

   When peace came in 1802 she regained a measure of control, but it was wrested from her when war with Britain broke out once more in 1805 and Nelson put paid to Spanish sea power in the Atlantic at the Battle of Trafalgar.

   1992, Edwin Williamson, The Penguin History of Latin America, London; New York: Penguin Books, →ISBN, page 204

   This puts paid to the argument that a claimant who comes to a nuisance has impliedly consented to the continuance of that nuisance.

   2013, Allan Beever, The Law of Private Nuisance, page 60

   The Guardian recently uncovered nearly 200 new projects – “carbon bombs” – that if completed would put paid to the world’s chances of limiting global temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

   2022 June 17, Fiona Harvey, “Fossil fuel firms ‘have humanity by the throat’, says UN head in blistering attack”, in The Guardian

3. UKidiomaticTo terminate; to cancel (plans or expectations); to preclude (possibilities); to stop (something) once and for all.

   The rain put paid to our plans for a picnic.