put someone in their place

verb

To remind someone of their position.

“His quips at the party aimed to put the CEO in his place.”

Similar
cut down to sizeput someone on blastadmonishanimadvertbashbawl outtiltclobber
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbput someone in their place (third-person singular simple present puts someone in their place, present participle putting someone in their place, simple past and past participle put someone in their place)

present singular third person puts someone in their place · participle present putting someone in their place

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo remind someone of their position.
  2. idiomaticTo bring somebody down; to humble or rebuke.

    His quips at the party aimed to put the CEO in his place.

    2 more examples

    The response, culminating in Rooney finishing off a slick exchange of incisive, pass-them-to-death football, quickly put Scotland back in their place.

    2014 November 18, Daniel Taylor, “England and Wayne Rooney see off Scotland in their own back yard”, in The Guardian

    Musk has spent a lifetime defying the haters; now, it seems, he’s finally in position to put them in their place.

    December 13 2021, Molly Ball, Jeffrey Kluger, Alejandro de la Garza, “Elon Musk: Person of the Year 2021”, in Time Magazine, archived from the original on 13 Dec 2021

    Synonyms: cut down to size, put someone on blast, admonish, animadvert, bash, bawl out, tilt, clobber

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo bring somebody down; to humble or rebuke.

Similar
cut down to sizeput someone on blastadmonishanimadvertbashbawl outtiltclobbercannonadeslashlashblamescorchblastberateberispcastigatecensurechargechastise
Also see
bring downdejectdemeandepressgive a bad name

Translations

Dutch terechtwijzen, op zijn plaats zetten
  • terechtwijzento remind someone of his position
  • op zijn plaats zettento remind someone of his position
  • de oren wassento humble or rebuke
  • op zijn plaats zettento humble or rebuke
  • terechtwijzento humble or rebuke
Finnish näyttää jollekin paikkansa
  • näyttää jollekin paikkansato humble or rebuke
French remettre à sa place
  • remettre à sa placeto humble or rebuke
German in seine Schranken weisen, zurechtweisen
  • in seine Schranken weisento remind someone of his position
  • zurechtweisento remind someone of his position
  • runterputzento humble or rebuke
  • vorführento humble or rebuke
Hungarian helyre tesz, rendreutasít
  • helyre teszto humble or rebuke
  • rendreutasítto humble or rebuke
Italian mettere al proprio posto
  • mettere al proprio postoto humble or rebuke
Polish ustawiać w szeregu, ustawić w szeregu
  • ustawiać w szereguto remind someone of his position
  • ustawić w szereguto remind someone of his position
  • poskramiaćto humble or rebuke
  • poskromićto humble or rebuke
Russian поста́вить на ме́сто
  • поста́вить на ме́сто (postávitʹ na mésto)to humble or rebuke
Spanish poner a alguien en su lugar, cuadrar
  • poner a alguien en su lugarto humble or rebuke
  • cuadrarto humble or rebuke
Swedish sätta någon på plats
  • sätta någon på platsto humble or rebuke
Turkish haddini bildirmek
  • haddini bildirmekto humble or rebuke
Cite this entry
APA

put someone in their place. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20someone%20in%20their%20place

MLA

“put someone in their place.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20someone%20in%20their%20place. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put someone in their place,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20someone%20in%20their%20place.

Source: put someone in their place on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.