put someone out of their misery

verb

To submit a suffering person or an animal to euthanasia.

“Well, I'll put you out of your misery: the amount we won on the lottery was only ten dollars.”

Similar
euthaniseeuthanize
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Meanings

verbput someone out of their misery (third-person singular simple present puts someone out of their misery, present participle putting someone out of their misery, simple past and past participle put someone out of their misery)

present singular third person puts someone out of their misery · participle present putting someone out of their misery

  1. idiomaticinformaltransitiveTo submit a suffering person or an animal to euthanasia.

    Synonyms: euthanise, euthanize

  2. figurativelyidiomaticinformaltransitiveTo end or destroy something for the good of the individuals involved in it.

    It had been a mighty struggle, but they'd managed to put out her fires. The next time she tried to put Zevala out of its misery, it was going to damn well work. There was going to be nobody left to stop her.

    2023 October 12, HarryBlank, “Fire in the Hole”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 22 May 2024
    1 more example

    And with some United supporters actually pleading with referee Clattenburg to put them out of their misery, one more moment of brilliance from the magical Silva found Dzeko surging into the area to finish left-footed for his second.

    2011 October 23, Phil McNulty, “Man Utd 1 - 6 Man City”, in BBC Sport
  3. idiomaticinformaltransitiveTo relieve somebody's anxiety by supplying information that they wanted to know.

    Well, I'll put you out of your misery: the amount we won on the lottery was only ten dollars.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo submit a suffering person or an animal to euthanasia.

Similar
euthaniseeuthanize
Also see
kill

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 安樂死 /安乐死
  • 安樂死 /安乐死 (ānlèsǐ)informal: to euthanize
Finnish päästää kärsimyksistä
  • päästää kärsimyksistäinformal: to euthanize
French mettre fin aux souffrances de, abréger les souffrances de
  • mettre fin aux souffrances deinformal: to euthanize
  • abréger les souffrances deinformal: to euthanize
German einschläfern, den Gnadenschuss geben
  • einschläferninformal: to euthanize
  • den Gnadenschuss gebeninformal: to euthanize
  • nicht länger auf die Folter spannenfigurative: to relieve by supplying information
Polish skrócić męki
  • skrócić mękiinformal: to euthanize
Portuguese acabar com o sofrimento de
  • acabar com o sofrimento deinformal: to euthanize
Romanian curma suferința
  • curma suferințainformal: to euthanize
Russian изба́вить от страда́ний, изба́вить от муче́ний
  • изба́вить от страда́ний (izbávitʹ ot stradánij)informal: to euthanize
  • изба́вить от муче́ний (izbávitʹ ot mučénij)informal: to euthanize
  • изба́вить от мук (izbávitʹ ot muk)informal: to euthanize
Spanish eutanizar, acabar con el sufrimiento de
  • eutanizarinformal: to euthanize
  • acabar con el sufrimiento deinformal: to euthanize
Swedish avsluta någons lidande
  • avsluta någons lidandeinformal: to euthanize
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: put someone out of their misery on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.