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verb

putter

PUH-tuh

Putter (verb) means to occupy oneself in a relaxed, unhurried way with small tasks. Example: “He likes to putter around the garden on Sunday mornings.”

verb
1
To occupy oneself in a relaxed, unhurried way with small tasks.
"He likes to putter around the garden on Sunday mornings."
noun
1
A golf club designed specifically for putting.
"She lined up the shot with her favourite putter."

How to use putter

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo spend time doing small, unhurried tasks, or a golf club used for gentle strokes near the hole.

UK vs US

In this "pottering about" sense, American English favours "putter" while British English uses "potter."

Easily confused with

Word forms

puttered past tense, puttered past tense, putters plural, putters plural, putters singular, putters singular

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

He likes to _____ around the garden on Sunday mornings.

Etymology

An altered form of "potter," used the same way in American English.

monkey potter tinker muck about mess around muck around putting iron monkey around potter around putter around

Related words

Rhymes for putter

See all rhymes for putter →

Frequently asked questions

What does “putter” mean?

The word “putter” means to occupy oneself in a relaxed, unhurried way with small tasks. In plain terms, to spend time doing small, unhurried tasks, or a golf club used for gentle strokes near the hole.

How do you pronounce “putter”?

“Putter” is pronounced PUH-tuh (/ˈpʌtɚ/ in IPA).

How do you use “putter” in a sentence?

Here is “putter” used in a sentence: “He likes to putter around the garden on Sunday mornings.”

What part of speech is “putter”?

Depending on how it is used, “putter” can be a verb and a noun.

How many meanings does “putter” have?

“Putter” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to occupy oneself in a relaxed, unhurried way with small tasks.

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial