▸ put up with PHRASAL VERB If you put up with something, you tolerate or accept it, even though you find it unpleasant or unsatisfactory. □ [V P P n] We'd been unhappy for years, but I put up with it for the sake of the kids.
pu|ta|tive /pjuː tət I v/ ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe someone or something as putative , you mean that they are generally thought to be the thing mentioned. [LEGAL , FORMAL ] □ …a putative father.
pu t-down (put-downs ) also put down N‑COUNT A put-down is something that you say or do to criticize someone or make them appear foolish. [INFORMAL ] □ I see the term as a put-down of women.
pu t ou t ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you feel put out , you feel rather annoyed or upset. □ I did not blame him for feeling put out.
pu|tre|fac|tion /pjuː tr I fæ kʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Putrefaction is the process of decay. [FORMAL ] □ …the lingering stench of putrefaction.
pu|tre|fy /pjuː tr I fa I / (putrefies , putrefying , putrefied ) VERB When something putrefies , it decays and produces a very unpleasant smell. [FORMAL ] □ [V ] The meat in all of the open flasks putrefied. □ [V -ing] …putrefying corpses.
pu|trid /pjuː tr I d/ ADJ Something that is putrid has decayed and smells very unpleasant. [FORMAL ] □ …a foul, putrid stench.
putsch /pʊ tʃ/ (putsches ) N‑COUNT A putsch is a sudden attempt to get rid of a government by force.
putt /pʌ t/ (putts , putting , putted )
1 N‑COUNT A putt is a stroke in golf that you make when the ball has reached the green in an attempt to get the ball in the hole. □ …a 5-foot putt.
2 VERB In golf, when you putt the ball, you hit a putt. □ [V ] Turner, however, putted superbly, twice holing from 40 feet.
putt|er /pʌ tə r / (putters , puttering , puttered )
1 N‑COUNT A putter is a club used for hitting a golf ball a short distance once it is on the green.
2 VERB If you putter around , you do unimportant but quite enjoyable things, without hurrying. [AM ] □ I started puttering around outside, not knowing what I was doing. □ [V ] She liked to putter in the kitchen. in BRIT, use potter
putt|ing green /pʌ t I ŋ griːn/ (putting greens ) N‑COUNT A putting green is a very small golf course on which the grass is kept very short and on which there are no obstacles.
put|ty /pʌ ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Putty is a stiff paste used to fix sheets of glass into window frames.
pu t-upon also put upon ADJ If you are put-upon , you are treated badly by someone who takes advantage of your willingness to help them. [INFORMAL ] □ Volunteers from all walks of life are feeling put upon.
puz|zle /pʌ z ə l/ (puzzles )
1 VERB If something puzzles you, you do not understand it and feel confused. □ [V n] My sister puzzles me and causes me anxiety. ● puz|zling ADJ □ His letter poses a number of puzzling questions.
2 VERB If you puzzle over something, you try hard to think of the answer to it or the explanation for it. □ [V + about ] I stayed up nights, puzzling over epic Old English poems in a fog of incomprehension.
3 N‑COUNT A puzzle is a question, game, or toy which you have to think about carefully in order to answer it correctly or put it together properly. □ …a word puzzle.
4 → see also crossword
5 N‑SING You can describe a person or thing that is hard to understand as a puzzle . □ Data from Voyager II has presented astronomers with a puzzle about why our outermost planet exists.
puz|zled /pʌ z ə ld/ ADJ Someone who is puzzled is confused because they do not understand something. □ [+ by ] Critics remain puzzled by the British election results. □ Norman looked puzzled. [Also + about/at ]
puz|zle|ment /pʌ z ə lmənt/ N‑UNCOUNT Puzzlement is the confusion that you feel when you do not understand something. □ He frowned in puzzlement.
PVC /piː viː siː / N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] PVC is a plastic material that is used for many purposes, for example to make clothing or shoes or to cover chairs. PVC is an abbreviation for 'polyvinyl chloride'.
Pvt. N‑TITLE Pvt. is used before a person's name as a written abbreviation for the military title private . [AM ] □ …Pvt. Carlton McCarthy of the Richmond Howitzers. in BRIT, use Pte
pw pw is used especially when stating the weekly cost of something. pw is the written abbreviation for 'per week'. □ …single room–£55 pw.
pyg|my /p I gmi/ (pygmies ) also pigmy
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Pygmy means belonging to a species of animal which is the smallest of a group of related species. □ Reaching a maximum height of 56cm the pygmy goat is essentially a pet.
2 N‑COUNT A pygmy is a member of a group of very short people who live in Africa or south-east Asia. □ …the pygmy tribes of Papua New Guinea.
py|ja|mas /p I dʒɑː məz/ The spelling pajamas is used in American English. The forms pyjama and pajama are used as modifiers. N‑PLURAL [oft a pair of N ] A pair of pyjamas consists of loose trousers and a loose jacket that people wear in bed. □ My brother was still in his pyjamas. □ …a pyjama jacket. WORD HISTORY pyjamas