"put up" means: To place in a high location.. There is a drug-related reference, so this is one worth noticing without overreacting. Many teens encounter such vocabulary through music, film and friends without any direct involvement. A neutral, curious conversation about where they heard the term and what they understand by it is far more useful than a confrontation. Watch for repeated context, not a single word.
put up
(transitive) To place in a high location.
Seen in the wild
5 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Homeowner who put up fence with no planning permission must reduce or remove it
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BlueskyMay 2026
BBC News - How did Banksy put up a statue in central London? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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BlueskyMay 2026
sometimes I think about all the shit I've had to live through and put up with and come to the conclusion that anyone else would have absolutely killed themselves by now multiple times over
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BlueskyMay 2026
WHY don't they put up the principal part of my home loan and NOT the interest. Serv the same purpose to take money out of economy but not hurt the mortgagees so much.
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BlueskyMay 2026
I'm no fan of Reeves, but good for her. She should not have to put up with this sort misogyny and arrogance from a foreign civil servant, and frankly in this case, a cult member, who willingly and blindly follows a fa…
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Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
(transitive) To place in a high location.
Please put up your luggage in the overhead bins.Three volunteers put up their hands in response to the speaker's request.
For parents
"put up" means: To place in a high location.. There is a drug-related reference, so this is one worth noticing without overreacting. Many teens encounter such vocabulary through music, film and friends without any direct involvement. A neutral, curious conversation about where they heard the term and what they understand by it is far more useful than a confrontation. Watch for repeated context, not a single word.
For ESL learners
"put up" means: To place in a high location.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(transitive) To hang; to mount.
Many people put up messages on their refrigerators.
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UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK
(transitive) To style (the hair) up on the head, instead of letting it hang down.
I think someone put him up to it.
Heard in the wild
“Homeowner who put up fence with no planning permission must reduce or remove it”
— Bluesky· May 2026“BBC News - How did Banksy put up a statue in central London? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“sometimes I think about all the shit I've had to live through and put up with and come to the conclusion that anyone else would have absolutely killed themselves by now multiple times over”
— Bluesky· May 2026“WHY don't they put up the principal part of my home loan and NOT the interest. Serv the same purpose to take money out of economy but not hurt the mortgagees so much.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I'm no fan of Reeves, but good for her. She should not have to put up with this sort misogyny and arrogance from a foreign civil servant, and frankly in this case, a cult member, who willingly and blindly follows a fascist and a racist leader. Fck Scott Bessent. #r4today”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK
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Other words near "put up" (P)
put the wood in the holeput throughputtockputtunputtywallaputuput up onputwaput-you-upPuzz-Bawpuzzle lockPuzzle Palace
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