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place
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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations'place', 'Place': /ˈpleɪs/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/pleɪs/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(plās)
- Inflections of 'place' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
- places
- v 3rd person singular
- placing
- v pres p
- placed
- v past
- placed
- v past p
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026place /pleɪs/USA pronunciation
n., v., placed, plac•ing. n. - a particular portion of space:[countable]We visited a lot of places in Scotland.
- space in general:[uncountable]The words in, on , and at are prepositions of time and place: in Russia;
on 23rd Street;
at 17 Lexington Avenue.
- the portion of space occupied by a person or thing:[countable]The vase is in its usual place on the mantelpiece.
- any part of a body, surface, or building;
spot:[countable]the places on her arm where she had been bitten.
- a particular part, page, or passage in a book or in writing:[countable]I must have lost my place; my bookmark is missing.
- a space or seat for a person, as in a theater or line:[countable]She saved my place on line.
- position or circumstances:[countable]I would complain if I were in your place.
- a proper location or time:[countable]A restaurant is not a good place for an argument.
- a job, position, or office:[countable]people in high places.
- a function or duty:[countable* usually singular]It is not your place to offer criticism.
- proper sequence or relationship, as of ideas or details:[uncountable]Everything fell neatly into place.
- position or rank:[countable]America's place in the world.
- a region or area:[countable]to travel to distant places.
- [countable] an open space or square in a city or town.
- a short street or court:[countable;usually singular;no article]They lived at 33 Park Place.
- an area where people live:[countable]one of the most dangerous places in town at night.
- a building, location, etc., set aside for a purpose:[countable]A church is a place of worship.
- a building or apartment to live in:[countable]When can you come to our new place?
- (used to introduce each one of a series or list of examples, details, etc.;
preceded by a word indicating the order in the list):[countable;singular: in + the + a word indicating number or rank + ~]We're not voting for him for two reasons: in the first place, there's too much unemployment; in the second place, we don't trust him.
- Sport
- [countable;
singular;
after a word indicating number or rank] a position among the competitors in a contest, etc.:Who came in first place?
- [uncountable][Sports.]the position of the competitor who comes in second, as in a horse race.
v. - to put in the proper position or order;
arrange:[~ + object]Place the silverware on the table.
- to find a home, place, etc., for (a person):[~ + object]The foster home placed the orphan with a family.
- to give (an order) to a supplier:[~ + object]I placed an order for 5000 diskettes.
- to assign a certain position or rank to:[~ + object]I would place him among the top five physicists in the world.
- to identify by connecting with the proper place, etc.:[~ + object]I'm having trouble placing your face. I can't quite place his accent.
- Sport to finish second in a horse race:[no object]Their horse placed in the fourth race.
- to earn a certain, stated standing, as in an examination or competition:[~ + a word indicating number or rank]He placed fifth in his class.
Idioms
- Idioms go places , to advance in one's career;
succeed:He was really going places until that scandal knocked him out of politics.
- Idioms, in place:
- Idiomsin the correct position or order:Everything's back in place now that you've returned.
- Idiomsin the same spot, without advancing or retreating:to jog in place.
- Idioms in place of, [~] + [object] instead of:Use yogurt in place of sour cream. know or keep one's place, to behave according to one's rank, esp. if inferior:She acts like she's more important than she is; doesn't she know her place yet?
- Idioms out of place:
- not in the correct position or order:These books and office records are all out of place.
- unsuitable;
inappropriate:Your remarks were out of place.
- Idioms place in the sun, [countable* singular] a favorable position:finally earned his place in the sun after all those years of working behind the scenes.
- Idioms put someone in his or her place, to scold someone or remind someone of his or her position:That clever answer really put the questioner in his place.
- take place, to happen;
occur:A lot of things took place during your absence.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026place
(plās),USA pronunciation n., v., placed, plac•ing. n. - a particular portion of space, whether of definite or indefinite extent.
- space in general:time and place.
- the specific portion of space normally occupied by anything:The vase is in its place. Every item on the shelf had its place.
- a space, area, or spot, set apart or used for a particular purpose:a place of worship; a place of entertainment.
- any part or spot in a body or surface:a decayed place in a tree.
- a particular passage in a book or writing:to find the place where one left off reading.
- a space or seat for a person, as in a theater, train, etc.:Please save my place for me.
- position, situation, or circumstances:I would complain if I were in your place.
- a proper or appropriate location or position:A restaurant is not the place for an argument.
- a job, post, or office:persons in high places.
- a function or duty:It is not your place to offer criticism.
- proper sequence or relationship, as of ideas, details, etc.:My thoughts began to fall into place.
- high position or rank:aristocrats of power and place.
- a region or area:to travel to distant places.
- an open space, or square, as in a city or town.
- a short street, a court, etc.
- a portion of space used for habitation, as a city, town, or village:Trains rarely stop in that place anymore.
- a building, location, etc., set aside for a specific purpose:He will soon need a larger place for his expanding business.
- a part of a building:The kitchen is the sunniest place in the house.
- a residence, dwelling, or house:Please come and have dinner at my place.
- lieu;
substitution (usually fol. by of ):Use yogurt in place of sour cream.
- a step or point in order of proceeding:in the first place.
- a fitting or promising opportunity:There's a place in this town for a man of his talents.
- a reasonable ground or occasion:This is no place for such an outburst.
- Mathematics[Arith.]
- the position of a figure in a series, as in decimal notation.
- Usually, places. the figures of the series.
- Literature[Drama.]one of the three unities. Cf. unity (def. 8).
- Sport
- a position among the leading competitors, usually the first, second, or third at the finish line.
- the position of the competitor who comes in second in a horse race, harness race, etc. Cf. show (def. 29), win (def. 17).
- Show Business places, [Theat.]a call summoning performers for the beginning of a performance or an act.
- room or space for entry or passage:to make place for the gentry.
- give place to:
- Idiomsto give precedence or priority to:The old gives place to the new.
- Idiomsto be succeeded or replaced by:Travel by trains has given place to travel by airplanes.
- go places, [Informal.]to succeed or advance in one's career:He'll never go places if he stays in his hometown.
- in place:
- Idiomsin the correct or usual position or order:Dinner is ready and everything is in place.
- Idiomsin the same spot, without advancing or retreating:Stand by your desk and jog in place for a few minutes of exercise.
- Idioms know or keep one's place, to recognize one's position or rank, esp. if inferior, and behave or act accordingly:They treated their servants well but expected them always to know their place.
- Idioms out of place:
- Idiomsnot in the correct or usual position or order:The library books are all out of place.
- Idiomsunsuitable to the circumstances or surroundings;
inappropriate:He had always felt out of place in an academic environment. A green suit was out of place at the funeral.
- Idioms put someone in his or her place, to lower someone's self-esteem;
humble, esp. an arrogant person:She put me in my place by reminding me who was boss.
- Idioms take place, to happen;
occur:The commencement exercises will take place outdoors unless it rains.
v.t. - to put in the proper position or order;
arrange;
dispose:Place the silverware on the table for dinner.
- to put or set in a particular place, position, situation, or relation.
- to put in a suitable place for some purpose:to place an advertisement in the newspaper.
- to put into particular or proper hands:to place some incriminating evidence with the district attorney.
- to give (an order or the like) to a supplier:She placed the order for the pizza an hour ago.
- to appoint (a person) to a post or office:The president placed him in the Department of Agriculture.
- to find a place, situation, etc., for (a person):The agency had no trouble placing him with a good firm.
- to determine or indicate the place or value of:to place health among the greatest gifts in life.
- to assign a certain position or rank to:The army placed him in the infantry.
- to succeed in attaining a position for in an athletic or other contest:to place players on the all-American team; to place students in the finals of the interscholastic chess tournament.
- to identify by connecting with the proper place, circumstances, etc.:to be unable to place a person;to place a face;to place an accent.
- Music and Danceto employ (the voice) for singing or speaking with consciousness of the bodily point of emphasis of resonance of each tone or register.
v.i. - Sport
- to finish among the first three competitors in a race.
- to finish second in a horse race, harness race, etc.
- to earn a specified standing with relation to others, as in an examination, competition, etc.:He placed fifth in a graduation class of 90.
- Greek plateîa broad street, noun, nominal use of feminine of platýs broad, flat1; (verb, verbal) late Middle English, derivative of the noun, nominal; see platy-
- Latin platea, variant of platēa street, courtyard, area
- (noun, nominal) Middle English, conflation of Old English plæce and Middle French place, both bef. 950
1. location, locale, locality, site. 10. rank, employment. See position. 11. charge, responsibility. 14. section, sector. 37. situate, station. See put. 39. locate, set, deposit, lay, seat. 42. hire.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
place /pleɪs/ n - a particular point or part of space or of a surface, esp that occupied by a person or thing
- a geographical point, such as a town, city, etc
- a position or rank in a sequence or order
- an open square lined with houses of a similar type in a city or town
- space or room
- a house or living quarters
- a country house with grounds
- any building or area set aside for a specific purpose
- a passage in a book, play, film, etc: to lose one's place
- suitable, appropriate, or customary surroundings (esp in the phrases out of place, in place)
- right, prerogative, or duty: it is your place to give a speech
- appointment, position, or job: a place at college
- position, condition, or state: if I were in your place
- a space or seat, as at a dining table
- (as modifier): place mat
- the relative position of a digit in a number
- any of the best times in a race
- Brit the first, second, or third position at the finish
- US Canadian the first or usually the second position at the finish
- (as modifier): a place bet
- one of the three unities
- all over the place ⇒ in disorder or disarray
- give place to someone ⇒ to make room for or be superseded by someone
- go places ⇒ informal
- to travel
- to become successful
- in place of ⇒
- instead of; in lieu of: go in place of my sister
- in exchange for: he gave her it in place of her ring
- know one's place ⇒ to be aware of one's inferior position
- put someone in his or her place ⇒ to humble someone who is arrogant, conceited, forward, etc
- take one's place ⇒ to take up one's usual or specified position
- take the place of ⇒ to be a substitute for
- take place ⇒ to happen or occur
vb (mainly tr)- to put or set in a particular or appropriate place
- to find or indicate the place of
- to identify or classify by linking with an appropriate context: to place a face
- to regard or view as being: to place prosperity above sincerity
- to make (an order, a bet, etc)
- to find a home or job for (someone)
- to appoint to an office or position
- (often followed by with) to put under the care (of)
- to direct or aim carefully
- (passive) Brit to cause (a racehorse, greyhound, athlete, etc) to arrive in first, second, third, or sometimes fourth place
- (intransitive) US Canadian (of a racehorse, greyhound, etc) to finish among the first three in a contest, esp in second position
- to invest (funds)
- to insert (an advertisement) in a newspaper, journal, etc
Etymology: 13th Century: via Old French from Latin platēa courtyard, from Greek plateia, from platus broad; compare French plat flat Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Place /pleɪs/ n - Francis. 1771–1854, British radical, who campaigned for the repeal (1824) of the Combination Acts, which forbade the forming of trade unions, and for parliamentary reform
'place' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: a [safe, perfect, welcoming] place, place [it, your hands] on the [table, shelf, desk], place [mats, cards, arrangements, markings], more... Forum discussions with the word(s) "place" in the title:
Look up "place" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "place" at dictionary.com
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