put someone in their place

English

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Verb

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  1. (transitive, idiomatic) To remind someone of their position.
  2. (idiomatic) To bring somebody down; to humble or rebuke.
    His quips at the party aimed to put the CEO in his place.
    • 2014 November 18, Daniel Taylor, “England and Wayne Rooney see off Scotland in their own back yard”, in The Guardian:
      The response, culminating in Rooney finishing off a slick exchange of incisive, pass-them-to-death football, quickly put Scotland back in their place.
    • December 13 2021, Molly Ball, Jeffrey Kluger, Alejandro de la Garza, “Elon Musk: Person of the Year 2021”, in Time Magazine:
      Musk has spent a lifetime defying the haters; now, it seems, he’s finally in position to put them in their place.

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