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British
Idioms And Phrases

noun

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: Every item on the shelf had its place.

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 a 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: After decades of neglect and decay, those places are making a comeback thanks to urban renewal.

a building, space, location, etc., set apart or used for a specific purpose: A nightclub is a place of entertainment. You are encouraged to dress modestly in places of worship.

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 followed 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.

a mental or emotional state: I'm not in a good place right now.

Arithmetic.

the position of a figure in a series, as in decimal notation.
Usually places. the figures of the series.

Sports.

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. Compare show (def. 27), win¹ (def. 17).

places, Theater. 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 crowds.

verb (used with object), placed, plac·ing.

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.

to employ (the voice) for singing or speaking with consciousness of the bodily point of emphasis of resonance of each tone or register.

verb (used without object), placed, plac·ing.

Sports.

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.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Which of the following words describes "sky blue"?

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Idioms about place

give place to,

to give precedence or priority to: Any local ordinance must give place to federal law.
to 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,

in the correct or usual position or order: Dinner is ready and everything is in place.
in the same spot, without advancing or retreating: Stand by your desk and jog in place for a few minutes of exercise.
in the place or building that one already occupies: Residents were asked to shelter in place during the storm—evacuation was deemed too risky. Ninety percent of older adults would prefer to age in place, in their own homes and communities.

know / keep one's place, to recognize one's position or rank, especially if inferior, and behave or act accordingly: They treated their servants well but expected them always to know their place.

out of place,

not in the correct or usual position or order: The library books are all out of place.
unsuitable 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.

put someone in his / her place, to lower someone's self-esteem; humble, especially an arrogant person: She put me in my place by reminding me who was boss.

take place, to happen; occur: The commencement exercises will take place outdoors unless it rains.

Origin of place

First recorded before 950; Middle English noun plaas, plas, a conflation of Old English plæce, plætse and Middle French place, plasse "space, available space," from Medieval Latin placea, from Vulgar Latin plattea, from Latin platea, platēa "wide street, courtyard, area," from Greek plateîa (hodós) "wide (street)," noun use of feminine of platýs "wide, broad, level"; verb derivative of the noun; see flat¹, plate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM place

place·a·ble, adjective place·less, adjective place·less·ly, adverb pre·place, verb (used with object), pre·placed, pre·plac·ing.

un·placed, adjective well-placed, adjective

Words nearby place

placard, placas, placate, placative, placatory, place, placebo, placebo effect, place card, placeholder, place in the sun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use place in a sentence

Not only did they use them, but they could go to women setting up a new place to live.
There should be room for both views — and a time and a place to air them.
The amaro is an aromatic snapshot of a place I loved, and it has a powerful pull on my memory.
We wanted to make sure that we had something in place that more young players that thought this was right for them, they could take advantage of it.

I realized they were going places when Renee revealed to me that she and Willie were texting during our post-date interview.
The world that Black Dynamite lives in is not the most PC place to be in.
"This is the only place in the souk you can buy safety pins," he said.
He hasn't bothered to visit Iguala, the place where the students were abducted and killed.
A place that has multiplied success for generation after generation of its children.
The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents.
This is the place where the Muscovite criminals are banished to, if they are not put to death.
He looked strangely out of place in the dusty combat uniform.
The associations of place recall her strange interview with Mr. Longcluse but a few months before.
As Spain, however, has fallen from the high place she once held, her colonial system has also gone down.
Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour, and make a fat offering, and then give place to the physician.

British Dictionary definitions for place (1 of 2)

noun

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
(capital when part of a street name) Grosvenor Place

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

proper or appropriate position or time he still thinks a woman's place is in the home

right or original position put it back in its 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

maths the relative position of a digit in a number See also decimal place

any of the best times in a race

horse racing

British the first, second, or third position at the finish
US and Canadian the first or usually the second position at the finish
(as modifier) a place bet

archaic an important position, rank, or role

all over the place in disorder or disarray

another place British parliamentary procedure

(in the House of Commons) the House of Lords
(in the House of Lords) the House of Commons

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

pride of place the highest or foremost position

put someone in his 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

the other place facetious

(at Oxford University) Cambridge University
(at Cambridge University) Oxford University

verb (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 foll by with) to put under the care (of)

to direct or aim carefully

(passive) British to cause (a racehorse, greyhound, athlete, etc) to arrive in first, second, third, or sometimes fourth place

(intr) US and Canadian (of a racehorse, greyhound, etc) to finish among the first three in a contest, esp in second position

to invest (funds)

to sing (a note) with accuracy of pitch

to insert (an advertisement) in a newspaper, journal, etc

Word Origin for place

C13: via Old French from Latin platēa courtyard, from Greek plateia, from platus broad; compare French plat flat

British Dictionary definitions for place (2 of 2)

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with place

In addition to the idiom beginning with place

place in the sun

also see:

all over the place
between a rock and a hard place
fall in place
friend in court (high places)
go places
have one's heart in the right place
in place
in someone's shoes (place)
instead (in place) of
in the first place
jumping-off place
know one's place
out of place
pride of place
put someone in his or her place
run in place
take place
take someone's place