place

1 of 2

noun

plural places
1
a
: physical environment : space
b
: a way for admission or transit
c
: physical surroundings : atmosphere
2
a
: an indefinite region or expanse
all over the place
b
: a building or locality used for a special purpose
a place of learning
a fine eating place
c
archaic : the three-dimensional compass of a material object
3
a
: a particular region, center of population, or location
a nice place to visit
b
: a building, part of a building, or area occupied as a home
our summer place
4
: a particular part of a surface or body : spot
5
: relative position in a scale or series: such as
a
: position in a social scale
kept them in their place
b
: a step in a sequence
in the first place, it's none of your business
c
: a position at the conclusion of a competition
finished in last place
6
a
: a proper or designated niche or setting
the place of education in society
b
: an appropriate moment or point
this is not the place to discuss compensationRobert Moses
c
: a distinct condition, position, or state of mind
the postfeminist generation is in a different placeBetty Friedan
7
a
: an available seat or accommodation
needs a place to stay
b
: an empty or vacated position
new ones will take their place
8
: the position of a figure in relation to others of a row or series
especially : the position of a digit within a numeral
9
a
: remunerative employment : job
b
: prestige accorded to one of high rank : status
an endless quest for preferment and placeTime
10
: a public square : plaza
11
: a small street or court
12
: second place at the finish (as of a horse race)

see also take place

place

2 of 2

verb

placed; placing

transitive verb

1
a
: to put in or as if in a particular place or position : set
b
: to present for consideration
a question placed before the group
c
: to put in a particular state
place a performer under contract
d
: to direct to a desired spot
e
: to cause (the voice) to produce free and well resonated singing or speaking tones
2
a
: to assign to a position in a series or category : rank
b
: estimate
placed the value of the estate too high
c
: to identify by connecting with an associated context
couldn't quite place her face
police placed them at the crime scene
3
: to distribute in an orderly manner : arrange
4
: to appoint to a position
5
: to find a place (such as a home or employment) for
6
a
: to give (an order) to a supplier
b
: to give an order for
place a bet
c
: to try to establish a connection for
place a telephone call

intransitive verb

: to earn a given spot in a competition
specifically : to come in second (as in a horse race)
placeable adjective
Phrases
in place
1
or less commonly into place
a
: in an original or proper position
b
: established, instituted, or operational
systems in place
2
: in the same spot without forward or backward movement
run in place
in place of
: as a substitute or replacement for : instead of
out of place
1
: not in the proper or usual location
2

Examples of place in a Sentence

Noun New York City is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. I've heard it's a good place to raise children. places like Africa and South America the hottest place on earth churches and other places of worship You should plan to meet him in a public place. You've come to the right place. I have just what you need. They gave him a place to stay for the night. We're going to need a bigger place once the baby is born. He's looking to buy a place in the country. Verb The box was placed at the center of the room. You can really see the similarities when you place the two pictures side by side. Her name was placed on the list. The husbands and wives were placed in separate groups. They were placed next to each other in line. Working with sick people places him at risk for infection. By not accepting the prosecutor's deal, he places his future in the hands of the jury. We're placing you under arrest. He was released from jail and placed on probation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Rice, who missed the 2022-23 season because of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was the engine behind WSU’s stunning rise to second place in the Pac-12. Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 Denmark, Austria and Belgium’s drug regulators don’t monitor social media for potential counterfeits, although Belgium hopes to do so in the future when a new law comes into place. Ashleigh Furlong, Fortune Europe, 13 Mar. 2024 Economists long favored targeting people rather than places for government help. Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 For many in Southern California, Disneyland sits somewhere between a landmark and a rite of passage, a place of familial and friendship rituals that stays with you long after the grand finale of the evening’s fireworks. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 There are worse places that a rising star can find themselves than at loose ends in Europe in July. Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 Facebook and later Instagram became places where many sixth and seventh graders were hanging out and socializing. Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 Huang overcame adversity to succeed Huang’s advice for America’s next-gen elite comes from a place of experience: His life now is a world away from his childhood, which was, by his own admission, steeped in adversity. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 Neither is afraid to admit that a podium place in Paris is the goal, but both are acutely aware of how unpredictable an Olympic marathon can be. Ben Church, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
Verb
Lawmakers have long sought to place restrictions on TikTok, accusing the app and its parent company ByteDance of exploiting American user data on behalf of the Chinese government. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 The 11-foot-tall tank was filled at approximately 70% of its capacity, and a sheet was placed over it, which was then turned over, according to Asahi Shimbun. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Metro Atlanta placed third in the list, with another 68,585 residents. Chris Morris, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 Unable to breathe on his own, he was placed in an iron lung, a large metal cylinder that varies air pressure to stimulate breathing. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Like always, Toles has been placed on the restricted list and won’t take up a roster spot. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 That program only places families in a hotel for up to 28 days at a time. Nate Trela, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 The red carpet will be placed on April 20 at the Fox Theatre. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 13 Mar. 2024 In 2020, when American officials first tried to force a sale of TikTok, Beijing placed export restrictions on technology that sounded similar to TikTok’s content recommendation algorithm. Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'place.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, open space, from Latin platea broad street, from Greek plateia (hodos), from feminine of platys broad, flat; akin to Sanskrit pṛthu broad, Latin planta sole of the foot

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of place was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near place

Cite this Entry

“Place.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/place. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

place

1 of 2 noun
1
: an available space : room
make a place for the newcomer
2
a
: a region not made clear in description
all over the place
b
: a building or spot set apart for a special purpose
a place of learning
3
a
: a certain region or center of population
a nice place to visit
b
: house entry 1 sense 1, dwelling
nice place you have here
our summer place
4
: a certain part of a surface or body : spot
a sore place on my shoulder
lost my place in the book
5
: relative position in a scale or series
kept them in their place
in the first place, you're wrong
finished in last place
6
a
: a proper position
the place of education in society
b
: a suitable moment or point
this is not the place to discuss that problem
7
a
: an available seat or accommodation
needs a place to stay
b
: usual space or use
paper towels take the place of linen
8
: the position of a digit in a numeral
the number 316 has three places
in 2.718 the digit 1 is two places after the decimal point
9
10
: a public square
11
: a short street
12
: second position at the finish (as of a horse race)

place

2 of 2 verb
placed; placing
1
: to put or arrange in a certain place or position
2
a
: to appoint to a position
was placed in command
b
: to find a job or home for
place a child for adoption
3
a
: to assign to a position in a series or category : rank
b
: estimate entry 1 sense 1
placed the value of the ring too high
c
: to identify by association
couldn't quite place her face
4
: to give an order for
place a bet
5
: to come in second (as in a horse race)

More from Merriam-Webster on place

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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