place
nounverbtop 1 000 in film dialogue
- Canada//ˈpleɪ̯s//
- Canada/[ˈpʰl̥eɪ̯s]/
An area; somewhere within an area. An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard.
noun
- 1
An area; somewhere within an area. An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard.
Ay, sir, the other squirrel was stolen from me by the hangman's boys in the market-place
- 2
An area; somewhere within an area. A street, sometimes but not always surrounding a public place, square, or plaza of the same name.
They live at Westminster Place.
- 3
An area; somewhere within an area. An inhabited area: a village, town, or city.
- 4
An area; somewhere within an area. Any area of the earth: a region.
He is going back to his native place on vacation.
From another point of view, it was a place without a soul. The well-to-do had hearts of stone; the rich were brutally bumptious; the Press, the Municipality, all the public men, were ridiculously, vaingloriously self-satisfied.
- 5
An area; somewhere within an area. The area one occupies, particularly somewhere to sit.
We asked the restaurant to give us a table with three places.
- 6
An area; somewhere within an area. The area where one lives: one's home, formerly (chiefly) country estates and farms.
My Lady Dedlock has been down at what she calls, in familiar conversation, her "place" in Lincolnshire.
Do you want to come over to my place later?
- 7
An area; somewhere within an area. An area of the body, especially the skin.
Which place hurts the most?
- 8
slangAn area; somewhere within an area. An area to urinate and defecate: an outhouse or lavatory.
Place,... (2) a jakes, or house of ease.
‘I guess I'll take this opportunity to go to the place’... ‘She means the little girls room.’
- 9
obsoleteAn area; somewhere within an area. An area to fight: a battlefield or the contested ground in a battle.
- 10
A location or position in space.
I'll check places I think she might be.
In that same place thou hast appointed me, To-morrow truly will I meete with thee.
What place can be for us / Within heaven's bound?
When you're well enough off so's you don't have to fret about anything but your heft or your diseases you begin to get queer, I suppose. And the queerer the cure for those ailings the bigger the attraction. A place like the Right Livers' Rest was bound to draw freaks, same as molasses draws flies.
- 11
Proper or usual position.
A place for everything, and everything in its place.
- 12
A particular location in a book or document, particularly the current location of a reader
I lost my place when you interrupted me.
- 13
obsoleteA passage or extract from a book or document.
- 14
obsoleteA topic.
- 15
A state of mind.
I'm in a strange place at the moment.
- 16
obsoleteA chess position; a square of the chessboard.
- 17
A responsibility or position in an organization. A role or purpose; a station.
It is really not my place to say what is right and wrong in this case.
I know my place as I would they should do theirs.
Escalus.Esc.I shall desire you, Sir, to giue me leaue To haue free speech with you; and it concernes me To looke into the bottome of my place : A powre I haue, but of what strength and nature, I am not yet instructed.
Men in great place are thrice servants.
- 18
A responsibility or position in an organization. The position of a contestant in a competition.
We thought we would win but only ended up in fourth place.
- 19
A responsibility or position in an organization. The position of first, second, or third at the finish, especially the second position.
to win a bet on a horse for place
- 20
A responsibility or position in an organization. The position as a member of a sports team.
He lost his place in the national team.
- 21
obsoleteA fortified position: a fortress, citadel, or walled town.
- 22
Numerically, the column counting a certain quantity.
three decimal places; the hundreds place
- 23
Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding.
That's what I said in the first place!
a. 1788, Mather Byles, quoted in The Life of James Otis by William Tudor In the first place, I do not understand politics; in the second place, you all do, every man and mother's son of you; in the third place, you have politics all the week, pray let one day in the seven be devoted to religion […]
- 24
Reception; effect, implying the making room for.
My word hath no place in you.
Etymology
From Middle English place, conflation of Old English plæċe (“place, an open space, street”) and Old French place (“place, an open space”), both from Latin platēa (“plaza, wide street”), from Ancient Greek πλατεῖα (plateîa), shortening of πλατεῖα ὁδός (plateîa hodós, “broad way”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“to spread”), extended form of *pleh₂- (“flat”). Displaced native Old English stōw, stede (partially), and -ern. Compare also English pleck (“plot of ground”), West Frisian plak (“place, spot, location”), Dutch plek (“place, spot, patch”). Doublet of piatza, piazza, and plaza. In the etymological chain from Latin platēa, note Old French place, which has multiple descendants — including German Platz, itself with many descendants (e.g., Russian плац (plac)). Also note a more distant chain node Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús), whence English Plato and English plate (via Latin).
verb
- 1
To put (someone or something) in a specific location.
He placed the glass on the table.
to place someone on a pedestal
His life vvas nigh vnto deaths dore yplaſte, / And thred-bare cote, and cobled ſhoes hee vvare, […]
Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him.
- 2
To earn a given spot in a competition; to rank at a certain position ((often followed by an ordinal)).
The Cowboys placed third in the league.
Run Ragged was placed fourth in the race.
- 3
To earn a given spot in a competition; to rank at a certain position ((often followed by an ordinal)). To finish second, especially of horses or dogs.
In the third race: Aces Up won, paying eight dollars; Blarney Stone placed, paying three dollars; and Cinnamon showed, paying five dollars.
- 4
To remember where and when (an object or person) has been previously encountered.
I've seen him before, but I can't quite place where.
- 5
To vouch for someone's alibi.
The librarian was placed at home by her neighbor at the time of the murder.
- 6
To sing (a note) with the correct pitch.
- 7
To make.
We were all focused intently on the triangular conference call speaker in the middle of the table. President Trump's communications team was placing a call to President Volodymyr Zelenksy of Ukraine, and we were here to listen.
to place a call
to place an order
to place an ad in the newspaper
- 8
To bet.
I placed ten dollars on the Lakers beating the Bulls.
- 9
To recruit or match an appropriate person for a job, or a home for an animal for adoption, etc.
They phoned hoping to place her in the management team.
- 10
To place-kick (a goal).
- 11
To assign (more or less value) to something.
My workplace places a high premium on team spirit.
She places little value on religion.
Etymology
From Middle English placen, from the noun (see above).
Forms
- plural
- places
- past tense
- placed
- past participle
- placed
- present participle
- placing
- third person singular
- places
place · An area; somewhere within an area. An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard.
Place · A surname.placement · The act of placing or putting in place; the act of locating…placing · The action by which something is placed; placement;…