Definition of 'place'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense places
, present participle placing
, past tense, past participle placed
3. countable noun
You can refer to somewhere that provides a service, such as a hotel, restaurant, or institution, as a particular kind of place.
4.
See take place
5. singular noun
Place can be used after 'any', 'no', 'some', or 'every' to mean ' anywhere', ' nowhere', 'somewhere', or ' everywhere'.
[mainly US, informal]
6. adverb [ADVERB after verb]
If you go places, you visit pleasant or interesting places.
[mainly US]
9. countable noun [with poss]
Someone's or something's place in a society, system, or situation is their position in relation to other people
or things.
10. countable noun [usually singular]
Your place in a race or competition is your position in relation to the other competitors. If you are in first place, you are ahead of all the other competitors.
11. countable noun
If you get a place in a team, on a committee, or on a course of study, for example, you are accepted as a member of the team or
committee or as a student on the course.
12. singular noun [oft NOUN to-infinitive]
A good place to do something in a situation or activity is a good time or stage at which to do it.
13. countable noun [usually singular, usually poss NOUN]
Your place is the house or flat where you live.
[informal]
14. countable noun [usually singular, usually poss NOUN]
Your place in a book or speech is the point you have reached in reading the book or making the speech.
15. countable noun
16. verb
If you place something somewhere, you put it in a particular position, especially in a careful, firm, or deliberate way.
Brand folded it in his handkerchief and placed it in the inside pocket of his jacket. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
17. verb
To place a person or thing in a particular state means to cause them to be in it.
18. verb
19. verb
If you place someone or something in a particular class or group, you label or judge them in that way.
20. verb [usually passive]
21. verb
22. verb
If you place an advertisement in a newspaper, you arrange for the advertisement to appear in the newspaper.
[Also VERB noun] 23. verb
25. verb
If an agency or organization places someone, it finds them a job or somewhere to live.
In cases where it proves difficult to place a child, the reception centre provides
long-term care. [VERB noun]
26. verb
27. See also meeting place
28.
29.
30.
31.
See to change places
32.
33.
34.
See go places
35.
See in high places
36.
37.
See in place
39.
See in places
40.
See in sb's place
41.
42.
43.
44.
See out of place
45.
46.
47.
49.
51. pride of place
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
place in British English
noun
1.
a particular point or part of space or of a surface, esp that occupied by a person
or thing
2.
a geographical point, such as a town, city, etc
3.
a position or rank in a sequence or order
4.
a.
an open square lined with houses of a similar type in a city or town
b.
(capital when part of a street name)
Grosvenor Place
5.
space or room
6.
a house or living quarters
7.
a country house with grounds
8.
any building or area set aside for a specific purpose
9.
a passage in a book, play, film, etc
to lose one's place
11.
right or original position
put it back in its place
12.
suitable, appropriate, or customary surroundings (esp in the phrases out of place, in place)
15.
position, condition, or state
if I were in your place
18.
any of the best times in a race
19. horse racing
a. British
the first, second, or third position at the finish
b. US and Canadian
the first or usually the second position at the finish
c.
(as modifier)
a place bet
21. archaic
an important position, rank, or role
22. See all over the place
23. See another place
24. See give place to someone
25. See go places
26. See in place of
27. See know one's place
28. See pride of place
29. See put someone in his or her place
30. See take one's place
31. See take the place of
32. See take place
33. See the other place
verb (mainly tr)
34.
to put or set in a particular or appropriate place
35.
to find or indicate the place of
37.
to regard or view as being
to place prosperity above sincerity
38.
to make (an order, a bet, etc)
39.
to find a home or job for (someone)
40.
to appoint to an office or position
41. (often foll by with)
to put under the care (of)
42.
to direct or aim carefully
43. (passive) British
44. (intransitive) US and Canadian
(of a racehorse, greyhound, etc) to finish among the first three in a contest, esp
in second position
45.
to invest (funds)
46.
to sing (a note) with accuracy of pitch
47.
to insert (an advertisement) in a newspaper, journal, etc
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C13: via Old French from Latin platēa courtyard, from Greek plateia, from platus broad; compare French plat flat
Word Frequency
Place in British English
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. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
place in American English
noun
1.
a square or court in a city
2.
a short street, often closed at one end
3.
space; room
4.
a particular area or locality; region
5.
a.
the part of space occupied by a person or thing
b.
situation or state
if I were in his place
6.
a city, town, or village
9.
a particular spot on or part of the body or a surface
a sore place on the leg
10.
a particular passage or page in a book, magazine, etc., esp. the point where one
has temporarily stopped reading
to mark one's place
11.
position or standing, esp. one of importance, accorded to one
one's place in history
12.
a step or point in a sequence
in the first place
13.
the customary, proper, or natural position, time, or character
14.
a space used, reserved, or customarily occupied by a person, as a seat in a theater,
at a table, etc.
15.
an office; employment; position
16.
official position
17.
the duties of any position
18.
the duty, or business (of a person)
19.
in racing, the first, second, or third position at the finish, specif. the second
position
20. Arithmetic
the position of a digit in a number (Ex.: in 12.3 the one is in the ten's place, the two in the unit's place, and the three in the tenth's place)
verb transitiveWord forms: placed or ˈplacing
21.
a.
to put in a particular place, condition, or relation
b.
to put in an assigned or proper place, as in a sequence or series
c. US
to identify by associating with the correct place or circumstances
to place somebody's face
22.
to find employment or a position for; appoint to an office
23.
to arrange for a desired handling, treatment, or allocation of
to place a shipment, to place a child for adoption
24.
to assign (a value)
25.
to make or give as an estimate
26.
to offer (a proposal, problem, etc.) to be considered
27.
29.
to finish in (a specified position) in a competition
to place last
verb intransitive
30. Sport
to finish among the first three in a contest; specif., to finish second in a horse
or dog race
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
OFr < L platea, a broad street (in LL, an open space) < Gr plateia, a street < platys, broad: see platy-Word Frequency
place in American English
(pleis) (verb placed, placing)
noun
1.
a particular portion of space, whether of definite or indefinite extent
2.
space in general
time and place
3.
the specific portion of space normally occupied by anything
The vase is in its place
Every item on the shelf had its place
4.
a space, area, or spot, set apart or used for a particular purpose
a place of worship
a place of entertainment
5.
any part or spot in a body or surface
a decayed place in a tree
6.
a particular passage in a book or writing
to find the place where one left off reading
7.
a space or seat for a person, as in a theater, train, etc
Please save my place for me
8.
position, situation, or circumstances
I would complain if I were in your place
10.
a job, post, or office
persons in high places
11.
a function or duty
It is not your place to offer criticism
12.
proper sequence or relationship, as of ideas, details, etc
My thoughts began to fall into place
13.
high position or rank
aristocrats of power and place
14.
a region or area
to travel to distant places
15.
an open space, or square, as in a city or town
16.
a short street, a court, etc
17.
a portion of space used for habitation, as a city, town, or village
Trains rarely stop in that place anymore
18.
a building, location, etc., set aside for a specific purpose
He will soon need a larger place for his expanding business
19.
a part of a building
The kitchen is the sunniest place in the house
20.
a residence, dwelling, or house
Please come and have dinner at my place
22.
a step or point in order of proceeding
in the first place
25. Math (in arithmetic)
a.
the position of a figure in a series, as in decimal notation
b. (usually places)
the figures of the series
27. Sport
a.
a position among the leading competitors, usually the first, second, or third at the
finish line
b.
the position of the competitor who comes in second in a horse race, harness race, etc
Compare show (sense 29), win1 (sense 17)28. See places
30. See give place to
31. See go places
32. See in place
33. See know one's place
34. See out of place
35. See put someone in their place
36. See take place
transitive verb
37.
to put in the proper position or order; arrange; dispose
Place the silverware on the table for dinner
38.
to put or set in a particular place, position, situation, or relation
39.
to put in a suitable place for some purpose
to place an advertisement in the newspaper
40.
to put into particular or proper hands
to place some incriminating evidence with the district attorney
41.
to give (an order or the like) to a supplier
She placed the order for the pizza an hour ago
42.
to appoint (a person) to a post or office
The president placed him in the Department of Agriculture
43.
to find a place, situation, etc., for (a person)
The agency had no trouble placing him with a good firm
44.
to determine or indicate the place or value of
to place health among the greatest gifts in life
45.
to assign a certain position or rank to
The army placed him in the infantry
46.
to place players on the all-American team
to place students in the finals of the interscholastic chess tournament
47.
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
48.
to employ (the voice) for singing or speaking with consciousness of the bodily point
of emphasis of resonance of each tone or register
intransitive verb
SYNONYMS 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.49. Sport
a.
to finish among the first three competitors in a race
b.
to finish second in a horse race, harness race, etc
50.
to earn a specified standing with relation to others, as in an examination, competition,
etc
He placed fifth in a graduation class of 90
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
placeable adjective
placeless
adjective
placelessly
adverb
Word origin
[bef. 950; (n.) ME, conflation of OE plæce and MF place, both ‹ L platea, var. of platēa street, courtyard, area ‹ Gk plateîa broad street, n. use of fem. of platýs broad, flat1; (v.) late ME, deriv. of the n.; see platy-]Examples of 'place' in a sentence
place
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In other languages
place
British English: place
/pleɪs/ NOUN
location A place is a building, area, town, or country.
This is the place where I was born.
- American English: place /ˈpleɪs/
- Arabic: مَكان
- Brazilian Portuguese: lugar
- Chinese: 地方
- Croatian: mjesto
- Czech: místo
- Danish: sted
- Dutch: plaats
- European Spanish: lugar
- Finnish: paikka
- French: endroit
- German: Ort
- Greek: τόπος
- Italian: luogo
- Japanese: 場所
- Korean: 장소
- Norwegian: sted
- Polish: miejsce
- European Portuguese: lugar
- Romanian: loc
- Russian: место
- Latin American Spanish: lugar
- Swedish: plats
- Thai: สถานที่
- Turkish: yer
- Ukrainian: місце
- Vietnamese: chỗ
British English: place
/pleɪs/ VERB
If you place something somewhere, you put it in a particular position.
He folded the letter and placed it in his pocket.
- American English: place /ˈpleɪs/
- Arabic: يَضَع
- Brazilian Portuguese: colocar
- Chinese: 放置
- Croatian: staviti
- Czech: umístit
- Danish: placere
- Dutch: plaatsen
- European Spanish: colocar
- Finnish: asettaa
- French: placer
- German: stellen
- Greek: τοποθετώ
- Italian: collocare
- Japanese: 置く
- Korean: ...을 ...에 놓다
- Norwegian: plassere
- Polish: umieścić
- European Portuguese: colocar
- Romanian: a așeza
- Russian: класть
- Latin American Spanish: colocar
- Swedish: placera
- Thai: วางไว้ในตำแหน่ง
- Turkish: yerleştirmek
- Ukrainian: розміщувати
- Vietnamese: đặt ở đâu
British English: place
/pleɪs/ NOUN
proper position A place is where something belongs.
He put the picture back in its place on the shelf.
- American English: place /ˈpleɪs/
- Arabic: مَكَان
- Brazilian Portuguese: local
- Chinese: 位置
- Croatian: mjesto
- Czech: místo
- Danish: plads
- Dutch: plaats
- European Spanish: lugar
- Finnish: paikka
- French: endroit
- German: Platz
- Greek: θέση
- Italian: posto
- Japanese: 場所
- Korean: 장소
- Norwegian: plass
- Polish: miejsce
- European Portuguese: lugar
- Romanian: loc
- Russian: место
- Latin American Spanish: lugar pertenencia
- Swedish: plats
- Thai: ที่, ที่ตั้ง
- Turkish: yerine
- Ukrainian: місце
- Vietnamese: nơi chốn
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Definition of place from the Collins English Dictionary
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