/ pleɪs; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
POSITION / POINT / AREA
1.
[ C ] a particular position, point or area :
Is this the place where it happened?
This would be a good place for a picnic.
I can't be in two places at once.
CITY / TOWN / BUILDING
2.
[ C ] a particular city, town, building, etc. :
I can't remember all the places we visited in Thailand.
I used to live in York and I'm still fond of the place.
The police searched the place.
We were looking for a place to eat .
Let's get out of this place!
3.
[ C ] (especially in compounds or phrases) a building or an area of land used for a particular purpose :
a meeting place
The town has many excellent eating places .
churches and other places of worship
He can usually be contacted at his place of work .
—see also resting place
AREA ON SURFACE
4.
[ C ] a particular area on a surface, especially on a person's body :
He broke his arm in three places.
The paint was peeling off the wall in places .
IN BOOK / SPEECH, etc.
5.
[ C ] a point in a book, speech, piece of music, etc., especially one that sb has reached at a particular time :
She had marked her place with a bookmark.
Excuse me, I seem to have lost my place .
SEAT
6.
[ C ] a position, seat, etc., especially one that is available for or being used by a person or vehicle :
Come and sit here—I've saved you a place .
I don't want to lose my place in the line.
Would you like to change places with me so you can see better?
I've set a place for you at the table.
ROLE / IMPORTANCE
7.
[ sing. ] place (in sth) the role or importance of sb/sth in a particular situation, usually in relation to others :
He is assured of his place in history.
Accurate reporting takes second place to lurid detail.
My father believed that people should know their place (= behave according to their social position) .
It's not your place (= your role) to give advice.
Anecdotes have no place in (= are not acceptable in) an academic essay.
AT UNIVERSITY / SCHOOL
8.
[ C ] an opportunity to take part in sth, especially to study at a school or university or on a course :
She's been offered a place at Bath to study Business.
There are very few places left on the course.
IN SPORTS TEAM
9.
[ C ] the position of being a member of a sports team :
She has won a place in the Olympic team.
He lost his place in the first team.
CORRECT POSITION
10.
[ C ] the natural or correct position for sth :
Is there a place on the form to put your address?
Put it back in its place when you've finished with it.
SAFE AREA
11.
[ C ] (usually with a negative) a suitable or safe area for sb to be :
These streets are no place for a child to be out alone at night.
HOME
12.
[ sing. ] a house or flat / apartment; a person's home :
What about dinner at my place ?
I'm fed up with living with my parents, so I'm looking for a place of my own .
IN RACE / COMPETITION
13.
[ C , usually sing. ] a position among the winners of a race or competition :
He finished in third place.
MATHEMATICS
14.
[ C ] the position of a figure after a decimal point :
The number is correct to three decimal places.
STREET / SQUARE
15.
Place [ sing. ] ( abbr. Pl. ) used as part of a name for a short street or square :
66 Portland Place
•
IDIOMS
- all over the place
- change / swap places (with sb)
- fall / slot into place
- give place to sb/sth
- be going places
- if I was / were in your place
- in the first place
- in the first, second, etc. place
- in my, your, etc. place
- in place
- in place of sb/sth | in sb's / sth's place
- out of place
- a place in the sun
- put yourself in sb else's / sb's place
- put sb in their place
- take place
- take sb's / sth's place | take the place of sb/sth
- take your place
—more at hair , heart , pride noun , rock noun
■ verb
IN POSITION
1.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to put sth in a particular place, especially when you do it carefully or deliberately :
He placed his hand on her shoulder.
A bomb had been placed under the seat.
The parking areas in the town are few, but strategically placed.
IN SITUATION
2.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] (more formal than put ) to put sb/yourself in a particular situation :
to place sb in command
She was placed in the care of an uncle.
His resignation placed us in a difficult position.
The job places great demands on me.
ATTITUDE
3.
[ vn ] place sth (on sth / doing sth) used to express the attitude sb has towards sb/sth :
Great emphasis is placed on education.
They place a high value on punctuality.
RECOGNIZE
4.
[ vn ] (usually used in negative sentences) to recognize sb/sth and be able to identify them / it :
I've seen her before but I just can't place her.
His accent was impossible to place.
BET / ORDER / ADVERTISEMENT
5.
[ vn ] to give instructions about sth or make a request for sth to happen :
to place a bet / an order
We placed an advertisement for a cleaner in the local paper.
FIND HOME / JOB
6.
[ vn ] place sb (in sth) | place sb (with sb/sth) to find a suitable home, job, etc. for sb :
The children were placed with foster parents.
The agency placed about 2 000 secretaries last year.
GIVE RANK
7.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to decide that sb/sth has a particular position or rank compared with other people or things :
I would place her among the top five tennis players in the world.
Nursing attracts people who place relationships high on their list of priorities.
IN RACE
8.
used to describe a person, a team or a horse, etc. finishing in a particular position in a race : [ vn - adj ]
He was placed fifth in last Saturday's race.
[ vn ] ( BrE )
My horse has been placed several times (= it was among the first three or four to finish the race).
[ v ] ( NAmE )
His horse placed in the last race (= it was among the first three to finish the race, usually in second place) .
•
IDIOMS
- be well, ideally, uniquely, better, etc. placed for sth / to do sth
—more at pedestal , premium noun , record noun
••
SYNONYMS
place
site ♦ position ♦ location ♦ scene ♦ spot ♦ venue
These are all words for a particular area or part of an area, especially one used for a particular purpose or where sb/sth is situated or happens.
place
a particular point, area, city, town, building, etc., especially one used for a particular purpose or where a particular thing happens:
This would be a good place for a picnic.
site
the place where sth, especially a building, is or will be situated; a place where sth happened or that is used for a particular purpose:
They've chosen a site for the new school.
position
the place where a person or thing is situated; the place where sb/sth is meant to be:
From his position at the top of the hill, he could see the harbour.
NOTE
The position of sb/sth is often temporary: the place where sb/sth is at a particular time.
location
a place where sth happens or exists, especially a place that is not named or not known:
The company is moving to a new location.
scene
a place where sth happens, especially sth unpleasant:
the scene of the accident
spot
a particular point or area, especially one that has a particular character or where sth particular happens:
The lake is one of the local beauty spots .
venue
the place where people meet for an organized event such as a performance or sports event.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
a/the place / site / position / location / scene of sth
at a/the place / site / position / location / scene / spot / venue
in a place / position / location / venue
the place / site / location / spot / venue where...
the right place / site / position / location / spot / venue
a prime / central place / site / position / location / venue
the / sb's / sth's current / present / exact / precise place / site / position / location / spot / venue
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French , from an alteration of Latin platea open space, from Greek plateia (hodos) broad (way).