I. place 1 S1 W1 /pleɪs/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ place , ↑ placement , ↑ placing , ↑ displacement , ↑ replacement ; verb : ↑ place , ↑ displace , ↑ misplace , ↑ replace ; adjective : ↑ displaced , ↑ misplaced , ↑ replaceable ]
[ Date: 900-1000 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: 'open space' , from Latin platea 'broad street' , from Greek plateia (hodos) , from platys 'broad, flat' ]
1 . AREA/SPACE/BUILDING ETC a space or area, for example a particular point on a surface or in a room, building, town, city etc:
Make sure you keep the key in a safe place.
I’ve spent the day dashing about from place to place.
The place was full of screaming children.
He was threatening to burn the place down.
She had never been back to the place where the accident happened.
The theatre bar was our usual meeting place.
We were living then in a place called Alberiga.
The wall was quite damp in places (=in some places) .
place for
This is a great place for a holiday.
a place to do something
I couldn’t find a place to park.
Did the accident happen at your place of work (=the place where you work) ?
The Great Mosque has been a place of worship for Muslims for centuries.
2 . HOME informal a house or apartment where someone lives:
They’ve got quite a big place on the outskirts of Leeds.
sb’s place
Do you want to come back to my place for coffee?
It took us ages to find a place to live.
He’s staying with us until he can find a place of his own.
3 . take place to happen, especially after being planned or arranged:
The next meeting will take place on Thursday.
Talks between the two sides are still taking place.
Major changes are taking place in society.
4 . SPACE TO SIT OR PUT SOMETHING a space where someone can sit, or a space where you can put something:
I might arrive a bit late, so could you save me a place?
There are still a few places left on the coach.
Make sure you put everything back in its proper place.
place for
Can you find a good place for this vase?
5 . POINT IN BOOK/SPEECH a point that you have reached in a book or a speech:
This would be a good place to stop and answer any questions that people have.
I used a bookmark so that I wouldn’t lose my place (=forget the point that I had reached) .
6 . OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING if someone has a place somewhere, they have the opportunity to go there or join in an activity
place in
If you don’t come to training you might lose your place in the team.
We’ve been trying to find her a place in a residential home.
place on
He was offered a place on the management committee.
There are still a couple of places left on the course.
place at
I’ve been offered a place at York University.
7 . ROLE/POSITION the ↑ role or important position that someone or something has in a situation or in society
sb’s place
the old idea that a woman’s place is in the home
place in
He finally reached the summit of Everest and secured his place in history.
Working has a very important place in all our lives.
8 . in place
a) in the correct position:
The chairs for the concert were nearly all in place.
The glass was held in place by a few pieces of sellotape.
b) existing and ready to be used:
Funding arrangements are already in place.
9 . in place of somebody/something ( also in sb’s/sth’s place ) instead of someone or something else:
In place of our advertised programme, we will have live coverage of the special memorial service.
The company flag had been taken down and in its place hung the Union Jack.
If I refused to go, they would send someone else in my place.
10 . take the place of somebody/something ( also take sb’s/sth’s place ) to exist or be used instead of someone or something else SYN replace :
Natural methods of pest control are now taking the place of chemicals.
I had to find someone to take Jenny’s place.
11 . in sb’s place used to talk about what you would do if you were in someone else’s situation:
What would you do in my place?
Try to put yourself in my place and think how you would feel.
12 . be no place for somebody to be a completely unsuitable place for someone:
This is no place for a child.
13 . first/second/third etc place first, second etc position in a race or competition:
He took second place in the long jump.
in first/second etc place
I finished in third place.
14 . in the first place
a) used to introduce a series of points in an argument, discussion etc:
In the first place, I’m too busy, and in the second I don’t really want to go.
b) used to talk about what someone did or should have done at the start of a situation:
I wish I’d never got involved in the first place!
15 . take second place (to somebody/something) to be less important than someone or something else:
She wasn’t prepared to take second place in his life.
16 . take your places used to tell people to go to the correct place or position that they need to be in for an activity:
If you would like to take your places, the food will be served shortly.
17 . all over the place informal
a) everywhere:
There was blood all over the place.
b) in a very untidy state:
She came in with her hair all over the place.
18 . put somebody in their place to show someone that they are not as clever or important as they think they are:
I soon put him in his place.
19 . out of place
a) not suitable for a particular situation or occasion:
He never seemed to feel out of place at social functions.
The paintings looked strangely out of place.
b) not in the correct or usual position:
The kitchen was spotlessly clean, with nothing out of place.
20 . it is not sb’s place (to do something) if it is not your place to do something, you do not have the duty or right to do it:
It’s not your place to criticize me!
21 . have no place formal to be completely unacceptable
have no place in
Capital punishment has no place in a modern society.
22 . fall into place
a) if things fall into place in your mind, you suddenly realize and understand what is really happening:
Things were beginning to fall into place in my mind.
Everything suddenly fell into place.
b) if plans or events fall into place, they start to happen in the way that you hoped they would:
Eventually I got a job, and my life began to fall into place.
23 . be going places informal to start becoming successful in your life:
William is a young man who is definitely going places.
24 . be in a good/bad etc place American English informal to be in a good, bad etc situation
⇨ a/my/your etc happy place at ↑ happy (10), ⇨ have/take pride of place at ↑ pride 1 (6)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ phrases
▪ a meeting place
The club was a meeting place for musicians.
▪ a hiding place
He had watched the farm workers from his hiding place.
▪ a resting place (=a place where someone or something stays or is buried)
This tomb is the last resting place of the Davison family.
▪ sb’s place of birth formal
I need to know his date of birth, and his place of birth.
▪ sb’s place of work/employment formal
Please give the address of your place of work.
▪ sb’s place of residence formal
By law, you must inform us if you change your place of residence.
▪ sb’s/sth’s place of origin formal (=the place where someone or something first came from)
I believe my mother's place of origin was Sierra Leone.
▪ a place of safety
His young son had been sent away to a place of safety.
▪ a place of refuge (=somewhere safe to go or hide)
If ever you need a place of refuge, come to us.
▪ a place of worship
The church is much more than a place of worship.
▪ a place of pilgrimage (=one that people visit because it is special, usually for a religious reason)
Her grave became a place of pilgrimage.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ place a point or area, especially one that you visit or use for a particular purpose:
He’s been to lots of places.
|
a good meeting place
▪ position the exact place where someone or something is, in relation to other things:
She showed me the position of the village on the map.
|
I changed the position of the mirror slightly.
|
Jessica moved to a position where she could see the stage better.
▪ point a particular place on a line or surface:
At this point the path gets narrower.
|
No cars are allowed beyond this point.
▪ spot a place, especially a particular kind of place, or a place where something happens. Spot sounds rather informal:
She chose a sunny spot.
|
The area is a favourite spot for windsurfers.
|
This is the exact spot where I asked her to marry me.
▪ location a place where someone or something is, or where something happens. Location sounds more formal than place :
your exact location
|
The prisoners were taken to an undisclosed location.
|
an ideal location for a winter break
▪ site a place, especially one that will be used for a particular purpose, or where something important happened:
the site of a great battle
|
There are plans to develop the site for housing.
|
The area has become a dumping site for nuclear waste.
▪ venue a place where something such as a meeting, concert, game etc takes place:
the venue for the next Olympic Games
|
The hotel is a popular wedding venue.
▪ scene the place where something bad such as an accident or crime happened:
the scene of the crime
|
Ambulance crews were at the scene within minutes.
▪ setting the place and the area around it, where something is or where something happens:
The hotel is in a beautiful setting.
|
the setting for the film ‘A Room With a View’
|
Beautiful gardens provide the perfect setting for outdoor dining.
▪ somewhere used for talking about a place when you are not sure exactly which place:
She came from somewhere in London.
▪ whereabouts the place where someone or something is – used especially when you do not know this or do not want to tell people:
The whereabouts of the painting is unknown.
|
He refused to disclose his whereabouts.
|
I’m not sure about her whereabouts.
II. place 2 S2 W1 BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ place , ↑ placement , ↑ placing , ↑ displacement , ↑ replacement ; verb : ↑ place , ↑ displace , ↑ misplace , ↑ replace ; adjective : ↑ displaced , ↑ misplaced , ↑ replaceable ]
1 . POSITION [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to put something somewhere, especially with care SYN put :
She poured the doctor a cup of tea and placed it on the table.
He carefully placed the folder back in his desk drawer.
2 . SITUATION [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to put someone or something in a particular situation SYN put :
The government is being placed under pressure to give financial help to farmers.
Children must not be placed at risk.
Some areas of the city have been placed under curfew.
This places me in a very difficult position.
3 . IN A JOB/HOME [transitive] formal to find a suitable job or home for someone:
Some unemployed people can be very difficult to place.
He was later placed with a foster family.
4 . ARRANGE SOMETHING [transitive] to arrange for something to be done:
He placed an advertisement in the local paper.
You can place orders by telephone.
I had no idea which horse I should place a bet on.
5 . HOW GOOD/IMPORTANT [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to say how good or important you think someone or something is:
I would place health quite high on my list of priorities.
place somebody/something above/before somebody/something
Some museums seem to place profit above education.
6 . place value/importance/emphasis etc on something to decide that something is important:
Most people place too much value on money.
The company places a lot of emphasis on training.
7 . can’t place somebody to recognize someone, but be unable to remember where you have met them before:
I’ve seen her somewhere before, but I can’t quite place her.
8 . be well/ideally etc placed
a) to be in a good situation where you have the ability or opportunity to do something
be well/ideally placed to do something
The company is now well placed to compete in Europe.
b) British English to be in a good place or position
be well/ideally etc placed for
The hotel is well placed for most of London’s theatres.
9 . RACES be placed first/second etc to be first, second etc in a race or competition
REGISTER
Place is slightly formal in most of its meanings. In everyday English, people usually use put instead:
▪
She put the cup on the table.
▪
Innocent people were put at risk.
▪
They put an ad in the paper.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ put to move something to a particular place:
I’ve put the wine in the fridge.
|
Where have you put my grey shirt?
▪ place to put something somewhere carefully:
‘It’s beautiful,’ he said, placing it back on the shelf.
▪ lay to put someone or something down carefully on a flat surface:
He laid all the money on the table.
|
She laid the baby on his bed.
▪ position to carefully put something in a suitable position:
Position the microphone to suit your height.
|
Troops were positioned around the city.
▪ slip to put something somewhere with a quick movement:
He slipped his arm around her waist.
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Carrie quickly slipped the money into her bag.
▪ shove to put something into a space or container quickly or carelessly:
Shove anything you don’t want in that sack.
|
I’ve ironed those shirts so don’t just shove them in a drawer.
▪ stick ( also bung British English ) informal to put something somewhere quickly or carelessly:
I stuck the address in my pocket and I can’t find it now.
|
Could you bung those clothes in the washing machine?
▪ dump to put something down somewhere in a careless and untidy way:
Don’t just dump all your bags in the kitchen.
|
People shouldn’t dump rubbish at the side of the street.
▪ pop informal to quickly put something somewhere, usually for a short time:
Pop it in the microwave for a minute.
▪ thrust literary to put something somewhere suddenly or forcefully:
‘Hide it,’ he said, thrusting the watch into her hand.