place

PLAYS/pleɪs/

Pluralplaces

Verbplaces, placing, placed

33 meanings of place

Practice

1
nouncountable or uncountable
A particular point or area where something is.
Meet me in the same place tomorrow.
Put it back in its place.
UsageThings are in or at a place. Take place means happen.
Similarlocation, position, spot, site
2
verbtransitive
To set something or someone down in a certain spot.
She placed the sleeping baby gently in the crib.
Place the cup on the saucer, not beside it.
UsageA more careful, formal word than put.
Similarset, lay, deposit
Oppositeremove
3
nouncountable or uncountable
An area such as a town, city, region or country, as in 'a cold place in winter'.
Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth.
In some places near the North Pole, the sun shines all night in summer.
Similararea, region, location
4
nouncountable
A business you go to, often one where you eat, drink or buy things.
Let's get dinner at that new Thai place on Main Street.
That shoe place at the mall is having a big sale this weekend.
UsagePeople often say pizza place or Thai place.
Similarspot, establishment
5
finishing positionnouncountable or uncountable
Where someone finishes in a race or competition.
We ended up in fourth place.
Second place still gets a medal.
UsageSay in second place or first place, usually with no the.
Similarposition, spot, rank
Note
6
nouncountable or uncountable
The house where someone lives.
Let's watch the game at my place on Sunday afternoon.
Her place in the country has a lake.
UsageSay my place or come to my place.
Similarhome, house
Note
7
proper rolenouncountable or uncountable
Your proper role or position among other people.
It is not my place to say who is right.
She knows her place in the household.
UsagePeople say it's not my place to say, or put someone in their place.
Similarstation, position, role, rank
Note
8
make (an order)verbtransitive
To make or arrange something, such as an order, a bet, a phone call, or an advert.
Please place your order before noon.
He placed a call to the embassy.
UsageSay place an order or place a bet.
Similarmake
9
finish rankedverbtransitive or intransitive
To finish in a certain position in a race or competition, especially near the top.
Our school band placed second in the state contest.
She hopes to place in the top ten.
UsageSay placed second, or place in the top ten.
Similarfinish, rank
Note
10
attach valueverbtransitive
To give a certain amount of value or importance to something.
My dad places a lot of importance on good manners.
Few companies place such weight on team spirit.
UsageSay place importance on something.
Similarput, set, lay, attach
11
state of mindnouncountable or uncountable
How someone feels inside at a particular time.
After a hard year, my brother is finally in a better place.
She's in a good place since the move.
UsageSay in a good place. Careful: in a better place can also mean dead.
Similarstate, headspace, space, mood

Less common meanings

12
nouncountable or uncountable
The space one person takes up, especially a seat.
Someone is sitting in my place at the table.
Save me a place near the front.
UsageSay save me a place or set a place at the table.
Similarseat, setting
13
know againverbtransitive
To remember where you have seen someone or something before.
Your face looks familiar, but I can't place where we met.
The voice was familiar but she couldn't place it.
UsageOften I can't place someone or their face.
Similarrecognize, identify, remember, recall
14
point in a booknouncountable or uncountable
The point you have reached in a book or document.
The teacher helped me find my place on the page after I fell behind.
Mark your place with the ribbon.
UsageSay lose your place or find your place.
Similarpage, spot, point
15
verbtransitive
To find a job for someone, or a home for an animal.
The agency helped place my sister in a job at the hospital.
The shelter tries to place every dog within a month.
UsageYou place someone in a job.
Similarrehome, assign
16
nouncountable or uncountable
A spot as one of the players in a sports team.
She worked hard all summer to earn a place on the soccer team.
She won a place in the squad at nineteen.
UsageSay a place on the team.
Similarspot, position, berth
17
order (of steps)nouncountable or uncountable
Position in an order, used in phrases like in the first place.
Why did you agree to help him in the first place?
In the second place, we can't afford it.
UsageIn the first place can mean first or at the start.
Note
18
digit columnnouncountable or uncountable
In maths, the position of a digit in a number, such as the tens or hundreds.
Round the answer to three decimal places.
The seven is in the hundreds place.
UsageSay two decimal places or the tens place.
Similarposition, column
19
spot on bodynouncountable or uncountable
A spot on the body, especially on the skin.
The bee stung me, and the place on my arm is still swollen.
The sore place on his heel took weeks to heal.
Similarspot, area, patch
20
second or betternouncountable or uncountable
In horse racing, a finish among the first few runners, especially in second place.
I backed the gray for place and she came second.
Her horse didn't win, but it still got a place.
Note
21
street namenouncountable or uncountable
Used as part of the name of some streets.
Our dentist's office is on Garden Place, near the park.
Turn left into Carlton Place.
Note
22
noundatedeuphemisticcountable or uncountable
A polite word for the toilet.
Place,... (2) a jakes, or house of ease.
1901, John Stephen Farmer et al., Slang and Its Analogues Past and PresentHere, Place means a toilet or outhouse.
‘I guess I'll take this opportunity to go to the place’... ‘She means the little girls room.’
1951, William Styron, Lie Down in DarknessHere, the place means the bathroom, a polite way to say toilet.
Similartoilet, lavatory, bathroom, loo
Note
23
squarenouncountable or uncountable
An open space in a town, such as a market square.
The market place was full of stalls by seven.
On Saturdays, farmers sell fruit in the old market place.
Similarsquare, plaza, piazza
Note
24
room fornouncountable or uncountable
Room for something to be accepted or welcomed.
My word hath no place in you, the old text says.
Mercy found no place in his heart.
UsageOften has no place in: hate has no place in our school.
Similarroom, space, way
Note
25
confirm alibiverbtransitive
To confirm where someone was at a certain time.
The driver was placed at the scene by two witnesses and a security camera.
Can anyone place you at the office that night?
UsageYou place someone at a place and time.
Similarput, locate
26
kick a goalverbtransitive
In sport, to score a goal by kicking a ball resting on the ground.
Similarkick
Note
27
nounobsoletecountable or uncountable
A fort or a town with strong walls around it.
Note
28
nouncountable
A space for one person to study at a school, college, or university, or to join a class with limited spaces.
She got a place at the college she wanted.
There are only twenty places in the cooking class, so sign up early.
UsageYou get a place at a college or on a course.
Similarspot, slot
29
verb
To sing a note at exactly the right pitch.
30
nounobsolete
The area where a battle happens.
31
nounobsolete
A short piece of writing taken from a longer text.
32
nounobsolete
A subject to talk about.
33
nounobsolete
In chess, one of the squares on the board.

More uses

take placeto happen

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of place apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 3–7, 11–12, 14, 16–24, 27–28

It came into Middle English by mixing an Old English word and an Old French word, both from Latin 'platea' meaning a wide street, which came from Greek 'plateia' for 'broad way'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

Middle English place combined an Old English word and an Old French word. en.wiktionary.org
Both source words derive from Latin platea. en.wiktionary.org
Latin platea means a wide street. en.wiktionary.org
Latin platea derives from Greek plateia, meaning broad way. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 2, 8–10, 13, 15, 25–26

This verb comes from the noun 'place'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

The verb 'place' derives from the noun 'place'. en.wiktionary.org