place (places plural & 3rd person present) (placing present participle) (placed past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A place is any point, building, area, town, or country.
usu with supp
...Temple Mount, the place where the Temple actually stood., ...a list of museums and places of interest..., We're going to a place called Mont-St-Jean., ...the opportunity to visit new places..., The best place to catch fish on a canal is close to a lock..., The pain is always in the same place.
2 n-sing You can use the place to refer to the point, building, area, town, or country that you have already mentioned.
the N
Except for the remarkably tidy kitchen, the place was a mess...
3 n-count You can refer to somewhere that provides a service, such as a hotel, restaurant, or institution, as a particular kind of place.
usu with supp
He found a bed-and-breakfast place..., My wife and I discovered some superb places to eat...
4 When something takes place, it happens, especially in a controlled or organized way.
take place phrase V inflects
The discussion took place in a famous villa on the lake's shore..., Elections will now take place on November the twenty-fifth.
5 n-sing Place can be used after `any', `no', `some', or `every' to mean `anywhere', `nowhere', `somewhere', or `everywhere'.
(mainly AM)
INFORMAL det N
The poor guy obviously didn't have any place to go for Easter...
6 adv If you go places, you visit pleasant or interesting places.
(mainly AM) ADV after v
I don't have money to go places...
7 n-count You can refer to the position where something belongs, or where it is supposed to be, as its place.
poss N
He returned the album to its place on the shelf..., He returned to his place on the sofa.
8 n-count A place is a seat or position that is available for someone to occupy.
usu with supp
He walked back to the table and sat at the nearest of two empty places...
9 n-count Someone's or something's place in a society, system, or situation is their position in relation to other people or things.
with poss
...the important place of Christianity in our national culture.
10 n-count 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.
usu sing, usu ord N
Jane's goals helped Britain win third place in the Barcelona games...
11 n-count 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.
usu with supp
I eventually got a place at York University..., They should be in residential care but there are no places available...
12 n-sing A good placeto do something in a situation or activity is a good time or stage at which to do it.
with supp, oft N to-inf, N for n/-ing
(=time)
It seemed an appropriate place to end somehow..., This is not the place for a lengthy discussion.
13 n-count Your place is the house or flat where you live.
INFORMAL usu sing, usu poss N
Let's all go back to my place!..., He kept encouraging Rosie to find a place of her own.
14 n-count Your placein a book or speech is the point you have reached in reading the book or making the speech.
usu sing, usu poss N
He lost his place in his notes.
15 n-count If you say how many decimal places there are in a number, you are saying how many numbers there are to the right of the decimal point.
usu num N
A pocket calculator only works to eight decimal places.
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... V n prep/adv
Chairs were hastily placed in rows for the parents. V n prep/adv
17 verb To place a person or thing in a particular state means to cause them to be in it.
(=put)
Widespread protests have placed the President under serious pressure... V n prep
The remaining 30 percent of each army will be placed under UN control. be V-ed prep
18 verb You can use place instead of `put' or `lay' in certain expressions where the meaning is carried by the following noun. For example, if you place emphasison something, you emphasize it, and if you place the blameon someone, you blame them.
(=put)
He placed great emphasis on the importance of family life and ties... V n on/upon n
His government is placing its faith in international diplomacy. V n in n
19 verb If you place someone or something in a particular class or group, you label or judge them in that way.
(=put)
The authorities have placed the drug in Class A, the same category as heroin and cocaine... V n prep
20 verb If a competitor is placed first, second, or last, for example, that is their position at the end of a race or competition. In American English, be placed often means `finish in second position'.
usu passive
I had been placed 2nd and 3rd a few times but had never won... be V-ed ord
Second-placed Auxerre suffered a surprising 2-0 home defeat to Nantes. ord V-ed
21 verb If you place an order for a product or for a meal, you ask for it to be sent or brought to you.
It is a good idea to place your order well in advance... V n
Before placing your order for a meal, study the menu. V n for n
22 verb If you place an advertisement in a newspaper, you arrange for the advertisement to appear in the newspaper.
(=put)
They placed an advertisement in the local paper for a secretary. V n in n, Also V n
23 verb If you place a telephone call to a particular place, you give the telephone operator the number of the person you want to speak to and ask them to connect you.
I'd like to place an overseas call. V n
24 verb If you place a bet, you bet money on something.
For this race, though, he had already placed a bet on one of the horses. V n on n, Also V n
25 verb If an agency or organization places someone, it finds them a job or somewhere to live.
In 1861, they managed to place fourteen women in paid positions in the colonies... V n in n
In cases where it proves difficult to place a child, the reception centre provides long-term care. V n
26 verb If you say that you cannot place someone, you mean that you recognize them but cannot remember exactly who they are or where you have met them before.
It was a voice he recognized, though he could not immediately place it. V n
28 If something is happening all over the place, it is happening in many different places.
all over the place phrase PHR after v, v-link PHR
Businesses are closing down all over the place...
29 If things are all over the place, they are spread over a very large area, usually in a disorganized way.
all over the place phrase v-link PHR, PHR after v
Our fingerprints are probably all over the place...
30 If you say that someone is all over the place, you mean that they are confused or disorganized, and unable to think clearly or act properly.
(mainly BRIT)
all over the place phrase v-link PHR
He was careful and diligent. I was all over the place.
31 If you change placeswith another person, you start being in their situation or role, and they start being in yours.
change places phrase V inflects, pl-n PHR, PHR with n
(=swap)
When he has tried to identify all the items, you can change places, and he can test you...
32 If you have been trying to understand something puzzling and then everything falls into place or clicks into place, you suddenly understand how different pieces of information are connected and everything becomes clearer.
fall/click/fit into place phrase V inflects
When the reasons behind the decision were explained, of course, it all fell into place...
33 If things fall into place, events happen naturally to produce a situation you want.
fall into place phrase V inflects
Once the decision was made, things fell into place rapidly...
34 If you say that someone is going places, you mean that they are showing a lot of talent or ability and are likely to become very successful.
go places phrase V inflects, oft cont
You always knew Barbara was going places, she was different.
35 People in high places are people who have powerful and influential positions in a government, society, or organization.
in high places phrase usu n PHR
He had friends in high places...
36 If something is in place, it is in its correct or usual position. If it is out of place, it is not in its correct or usual position.
in place/into place/out of place phrase PHR after v, v-link PHR
Geoff hastily pushed the drawer back into place..., Not a strand of her golden hair was out of place.
37 If something such as a law, a policy, or an administrative structure is in place, it is working or able to be used.
in place phrase v-link PHR, PHR after v
Similar legislation is already in place in Wales...
38 If one thing or person is used or does something in place of another, they replace the other thing or person.
in place of sth/sb, in sth's/sb's place phrase
Cooked kidney beans can be used in place of French beans...
39 If something has particular characteristics or features in places, it has them at several points within an area.
in places phrase PHR with cl/group
The snow along the roadside was six feet deep in places...
40 If you say what you would have done in someone else's place, you say what you would have done if you had been in their situation and had been experiencing what they were experiencing.
in sb's place phrase
In her place I wouldn't have been able to resist it..., What would you have done in my place, my dear?
41 You say in the first place when you are talking about the beginning of a situation or about the situation as it was before a series of events.
in the first place phrase PHR after v
What brought you to Washington in the first place?...
42 You say in the first place and in the second place to introduce the first and second in a series of points or reasons. In the first place can also be used to emphasize a very important point or reason.
in the first/second place phrase PHR with cl
In the first place you are not old and in the second place you are a very attractive man...
43 If you say that it is not your placeto do something, you mean that it is not right or appropriate for you to do it, or that it is not your responsibility to do it.
not sb's place to do sth phrase V inflects, usu PHR to-inf
He says that it is not his place to comment on government commitment to further funds...
44 If someone or something seems out of place in a particular situation, they do not seem to belong there or to be suitable for that situation.
out of place phrase v-link PHR
I felt out of place in my suit and tie...
45 If you say that someone has found their place in the sun, you mean that they are in a job or a situation where they will be happy and have everything that they want.
place in the sun phrase usu poss PHR
46 If you place one thing above, before, or over another, you think that the first thing is more important than the second and you show this in your behaviour.
place sth above/before/over sth phrase
(=put)
He continued to place security above all other objectives.
47 If you put someone in their place, you show them that they are less important or clever than they think they are.
put sb in their place phrase V inflects
In a few words she had put him in his place.
48 If you say that someone should be shown their place or be kept in their place, you are saying, often in a humorous way, that they should be made aware of their low status.
show sb their place/keep sb in their place phrase
...an uppity publican who needs to be shown his place.
49 If one thing takes second placeto another, it is considered to be less important and is given less attention than the other thing.
take second place phrase V inflects, oft PHR to n
My personal life has had to take second place to my career.
50 If one thing or person takes the place of another or takes another's place, they replace the other thing or person.
take the place of/take sb's place phrase V inflects
Optimism was gradually taking the place of pessimism..., He eventually took Charlie's place in a popular Latin band.
51 →
pride of place →
pride
hiding place (hiding places plural )A hiding place is a place where someone or something can be hidden, or where they are hiding. n-count
meeting place (meeting places plural )A meeting place is a place where people meet. n-count
Place
Place is used as part of the name of a square or short street in a town. n-in-names
...15 Portland Place, London W1A 4DD.
place card (place cards plural )A place card is a small card with a person's name on it which is put on a table at a formal meal to indicate where that person is to sit. n-count
place mat (place mats plural ), placemat Place mats are mats that are put on a table before a meal for people to put their plates or bowls on. n-count
place setting (place settings plural )
1 n-count A place setting is an arrangement of knives, forks, spoons, and glasses that has been laid out on a table for the use of one person at a meal.
2 n-count A place setting of china or of knives, forks, and spoons is a complete set of all the things that one person might use at a meal.
A seven-piece place setting costs about £45.
polling place (polling places plural )A polling place is the same as a polling station.
(AM) n-count
resting place (resting places plural )
1 n-count A resting place is a place where you can stay and rest, usually for a short period of time.
The area was an important resting place for many types of migrant birds.
2 n-count You can refer to the place where a dead person is buried as their resting place or their final resting place.
usu with poss
The hill is supposed to be the resting place of the legendary King Lud.
