# put paid to

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/put-paid-to
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To terminate; to cancel (plans or expectations); to preclude (possibilities); to stop (something) once and for all.

## Examples

- The heavy rain put paid to our plans for a picnic.
- A sudden injury put paid to his hopes of winning the championship this year.
- The unexpected discovery of the missing documents put paid to the company's long-standing legal defense and forced an immediate settlement.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.