What does "place" mean?

1. (a location) a particular area, building, or spot. 2. (a home) the house or apartment where someone lives. 3. (rank or position) your position in a race or a list of people. 4. (social duty) your role or duty in a situation. 5. (to put somewhere) to put something in a specific position or spot. 6. (to identify) to remember exactly who someone is or where you met them. 7. (to finish in a rank) to finish a race in a certain position, like first or second.

place — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01a location

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

n. a particular area, building, or spot.

n. a particular portion of space, whether a specific point, a building, or a geographic area.

“This is a great place for a picnic because there is plenty of shade.”

“The city council is looking for a suitable place to build the new community centre that is accessible by public transport.”

Synonyms

location spot site

02a home

A2 · Elementary Countable noun Informal

n. the house or apartment where someone lives.

n. a person's residence or dwelling.

“We are having a small party at my place on Saturday night.”

“Since his apartment was being renovated, he invited us over to his parents' place in the countryside instead.”

Synonyms

home house apartment

03rank or position

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Sports

n. your position in a race or a list of people.

n. a person's rank or ordinal position in a sequence, competition, or hierarchy.

“She was disappointed to finish the race in fourth place.”

“The athlete secured a second-place finish, narrowly missing the gold medal by only a fraction of a second.”

Synonyms

rank position standing

04social duty

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. your role or duty in a situation.

n. the appropriate or customary role, function, or duty of a person.

“It is not my place to tell you how to raise your children.”

“The junior clerk felt it was not his place to contradict the manager during the board meeting.”

Synonyms

role duty responsibility

05to put somewhere

A2 · Elementary

v. to put something in a specific position or spot.

v. to put or arrange someone or something in a particular place or position.

“Please place the glasses carefully on the top shelf.”

“The curator placed the fragile vase inside the glass display case, ensuring the lighting highlighted its intricate patterns.”

Synonyms

put set position

Antonyms

remove displace

06to identify

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to remember exactly who someone is or where you met them.

v. to identify someone or something by connecting them with a particular context or memory.

“I know her face, but I just can't place where we met before.”

“The witness struggled to place the suspect's accent, though she was certain she had heard it during the incident.”

Synonyms

identify recognise

07to finish in a rank

B1 · Intermediate Sports

v. to finish a race in a certain position, like first or second.

v. to achieve a specific ranking or ordinal position in a competition.

“He worked hard and managed to place third in the national competition.”

“Despite the challenging weather conditions, the local team managed to place in the top five for the third year running.”

Synonyms

rank finish

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “place” in context.

01. central place 02. place constraint 03. place demand 04. place emphasis 05. place importance 06. place restriction

From Middle English place, conflation of Old English plæċe (“place, an open space, street”) and Old French place (“place, an open space”), both from Latin platēa (“plaza, wide street”), from Ancient Greek πλατεῖα (plateîa), shortening of πλατεῖα ὁδός (plateîa hodós, “broad way”), from Proto-Indo-European pleth₂- (“to spread”), extended form of pleh₂- (“flat”). Displaced native Old English stōw, stede (partially), and -ern. Compare also English pleck (“plot of ground”), West Frisian plak (“place, spot, location”), Dutch plek (“place, spot, patch”). Doublet of piatza, piazza, and plaza. In the etymological chain from Latin platēa, note Old French place, which has multiple descendants — including German Platz, itself with many descendants (e.g., Russian плац (plac)). Also note a more distant chain node Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús), whence English Plato and English plate (via Latin).