# place

/ˈpɫeɪs/ (US) · /plˈeɪs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/place
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a location

noun · CEFR A1

a particular area, building, or spot.

For teachers: 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.

### 2. a home

noun · CEFR A2 · Informal

the house or apartment where someone lives.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. rank or position

noun · CEFR B1

your position in a race or a list of people.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. social duty

noun · CEFR B2

your role or duty in a situation.

For teachers: 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.

### 5. to put somewhere

verb · CEFR A2

to put something in a specific position or spot.

For teachers: 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.

### 6. to identify

verb · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: 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.

### 7. to finish in a rank

verb · CEFR B1

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

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- This is a good place for a picnic.
- He put the book back in its proper place on the shelf.
- Memory is a strange place, where events from decades ago can feel more immediate than what happened yesterday morning.

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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.