What does putt mean?
A putt is a golf stroke made on the green with a putter, using a light touch so that the ball rolls toward the hole. The word is also used as a verb for making such a stroke and, informally, for successfully sending the ball into the cup. Putting is distinct from the full swing used for longer approach shots: it depends more on control, distance, and reading the slope than on power. A player may sink, make, or miss a putt, and a putt can offer a chance at an eagle or birdie. Although the word belongs firmly to the vocabulary of golf, its clear focus on a compact, controlled movement makes it useful in descriptions of both successful and unsuccessful attempts to place something precisely.
To strike a golf ball lightly on the green so that it rolls toward or into the hole.
"He putted from close range."
The term is chiefly used in golf and is especially associated with play on the putting green.
A light stroke with a putter that sends a golf ball rolling toward or into the hole.
"Her final putt dropped just inside the edge of the cup."
As a noun, it can refer to the stroke itself or, informally, to the attempt to hole the ball.
The plural is used for multiple putting strokes or attempts.
"He missed several putts before finally getting the ball into the hole."
In golf, the shortest stroke can be the most decisive: a well-judged putt can turn an ordinary approach into a birdie.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of putt
The word putt is a specialized development associated with the game of golf and is generally understood as related to the older verb put, meaning to place or move something gently. Its exact earliest recorded development is less certain than its modern golfing sense. The related noun putter, meaning a club used on the green, and the verb putting developed alongside the established golfing usage.
Related word forms
How putt is actually used
The term is specific to golf. In informal usage, it may refer to the act of completing a hole this way, as in "She putted from ten feet."
Easily confused with putt
A put is a general golf stroke intended to send the ball toward the hole, while a putt is specifically a light stroke on the green intended to roll the ball into the hole.