putter

1 of 3

noun (1)

put·​ter ˈpu̇-tər 

: one that puts

a putter of questions

putter

2 of 3

noun (2)

putt·​er ˈpə-tər 

1

: a golf club used in putting

2

: one who putts

putter

3 of 3

verb

put·​ter ˈpə-tər 

puttered; puttering; putters

intransitive verb

1

: to move or act aimlessly or idly

2

: to work at random : tinker

putterer

ˈpə-tər-ər 

noun

Synonyms of putter

Verb

• potter (around)
• play
• goof (around)
• fiddle (around)
• monkey (around)
• fool around
• hang about

Examples of putter in a Sentence

Verb

the motorboat puttered across the lake

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Bridgeman, who leads the PGA Tour in the key putting statistic, leaned hard on his putter. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026

No longer is Dick's Sporting Goods just a place to test drive putters while your wife browses her way through Sephora. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Verb

Now Calvin is the burly family fisherman, puttering away on his boat, scooping up chunks of ice from nearby glaciers to sell to vodka distilleries. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026

When Axsome went public in 2015, Wall Street was skeptical and the company’s stock puttered along under $10 for years. — Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

alteration of potter

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing putter

• putter around

Rhymes for putter

• butter
• clutter
• cutter
• flutter
• gutter
• mutter
• nutter
• rutter
• shutter
• sputter
• stutter
• utter

Kids Definition

putter

1 of 3 noun

put·​ter ˈpu̇t-ər 

: one that puts

putter

2 of 3 noun

putt·​er ˈpət-ər 

1

: a golf club used in putting

2

: a person who putts

putter

3 of 3 verb

put·​ter ˈpət-ər 

1

: to move or act without obvious purpose

2

: to work by chance or without skill

putterer

-ər-ər 

noun

Etymology

Noun

from put and -er (noun suffix)

Noun

from putt and -er (noun suffix)

Verb

an altered form of earlier potter "to move about idly without aim or purpose"