Meaning & use
placed
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“placed” is a form of “place”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Put something carefully in a particular spot or position.
Grammar: Past tense and past participle of place; it needs an object: she placed the vase on the table.
Patterns
- placed something on something
- placed something in something
- be placed under something
She placed the keys on the kitchen counter.
The chef placed a sprig of mint on each plate.
He placed his hand on the child's shoulder.
verbintransitivesport
Finished a contest in a particular position, often among the top few.
Grammar: Often followed by an ordinal or a position word: placed second, placed in the top ten.
Patterns
- placed second
- placed in the top ten
- placed last
She placed third in the regional swimming final.
Our team placed fifth out of twenty.
He placed in the top three at the chess tournament.
verbtransitive
Gave a request, bet, order, or advertisement to someone so that it can be acted on.
Grammar: Used with nouns like order or call: placed an order.
Patterns
- placed an order
- placed a bet
- placed an ad
He placed an order for two new chairs.
She placed a call to the airline.
They placed an ad in the local paper.
Word forms
| base form | place |
|---|---|
| third person singular | places |
| -ing form | placing |
Common combinations
- placed an order
- We placed an order online last night.
- placed second
- The runner placed second in her heat.
- well placed to
- She is well placed to take over the project.
- carefully placed
- The books were carefully placed on the shelf.
- placed under arrest
- The suspect was placed under arrest.
Synonyms and how they differ
- put
- Put is the plain everyday word, while placed suggests more care or deliberate positioning.
- set
- Set suggests putting something down in a settled position, often on a surface.
- positioned
- Positioned stresses exact location and is more formal than placed.
- finished
- Finished states how a contest ended, but placed implies a ranking among others.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: placed or placid?
placed vs placid
Placid means calm and peaceful and has nothing to do with putting things in position.
Practice
Maria ran a great race and ___ second behind the national champion.
Choose one answer.
Placed is the simple past, which fits a completed race. Placing and has place are not correct verb forms here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “placed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.