placing
placing — noun
1. the numbered position that a person, team, or thing reaches at the end of a race
the numbered position that a person, team, or thing reaches at the end of a race, contest, or ordered list, showing how well they performed compared with others.
The Belgian runner was thrilled with her third-place placing at the marathon.
ordinal + place: 'third-place placing'
A top-five placing in the competition would qualify the team for the national finals.
collocation: top-[number] placing
The horse's second-place placing at the Derby earned its owner a large cash prize.
Students whose overall score earns them a top-ten-percent placing receive a scholarship.
The judges announced the final rankings, and the band's best placing was a respectable sixth.
文法句型
someone's placing (in/at something)
a [ordinal] placing
常見錯誤
placing — verb
- placingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- placings3rd person singular
- placinging-ing form
- placingedpast simple
1. to set someone or something down at a specific location, usually with care or aw
to set someone or something down at a specific location, usually with care or awareness of where it should go.
The librarian was carefully placing the returned books back on the shelves in alphabetical order.
place + object + adverb/preposition: 'placing books on shelves'
Elena placed the warm loaf of bread in the centre of the wooden table.
The nurse placed a cool towel gently on the patient's forehead to reduce the fever.
Visitors should place their umbrellas in the stand by the front door before entering the gallery.
Diego placed the old photograph carefully inside the album between two blank pages.
- remove
to take something away from a position
文法句型
place + object + adverb/preposition
be placed + adverb/preposition
用法筆記
Almost always takes a phrase showing the target location — 'he placed the vase' sounds incomplete without 'on the table', 'by the window', etc.
常見錯誤
2. to arrange for something such as an order for goods, a bet on a race, or an adve
to arrange for something such as an order for goods, a bet on a race, or an advertisement to be formally submitted or carried out.
The restaurant manager placed a large order for fresh vegetables from the local farm.
collocation: 'place an order for [something]'
Omar placed a bet on the horse with the best track record at the racetrack.
collocation: 'place a bet on [something]'
The company placed an advertisement in the local newspaper to attract new customers.
Soo-jin placed an order online for three books and chose express delivery.
Before the auction ended, Vikram placed a final bid on the antique watch.
- cancel
to stop an order or bet that was already submitted
文法句型
place + an order/bet/advertisement
用法筆記
The object is always a service request (order, bet, bid, advertisement, call) — never a physical object as in sense verb/1.
常見錯誤
3. to give a particular degree of importance, trust, or attention to something — fo
to give a particular degree of importance, trust, or attention to something — for example, placing great value on honesty, or placing emphasis on teamwork.
The school places a lot of emphasis on developing students' creative thinking skills.
pattern: 'place emphasis on [something]'
Grandpa always placed great value on family traditions and passed them down to every generation.
pattern: 'place value on [something]'
The manager placed too much trust in a supplier who delayed the materials.
The hospital places the highest importance on patient safety and follows strict hygiene rules.
In her paintings, Hana places special emphasis on the play of light across ordinary objects.
文法句型
place + emphasis/importance/value + on + noun
用法筆記
Used only with abstract nouns such as emphasis, importance, value, trust, confidence, priority. The preposition 'on' or 'upon' always follows.
常見錯誤
4. to find a suitable job, position, or home for someone, or to assign someone offi
to find a suitable job, position, or home for someone, or to assign someone officially to a particular role or institution.
After graduating, Kofi was placed in a training programme at a leading engineering firm.
passive: 'be placed in [programme]'
The agency placed Amara in a teaching role at a primary school in the city.
active: 'agency placed [person] in [role]'
Social services placed the children with a foster family while their parents received medical treatment.
The government programme placed two hundred unemployed workers in new positions last year.
After a successful interview, Noor was placed at the head office of a large bank.
- dismiss
to remove someone from a job or position
文法句型
be placed + in/at/with + [institution]
place + someone + in/at + [job]
用法筆記
Often used in formal or institutional contexts — employment agencies, government schemes, social services. The subject is usually an organization rather than a person.
常見錯誤
5. to know who someone is by recalling the context in which you previously encounte
to know who someone is by recalling the context in which you previously encountered them.
The detective looked at the man's face for a moment but could not place him.
modal: 'could not place someone'
I knew the woman but could not place where we had met before.
pattern: 'cannot place where/when'
After studying the photograph, Wei placed the man as his old maths teacher.
Grace recognised the actor's voice but could not place the film she had seen him in.
The journalist placed the politician at the conference from a report she had read.
文法句型
can/could + place + someone
place + someone + as + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used with 'can', 'could', or 'cannot' to talk about the ability or inability to identify someone. The full form 'I place him' without a modal sounds unnatural.
常見錯誤
6. to decide or state what numbered position someone or something holds within an o
to decide or state what numbered position someone or something holds within an ordered list, judged by quality or performance.
The university is placed among the top five institutions in the country for research.
passive: 'be placed among [group]'
Critics placed the film above any other in the director's career.
pattern: 'place [X] above [Y]'
The judges placed the Japanese contestant first and the Brazilian second in the final round.
The exam results placed the school in the top tier of the region's secondary schools.
Most wine experts place this vineyard's product among the finest in the southern hemisphere.
文法句型
be placed + among/above/below + [group]
place + someone/something + in + [category]
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun sense (placing = the result); this verb sense describes the action of ranking. When the subject is a person, it's deliberate judgment; when it's data, it's automatic categorization.
常見錯誤
7. to finish a competition or race in a particular numbered position, especially am
to finish a competition or race in a particular numbered position, especially among the top finishers.
The young swimmer placed third in the national championships, earning a bronze medal.
pattern: 'place [ordinal]'
Despite a strong start, the team placed poorly after a mistake in the final relay.
adverb: 'place poorly'
The horse placed second in its first race and then won the next three competitions.
Sofia trained for months and placed first in the regional gymnastics tournament.
Only three competitors placed ahead of the defending champion in the final round.
文法句型
place + [ordinal]
place + well/badly/highly
用法筆記
Used intransitively — the subject is the competitor, and the result follows as an adverb or ordinal. Unlike verb/6 (ASSIGN RANK), this sense is about the competitor's own achievement, not about someone else ranking them.