place

to end a race, contest, or election at a particular ranking, such as second, fifth, last, or among the top ten.

• finish

  more general; 'finish second' is equally common in everyday speech

• come

  British: 'come third' is the natural spoken form

• rank

  stresses position on a list, often passive: 'was ranked third'

• come in

  informal: 'come in third'

• withdraw

  to drop out before finishing

to formally request or set up a transaction such as an order, a bet, or an advertisement, usually by contacting the right person or company.

• submit

  more formal; used for forms or applications

• make

  more general; 'make an order' is also possible but less standard in business

• lodge

  formal; often used for complaints or claims

• cancel

  to withdraw an order or bet after placing it

• withdraw

  to take back a bid or request

to arrange a job, home, or position for someone, usually through an agency, school, or official body.

• appoint

  more formal; for higher-level positions

• assign

  stresses giving a specific task or role

• settle

  used when finding a long-term home, especially for children

• dismiss

  to remove someone from a job

• remove

  to take someone out of a position or home

to treat something as having a certain level of value, trust, blame, or attention, by giving it that quality through your actions or words.

• attach

  as in 'attach importance to'; very similar in meaning

• lay

  as in 'lay the blame on'; slightly more emotional

• put

  more informal: 'put trust in'

• withdraw

  to take back trust or support given earlier

to work out who a person is or where you have met them before, by linking their face or voice to a memory.

• recognise

  more general; 'recognise' works in positive sentences too

• identify

  more formal; suggests a deliberate process

• pin down

  informal; for working out exactly who or what something is

• forget

  to lose the memory of who someone is

in horse racing, to come second in a race, with first being called 'win' and third being called 'show'.

• finish second

  plain everyday equivalent

• come second

  British everyday equivalent

• win

  to finish first

in British horse and dog racing, to cross the line in one of the top spots that pay out for a place bet — usually the first three.

• be placed

  British: the passive form is also common — 'the horse was placed'

• finish in the frame

  British racing slang for the same idea

• be unplaced

  to finish outside the paying positions

the house or apartment where someone lives — usually said in a casual way to mean 'my home' or 'your home'.

• home

  more emotional; covers the idea of family and belonging, not just the building

• house

  specifically a standalone residence, not a flat

• apartment

  American English for a flat in a larger building

in the phrase 'take place', when an event such as a meeting, ceremony, or exam actually occurs at a chosen time, usually as scheduled.

• happen

  more general; works for both planned and unplanned events

• occur

  more formal; often used in news writing

• be held

  specifically for organized meetings or events

used in 'in place of' to introduce a substitute — the person or thing that is chosen as a replacement for another in a particular situation.

• instead of

  more common in everyday speech; same meaning

• in lieu of

  formal; common in legal and business writing

used in 'take the place of' as a verb phrase: the substitute is the subject and steps into the role the original held, often because that original is gone, broken, or no longer suitable.

• replace

  shorter and more common; same core meaning

• substitute for

  neutral; often used in technical contexts

a setting or moment that is suitable, sensible, or proper for a particular activity, person, or topic.

• setting

  more formal; emphasises the surrounding situation

• occasion

  focuses on the moment in time rather than the location

• venue

  a chosen place for a planned event, often public

a small spot or point on a surface, on the body, or within a larger area, often the exact part where something happens or appears.

• spot

  very close in meaning; slightly more informal

• point

  suggests a precise, often tiny location

• patch

  a small area with a different colour or texture from its surroundings

a seat that you have booked, are using, or normally sit in — for example in a theatre, classroom, train, or plane.

• seat

  the most direct word for the chair itself

• spot

  informal; suggests any location you have chosen, not a numbered seat

a chance to join a school, course, sports team, or workplace, often after being chosen from many others.

• spot

  informal; same meaning of a slot you've been chosen for

• position

  more formal; often used for jobs

• seat

  specific to elected bodies or limited memberships

used after 'any', 'some', 'no', or 'every' to mean an unspecified location, much like 'anywhere' or 'somewhere'.

• anywhere

  standard form, both British and American

• somewhere

  standard form for 'some place'

in the phrase 'in place', when a plan, rule, system, or arrangement has been set up and is ready to be used or to take effect.

• established

  more formal; stresses that it has been set up after a process

• set up

  informal; describes the action that puts something in place

• operational

  technical; for systems that are actively running

• lacking

  describes the absence of a needed system

used in 'in place' or 'on the spot' to describe running, jumping, or marching where the feet move but the body stays at the same point on the ground.

• on the spot

  British English equivalent for the same physical action

• stationary

  more formal; describes the state rather than the action

used in figurative phrases like 'running in place' or 'spinning in place' to describe working hard at a task or project but achieving no real advance.

• treading water

  informal; same metaphor of effort without advance

• stagnating

  more formal; emphasises a stalled state

• progressing

  moving forward toward a goal

the spot at a dining table set for one diner, with their own plate, cutlery, and glass laid out ready to use.

• place setting

  the full name; emphasises the plate, knives, forks, and glasses together

• cover

  restaurant industry term for one diner's full setting

in the phrase 'out of place', describing something that is sitting in the wrong location, or someone or something that does not match the surroundings or situation.

• misplaced

  physical only; for objects in the wrong location

• awkward

  social discomfort; describes the person, not the setting

• inappropriate

  more formal; for behaviour or comments that do not fit

• in place

  the direct opposite for physical position

• at home

  for the social-fit meaning

in the phrase 'in place', sitting where it should sit, or held firmly so that it does not move.

• secured

  stronger; suggests fastened so it cannot move

• in position

  near-equivalent; slightly more formal

• out of place

  physical opposite (see sense 15)

• loose

  for things that should be held but are not

the proper role, right, or duty that society or a situation gives a person — what they should do, or what they have the standing to do.

• role

  neutral; broader than 'place' and lacks the social-hierarchy nuance

• standing

  formal; emphasises the social right to act

• duty

  stresses obligation rather than entitlement