Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(a) to knock out, to assault.

1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 280/2: So I put him out [...] I was given into custody for an assault.
1890		Sporting Times 8 Feb. 6/2: How dare you make such a remark to me, sir? I’ll have you put out.
1905		H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 216: Pinafore could have put the lot out in one round.
1912		Bulletin (Sydney) 5 Dec. 16/3: ‘After a bit ’e started to get fresh, so we put ’im out.’ / ‘Was he hurt?’.
1923		H.C. Witwer Fighting Blood 263: If Gunner Slade puts me out I’ll call it a day and step down from the ring.
1937		J. Curtis There Ain’t No Justice 32: I said a dollar if you got put out, a oncer if you went the distance and lost, and thirty bob if you won.
1952		J. Jones From Here to Eternity (1998) 234: Your mistake was you didnt hit him hard enough to put him out.
1967		P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets (1970) 53: I felt hurt a couple of times, but I wanted to put him out so bad, I didn’t give a fuck about getting hurt.

(b) (also put out of the way) to murder, to kill.

1880		R. Rowe Picked Up in the Streets 9: The captive was a good deal bigger than his captor, and had sworn to ‘put his light out’.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 7 Feb. 6/4: Being aware that Baird would soon be missed by the Percevals, and having already committed two murders, Furnival determined to make a clean job of it, and also put Mr. and Mrs. Perceval out of the way.
1898		W. Besant Orange Girl I 269: How is the man to be put out of the way?
1908		Magnet 14 Mar. 15: She was sure somebody wanted to put her out of the way.
1921		D.L. Sayers Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1977) 5: I wish to God Jerry had put me out with the rest of ’em.
1926		D. Hammett ‘Assistant Murderer’ in Nightmare Town (2001) 143: The first thing would be to get a line on the reasons why your parties want the girl put out.
1930		R. Whitfield Green Ice (1988) 29: Red put Donner out.
1937		‘F. Bonnamy’ Death on a Dude Ranch (1953) 21: I never yet put out nobody I didn’t know.
1971		W. Burk Thief 29: I think what they was really hoping was that I’d put the poor mother out.

(a) to pay money.

1842		Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 3 Dec. n.p.: The youngsters cracked some champaigne, kiss’d the nymph boarders, and put out [i.e. for the brothel girls].
1884		Boston Journal 13 Sept. n.p.: ‘McKinley would be elected,’ says an Ohio correspondent, ‘if the opposing candidate did not have a rich father-in-law, who will put out money freely’ [DA].
1903		A.H. Lewis Boss 59: They’ve put out stacks of money.
1929		E. Booth Stealing Through Life 279: Don’t imagine that you can be putting out ten or fifteen dollars for a dinner and dance with some skirt and yet make both ends meet on a salary.
1934		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Young Manhood in Studs Lonigan (1936) 445: How you like the car? My mother finally put out and bought it.
1942		Z.N. Hurston ‘Story in Harlem Sl.’ in Novels and Stories (1995) 1006: I’m not putting out a thing. I’m just like the cemetery – I’m not putting out, I’m taking in! Dig?
1953		‘William Lee’ Junkie (1966) 88: For Chris’ sake, Lonny, we have to put out for this stuff.
1963		J. Rechy City of Night 196: I’d make it with the fruits, take whatever I could get from them — but I wouldnt put out.
1971		E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972) 156: put out first [...] Pay for drugs in advance.
1992		W.D. Myers Somewhere in the Darkness 23: [W]e didn’t have no hundred dollars to be putting out.
2002		W.D. Myers Handbook for Boys 22: Ain’t no use in putting out a whole lot of money every time it [i.e. a refrigerator] makes a little noise.

(b) (US prison) to offer in exchange, or as a bribe or reward.

1918

H. Simon ‘Prison Dict.’ in AS VIII:3 (1933) 30/2: PUT OUT. 1. To give: Hey, Ten, butts on dat cigaret?—T’ hell! I ain’t puttin’ out. 2. To offer in exchange or as reward or inducement.

(c) to make an effort.

1935		Z.N. Hurston Mules and Men (1995) 170: Thelma and Clifford got married on Saturday and everybody [...] put out to give them a big time.
1953		L. Uris Battle Cry (1964) 292: If you don’t put out, you’ll rue the day your mother gave birth to you.
1962		B. Veeck Veeck — as in Wreck 132: There is almost nothing I won’t do for a player who is putting out for me.
1968		Current Sl. III:1 11: Put out, v. To study diligently.
1976		D. Hall Dock Ellis 216: ‘I never really had to fight for anything. Everything to me in baseball is natural [...] I never really had to put out to be best’.
1986		S. King It (1987) 659: When someone was really putting out at his work [...] his daddy said, ‘That man works like a nigger’.
1990		T. Pluto Loose Balls 147: He thought Roger wasn’t putting out in practice, so he left him behind.

(d) (US) to offer oneself for sex.

c.1925		Burgess Papers in K. White First Sexual Revolution (1993) 102: If a girl knows her stuff she can make just as much if she don’t ‘put out’ as if she does.
1935		J. Conroy World to Win 265: She was putting it out to every Tom, Dick and Harry that wanted it.
1949		F. Brown Dead Ringer 21: I mean the carney would hire broads who would put out.
1953		C. Brossard Bold Saboteurs (1971) 147: He was described to me [...] as an ‘old Annie’ who was good for a couple of bucks if you wanted to put out.
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 99: All the broads in the neighbourhood puttin’ out for ya becuz ya name as up in lights.
1964		H. Selby Jr Last Exit to Brooklyn 93: Nobody likes a cockteaser. Either you put out or you dont.
1977		J. Sayles Union Dues (1978) 189: When she was [...] putting out for free she used to bust her nut all the time.
1986		L. Heinemann Paco’s Story (1987) 156: I ain’t putting out for you, buster, not so much as a handshake!
1991		D. Gaines Teenage Wasteland 225: She’s the one who put out.
2005		P. Howard Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress 294: Sorcha’s stopped putting out the last few weeks.
2008		D.R. Pollock ‘Knockemstiff’ in Knockemstiff 25: [E]ver since she started putting out for the boys, she’s been looking for someone to take her away.
2014		Twitter 5 Apr. 🌐 My nail polish sounds like a girl who’d put out in the library staff room if you recited Keats to her.
2019		D. Winslow Border [ebook] They were allowed to turn other inmates out—sell them to suck cock or put out for the Aryans.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 56: ‘[Marilyn Monroe] put out for Jack and Bobby [Kennedy]’.