putz
1 of 2noun
ˈpəts 
1
US, informal : a stupid, foolish, or ineffectual person : jerk
2
US, vulgar slang : penis
putz
2 of 2verb
putzed; putzing; putzes
intransitive verb
US, informal
: to spend time in an aimless or idle manner : putter, fool around —usually + around
But come July or August, I invariably find myself putzing around the kitchen, making something sort of weird, like potato-Roquefort salad sandwiches, heavy on the dill.
Karen MacNeil
Karen MacNeil
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web J.k. Dineen, SFChronicle.com, 23 Mar. 2020 Yoda: Don’t underestimate the wizened little green guy putzing around with a lightsaber. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2019 But don’t putz around and let another session go by without housing reform. BostonGlobe.com, 17 Oct. 2019 Really made just for putzing around in the woods, but stick some road-like tires on it and race it on a compacted-dirt track, why not? Rasputin Todd, Cincinnati.com, 5 Sep. 2019 She and her dad would spend the weekends putzing around race tracks, talking their way into hospitality tents, begging team owners for a shot. Zak Keefer, Indianapolis Star, 18 May 2018
Verb
For residents of the Bay Area’s fancy, new, tricked-out condo and apartment towers, the coronavirus lockdown is more than a mandate to stay home and putz around in your slippers. J.k. Dineen, SFChronicle.com, 23 Mar. 2020 Yoda: Don’t underestimate the wizened little green guy putzing around with a lightsaber. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2019 But don’t putz around and let another session go by without housing reform. BostonGlobe.com, 17 Oct. 2019 Really made just for putzing around in the woods, but stick some road-like tires on it and race it on a compacted-dirt track, why not? Rasputin Todd, Cincinnati.com, 5 Sep. 2019 She and her dad would spend the weekends putzing around race tracks, talking their way into hospitality tents, begging team owners for a shot. Zak Keefer, Indianapolis Star, 18 May 2018 Word History
Etymology
Noun
Yiddish puts, literally, "finery, show," probably from putsn "to clean, shine"; akin to German putzen "to adorn, clean"
First Known Use
Noun
1928, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1946, in the meaning defined above