"know your place" meaning in English

See know your place in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Interjection

Etymology: Variant of know one's place. Head templates: {{head|en|interjection}} know your place
  1. (idiomatic, insulting, humoristic) Behave in a way that shows that you know what your social position is and which people are more important than you! Tags: idiomatic Translations (interjection): vet hut (Swedish), vet din plats (Swedish) Translations (verb): veta hut (Swedish), veta sin plats (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-know_your_place-en-intj-ohdipBwi Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 53 11 14 11 11 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 33 17 17 17 17 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 56 11 11 11 11 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 59 10 10 10 10 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 36 16 16 16 16

Verb

Forms: knows your place [present, singular, third-person], knowing your place [participle, present], knew your place [past], known your place [participle, past]
Etymology: Variant of know one's place. Head templates: {{en-verb|<,,knew,known>}} know your place (third-person singular simple present knows your place, present participle knowing your place, simple past knew your place, past participle known your place)
  1. (idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”). Tags: alt-of, alternative, idiomatic Alternative form of: know one's place (extra: to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly)
    Sense id: en-know_your_place-en-verb-js71EO80
  2. (idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).
    To accept your position within society, an organization, your family, etc. and to not want to improve it.
    Tags: idiomatic
    Sense id: en-know_your_place-en-verb-tN7xJLo9
  3. (idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).
    To be aware of the limit of one's role in a particular place or situation.
    Tags: idiomatic
    Sense id: en-know_your_place-en-verb-lnrE6c7n
  4. (idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).
    (insulting, humoristic) To understand that you are less important than other people.
    Tags: idiomatic
    Sense id: en-know_your_place-en-verb-mY1of02~
{
  "etymology_text": "Variant of know one's place.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knows your place",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knowing your place",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew your place",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known your place",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "<,,knew,known>"
      },
      "expansion": "know your place (third-person singular simple present knows your place, present participle knowing your place, simple past knew your place, past participle known your place)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly",
          "word": "know one's place"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              80,
              96
            ]
          ],
          "text": "My grandfather believed that life was simpler when he was young, when everybody knew their place.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”)."
      ],
      "id": "en-know_your_place-en-verb-js71EO80",
      "links": [
        [
          "know one's place",
          "know one's place#English"
        ],
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              47,
              62
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I just get on with my job and do as I'm told - I know my place.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "To accept your position within society, an organization, your family, etc. and to not want to improve it."
      ],
      "id": "en-know_your_place-en-verb-tN7xJLo9",
      "links": [
        [
          "know one's place",
          "know one's place#English"
        ],
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "To accept your position within society, an organization, your family, etc. and to not want to improve it."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              2,
              15
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I know my place, so I don't bother the CEO when I see him around the office. I'm just an intern, after all.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "To be aware of the limit of one's role in a particular place or situation."
      ],
      "id": "en-know_your_place-en-verb-lnrE6c7n",
      "links": [
        [
          "know one's place",
          "know one's place#English"
        ],
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "To be aware of the limit of one's role in a particular place or situation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              13,
              28
            ]
          ],
          "text": "You ought to know your place, filthy commoner!",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "To understand that you are less important than other people."
      ],
      "id": "en-know_your_place-en-verb-mY1of02~",
      "links": [
        [
          "know one's place",
          "know one's place#English"
        ],
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "insulting",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "(insulting, humoristic) To understand that you are less important than other people."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "know your place"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Variant of know one's place.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "interjection"
      },
      "expansion": "know your place",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "intj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "53 11 14 11 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 17 17 17 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "56 11 11 11 11",
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          "parents": [],
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 10 10 10 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
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          "_dis": "36 16 16 16 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              60,
              69
            ],
            [
              78,
              83
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2016, Filthy Frank (George “Joji” Kusunoki Miller), LOSER READS HATER COMMENTS 4:",
          "text": "Shut the fuck up, no one cares about your robot fanfiction. Know your fucking place, trash!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Behave in a way that shows that you know what your social position is and which people are more important than you!"
      ],
      "id": "en-know_your_place-en-intj-ohdipBwi",
      "qualifier": "insulting",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, insulting, humoristic) Behave in a way that shows that you know what your social position is and which people are more important than you!"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "verb",
          "word": "veta hut"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "verb",
          "word": "veta sin plats"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "interjection",
          "word": "vet hut"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "interjection",
          "word": "vet din plats"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "know your place"
}
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  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English interjections",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Swedish translations"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Variant of know one's place.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knows your place",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knowing your place",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew your place",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known your place",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "<,,knew,known>"
      },
      "expansion": "know your place (third-person singular simple present knows your place, present participle knowing your place, simple past knew your place, past participle known your place)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly",
          "word": "know one's place"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              80,
              96
            ]
          ],
          "text": "My grandfather believed that life was simpler when he was young, when everybody knew their place.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "know one's place",
          "know one's place#English"
        ],
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "idiomatic"
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      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              47,
              62
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I just get on with my job and do as I'm told - I know my place.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "To accept your position within society, an organization, your family, etc. and to not want to improve it."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "know one's place",
          "know one's place#English"
        ],
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "To accept your position within society, an organization, your family, etc. and to not want to improve it."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              2,
              15
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I know my place, so I don't bother the CEO when I see him around the office. I'm just an intern, after all.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "To be aware of the limit of one's role in a particular place or situation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "know one's place",
          "know one's place#English"
        ],
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "To be aware of the limit of one's role in a particular place or situation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              13,
              28
            ]
          ],
          "text": "You ought to know your place, filthy commoner!",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "To understand that you are less important than other people."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "know one's place",
          "know one's place#English"
        ],
        [
          "rank",
          "rank"
        ],
        [
          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
          "behave",
          "behave"
        ],
        [
          "humbly",
          "humbly"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "insulting",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Alternative form of know one's place (“to understand one's rank or status and behave accordingly; to act humbly”).",
        "(insulting, humoristic) To understand that you are less important than other people."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "know your place"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English interjections",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Swedish translations"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Variant of know one's place.",
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "interjection"
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      "expansion": "know your place",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "intj",
  "senses": [
    {
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        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
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            ],
            [
              78,
              83
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2016, Filthy Frank (George “Joji” Kusunoki Miller), LOSER READS HATER COMMENTS 4:",
          "text": "Shut the fuck up, no one cares about your robot fanfiction. Know your fucking place, trash!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Behave in a way that shows that you know what your social position is and which people are more important than you!"
      ],
      "qualifier": "insulting",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, insulting, humoristic) Behave in a way that shows that you know what your social position is and which people are more important than you!"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "verb",
      "word": "veta hut"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "verb",
      "word": "veta sin plats"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "interjection",
      "word": "vet hut"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "interjection",
      "word": "vet din plats"
    }
  ],
  "word": "know your place"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (ccec6f1 and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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