Put your money where your mouth is means backing up your words with action: not just saying you support something, but actually investing in it. She put her money where her mouth is by funding the community garden. You don't have to pay: you can show up to help or take on the work. Said to someone else, it's a challenge: go on, prove it.
When would you say put your money where your mouth is?
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put my / your / his / her / our / their money where my / your / his / her / our / their mouth is
- If we want cleaner streets, we should put our money where our mouth is and join the cleanup.
- She put her money where her mouth is by funding the community garden.
- You say you support local artists; now put your money where your mouth is.
What changed
First versionI put my money where your mouth is and volunteered for the project.
RevisionI put my money where my mouth is and volunteered for the project.
Dictionaries list the idiom with your, so it's tempting to keep your. But both possessives change with the speaker: if it's about you, it's my money where my mouth is. Replace your with my.
Actions speak louder than words is general wisdom: deeds convince more than words. Put your money where your mouth is is a specific call or act: You say you support local artists; now put your money where your mouth is. In business writing: show your commitment through action.
Your turn
Match the action to the speaker: I should put my money where ___ mouth is.
Show the answer
my — The speaker, I, is backing up their own words, so my both times. With your, you'd be backing up someone else's words.
Describe how you or someone you know backed up words with action: helped, invested, showed up. Use put … money where … mouth is.
We can put our money where our mouth is by helping to plant the trees we asked for.
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