1
as in to throw (on)
to place on one's person
I put on a coat and shoes to go outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to exaggerate
to describe or express in too strong terms
some critics are putting it on when they say it's the best comedy ever made
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
put on a show of anger just for fun
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
a put-on goofy voice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pretense
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive
my bravery was all a put-on—I was scared out of my wits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in parody
a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect
for a moment, I couldn't tell if the commercial was serious or a deadpan put-on of ads by other insurance companies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of put on
Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2025
On a day Billy Napier's program put on its annual Orange and Blue game, the men's basketball team seized center stage for the final time.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2025
Rachel Flynn, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024
Also, Burgess is British IRL, so props to him for faking a bad accent, then using a put-on American one for the rest of the episode.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for put on
Verb
His lawyers said Mahdi's original attorneys put on a shallow case trying to spare his life that didn't call on relatives, teachers or others who knew him and ignored the impact of months spent in solitary confinement in prison as a teen.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2025
On a day Billy Napier's program put on its annual Orange and Blue game, the men's basketball team seized center stage for the final time.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Turns out, dat good ole dialect is a put-on: James speaks like a professor.
—Rachel Flynn, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024
Also, Burgess is British IRL, so props to him for faking a bad accent, then using a put-on American one for the rest of the episode.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for put on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put on
Verb
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The physical comedy is top-tier — especially when Cumming leans into his lanky goofiness and Hodgson exaggerates Montagu's buffoonish nature.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Her depiction of her role at Facebook may or may not be exaggerated.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Known for inciting people of many backgrounds to pretend to long to be Irish for day, March 17 in Connecticut is generally considered a day to celebrate, drink green beer and eat corned beef or green bagels.—
Maureen Murphy,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2025
-
And, of course, there’s the targeting of Khalil, which so far no one in the administration has even tried to pretend is motivated by anything other than his speech.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In mock drafts, Hampton is often mocked to the early twenties or even late twenties to a team like the Washington Commanders.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Afterward, a mock court-martial was held, complete with the sentencing and execution of a private accused of desertion.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
For more about how to instruct generative AI on doing pretenses, also known as personas, see my discussion at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
-
No pretense, just genuine passion for scent and storytelling.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This semester's show is a musical parody of Love Island called Love on an Island.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
-
So Far Kilmer’s career spanned nearly four decades, starting with his first movie in 1984, the absurd joke-a-minute World War II parody Top Secret!, from the knuckleheads that created the comedy classic Airplane!—
John DeVore,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Sivan is not the only star to have worn the T-shirt, with the actor Pedro Pascal recently having donned the top while out celebrating his 50th birthday.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Apr. 2025
-
The girls don their coverings and start to screech and run through the forest.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
These platforms sell complete phishing kits—web hosting, SMS delivery systems, fake landing pages, encryption tools—to other cybercriminals who want to run scams at scale.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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Frisco police are investigating a series of fake social media posts made this week after the killing of a 17-year-old student at a track meet, Police Chief David Shilson said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The original building facade and double-height windows have been restored.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
-
One interesting aspect of the design is how the actual back of the stand is glass, with this red brick facade effectively tagged on to provide a lattice effect — meaning those inside the stand will be able to look out on the plaza below.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Put on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put%20on. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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