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
Tom Costello, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
Anna awakes in her chic apartment with a to-die-for view, makes a cappuccino, puts on designer duds and takes the upscale dog for a walk.
—Jocelyn Noveck, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
Talie Smith, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
With access to troves of archival footage, Braverman shows Kaufman transforming the very nature of comedy by launching the put-on into existential extremes.
—Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for put on
Verb
All four astronauts have put on their spacesuits and passed a series of leak checks, according to NASA.
—Tom Costello, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
Anna awakes in her chic apartment with a to-die-for view, makes a cappuccino, puts on designer duds and takes the upscale dog for a walk.
—Jocelyn Noveck, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The most earnest-sounding campaign can feel like a put-on.
—Talie Smith, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
With access to troves of archival footage, Braverman shows Kaufman transforming the very nature of comedy by launching the put-on into existential extremes.
—Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for put on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put on
Verb
-
Charlotte Tilbury shoppers also appreciate that the product doesn’t exaggerate or settle into their fine lines.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Iranian hackers boasted online of the hacks against Patel and the medical device maker while exaggerating their impact.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Salzhauer has also alluded to Rizzi's claims on his TikTok page, posting a spoof video where one of his employees pretends to wake him up by playing one of Rizzi's viral videos.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
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The hackers, thought to be working on behalf of the DPRK, approached Drift team members at a cryptocurrency conference in late 2025 and pretended to be from a trading firm looking to build on the blockchain protocol.—
Jack Kubinec,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Many have given the 49ers an offensive tackle early in their mock drafts as a potential replacement for the 38-year-old Williams.—
Vic Tafur,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
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That’s it for our final mock draft of the 2026 NFL Draft season!—
Dan Zaksheske,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The 2025 Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act, or HEAR Act, expands on a 2016 law, signed by President Barack Obama, that permits victims and descendants of victims of the Holocaust to lay legal claim to works of art looted by the Nazis or sold to the Nazis under false pretenses.—
Jackie Hajdenberg,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
-
People finally get to see me, and there's no pretense about that.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The parody defense serves the project well.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
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If approved by a Texas judge, the deal would take away his Infowars microphone, and allow The Onion to resume its plans to turn the website into a parody of itself.—
Tovia Smith,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jennifer Aniston and Meghan Markle both donned clogs recently, Aniston in a classic suede pair and Markle in a gardening-ready one.—
Aashna Gheewalla,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
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Later, the host dons a hard hat to tour a multi-billion-dollar, decades-long project that will ease freight and passenger train bottlenecks with new bridges and underpasses.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last week accused Meta of failing to remove imposter accounts that Bragg said pose as organizations like Catholic Charities to offer fake immigration services that scam money from unsuspecting victims.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Brooke Sutton / Getty Images The pair allegedly used fake personal financial and bank statements, driver's licenses, and Secretary of State documents in an attempt to trick lenders into believing that the loans were for companies owned by the players.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Covered in silvery industrial panels, with a door that closes flush against the façade, the four-story building stands out for its museumlike minimalism.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
15 Apr. 2026
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Its Edwardian façade and lantern-like corner portico have been carefully restored, a pleasing contrast to the immersive, maximalist interiors that 25hours pulls off so well.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Put on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put%20on. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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