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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of put on
Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
The men were put on trial, and several were executed, according to PBS.
—Hannah Hudnall, USA Today, 1 May 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
In 2015, Crofton was honored with her name put on a window above the park’s Main Street.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
The men were put on trial, and several were executed, according to PBS.
—Hannah Hudnall, USA Today, 1 May 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
-
This was borrowed directly from American sports reporters, with their propensity to exaggerate to make a point, often by citing absurd numbers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Goldman Sachs’ David Mericle suggests this reading has perhaps been exaggerated.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And its erasure marked the beginning of centuries of political attempts to pretend that slavery never happened.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Online adult platforms are being severely restricted these days as new laws banning materials involving adults pretending to be under 18 are put into place.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
Analysts published mock drafts with the Panthers taking Jordyn Tyson and Omar Cooper Jr.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The segment was the comedian's mock alternative speech to the White House Correspondents' dinner, which aired two days before the real event the Trumps attended together ended in gunfire.—
Mandalit del Barco,
NPR,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
On the day of Lincoln’s election, the Wide Awakes patrolled polling places under the pretense of protecting democracy, while opponents viewed it as voter intimidation.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Authorities said the gun had been purchased under false pretenses in Indiana.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The whole conversation with that executive felt like a parody of my industry.—
Ryan O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
4 May 2026
-
His deadpan humor comes through most brilliantly in Game Boy Tetris (2013–19), a parody of the logic of optimization that underpins capitalist culture.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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His longtime partnership with PJ Harvey might have prepared him for an artist willing to don as many masks as Harding, who sometimes seems to be trying to fit in all of Harvey’s career personae into a single record.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
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In another photo, Hough donned a snakeskin-print bikini while posing with friend in the back of a boat that was docked just off the beach.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Ferro was arrested in May 2025 and found in possession of two firearms and a fake ID.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
One tweet features an AI cover of a fake Slayr album called BURGERMAN that imagines him as a half-burger, half-human hybrid engulfed in a hellish flood of grease and cheese splatter.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Historic preservation is often dismissed as nostalgia, the hobby of people who prefer old facades to modern needs.—
Israel Melendez Ayala,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
My mosaic facade, titled Human Dignity Shall Be Inviolable, covers the German pavilion at scale.—
Pablo Larios,
Artforum,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Put on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put%20on. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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