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
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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
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Still, Tagovailoa put on a masterful performance against the Falcons, completing 77% of his passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns.
—Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
But this isn’t what irks rage’s older detractors, who grew up loving Dr. Dre and knew the misogyny of 2001 was not the put-on some of the gun talk might’ve been.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for put on
Verb
For about 4 minutes in the second quarter, Blair put on a show, boosting TCA to a 21-0 halftime lead.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Still, Tagovailoa put on a masterful performance against the Falcons, completing 77% of his passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns.
—Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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
But this isn’t what irks rage’s older detractors, who grew up loving Dr. Dre and knew the misogyny of 2001 was not the put-on some of the gun talk might’ve been.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for put on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put on
Verb
-
Tainy’s Prometheus — is portrayed by Feid, dressed in an oversized leather coat and lit in a manner that exaggerates his grills in an eerie way.—
Juan J. Arroyo,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
-
In the series, Gacy enjoyed talking about many of his accomplishments and exaggerating some of his stories.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Odysseus, the Ithacan warrior who is as celebrated for craftiness as Achilles is for brute strength, devises a clever ruse in which the Greeks place a giant wooden horse outside Troy’s walls and pretend to sail away.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Choose a reason, such as pretending to be someone else.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In those meetings, our would-be bosses told us to make mock phone calls to prospective clients to gauge our ability to convince strangers about the merit of an imaginary product.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of focusing on industry experience, assess the transferable skills students build through schoolwork and first jobs, such as critical thinking and problem solving needed for a mock trial in a political science course.—
Allison Danielsen,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Under the pretense of going to the bathroom, Dunne escaped out the window and took off in her car, which Sweeney jumped the hood of.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Dwarfing its predecessor and three inches taller, the Ford GT made no pretense of being a racing machine like the car that inspired it.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The parody photo described the White House tower as a hotel, casino and golf course that also features a presidential suite.—
Greta Bjornson,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Lawrence referenced Grande’s parody of her from a 2016 episode of SNL.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The couple — romantically linked since 2021 — dressed as art and fashion icons Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick, donning wigs and costumes reminiscent of their looks from the 1965 New York Film Festival.—
Diana Pearl,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
This juxtaposition is seen on the collaboration, with the left shoe donning a white leather base and using precise, high-resolution imagery.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Ryan Scully scored on a 44-yard fake punt and Ethan Polloreno returned an interception for a score.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Instead, the Pack ran a laughably bad fake-kick play — on fourth-and-17, no less.—
Jim Keyser,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Even The Row, the cult favorite of every millennial minimalist, dipped its toe into the showy textile with mid-length skirts that were given a feathery facade.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
-
In the update, Cumberbatch and Colman play a seemingly perfect husband and wife with the perfect family, but underneath the façade is a powder keg of resentment and fierce competition that eventually blows.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Put on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put%20on. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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