1
as in shows
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spoofs
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-ons
Noun
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Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, Denver International and Dallas-Fort Worth also experienced dozens of cancellations and hundreds of delays, FlightAware data shows.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025 -
What’s that been like and how have the shows been going?—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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For instance, think back to when everyone was doing spoofs about titles that dealt with women in trains or in windows or in peril.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
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Indeed, Altman, by virtue of the sheer number of spoofs, appears to have joined the pantheon of comic figures alongside South Park’s Eric Cartman and Family Guy’s Peter Griffin.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Kingstringer and Ledesma were booked into the Contra Costa County Jail on suspicion of grand theft of an animal, theft by false pretenses and conspiracy.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
31 Dec. 2025
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They were booked into Contra Costa County jail on charges of grand theft of an animal, theft by false pretenses and conspiracy.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Death, of course, is never permanent in slasher movies, or parodies of slasher movies, for that matter.—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
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Pop-culture figures like Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolfman are so ubiquitous as to be both movie characters and parodies of themselves, and this DuckTales episode is good for any kids that like monsters but aren’t quite ready to be menaced by them yet.—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Bad actors can take on all kinds of guises—including pretending to be lawyers.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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So, try the spread at Trinquet, a cozy restaurant in the Old Town, the historic center where some facades date back to the medieval period.—
Liz Provencher,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
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Improvements could include fixes to building facades, sidewalks, lighting or murals in Dallas City Council District 7.—
Aria Jones,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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According to Homeland Security's policy, deadly force cannot be used to stop someone who is fleeing, though it is authorized when an officer believes that someone who's trying to escape poses a serious threat to the officer or others.—
Jeff Wagner,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
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Shanahan was asked about the problems Hurts poses.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The show will be available to stream with a regular Hulu subscription on Sunday, the day after a new episode airs.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Nov. 2025
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In an exclusive clip from their conversation below, which was shared with PEOPLE before the interview airs, Lara asks Hines how those close to her responded when Kennedy fully embraced MAGA.—
Greta Bjornson,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Put-ons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-ons. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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