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
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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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Britpop music and binging prestige TV shows.—
Edward McKinnon,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026 -
Wild and kitschy shows followed with opening fetes dedicated to colorful subjects including Andy Warhol, circus clowns, and Canadian television creators and puppeteers Sid and Marty Krofft.—
Lina Lecaro,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Way better than dusty game show and dinner party spoofs.—
Andy Hoglund,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Jan. 2026
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What’s Upstairs at the Downstairs is always a patchwork of mild satire, blatant spoofs, witty music, local jokes.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
21 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Toronto might be considered the New York City of Canada, but Bo Bichette is under no pretenses that playing for the Blue Jays is comparable to playing for one of the baseball teams in the Big Apple.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
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Aurora Municipal Court Judge Brian Whitney issued an order last year pausing more than 300 cases in which attorneys challenged issues under the same pretenses as those before the Supreme Court.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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O'Brien then recalled his time on The Harvard Lampoon, his alma mater's humor publication also known for its parodies of magazines.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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Each of the first three episodes takes place in a different decade and parodies a different generational style of sitcom.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Populism in all its guises surfaces problems but rarely solves them.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
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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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Around the ship When embarking, guests are first greeted by the 323-foot-long Galleria Grandiosa, a European-style promenade with brick facades and stone-looking archways and columns.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2026
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International artists from Amsterdam, Nepal and Australia paint alongside locals, transforming concrete facades into an open-air gallery visible from the freeway.—
Audrey T. Williams,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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After stepping through a giant wooden door, tall grass teems with wild Pokémon, adorable critters strike charming poses and battles break out between fierce opponents.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
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Exposure to cold poses another major danger.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
How to watch the 2026 Golden Globe Awards The ceremony airs live on CBS.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
11 Jan. 2026
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The matchup airs on FDSSE, FDSOK, NBA TV, and WMC-TV.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Put-ons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-ons. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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