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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So these shows are very healthy relative to a lot of other media.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
13 May 2026 -
The move to Netflix is part of an expansion of the streamer’s live event programming which has seen a push with live sports such as boxing and wrestling (WWE Raw), live stand-up comedy specials and awards shows, including SAG-AFTRA’s Actor Awards.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Noun
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The success of more straightforward spoofs such as Schaffer’s The Naked Gun last year is also reassuring; that film was a classic joke-a-minute throwback that largely worked (for both viewers and critics), more in line with the sort of fare that the Lonely Island made early on.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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Retro Rewind players run a Blockbuster Video-like movie-rental store set in the early 1990s, complete with spoofs of real blockbusters of the era.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In the documentary, a man running the shelter, who identified himself as Charles Lubajja, tells the undercover reporters that the shelter exists primarily to make money from social media users abroad under false pretenses.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
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In the movie, members of the narcotics unit face suspicion for allegedly stealing some of the money under false pretenses and for their own benefit.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Broadway, top-heavy with musical parodies and attention-grabbing revivals, is having a strange season by all accounts.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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While the show featured many of the same characters, its format strayed from the sci-fi space narrative of Spaceballs and instead was a series of parodies, each episode serving as a satirical commentary on several contemporary hits, such as Lord of the Rings, American Idol and Harry Potter.—
Maddie Garfinkle,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Farage has been through various guises.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
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These projects reveal the evil lurking underneath the guises of killers who were so often hiding in plain sight.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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But the school occupies its own campus, Schwarzman College, modeled on the individual venues at Harvard and Oxford, boasting their own historic facades, where students live and dine.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
Noun
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Researchers have therefore been scrambling to quantify what risk all that smoke poses for human health.—
Joanna Thompson,
Space.com,
12 May 2026
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In April 2021, Borelli and McCreary hit their best poses in their protective gear on set.—
Alexandra Schonfeld,
PEOPLE,
7 May 2026
Noun
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The show was last week recommissioned for a second season before the first airs.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
10 May 2026
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Where to Watch Kentucky Derby 2026 The horse racing event (and pre-race coverage) airs on NBC, which can be streamed live via DirecTV (with a five-day free trial), Sling or Hulu + Live TV.—
Erin Lassner,
HollywoodReporter,
2 May 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 14 May. 2026.
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