PUT-ONS Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

put-ons

noun

plural of put-on

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

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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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for put-ons

Noun

This weekend's shows fell during the ceasefire, but the company plans to perform next weekend as usual, even as local officials warn that Russian forces have brought in more weapons and personnel and some residents expect shelling to intensify.

— HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
But thousands of small oil spills in the Great Lakes over the past decade have gone largely unnoticed, and little is known about their effects on the ecosystem, a new study shows.

— Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of shows

Noun

The film draws on 1980s supernatural comedies, including Back to the Future, Ghostbusters and The Addams Family, alongside classic monster movies and horror spoofs.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Blanchett cofounded the nonprofit Human Consent Foundation to help people register how AI models can — or cannot — scrape their likenesses in an effort to combat such spoofs.

— Corbin Bolies, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of spoofs

Noun

Shirley has since visited other states in the US under similar pretenses, showing up unannounced to grocery stores and hospice centers in search of evidence of fraud.

— Mia Sato, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026
Conference expansion has shattered pretenses to regional coherence.

— Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of pretenses

Noun

The five stars teased the project with parodies of their characters in a promo video.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
The name of the collection parodies the seriousness of the museum, even as the collection itself is the kind of thing that has traditionally gotten scant attention within actual institutions.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of parodies

Noun

Throughout the weekend, Dudamel embraced the worlds of Hollywood, Latin music in many guises and old-fashioned rock.

— Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
With their traditional, legacy rivals — the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur — in various guises of transition, Arsenal are suddenly the team to beat and the Emirates is suddenly a library of sound; noise please.

— George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of guises

Noun

These boutiques offer distinct expressions of each house, while their facades contribute to a streetscape with an individual character.

— Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
More than 70,000 police officers fanned out in Paris and other cities while stores boarded up their facades after last week’s riots.

— Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of facades

Noun

Since then, numerous instructors have found ways to use a chair for adapted versions of a surprising number of traditional yoga movements, like lunging warrior poses and standing-to-lying sun salutations.

— Jennifer Heimlich, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Participants trade exaggerated gestures, movements and poses, and the crowd’s reaction decides the winner.

— Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of poses

Noun

The tournament, while not officially sanctioned as an ATP event, features some of the top players in the world vying for millions of dollars and airs live on Netflix.

— Mark Osborne, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesday nights on ABC and is also available to stream on Disney+.

— Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of airs

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Put-ons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-ons. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of put-ons

noun

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