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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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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The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said in a May report that women from more than 20 African countries had been recruited under false pretences to make drones for Russia’s war.—
Reuters 16 hr ago,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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The audience meets Charles, who is completing yet another stint in jail, this time for false pretenses and evading arrest.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
6 Nov. 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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During the festival, SCAD will introduce new backlot facades as well as plans for two new soundstages and 11 new classrooms set to open in 2026.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
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On Wednesday, the team announced the creation of a new way to evaluate the performance of photoactive materials for semi-transparent organic photovoltaics (ST-OPVs), which could transform how energy is harvested through everyday surfaces like windows, screens, and facades.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In the sweet picture, the little one poses next to a giant flamingo statue in the Tampa airport.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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This, of course, is trivial compared to the risk the Colorado River Basin’s shrinking snowpack poses to nearly every Southwest settlement, livelihood and life form that relies on its steady trickle downstream.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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 10 Nov. 2025.
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