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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Back in October, the Golden Globes announced a longer list of 25 shows eligible for these first-ever podcast nominations, determined by the Globes' data partner, Luminate.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026 -
On the television side, popular shows like The Pitt, and The Studio won big at the Golden Globes, with Noah Wyle winning for his dramatic performance in the medical series, while Seth Rogen earned a Globe for his work in the streaming comedy.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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Although, Kimmel acknowledged, Washington technically could have picked either Guillermo, as his sidekick also starred alongside Washington in a series of Scandal spoofs called Escandalo that were featured on the late-night show back in 2014.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Nov. 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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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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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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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 12 Jan. 2026.
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