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
Relevance
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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In November, agents pulled over a professor who had followed them in a car in Carpinteria, California, cell phone video shows.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026 -
Jackson felt there would not be much improvement in the diversity on the shows in the upcoming fall season.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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Johnson eventually pleaded no contest to three counts of false pretenses between $1,000 and $20,000.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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She is also charged with one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of between $1,000 and $20,000 and one count of false pretenses of between $1,000 and $20,000.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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How are the parodies recreated?—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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Martin’s dry, precise mischief colliding with Short’s elastic characters and musical parodies, plus top-tier musicianship.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Both marques returned to the competition this year in new guises.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
10 Feb. 2026
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Populism in all its guises surfaces problems but rarely solves them.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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According to a draft document on preserving the building Wednesday, among the suggestions are much of the main building’s facades, including historic concrete, windows, doors and structural elements, which would be protected and could not be painted, altered or covered.—
Everton Bailey Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
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Now, the spot has undergone a careful restoration of its facades just steps from Como’s city center.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Shares reversed higher Friday after lingering concerns earlier in the session about the threat artificial intelligence poses to the financial sector.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
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Which means the deepest challenge AI poses may not be to jobs at all.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This twist allowed fans to vote on 11 key categories throughout the game, including the colors of the tribes, how many twists and challenges there will be and others, and those who voted will not know the results of the votes until the show airs.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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The matchup airs on FDSDET and TSN.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 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 22 Feb. 2026.
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