put-ons

noun

plural of put-on
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
  1. shows
  2. spoofs
  3. pretenses
  4. parodies
  5. guises
  6. facades
  7. poses
  8. airs
Noun
  • Additionally, Apple and MLS came to that agreement when MLS was primarily in a summer timeframe – a stretch when there’s less TV competition for live sports (and new shows) beyond baseball.
    — John Cassillo, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • And that rate stayed above 1 out of every 1,000 for the next two seasons, CDC data shows.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of shows
Noun
  • The goofy sketch comedies and homemade spoofs that once filled his channel gradually disappeared, replaced by melancholy short films and bleak monologues.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
  • But given the current box office sensations of Obsession and Backrooms, Tiddes certainly wishes the timing had allowed for spoofs of those horror movies.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026
Definition of spoofs
Noun
  • Trimpey also faces a felony charge of obtaining money by false pretenses.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
  • At school, Jin’s oldest daughter, Jane, teams up with a Black classmate, one of few, to expose their neighbors’ prejudices and pretenses.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of pretenses
Noun
  • Even the playful quad-exit exhaust parodies the diamond structural detailing of the supersonic aircraft.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Kidman’s viral commercial for the company has inspired countless memes and parodies since its debut in September 2021, including on The Boys and Saturday Night Live.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of parodies
Noun
  • Somewhere between a sandal and a ballet flat, caged silhouettes come in all manner of guises.
    — Sarah Leigh Bannerman, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 July 2026
  • Footballing success, in differing guises, came a long time ago.
    — Adam Leventhal, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Definition of guises
Noun
  • Building facades don't just look weathered and soot-stained, graffiti is scrawled on them and posters are peeling off them.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • With rusted machinery and derelict buildings, the quiet silhouette of Kennecott's faded crimson facades are all that remains of this town weathered by harsh Alaskan winters.
    — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026
Definition of facades
Noun
  • Models will pose nude, and the poses range from two to 20 minutes.
    — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • On July 28, Mark Zuckerberg published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal arguing that superintelligence should be distributed as widely as possible and that concentrating it in a handful of institutions is the greatest risk AI poses to humanity.
    — Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of poses
Noun
  • Firstly, since The Shards airs on FX, cord-cutters have the option to watch live on any streaming service that carries the network, including DirecTV (with a five-day free trial), Fubo, Sling and Hulu + Live TV.
    — Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Alice is not a person who puts on airs to please others; quite the opposite.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 July 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.

Browse Nearby Words

put one's finger on
put-ons
put out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Put-ons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put-ons. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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