1
as in throwing (on)
to place on one's person
I put on a coat and shoes to go outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exaggerating
to describe or express in too strong terms
some critics are putting it on when they say it's the best comedy ever made
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pretending
to present a false appearance of
put on a show of anger just for fun
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of putting on
Every single day, it's been a pleasure coming to work and putting on the orange and blue.
—
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025
One of the most poignant memories Porter holds from Rosa’s funeral was their innocent son’s excitement about putting on his first suit.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
Last night saw a host of celebrities turn out for the fourth annual Kering Foundation Caring for Women dinner in New York City, putting on their most glamorous gowns.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2025
Classes were offered on serving in-fight refreshments and putting on make-up.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
If meeting men outside were as simple as putting on your best little black dress and heading to your nearest bar, few would be struggling to connect with potential partners.
—Essence, 5 Sep. 2025
Being known for putting on a dunk show in warmups, the 185-pound power wing can jump out of the gym and please the crowd before the game even starts.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2025
Mark Ruffalo stars as veteran FBI agent Tom Brandis, who’s assigned to lead a task force to catch a gang of low-level crooks who’ve been putting on Halloween masks and ripping off local drug dealers, in a scheme reminiscent of Apple TV+’s recent Dope Thief.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 28 Aug. 2025
Before the season ended, Copen made sure to return to the Great Lakes dugout, putting on the uniform and joining his Loons teammates to show everything was alright.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025
One of the most poignant memories Porter holds from Rosa’s funeral was their innocent son’s excitement about putting on his first suit.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
Last night saw a host of celebrities turn out for the fourth annual Kering Foundation Caring for Women dinner in New York City, putting on their most glamorous gowns.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2025
Classes were offered on serving in-fight refreshments and putting on make-up.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
If meeting men outside were as simple as putting on your best little black dress and heading to your nearest bar, few would be struggling to connect with potential partners.
—Essence, 5 Sep. 2025
Being known for putting on a dunk show in warmups, the 185-pound power wing can jump out of the gym and please the crowd before the game even starts.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2025
Mark Ruffalo stars as veteran FBI agent Tom Brandis, who’s assigned to lead a task force to catch a gang of low-level crooks who’ve been putting on Halloween masks and ripping off local drug dealers, in a scheme reminiscent of Apple TV+’s recent Dope Thief.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 28 Aug. 2025
Before the season ended, Copen made sure to return to the Great Lakes dugout, putting on the uniform and joining his Loons teammates to show everything was alright.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putting on
Verb
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But the tastefulness of Kogonada’s realization keeps the brazen absurdities of plot masked in sleek understatement rather than gleefully exaggerating them.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Michael Trimble, executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association, said the mayor’s staff is exaggerating any problems with the parking districts and not telling the whole story.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And, of course, tensions ratcheted up a little bit over the weekend after authorities arrested a man pretending to be law enforcement outside of the venue.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Jalen Hurts has made just enough plays with his arm, including a crucial deep pass to DeVonta Smith that helped seal the win over the Chiefs, but no one in Philly is pretending that winning while throwing for 150 yards or fewer is a perfect formula for another deep playoff run.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sophia Agnella Anita Stolz Stolz proved to be a proponent of current beauty trends, donning barely there eyebrows at the Blumarine show in Milan on Friday.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
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As the Liberty lead the game going into the half, Ellie returns to the floor donning her blonde bob and cheekily walks to center court.—
Marc Williams,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The study involved simulating a seismic slip of rocks along a fault zone using tiny lab quakes.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
-
By simulating Earth with a global climate model, and feeding it a bewildering variety of data, the team brought snapshots of these ancient planets to life in some 85 slices of geological, paleontological history.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Billionaire mega-donors and their puppet politicians have taken over our state and our country, rigging the system for themselves.—
Olivia Osteen,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In 2023, Fox News agreed to pay over $787 million to settle a defamation suit over false claims said on its air about Dominion Voting Systems rigging the 2020 presidential election.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That included a skinny, brash, cocksure right-hander named Walker Buehler, who went from a first-round pick to assuming the mantle as the next one poised to break through.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
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Colorado should return to a TABOR surplus beyond 2027, assuming no dramatic shift in economic conditions.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Putting on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putting%20on. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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