1
as in throwing (on)
to place on one's person
I put on a coat and shoes to go outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Indivisible is putting on No Kings with organizations including the ACLU, 50501, Planned Parenthood, the Sunrise Movement and various labor unions.
—
Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2025
Luca has a version American Psycho lined up, with Austin Butler reportedly putting on Patrick Bateman’s see-through raincoat.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2025
Fresh off the final workout some 24 hours before putting on his true uniform attire for the first time, Liam McNeeley appears calm on the exterior.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2025
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
Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2025
Luca has a version American Psycho lined up, with Austin Butler reportedly putting on Patrick Bateman’s see-through raincoat.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2025
Fresh off the final workout some 24 hours before putting on his true uniform attire for the first time, Liam McNeeley appears calm on the exterior.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putting on
Verb
-
Local and state officials said the federal government is exaggerating facts on the ground.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
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Giménez was exaggerating, but not by much.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Trapped at sea On both page and screen, Carrie, the woman pretending to be Anne, lures Laura to the ship’s hold and traps her there.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Amina blows her mom a kiss and then flops down in her crib, pretending to be asleep.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Director and co-writer Byun Sung-hyun signals his satirical interests early, skipping an intense look at the start of the attack and focusing on an earplug-donning passenger who sleeps through the initial proclamation.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
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Accompanied by a nonchalant guitar performance, dancer and choreographer Dong Jilan, donning a brown velvet dress and having the same long, wavy hair as Sanmao, woke up from a miniature dune and roamed around the set in a highly spiritual and ceremonial fashion.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Simply put, there are complex problems that cannot be solved by classical computers, such as simulating molecules for drug discovery and materials science and optimizing large-scale systems in finance and logistics.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
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This resolution strengthens the foundation for simulating reactor behavior and assures designers that graphite will perform its duties as expected.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After investigating, the agency arrested eight people for rigging the game by controlling the distribution of the high prize pieces into circulation, bilking more than $20 million from the fast food chain.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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Giuliani continued to falsely accuse the voting machine company of rigging the 2020 White House race through manipulating votes, Dominion alleged in the lawsuit.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But Vrabel isn’t assuming that will mean anything in New Orleans, even against a middle-of-the-pack Saints run offense.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
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But that's assuming the success of a predecessor project for this sail concept, called Solar Cruiser.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Putting on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putting%20on. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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