PUTTING ON Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

putting on

verb

present participle of put on

as in throwing (on)

to place on one's person I put on a coat and shoes to go outside

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pretending

to present a false appearance of put on a show of anger just for fun

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of putting on This museum inside a Renaissance palazzo in the heart of Florence has been putting on one blockbuster exhibition after another. — Laura Itzkowitz, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026 The Hall of Fame itself rejigged itself, putting on something of a Federer-fest with an atmosphere to match. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026 But the very act of putting on a wearable—of willingly adorning oneself with a tiny computerized narc—is an act of surrender. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026 If possible, practice getting your pet into its carrier, putting on a leash or harness and loading into the car. — Melanie Marshall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026 The sanctioning body also announced earlier this week that North Wilkesboro Speedway, after putting on its first Cup race in 30 years, will go back to hosting the NASCAR All-Star Race in 2027. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 14 Aug. 2026 In terms of returning for the new reboot of the series, Electra is open to putting on the iconic red one-piece once again, since her former love interest on the show, David Chokachi has signed on to return. — Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026 This isn’t just a ‘proof of concept’ announcement, either; the brands will be putting on a full working demonstration of their latest audio system in action at the upcoming Audio Advice Live 2026 show. — John Archer, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 The 21-year-old was nervous and excited putting on the Lakers’ gold jersey Friday at Chase Center. — Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for putting on

Verb

Shoes left at the door, donning slippers to be worn except on tatami mats, wearing yukatas to the onsen and to dinner that night.

— Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
The film, which opens in October after being announced in July, sees Cohen once again donning a tracksuit to play Ali G, the character that launched his career.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of donning

Verb

The financial affiliations have prompted speculation, especially through strands of the Iranian diaspora, who accuse some of its journalists of exaggerating the level of support for figures in the opposition and of advocating for war.

— Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
Thomas cautioned against exaggerating the power of AI agents, however.

— Reuters, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of exaggerating

Verb

In Mozart’s original, two Italian soldiers decide to test their lovers’ fidelity by pretending to head off to war.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Respondents questioned Dave Aranda’s roster construction, the program’s lack of identity and why everybody is pretending this isn’t a lame-duck season.

— Manny Navarro, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of pretending

Verb

The $31 billion spending program Taipei unveiled is one of a number of efforts to respond, such as expanding live-fire exercises to include the use of first-person view drones and simulating a maritime blockade.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Aug. 2026
My own view is that the bill should have more restrictive testing requirements around edge cases—for instance, simulating power outages or major emergencies—before driverless vehicles can be deployed.

— Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of simulating

Verb

Rather than assuming one is more affordable or comprehensive than the other, compare the specific coverages, exclusions, deductibles, premiums and repair-shop requirements between any two plans.

— Brian Sloan, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
At the time, my editor and I were assuming that the fandom would be hostile to interlopers who didn’t possess the ancient knowledge of Andi self-eliminating rather than spending one more minute with Juan Pablo.

— Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026