1
as in to throw (on)
to place on one's person
I put on a coat and shoes to go outside
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Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to exaggerate
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 to pretend
to present a false appearance of
put on a show of anger just for fun
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
a put-on goofy voice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pretense
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in parody
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of put on
Tommy McArdle, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
Pamela Anderson put on a diaphanous display at Chanel‘s spring 2025 couture fashion show in Paris on Tuesday.
—Hannah Malach, WWD, 28 Jan. 2025
Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 1 June 2024
While broadly based in reality, the entire movie is a put-on, a wackazoid tall tale, a comedy that uses the breakfast wars as the jumping-off point for a high-camp exercise in nostalgic lunacy.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for put on 
Verb
Magazine Dreams made its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, but its release was put on hold after Majors' trial in New York City began with ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.
—Tommy McArdle, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
Pamela Anderson put on a diaphanous display at Chanel‘s spring 2025 couture fashion show in Paris on Tuesday.
—Hannah Malach, WWD, 28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
An artist on the court and a put-on artist off, Walton was an all-time great basketball player, the world’s tallest Grateful Dead groupie, a philosopher, hyperbolic orator and comedian.
—Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 1 June 2024
While broadly based in reality, the entire movie is a put-on, a wackazoid tall tale, a comedy that uses the breakfast wars as the jumping-off point for a high-camp exercise in nostalgic lunacy.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for put on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put on
Verb
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Even Dancing With the Stars veteran Sean Spicer wouldn’t be able to exaggerate the size of this audience.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Jan. 2025
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What is the meaning behind the end of Hereditary? While Hereditary uses the horror genre to exaggerate ideas and entertain, its foundational theme is trauma, according to Aster.—
Erica Marrison,
People.com,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Laurel continues to mock both Emily and Ryan, and then pulls out a book to pretend to read to ignore everyone.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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After the first, McLaurin tried his own idea, which was pretending to pull a mask down over his head.—
Sam Fortier The Washington Post,
arkansasonline.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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One person that many pay attention to is Mel Kiper, who has been a mock draft extraordinaire for decades.—
Raul A. Reyes,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
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The following scenes are set in that show and tell the ogre's story through life-size wooden puppets complete with mock strings attached to their arms.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Popular on Variety Craig Sweeny’s screenplay strikes a frequently arch posture to accommodate this trickster protagonist, which undermines any pretense of seriousness elsewhere.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
25 Jan. 2025
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To suggest that gimmickry somehow cancels a film’s worthiness plays into the nonsensical pretenses of awards season.—
Armond White,
National Review,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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By combining the monikers of two government agencies, the FBI: CIA title may inspire some sendups in the vein of Adult Swim’s crime procedural parody NTSF:SD:SUV::.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2025
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Could one match the popularity of the parody of the Brooks & Dunn song?—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Pierre, 30, donned the Louis Vuitton Graphic Overshirt ontop of a black turtleneck sweater and a gold chain necklace.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
22 Jan. 2025
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That could leave Ramírez as the next player with a chance to don a Cleveland cap in Cooperstown.—
Zack Meisel,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The group’s stage show would double as something like a live-act pilot for a fake TV series.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
24 Jan. 2025
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The fake list contains a few different hyper-obscure characters that seem potentially unlikely to arrive.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Advertisement The imposing concrete structure, known as the Lower Busch Tank, shows signs of age, with a latticework of cracks across its facade and splintered wood ringing its upper rim.—
Connor Sheets,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2025
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An architectural landmark, the hotel’s facade has been meticulously restored to its original splendour, recovering the colours, ornamental details and original structures of the hotel as it was originally inaugurated in 1912.—
Angelina Villa-Clarke,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Put on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/put%20on. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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