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
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3
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of put on a show of anger just for fun
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as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality a put-on goofy voice
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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
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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
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 put on
Tom Costello, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026 Anna awakes in her chic apartment with a to-die-for view, makes a cappuccino, puts on designer duds and takes the upscale dog for a walk. —Jocelyn Noveck, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
Talie Smith, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025 With access to troves of archival footage, Braverman shows Kaufman transforming the very nature of comedy by launching the put-on into existential extremes. —Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for put on
Verb
All four astronauts have put on their spacesuits and passed a series of leak checks, according to NASA. —Tom Costello, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026 Anna awakes in her chic apartment with a to-die-for view, makes a cappuccino, puts on designer duds and takes the upscale dog for a walk. —Jocelyn Noveck, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The most earnest-sounding campaign can feel like a put-on. —Talie Smith, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025 With access to troves of archival footage, Braverman shows Kaufman transforming the very nature of comedy by launching the put-on into existential extremes. —Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for put on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for put on
Verb
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Charlotte Tilbury shoppers also appreciate that the product doesn’t exaggerate or settle into their fine lines.— Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
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Iranian hackers boasted online of the hacks against Patel and the medical device maker while exaggerating their impact.— Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Salzhauer has also alluded to Rizzi's claims on his TikTok page, posting a spoof video where one of his employees pretends to wake him up by playing one of Rizzi's viral videos.— Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
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The hackers, thought to be working on behalf of the DPRK, approached Drift team members at a cryptocurrency conference in late 2025 and pretended to be from a trading firm looking to build on the blockchain protocol.— Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Many have given the 49ers an offensive tackle early in their mock drafts as a potential replacement for the 38-year-old Williams.— Vic Tafur, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
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That’s it for our final mock draft of the 2026 NFL Draft season!— Dan Zaksheske, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The 2025 Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act, or HEAR Act, expands on a 2016 law, signed by President Barack Obama, that permits victims and descendants of victims of the Holocaust to lay legal claim to works of art looted by the Nazis or sold to the Nazis under false pretenses.— Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
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People finally get to see me, and there's no pretense about that.— Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The parody defense serves the project well.— Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
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If approved by a Texas judge, the deal would take away his Infowars microphone, and allow The Onion to resume its plans to turn the website into a parody of itself.— Tovia Smith, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hathaway decided to let her outfit take center stage and donned minimal jewelry — a pair of simple gold hoop earrings.— Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
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The list goes on and on … Those players once donned high school jerseys.— Tarek Fattal, Daily News, 23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Between theater games, fake-blood logistics and a Grim Reaper costume, the teens begin to deal with their secrets and the truth of one fateful night.— Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
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Police believe most of the ransom notes received were fake.— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Scandals and secrets will be revealed, facades will crumble, and families and friendships will change forever on both sides of the battlefield as this group of strong, game-changing influencers comes together to build their answer to #MomTok.— Michael Schneider, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
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The family room offers three walls of windows, a fireplace with an authentic late-1800s cast-iron facade, granite mantel and a polished nickel and crystal drum chandelier.— Saleema Syed, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Put on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/put%20on. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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