put on; putting on; puts on
1
2
: to cause to act or operate : apply
put on more speed
3
a
: add
put on weight
b
5
a
: to mislead deliberately especially for amusement
the interviewer … must be put down—or possibly, put on—
Melvin Maddocks
Melvin Maddocks
b
: kid entry 3 sense 1
you're putting me on
Synonyms
Adjective
- affected
- artificial
- assumed
- bogus
- contrived
- factitious
- fake
- false
- feigned
- forced
- mechanical
- mock
- phony
- phoney
- plastic
- pretended
- pseudo
- sham
- simulated
- spurious
- strained
- unnatural
Noun
- act
- airs
- charade
- disguise
- facade
- façade
- front
- guise
- masquerade
- playacting
- pose
- pretense
- pretence
- semblance
- show
Verb
Examples of put-on in a Sentence
Verb
I put on a coat and shoes to go outside.
some critics are putting it on when they say it's the best comedy ever made
Recent Examples on the WebLovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
Fry, meanwhile, offers contrastingly shaggy warmth, though the obvious put-on of his ripe Polish accent makes his casting more a distraction than a coup in a story so pointedly about heritage and personal truth.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Feb. 2024
In body-swap comedies, the acting is its own kind of brazen put-on fun.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 Dec. 2023
Temple definitely comes closest to caricature of the three leads, but the show is aware of this, and eventually establishes a reason why the accent and a lot of Dot’s personality seems like a put-on.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023
More importantly, the movies are mostly devoid of an outsider’s gaze, although some of Montañez (Jesse Garcia)’s quippy voiceovers feel like a put-on for the benefit of gringos.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
What is behind it, however, is both method and mischief, and a perpetual Mad magazine sense of put-on.
—Stephen Birmingham, Town & Country, 10 Aug. 2023
Drake is now 36 years old with 17 years in the music industry, nearly a dozen Billboard chart-topping hits, and more put-on accents and flows than a rapping AI.
—Dylan Green, Vulture, 26 July 2023
Consider Scorcese gangster flicks, the same actors jawing put-on accents, the AM jukebox soundtracks, fatiguing runtimes, and that same walkabout-voiceover shot.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 5 June 2023
Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The proposal was put on the ballot by a coalition of labor unions, environmental groups and contractors through a signature-gathering citizens initiative.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024
The campaign video begins with Tyla putting on a pair of the Beats Fit Pro earbuds while wearing all-white Alo yoga shorts set on the beach.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
One of the Caribbean leaders told the Miami Herald that the proposal for a presidential council with multiple members was first put on the table by Haitians in June 2023 when political and civic leaders traveled to Kingston, Jamaica, at the invitation of CARICOM to negotiate with Henry.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
CinemaCon announced Tuesday morning that the Australian filmmaker has been selected to receive an international career achievement in filmmaking award during the annual convention put on by the National Association of Theatre Owners.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2024
Before the juvenile seadragons could be put on display, the aquarium said they were collected and photographed to help identify them.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
All of the puppies are now out of the animal hospital and residing in foster homes, where they are focused on safely putting on weight and building up strength.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Gerrymandering was first put on the map in a big way by Elbridge Gerry, a founding father who later served as the fifth vice president.
—TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The fighter, a scrawny guy whose swagger looks put-on, hides his face in a monkey mask.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
Fry, meanwhile, offers contrastingly shaggy warmth, though the obvious put-on of his ripe Polish accent makes his casting more a distraction than a coup in a story so pointedly about heritage and personal truth.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Feb. 2024
In body-swap comedies, the acting is its own kind of brazen put-on fun.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 Dec. 2023
Temple definitely comes closest to caricature of the three leads, but the show is aware of this, and eventually establishes a reason why the accent and a lot of Dot’s personality seems like a put-on.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023
More importantly, the movies are mostly devoid of an outsider’s gaze, although some of Montañez (Jesse Garcia)’s quippy voiceovers feel like a put-on for the benefit of gringos.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
What is behind it, however, is both method and mischief, and a perpetual Mad magazine sense of put-on.
—Stephen Birmingham, Town & Country, 10 Aug. 2023
Drake is now 36 years old with 17 years in the music industry, nearly a dozen Billboard chart-topping hits, and more put-on accents and flows than a rapping AI.
—Dylan Green, Vulture, 26 July 2023
Consider Scorcese gangster flicks, the same actors jawing put-on accents, the AM jukebox soundtracks, fatiguing runtimes, and that same walkabout-voiceover shot.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 5 June 2023
Verb
Kelce did admit that he's learned a thing or two from Swift about putting on a great show.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The proposal was put on the ballot by a coalition of labor unions, environmental groups and contractors through a signature-gathering citizens initiative.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024
The campaign video begins with Tyla putting on a pair of the Beats Fit Pro earbuds while wearing all-white Alo yoga shorts set on the beach.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
One of the Caribbean leaders told the Miami Herald that the proposal for a presidential council with multiple members was first put on the table by Haitians in June 2023 when political and civic leaders traveled to Kingston, Jamaica, at the invitation of CARICOM to negotiate with Henry.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
CinemaCon announced Tuesday morning that the Australian filmmaker has been selected to receive an international career achievement in filmmaking award during the annual convention put on by the National Association of Theatre Owners.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2024
Before the juvenile seadragons could be put on display, the aquarium said they were collected and photographed to help identify them.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
All of the puppies are now out of the animal hospital and residing in foster homes, where they are focused on safely putting on weight and building up strength.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Gerrymandering was first put on the map in a big way by Elbridge Gerry, a founding father who later served as the fifth vice president.
—TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'put-on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near put-on
Cite this Entry
“Put-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put-on. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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