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• put-on
  put-on

  noun

  an act or instance of putting someone on.
• put on
  put on

  verb

  to clothe oneself in

put-on

American  

[poot-on, -awn, poot-on, -awn] / ˈpʊtˌɒn, -ˌɔn, ˈpʊtˈɒn, -ˈɔn /

noun

Informal.

1. an act or instance of putting someone on.

2. a prank or pretense, especially one perpetrated or assumed in mock seriousness; hoax; spoof.

3. affected manner or behavior; pretentiousness.

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adjective

1. assumed, feigned, pretended, or disguised.

   a put-on manner that didn't fool anyone.

put on British  

verb

1. to clothe oneself in

   to put on a coat

2. (usually passive) to adopt (an attitude or feeling) insincerely

   his misery was just put on

3. to present or stage (a play, show, etc)

4. to increase or add

   she put on weight

   the batsman put on fifty runs before lunch

5. to cause (an electrical device) to function

6. (also preposition) to wager (money) on a horse race, game, etc

   he put ten pounds on the favourite

7. (also preposition) to impose as a burden or levy

   to put a tax on cars

8. cricket to cause (a bowler) to bowl

9. 1. to connect (a person) by telephone

   2. slang to mock or tease

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noun

1. a hoax or piece of mockery

2. an affected manner or mode of behaviour

put on Idioms  

1. Clothe oneself with, as in I put on my socks . [Mid-1400s]

2. Apply, activate, as in He put on the brakes . [Mid-1700s]

3. Assume affectedly, pretend to, as in He put on a British accent . This idiom is sometimes put as put it on , as in He's not really asleep; he's putting it on . [Late 1600s; late 1800s]

4. put someone on . Tease or mislead another, as in I don't believe you! You're putting me on . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]

5. Add to, gain, as in Please put this on our bill , or I've put on some weight .

6. Cause to be performed, produce, as in I hear they're putting on Shakespeare this summer . [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of put-on

1855–60; adj., noun use of verb phrase put ( someone ) on

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

put-on put on

Mr. Stoll projects a slick self-confidence that seems slightly put-on, a hard crust over a more complicated personality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Even the husky TED-talking voice Holmes used to invest herself with greater seriousness and authority was a put-on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2025

To do so would seem like a silly put-on — like a weird grief pantomime.

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2025

He described the unorthodox and at times controversial comedian Andy Kaufman as “the pre-eminent put-on artist of his generation” and “a pioneering practitioner of various cultural trends long before they ever became trends.”

From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2023

His voice was poshish but not as posh as Mum's put-on posh.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

The company that put on the fireworks display charges around $70,000 for such shows.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

Kerr was peerless as he seized the opportunity to put on one final show this season - and take his share of the biggest prize pot in the sport's history.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

The day he landed in Southwest Florida, he headed to a beach and put on his shorts and flip-flops.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

And as more laws are put on the books -- and an ever-expanding number of sectors seek advocates to make their case in Brussels -- the industry shows no sign of slowing down.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Papa,” I said, “I’m afraid I’m not much of a cook. Everything I put on the stove either boiled over or burned up. There must be more to this cooking than I thought there was.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls