an act or instance of putting someone on.
a prank or pretense, especially one perpetrated or assumed in mock seriousness; hoax; spoof.
affected manner or behavior; pretentiousness.
to clothe oneself in
to put on a coat
(usually passive) to adopt (an attitude or feeling) insincerely
his misery was just put on
to present or stage (a play, show, etc)
to increase or add
she put on weight
the batsman put on fifty runs before lunch
to cause (an electrical device) to function
(also preposition) to wager (money) on a horse race, game, etc
he put ten pounds on the favourite
(also preposition) to impose as a burden or levy
to put a tax on cars
cricket to cause (a bowler) to bowl
to connect (a person) by telephone
slang to mock or tease
a hoax or piece of mockery
an affected manner or mode of behaviour
Clothe oneself with, as in I put on my socks . [Mid-1400s]
Apply, activate, as in He put on the brakes . [Mid-1700s]
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]
put someone on . Tease or mislead another, as in I don't believe you! You're putting me on . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]
Add to, gain, as in Please put this on our bill , or I've put on some weight .
Cause to be performed, produce, as in I hear they're putting on Shakespeare this summer . [Late 1800s]
1855–60; adj., noun use of verb phrase put ( someone ) on
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
