put-on
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.
assumed, feigned, pretended, or disguised: a put-on manner that didn't fool anyone.
Origin of put-on
1Words Nearby put-on
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use put-on in a sentence
Her voice, in essence, sounds like a put-on version of a particularly technical rapper from the American South.
The first thing to know about King's personality is that it isn't a put-on for Fox News.
This was evidently no put-on apology for the occasion, and Wyndham, as he spoke, looked as penitent as his words.
The Willoughby Captains | Talbot Baines ReedIt draws a share of the benefit, as it does the sympathy of those who are attracted by that well-put-on, appealing look.
Hot corn: Life Scenes in New York Illustrated | Solon RobinsonAnd since her niece had come to live with her, this put-on sternness had increased.
The Carved Lions | Mrs. Molesworth
"Some have, I believe," Anthony returned, with his well-put-on air of indifference.
It Happened in Egypt | C. N. Williamson"She's only china, and her hair's a put-on wig," said Agatha, with tears in her eyes.
A Christmas Posy | Mary Louisa Stewart Molesworth
British Dictionary definitions for put on
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
put someone on
to connect (a person) by telephone
slang to mock or tease
a hoax or piece of mockery
an affected manner or mode of behaviour
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with put-on
Clothe oneself with, as in I put on my socks. [Mid-1400s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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