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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

put-on put on

“Ridiculous” is C.K.’s way of letting the world know, with put-on humility, that when you brush aside his Teflon-coated fame and elder statesman standing, the 58-year-old star is really just old and exhausted.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

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

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

This sounds heavy, but “Emergency” possesses an extraordinarily light touch, with Williams moving the action along at a satisfying trot and Dávila’s dialogue never feeling preachy or put-on.

From Washington Post ● May 18, 2022

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

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

“I’m not saying the AI revolution isn’t real, but why not take some chips off the table and put on the unnoticed parts of the market small-cap value, emerging-markets value are trading dirt cheap.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

South Korea's military said Thursday it had seen no signs of newly deployed North Korean weapons on their shared border, hours after Pyongyang said new "counter means" would be put on alert along its length.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

In Scotland, the Home Report system, external requires an independent valuation of a home before it is put on the market.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

He had put on a bit of weight and had a full beard and thick handlebar mustache, a look typical for RVC fighters inspired by Russian counter-revolutionaries from 1917.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

She put on the coat, handed Gelifen to Christopher, and clambered up onto the prow of the boat, standing atop the carved figurehead, which was shaped like an apple.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

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