to put on

Examples

• All

• Everybody puts on an act.

  Carnal Knowledge (1971)

• Colyeranne may have hit the nail on the head when she said Virginia Ruth was putting on an act.

  Fiction book (1995)

• What did you put on me?

  Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989)

• Why are you weakening our mission by putting on this act?

  Delhi Safari (2012)

• You're just putting on an act, right?

  Darkweb (2016)

• I hope J.J. likes Steve, that he isn't just putting on an act.

  Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

• What a lot of people don't understand is that narcissistic people are able to put on performative, shallow empathy.

• He was just putting on a funny voice to make everyone laugh.

• Don’t let him fool you; he’s just putting on an act for the cameras.

Synonyms

F

to fool

vsto put on

704 2.1

To trick someone into believing something that is not true

is often playful and social rather than malicious or criminal

D

to dupe

vsto put on

58 6.4

To trick someone into believing something false

is the playful, joking side of that same misleading action

T

to take in

vsto put on

• Informal

23 4.3

Make someone believe something that is not true

is lighter and often done for amusement rather than harm

P

to prank

vsto put on

• Informal

16 2.9

To play a trick on someone to make people laugh

is more about joking deceit in speech or social setup

P

to play tricks

vsto put on

15 3.0

To make someone believe something that is not true as a joke

is broader playful deception, not limited to small physical acts

P

to play a trick on

vsto put on

6 2.8

To fool someone as a joke

is a playful, joking form of deceiving rather than serious fraud

P

to play a joke on

vsto put on

• Informal

5 3.2

To trick someone in a friendly way to make them laugh

is similar but can be teasing rather than only for laughter

P

to play pranks

vsto put on

4 3.1

Do small tricks to surprise or make someone laugh

is verbal or social teasing rather than physical practical acts

P

to put one over

vsto put on

• Informal

4 7.8

To make someone believe something that is not true

is more about joking deception than calculated trickery for gain

P

to put one over on

vsto put on

• Informal

4 7.9

To trick someone into believing something false

is playful or joking deception rather than harmful fraud

M

to make a monkey out of

vsto put on

• Offensive

3 8.4

Make someone look silly in front of other people by tricking or embarrassing them

is playful fooling that often avoids deep humiliation

S

to spoof

vsto put on

3 6.0

Pretend to be a person or website online to trick people

is playful imitation but the key covers broader joking deceit

H

to hoax

vsto put on

2 4.5

To trick people into believing something false

is lighter and more social than serious, harmful deception

G

to gull

vsto put on

1 8.9

To trick someone into believing something false

is less harmful and more about joking or teasing others

C

to cod

vsto put on

• UK

8.8

To trick someone as a joke

is a playful social trick rather than formal falsehood

P

to put one across

vsto put on

• UK

9.0

Make someone believe something false to trick them

is a lighthearted social trick rather than malicious deceit

P

to put one past

vsto put on

• UK

8.3

To trick someone into believing something false

is usually joking or amusing rather than aimed at personal profit

B

to befool

vsto put on

9.9

To trick someone so they look silly

is playful embarrassing rather than intended to deeply humiliate

Antonyms

R

to reveal

∞ 2.3

Show something that was hidden or secret

T

to tell the truth

814 2.7

Say what really happened without hiding facts or lying

How Deceptive

to swindle

20 5.5

to trick

326 3.5

to put on

• Informal

19 7.2

to tease

245 1.9

to kid

• Informal

∞ 3.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology