put on

Formsputs on, putting on, put on

1. 1
   dress yourselfphrasal verbtransitive

   To dress oneself in clothing, or to fit oneself with equipment or similar items.

   She put on her coat and boots before heading out into the snow.

   Workers must put on hard hats and safety glasses before entering the site.

   Similardon

   Oppositeremove

   Note

   The object can stand on either side of on: put on your jacket, or put your jacket on. A pronoun has only one place, in the middle, so it is put it on and never put on it, and the same rule holds when the object is a record, a kettle or a voice. The King James Bible of 1611 already speaks of "raiment to put on".

2. 2
   gain weightphrasal verbtransitive

   To gain weight, or a particular amount of it.

   He put on ten pounds after he quit smoking.

   Some dogs put on weight quickly if they are fed table scraps.

   Similargain

   Oppositelose, shed

3. 3
   fake a mannerphrasal verbtransitive

   To assume or adopt a manner, voice, or feeling, especially as a pretense.

   She put on a brave face at the funeral, though she was falling apart inside.

   He always puts on a fake British accent when he talks to his boss.

   Similaraffect, feign, fake, assume, adopt

4. 4
   play musicphrasal verbtransitive

   To start playing a recording, for example on a stereo or other sound system.

   Let's put on some jazz while we cook dinner.

   The DJ put on an old soul record, and the whole room started dancing.

   Similarplay

5. 5
   start cookingphrasal verbtransitive

   To start something cooking or warming, especially on a stovetop.

   I'll put on a pot of rice while you chop the vegetables.

   She put on the kettle as soon as her guests arrived.

6. 6
   phrasal verbtransitive

   To set a movie, show, song, or similar program playing on a screen.

   We put on a movie after the kids went to bed.

   The clinic staff put on cartoons to keep the children in the waiting room calm.

   Similarplay, show

7. 7
   organize a showphrasal verbtransitive

   To stage and present a show, concert, or other entertainment for an audience.

   The school is putting on a talent show to raise money for the library.

   Every summer the town puts on a free concert in the park.

   Similarstage, organize, hold, host, present

8. 8
   organize a showphrasal verbtransitive

   To perform a play, show, or similar piece in front of an audience.

   The band put on a fantastic show despite the rain.

   The young dancers will put on two performances this weekend.

   Similarperform, give, stage

   Note

   Here the particle can move: actors put on "Macbeth" or put "Macbeth" on, and a pronoun must go in the middle, so they put it on twice nightly. The subject is whoever takes the stage; when the doer is the school, festival or producer that arranges the event, the phrase has shifted to the organizing meaning. Typical objects are a show, a play or a performance.

9. 9
   phrasal verbtransitive

   To dress another person in something, or to decorate a surface by placing something on it.

   She put a warm hat on the baby before they went outside.

   The kids put glitter and stickers on their birthday cards.

   Note

   With another wearer, on stops being a particle and becomes a preposition naming who or what gets covered: put a coat on my daughter, put tinsel on the tree. The order is fixed here, unlike dressing yourself, where put on your coat and put your coat on mean the same thing.

10. 10
    trick someonephrasal verbtransitive or intransitive

    To deceive or fool someone, especially by kidding them.

    You won the lottery? Come on, you're putting me on.

    He kept a straight face so long that nobody could tell whether he was putting on.

    Similarkid, fool, tease

    Note

    It lives mostly in the progressive and in disbelief: you must be putting me on. The person being fooled is the object; without one, the meaning slides toward pretending, as in she's putting on that she's sicker than she really is.

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