put on
English meaning: Put on
Definition
To dress oneself in clothing, or to pretend or feign something.
Example
“Put on your coat before you go outside; it's freezing cold and starting to snow heavily.”
Another example: “She put on a brave face, even though she was clearly disappointed.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A common separable phrasal verb. The main sense is to dress in clothing ('put your coat on'); other senses include feigning ('put on an accent') and gaining ('put on weight'). Object can sit in the middle or after. Neutral register.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From 'put' plus 'on', the clothing sense being literal and very old.
Related Words
Common Collocations
- put on your coat
- put on weight
- put on a show
- put on an act
- put on make-up
- put on a brave face
Word Forms
put on; put on; putting on; puts on
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
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