Meaning & use
put on
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Meanings
verbphrasal verb
To place clothing, glasses or jewelry on your body so that you are wearing it.
Grammar: Takes an object; split with pronouns: put it on, not put on it.
Patterns
- put on something
- put something on
Put on your jacket; it is freezing outside.
She put her glasses on to read the menu.
He put on a tie for the interview.
verbphrasal verb
To produce or present a show, event or meal for an audience or guests.
Grammar: Takes an object: put on a play, put on a party.
Patterns
- put on a show
- put on an event for someone
The drama club puts on a play every spring.
The town put on a fireworks display for the holiday.
They put on a lovely dinner for the guests.
verbphrasal verb
To switch on a device or start playing music, a film or a program.
Grammar: Takes an object: put the kettle on, put on some music.
Patterns
- put on something
- put something on
Can you put the kettle on while I find the cups?
He put on some jazz while they cooked.
I put a film on for the children.
verbphrasal verb
To increase in body weight or pick up an amount of something.
Grammar: Takes an object: put on weight, put on pounds.
Patterns
- put on weight
- put on a few pounds
He put on ten pounds during the winter.
The baby has put on weight steadily since birth.
verbphrasal verb
To pretend to have a feeling or manner that you do not really have.
Grammar: Takes an object: put on an accent, put on a brave face.
Patterns
- put on a brave face
- put on an act
She put on a brave face although she was upset.
He put on a posh accent to impress them.
Word forms
| third person singular | puts on |
|---|---|
| past tense | put on |
| past participle | put on |
| -ing form | putting on |
Common combinations
- put on weight
- I put on weight after I stopped running.
- put on a show
- The students put on a show for the parents.
- put on a brave face
- He put on a brave face at the funeral.
- put on make-up
- She put on make-up before the photo.
- put on the brakes
- The driver put on the brakes suddenly.
- put on music
- Let's put on some music.
Synonyms and how they differ
- don
- Don is a formal or literary word for putting on clothes and sounds old-fashioned in conversation.
- slip on
- Slip on suggests quickly and easily putting on an item such as shoes.
- stage
- Stage means to organize and present an event, and is more formal than put on.
- gain
- Gain is the neutral word for increase in weight and is used more in formal or medical contexts.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: put on or put off? put on or put up?
put on vs put off
Put off means to delay or to discourage, while put on means to wear, present or switch on.
put on vs put up
Put up means to build or host someone, not to wear something.
Practice
It's cold, so please ____ your coat before we go outside.
Choose one answer.
Put on means to wear clothing. Put off means to delay, put up means to build or lodge, and put out means to extinguish.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “put on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.