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Put on meaning

Put on means to dress yourself in clothes, shoes or glasses. It can also mean to make a machine start working, or start music or a film.

Check yourself: 3 questionsAll 11 phrasal verbs with put

put something on

put on · put · putting

A2Separable+3 more meanings

Put on a coat. It’s freezing outside!

Put on meanings and examples

4 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.

  1. 1dress yourself in clothes, shoes or glasses
  2. 2make a machine start working, or start music or a film
  3. 3become heavier
  4. 4organise a show, a play or an event for people
  1. 1

    Dress yourself in clothes, shoes or glasses

    put something on

    A2Separable

    • Put on a coat. It’s freezing outside!
    • She put her glasses on to read the menu.
    • Here’s your helmet. Put it on.
  2. 2

    Make a machine start working, or start music or a film

    put something on

    A2Separable

    • Shall I put some music on?
    • Put the kettle on. I’ll make tea.
    • Can you put on the heating? It’s cold.
  3. 3

    Become heavier

    put something on

    B1Separable

    • I’ve put on three kilos since Christmas.
    • He put on a lot of weight at university.
    • Did you put on weight on holiday?
  4. 4

    Organise a show, a play or an event for people

    put something on

    B2Separable

    • The school puts on a play every spring.
    • They’re putting on a free concert in the park.
    • The hotel put on a special dinner for us.
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Is put on separable?

Put on is separable: put on your coat, put your coat on. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: put it on, not put on it.

With weight, say put on weight or put on plus an amount: I’ve put on weight. I’ve put on two kilos. Don’t use both together.

Verb tenses for put on

PresentI put on · she puts on
Pastput on
Present perfecthave put on
-ing formputting on

Common mistakes with put on

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: It’s cold. Put on it.

    Right: It’s cold. Put it on.

    A pronoun goes between put and on.

  • Wrong: She put on a red dress all day yesterday.

    Right: She wore a red dress all day yesterday.

    Put on is the moment you dress. Wear means have it on your body.

  • Wrong: Can you open the TV?

    Right: Can you put on the TV?

    In English you don’t open a TV or a light. Put it on or turn it on.

Synonyms and opposites of put on

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

Opposite

Put on quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1It’s raining. ___ your raincoat.

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3I ate too much on holiday and ___ two kilos.

More phrasal verbs with put

All phrasal verbs with put, by level, with an exercise

11 phrasal verbs start with put. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.

Test yourself on putTake the full test

Put on FAQ

Questions people ask about put on.

What does put someone on mean?

On the phone, it means pass the phone to them: Can you put Dad on? In US English, are you putting me on? means are you joking?

What does put on a brave face mean?

It means hide that you are sad or worried and act happy: She put on a brave face at the funeral. Here put on means pretend.

What is the past tense of put on?

Put on. Put is the same in the present, the past and the past participle: I put it on yesterday, and I’ve put it on again.

Use put on in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

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