put on

What it means

To place clothing, makeup, or accessories onto your body. It can also mean to apply something like cream, or to add weight to your body.

Examples

• Put on a warm coat — it's freezing outside.
• She put on her glasses to read the small print.
• He's put on a lot of weight since starting his new job.
• Don't forget to put on sunscreen before going to the beach.

Where it comes from

Separable: 'put on your shoes' or 'put your shoes on' — and with pronouns the object must go in the middle ('put them on'). The opposite is 'take off'. The phrase can also mean to pretend or fake an emotion, as in 'she's just putting it on'.

Related phrasal verbs