Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Wiktionary
n. A deception, hoax, or practical joke.
WordNet
n. a composition that imitates somebody's style in a humorous way [syn: parody, lampoon, spoof, sendup, mockery, takeoff, burlesque, travesty, charade, pasquinade]
something intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage [syn: fraud, fraudulence, dupery, hoax, humbug]
a ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement [syn: antic, joke, prank, trick, caper]
Usage examples of "put-on".
He seems himself not to know exactly how much of the persona was a put-on, but it is this persona that he must readopt in order to function as a man once again.
Despite her put-on, Judy looks anything but vampy, her face so pale the freckles stand out like grains of sand on a white sheet of paper.
He made the usual disclaimers regarding the swastikas and Iron Crosses ( That don't mean nothin, we buy that stuff in dime stores ), but just about the time the man seemed satisfied that it was all a rude put-on, Barger unloaded one of those jarring ad libs that have made him a favorite among Bay area newsmen.
He had always displayed proper deference toward many-born ones—even a really Kiplingesque imperialist knew enough to show respect for venerable tribal leaders—but in Company days it had never been more than a charade for him, a put-on show of humility, since ultimate power resided with the Company's sector agent, not with any nildor no matter how holy.
At first, Canvera had considered this a hoax—he received many put-ons in the mail, together with pornography, Rosicrucian pamphlets, illustrated with the eye-and-pyramid design, and pretended fan letters signed by such names as Eldridge Cleaver, Fidel Castro, Anton Szandor Levay or Judge Crater, all of course cooked up by his Lincoln Avenue audience.