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• come-on
  come-on

  noun

  inducement; lure.
• come on
  come on

  verb

  (of power, a water supply, etc) to become available; start running or functioning

come-on

American  

[kuhm-on, -awn] / ˈkʌmˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

noun

Slang.

1. inducement; lure.

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come on British  

verb

1. (of power, a water supply, etc) to become available; start running or functioning

2. to make or show progress; develop

   my plants are coming on nicely

3. to advance, esp in battle

4. to begin

   she felt a cold coming on

   a new bowler has come on

5. theatre to make an entrance on stage

6. to be considered, esp in a court of law

7. (preposition) See come upon

8. 1. hurry up!

   2. cheer up! pull yourself together!

   3. make an effort!

   4. don't exaggerate! stick to the facts!

9. to attempt to give a specified impression

   he came on like a hard man

10. to make a forceful or exaggerated impression

11. informal to make sexual advances to

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noun

1. informal anything that serves as a lure or enticement

come on Idioms  

1. Move forward, progress, develop. For example, We stopped as soon as darkness began to come on . [Early 1600s]

2. Hurry up, as in Come on now, it's getting late . This imperative to urge someone forward has been so used since about 1450.

3. Also, come upon . Meet or find unexpectedly, as in We came on him while walking down the street , or I came upon an old friend in the bookstore today . [Second half of 1700s]

4. Make a stage entrance, as in After the next cue she comes on from the right . [Early 1800s]

5. Please oblige me, as in Come on, that's no excuse for leaving , or Come on, you'll really like this restaurant . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s]

6. Convey a specific personal image, as in He comes on like a go-getter but he's really rather timid . [ Slang ; c. 1940]

7. Also, come on strong . Behave or speak in an aggressive way, as in Take it easy; you're coming on awfully strong . [c. 1940]

8. Also, come on to . Make sexual advances, as in She reported her boss for coming on to her . This usage probably was derived from the earlier use of the noun come-on for a sexual advance. [ Slang ; 1950s]

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Etymology

Origin of come-on

1895–1900, noun use of verb phrase come on

Example Sentences

The biggest test could come on the second day of Hajj, when pilgrims gather for prayer and repentance at Mount Arafat, a granite hill and surrounding plains at the edge of Mecca.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

They come on suddenly and start like the flu or malaria, with fever, headache and tiredness.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Management said that the optical space offers a multibillion-dollar opportunity, which would come on top of its existing connectivity business.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

People make pilgrimages here, like a man who had come on a recent afternoon from the Tierra Caliente, a famously dangerous part of Michoacán.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

“Okay, come on with me. I’ll get you two home.”

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Related Words

• teaser