come-on
noun
inducement; lure.
come-on
American
[kuhm-on, -awn]
/ ˈkʌmˌɒn, -ˌɔn /
noun
Slang.
-
come-ons
plural
come on
British
verb
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(of power, a water supply, etc) to become available; start running or functioning
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to make or show progress; develop
my plants are coming on nicely
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to advance, esp in battle
-
to begin
she felt a cold coming on
a new bowler has come on
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theatre to make an entrance on stage
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to be considered, esp in a court of law
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(preposition) See come upon
-
-
hurry up!
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cheer up! pull yourself together!
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make an effort!
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don't exaggerate! stick to the facts!
-
-
to attempt to give a specified impression
he came on like a hard man
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to make a forceful or exaggerated impression
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informal to make sexual advances to
noun
come on
Idioms
-
Move forward, progress, develop. For example, We stopped as soon as darkness began to come on . [Early 1600s]
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Hurry up, as in Come on now, it's getting late . This imperative to urge someone forward has been so used since about 1450.
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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]
-
Make a stage entrance, as in After the next cue she comes on from the right . [Early 1800s]
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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]
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Convey a specific personal image, as in He comes on like a go-getter but he's really rather timid . [ Slang ; c. 1940]
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Also, come on strong . Behave or speak in an aggressive way, as in Take it easy; you're coming on awfully strong . [c. 1940]
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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]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of come-on
1895–1900, noun use of verb phrase come on
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Some are born to sing the blues, as Perry once observed — just not Perry himself, who chews his way through this corny come-on like an overserved uncle at the Hard Rock Cafe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
One day, a sympathetic nurse hands her a flier with a very alluring come-on, “Generous Salary With Benefits.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
"Many people, in good faith, misconstrue what I'm saying, and they think I'm trying to do a sort of come-on to the camera. And I really am not," she told food podcast Sporked.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
“An American in Paris”: “It’s jet-propelled New Year’s Eve and everyone in Paris will be there,” says Gene Kelly to Nina Foch — well, who could resist a come-on like that?
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2022
From the lips of the Mud Turtle, who had silently joined the group, came a come-on verdict.
From Lady Luck by Hugh Wiley
That will come on the heels of the Federal Reserve’s decision, where it could tighten policy for the first time in over three years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The warnings come on top of a rising public backlash over the impact that the AI revolution is starting to have on prices, jobs and education.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Rybakina has now won two of her three Grand Slam finals against Sabalenka, all of which have come on their favoured hard courts.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
But Lincoln Riley, USC’s coach, points more to Mosley’s “unique” preparation as a primary reason for why he’s come on so quickly — and why we’re only just starting to see what he’s capable of.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Chad, come on, man,” the other guy says.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Marketers of economic nostrums such as cryptocurrency and gold investments flood the airwaves with come-ons, and they don’t win customers by proclaiming that sunny days lie ahead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
But the report found those promises are often used as “bait and switch” come-ons.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2022
To preempt such a calamitous outcome, unorthodox come-ons are being trotted out.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 9, 2021
Consulting firms brought their algorithms, and software kept meticulous track of teenagers’ interest in a school by measuring things like how quickly they respond to text-message come-ons.
From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2021
The jingle of ricksha bells blended with car horns, the come-ons of street peddlers, a woman’s laughter, music from a nearby bar.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
