on-ramp

American  

[on-ramp, awn-] / ˈɒnˌræmp, ˈɔn- /

Or onramp

noun

1. an entrance lane for traffic from a street to a turnpike or freeway.

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on-ramp British  

noun

1. a ramp that provides access to the specified part of a road system

   an interstate highway on-ramp

2. a method of accessing a service or facility

   an important on-ramp to the on-line world

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Etymology

Origin of on-ramp

By analogy with off-ramp

Example Sentences

Newman called the Neo a “strategic on-ramp product” that can “expand the funnel of users who can then be monetized through Apple’s higher-margin services platform.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

That break ended in 2024; after an on-ramp period last year, borrowers who missed student loan payments saw their credit score take a hit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Either way, this is a gentle on-ramp back into shopping and meal planning, informed by everything you just learned.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2026

Sprawled on a sidewalk near a freeway on-ramp, a man calling himself “Rabbit” was panhandling for money accompanied by his two beagle-pit bull mixes, Pooh Bear and Piglet.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2025

“Boo is a love. Misses you like crazy, though,” Ray says as we spin down the on-ramp and sail onto the freeway.

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