on-message

[ on-mes-ij, awn‐ ]

/ ˈɒnˈmɛs ɪdʒ, ˈɔn‐ /

Save This Word!

adjective

focused on the central theme or official message of a political, business, or other organization: The candidate's promises are on-message and echo the party platform. Your company’s ads should be entertaining and on-message.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Compare off-message.

Origin of on-message

First recorded in 1995–2000; on + message

Words nearby on-message

onlooker, onlooking, only, only-begotten, only too, on-message, on-mike, onnagata, on no account, o.n.o., on occasion

How to use on-message in a sentence

Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You just travel light with carry-on luggage, go to cities that you love, and get to hang out with all your friends.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was a brick wall that we turned into the on-ramp of a highway.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Could the (thus far) timid trembling give way to a full-on, grand mal seizure?
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
His head fell back limp on MacRae's arm, and the rest of the message went with the game old Dutchman across the big divide.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
We were interrupted at this moment by a message from General Houston, to whom we immediately hastened.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
"It will go through, if I live," calmly replied Harry, as he carefully concealed the message in the lining of his coat.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
In the telegraph office a young signaler was sending a thrilling message to Umballa, Lahore and the north.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Aristide again sought the message of the stars; but the sky was clouded over, and soon a fine rain began to fall.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for on-message

on message

adjective

(on-message when prenominal) adhering to or reflecting the official line of a political party, government, or other organization

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012