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• on-message
  on-message

  adjective

  focused on the central theme or official message of a political, business, or other organization.
• on message
  on message

  adjective

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

on-message

American  

[on-mes-ij, awn‐] / ˈɒnˈmɛs ɪdʒ, ˈɔn‐ /

adjective

1. 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.

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on message British  

adjective

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

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Etymology

Origin of on-message

First recorded in 1995–2000; on ( def. ) + message ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

on-message on message

And he quickly showed why when he showcased his ready-for-video, on-message approach, talking about how his poor parents moved to the U.S. and he had the ability to found billion-dollar companies.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 23, 2023

After the event, O’Dea was likewise exhaustingly on-message taking questions from reporters.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2022

Kiggans, a relentlessly on-message candidate, was signaling that she cares about what voters care about.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2022

Mr Kast, though, stayed on-message at his closing rally.

From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2021

“Tennis tastes like lean, mean athletic food,” said Richard Blais, the headlining chef, displaying the kind of on-message media training that is as sharply honed as his knives.

From New York Times ● Aug. 28, 2019

If the discussion keeps going in circles, outline the objectives to keep people on message.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

The concept came about in 2019, when anonymous users on message board 4chan were asked to "post disquieting images that just feel 'off'."

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Musically, the film is best viewed and heard as an artifact: Lennon’s voice is in great shape, but he wasn’t in his most fertile songwriting stage, mostly because he’d focused on message songs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025

And 2025's live-action “Snow White” doesn’t even attempt to have star Rachel Zegler take on Caselotti’s particular voice print — seemingly staying on message that it’s a new story for a new generation.

From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2025

And when she came before King Arthur, she told from whom she came, and how she was sent on message unto him for these causes.

From Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 1 by Sir Thomas Malory