sign-on

[ sahyn-on, -awn ]

/ ˈsaɪnˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

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noun

Radio and Television. the opening salutation, station identification, etc., at the beginning of the broadcast day.

an act or instance of signing on.

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Origin of sign-on

First recorded in 1880–85; noun use of verb phrase sign on

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use sign-on 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
They are always suspended over a precipice, dangling by a slender thread that shows every sign of snapping.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|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
Its continued presence in pulmonary tuberculosis is, however, a grave prognostic sign, even when the physical signs are slight.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Idly his pen traced upon the paper in front of him a large X, the sign of the unknown quantity.
Uncanny Tales|Various
Here they are seldom abundant, but their constant presence is the most reliable urinary sign of the disease.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Waxy casts are found in most advanced cases of nephritis, where they are an unfavorable sign.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Scouts reported that Porter still occupied his camp, and showed no sign of moving.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for sign-on

sign on

verb (adverb)

(tr) to hire or employ

(intr) to commit oneself to a job, activity, etc

(intr) British to register as unemployed with the Department of Social Security

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with sign-on

sign on

Enlist oneself as an employee, as in Arthur decided to sign on with the new software company. [Late 1800s]

Begin radio or television broadcasting, especially at the beginning of the day, as in What time does the station sign on? [c. 1920]