sign-on
noun
the opening salutation, station identification, etc., at the beginning of the broadcast day.
sign-on
American
[sahyn-on, -awn]
/ ˈsaɪnˌɒn, -ˌɔn /
noun
-
Radio and Television. the opening salutation, station identification, etc., at the beginning of the broadcast day.
-
an act or instance of signing on.
sign on
British
verb
-
(tr) to hire or employ
-
(intr) to commit oneself to a job, activity, etc
-
(intr) to register as unemployed with the Department of Social Security
sign on
Idioms
-
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]
Etymology
Origin of sign-on
First recorded in 1880–85; noun use of verb phrase sign 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:
The organization has tripled sign-on bonuses to $6,000 and enlisted employment agencies that charge a premium to provide personnel, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
To offset lost compensation from Pfizer, Nike will also pay him a one-time cash sign-on bonus of $7.25 million.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Koepka won $34.3 million in prize money during his time at LIV, which is separate from his undisclosed sign-on fee.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026
Across the 2023-24 season, Liverpool closed 100,000 fake accounts, and believe new preventative measures including multi-factor authentication, single sign-on and the implementation of more advanced fraud analysis tools, have made a difference.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025
There were no idle keels swinging the tides in harbour for want of profitable employment; no seamen lounging on the dockside streets awaiting a 'sight' to sign-on for a voyage.
From Merchantmen-at-arms : the British merchants' service in the war by David W. (David William) Bone
"That's why I signed on. I wouldn't sign on to work with somebody that I thought was racist, that's against everything that I've done," he added.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Spotlighting Sony Pictures Studios, Apple, Pinterest and Amazon MGM Studios, all with local offices, protesters demanded that the companies sign on to the “Business for Democracy Pledge” ahead of the elections in November.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
He said 18-year-olds leaving school would no longer be able simply to "sign on" the following day.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
It’s unclear when, or even if, other countries will sign on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
An exit sign on the wall hangs above solid stone.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
