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
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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:
He also will receive a sign-on equity award with a grant date value of $4 million in consideration of compensation left on the table at Xylem, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 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
But they both need to sign on for the AGs to unlock the additional money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
BBC Sport understands there is no obligation on players to sign on to LIV 2.0, regardless of whether they had previously signed multi-year contracts with LIV Golf.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Often I’d sign on to read the takes of sharp commenters over the writers who provided the digital parlor.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
You have a “no AI” sign on the Kickstarter page.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Aldo squinted at the sign on my cage.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
Definitions 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.
