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:
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
"We'd all have to sign-on for a month, though."
From The Adventure Club Afloat by Ralph Henry Barbour
TikTok in particular is also facing a plethora of lawsuits from state AGs, so it might be inclined to sign on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Yet, actors sign on anyway, and viewers will watch regardless, because Netflix has crafted a conniving production model that benefits the indiscriminate philistines in charge.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
This summer, though, with her contract expiring at the end of Chelsea's worst season in seven years, she decided to sign on for another 12 months.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Behind him, a sign on a fence reads "Private Property."
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Two seconds later, he opened the door just wide enough for his hand to sneak out and hang a “Don’t Bother the Beast” sign on his doorknob before closing it soundly again.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
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.
