sign-on
Americannoun
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Radio and Television. the opening salutation, station identification, etc., at the beginning of the broadcast day.
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an act or instance of signing on.
verb
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(tr) to hire or employ
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(intr) to commit oneself to a job, activity, etc
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(intr) to register as unemployed with the Department of Social Security
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Enlist oneself as an employee, as in Arthur decided to sign on with the new software company . [Late 1800s]
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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
The small number can be attributed to the fact that the men, like the assembly, had to sign-on without knowing their destiny.
From The Road to Independence: Virginia 1763-1783 by Virginia. History, Government, and Geography Service
The couple placed a “do not disturb” sign on their door as they left, according to Boucher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 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
But they both need to sign on for the AGs to unlock the additional money.
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
A sign on the door informed me that it was run by the YMCA.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.