come-on

1 of 2

noun

1
: something (such as an advertising promotion) intended to entice or allure
2
: a usually sexual advance

come on

2 of 2

verb

came on; come on; coming on; comes on

intransitive verb

1
a
: to advance by degrees
darkness came on
b
: to begin by degrees
rain came on toward noon
2
a
: please
used in cajoling or pleading
b
used interjectionally to express astonishment, incredulity, or recognition of a put-on
3
: to project an indicated personal image
comes on as a conservative
4
: to show sexual interest in someone
also : to make sexual advances
usually used with to
tried to come on to her

Examples of come-on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Books Is Madonna a game-changing feminist or capitalist come-on? Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023 The whole ride, she’s been pursing her lips and meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror in ways that some men might take as a come-on. Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2023 Or the Hollywood sign, originally a real-estate come-on and the site of an early movieland suicide. John Anderson, wsj.com, 25 Apr. 2023 And though Jaxton is an obvious skeeve, decentering his maleness only as a kind of tantric come-on, Foley does it so well that the character is somehow attractive. Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2023 The show's diva/icon/legend/the-moment-now-come-on is Ni'Jah, whose entire aesthetic and many major life and career achievements are lifted directly from the life of one Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2023 Giveaways, gimmicks, and novelty come-ons of all sorts proliferated. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2023 This sort of blanket approach targets a common practice among robotexters, which is to use different numbers (real or spoofed) to originate successive come-ons or phishing attempts. Jon Healey, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Mar. 2023 But she isn’t intimidated by the brothers, illustrated early on by her initial rebuff of Albert’s come-on. Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Mar. 2023
Verb
The news of the higher prices comes on the heels of an announcement earlier this week that Dollar Tree plans to close nearly 1,000 stores of its subsidiary Family Dollar stores. Chris Morris, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 Her Instagram post comes on the heels of brother Garrison Brown’s unexpected death at 25. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Currently there is a bit more inventory coming on the market, as is usual during the peak spring homebuying season. Anna Bahney, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The timing of the Walter Bernstein Award comes on the heels of Nyswaner’s latest, the Showtime series Fellow Travelers starring Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, Allison Williams, Jelani Alladin and Noah Ricketts. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Nick says that people shouldn't come on the show for money and fame, because this experiment is real and works. EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024 His one-time payment comes on top of his monthly pension check of $3,195, or more than $38,000 a year. Daniel Bice, Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024 This new release comes on the heels of other high-profile single malt whisky-car collaborations between luxury brands, including Bowmore and Aston Martin and Coachbuilt and Rolls-Royce. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 Hunter's foray into the chili parlor world comes on the heels of another Chicago chef's celebration of the dish. Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'come-on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of come-on was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near come-on

Cite this Entry

“Come-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come-on. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

come on

intransitive verb
: to be brought forward (as a case in court)
the first prize case of the war…came on for trialW. G. Young
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