come-on

[ kuhm-on, -awn ]
See synonyms for come-on on Thesaurus.com
nounSlang.
  1. inducement; lure.

Origin of come-on

1
1895–1900, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase come on

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use come-on in a sentence

  • From the lips of the Mud Turtle, who had silently joined the group, came a come-on verdict.

    Lady Luck | Hugh Wiley
  • With their body-tremors they are giving the "come-on" signal to the workers.

    The Brain | Alexander Blade

British Dictionary definitions for come on

come on

verb(intr, mainly adverb)
  1. (of power, a water supply, etc) to become available; start running or functioning

  2. to make or show progress; develop: my plants are coming on nicely

  1. to advance, esp in battle

  2. to begin: she felt a cold coming on; a new bowler has come on

  3. theatre to make an entrance on stage

  4. to be considered, esp in a court of law

  5. (preposition) See come upon

  6. come on!

    • hurry up!

    • cheer up! pull yourself together!

    • make an effort!

    • don't exaggerate! stick to the facts!

  7. to attempt to give a specified impression: he came on like a hard man

  8. come on strong to make a forceful or exaggerated impression

  9. come on to informal to make sexual advances to

nouncome-on
  1. informal anything that serves as a lure or enticement

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with come-on

come-on

Move forward, progress, develop. For example, We stopped as soon as darkness began to come on. [Early 1600s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.