come-on

1 of 2

noun

ˈkəm-ˌȯn 

-ˌän

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

Synonyms

Noun

• allurement
• bait
• enticement
• lure
• siren song
• temptation
• turn-on

Examples of come-on in a Sentence

Noun

the spectacular sale was enough of a come-on to get many shoppers to try the store for the first time

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Carson is instantly suspicious, if not downright hostile, and not just because Waters proves totally immune to his swaggering come-ons. —Joe Leydon, Variety, 16 Aug. 2024

For many, the card looked like a come-on or a scam. —George Skelton, The Mercury News, 11 June 2024

Verb

The choice to have the women cycle a short course comes on the heels of some positive gender parity news from the Paralympics: A record number of female athletes were projected to participate in the Paris Games, according to a press release issued on August 23. —Jenny McCoy, SELF, 4 Sep. 2024

The stock price rise comes on the back of Xtalpi’s sales growth and its more than $135 million deal with Chinese billionaire Zhu Gongshan’s energy company GCL Group. —Zinnia Lee, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

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

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 trial

—W. G. Young