come on

verb

came on; come on; coming on; comes on

intransitive verb

1

a

: to advance by degrees

darkness coming on

b

: to begin by degrees

The rain came on toward noon.

2

a

: please

—used in cajoling or pleading

Come on, just one more time.

b

—used interjectionally to express astonishment, incredulity, or recognition of a put-on

Come on, do you expect me to believe that?

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 me

Examples of come on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The goal came on a free shot from 10 yards out that snuck under the cross bar and sent Edina into a state of euphoria and the Raiders, likely, into a brief state of shock. —Anya Armentrout, Twin Cities, 10 June 2026

The announcement comes on the same day as federal prosecutors announced federal charges against Anthony Tyrone Gresham, 42, the man accused of shooting a 17-year-old aboard a MARTA train in Midtown Atlanta last week. —Rashad Williams, CBS News, 10 June 2026

Francisco Conceição, one of the 11 replacements to come on for Portugal, grabbed the 75th-minute winner by cutting in from the right and curling a shot into the far corner. —ABC News, 10 June 2026

Then the lights came on and this young kid walked in! —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for come on

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon
• epsilon

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