1
: something (such as an advertising promotion) intended to entice or allure
2
: a usually sexual advance
came on; come on; coming on; comes on
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
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
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 28 May 2026
The commercials, featuring the company’s young CEO, Margo Case (Kathryn Newton), fuse Big Pharma come-on with a vague feminist spiel, and Carol rolls her eyes at all the feel-good whatever.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for come-on
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Noun
Some of those same Splice samples wound up on U, which feels as much like a monument to music-making as the interpersonal stumbles and suggestive come-ons that populate the beats.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 28 May 2026
The commercials, featuring the company’s young CEO, Margo Case (Kathryn Newton), fuse Big Pharma come-on with a vague feminist spiel, and Carol rolls her eyes at all the feel-good whatever.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for come-on
Cite this Entry
“Come-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come-on. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal 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
W. G. YoungLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
