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 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
Examples of come-on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
The lawsuit comes on the heels of a September ruling in favor of exotic dancers at another Alabama strip club.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
That attack came on the heels of another Israeli airstrike.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The food package changes come on the heels of the Biden administration securing over $7 billion to ensure that WIC is fully funded for fiscal year 2024 after the program faced a $1 billion shortfall earlier in the year.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Harwell came on the team as a beer consultant and server in 2012, working on the bar program and gaining recognition.
—Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
That comes on top of $515,000 set aside for the premium in the district's 2024 budget.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
News of him working on a new album comes on the heels of Servando y Florentino’s return to the stage alongside Karol G, who invited the brothers to her March 22 show in Caracas, Venezuela.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 6 Apr. 2024
The Oregon incident comes on the heels of a mass Chinook salmon smolt die-off in Northern California.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
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 wedding contest comes on the heels of Bumble’s headline-making Valentine’s Day campaign, which starred actor Barry Keoghan in a series of shirtless thirst traps.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
The lawsuit comes on the heels of a September ruling in favor of exotic dancers at another Alabama strip club.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
That attack came on the heels of another Israeli airstrike.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The food package changes come on the heels of the Biden administration securing over $7 billion to ensure that WIC is fully funded for fiscal year 2024 after the program faced a $1 billion shortfall earlier in the year.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Harwell came on the team as a beer consultant and server in 2012, working on the bar program and gaining recognition.
—Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
That comes on top of $515,000 set aside for the premium in the district's 2024 budget.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
News of him working on a new album comes on the heels of Servando y Florentino’s return to the stage alongside Karol G, who invited the brothers to her March 22 show in Caracas, Venezuela.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 6 Apr. 2024
The Oregon incident comes on the heels of a mass Chinook salmon smolt die-off in Northern California.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 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.
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 19 Apr. 2024.
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
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