sign on

verb

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of sign on

intransitive verb

1 : to engage oneself by or as if by a signature

signed on to the new project

2 : to announce the start of broadcasting for the day

—

sign-on

play \ˈsī-ˌnȯn, -ˌnän\ noun

See sign on defined for kids

Recent Examples of sign on from the Web

At a certain point, courts will no longer allow newcomers to sign on to the litigation.

— audrey dutton, idahostatesman, "Idaho counties are suing Big Pharma for enabling opioid abuse | Idaho Statesman," 15 Apr. 2018
The question is whether others will buy what the White House has signed on for.

— karl vick, Time, "The Saudi Crown Prince Thinks He Can Transform the Middle East. Should We Believe Him?," 5 Apr. 2018
After months of rumors, which ranged from Hugh Laurie to Paul Bettany, Deadline reports that Tobias Menzies has signed on to play the Queen's husband, the Duke of Edinburgh for the next two seasons of the Netflix show about Elizabeth's reign.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Tobias Menzies Will Play Prince Philip in The Crown," 28 Mar. 2018
Another odd note is that, toward the end of the campaign, Trump foreign policy adviser Michael Flynn signed on to do consulting for the SCL Group.

— andrew prokop, Vox, "Cambridge Analytica and its many scandals, explained," 21 Mar. 2018
Even better: Carpenters Ty Pennington and Carter Oosterhouse have signed on, too. 7.

— lauren smith, Good Housekeeping, "Everything We Know About the Upcoming "Trading Spaces" Reboot," 19 Mar. 2018
Los Blancos are said to be readying a bid in the summer if the former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper has not signed on at Stamford Bridge.

— SI.com, "Chelsea Put Thibaut Courtois Contract Talks on Hold as Real Madrid Monitor Situation," 27 Feb. 2018
Gerald appears high on Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, and will sign on Feb. 7.

— jake lourim, The Courier-Journal, "Which recruits could Louisville football still sign? This 4-star recruit is still 'all in'," 26 Jan. 2018
Nearly 50 representatives have signed on to their request.

— sarah shemkus, BostonGlobe.com, "The Healthy Incentives Program is so popular, its future is now in doubt," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sign on.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of sign on

1879

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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See words that rhyme with sign on Nglish: Translation of sign on for Spanish speakers

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sign on

Definition of sign on

sign-on

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sign on

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sign-on

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