come on

interjection · phrasal verb · come-on noun

Phrasal verbcomes on, coming on, came on, come on

21 meanings of come on

1
impatienceinterjection
Used to tell someone to hurry up, or to show that you are annoyed or impatient.
Come on, you've been in the bathroom for an hour!
Come on, come on, answer the phone!
2
cheeringinterjection
Used to cheer for someone or to tell them they can do it.
Come on, Maria, one more lap!
Come on, you can do this, just one more push.
3
disbeliefinterjection
Used to show that you do not believe what someone just said.
Come on, you did not run ten miles before breakfast.
Oh, come on, a dog ate your homework? Really?
Similarnonsense, rubbish, no, malarkey, pshaw
Note
4
follow meinterjection
Used to tell someone to come with you.
Come on, I'll walk you to the bus stop.
The park is this way. Come on!
5
start (machines)phrasal verbintransitive
Of a light or a machine, to turn on and start working.
The porch light comes on by itself when it gets dark.
The heater came on in the middle of the night.
Similarstart (entry)
Note
6
broadcastphrasal verbtransitive or intransitive
Of a show or a song, to start playing on the radio or TV.
My favorite song came on the radio while we were driving.
Be quiet, the show is coming on.
Similarstart (entry), begin, air, play
7
flirt withphrasal verbidiomaticintransitive
To show that you are interested in someone in a sexual or romantic way.
He kept coming on to the waitress all night.
Was she coming on to me, or just being friendly?
Similarproposition
Note
8
romantic hintnoun · come-oncolloquialcountable
Something you say or do to show you are interested in someone romantically.
Was that a come-on, or was he just being nice?
She ignored his come-ons and kept reading her book.
Similaradvance, pass, overture
Note
9
welcome inphrasal verbcolloquialintransitive
A warm, friendly way to say come, used before words like in, over, or up.
Come on in, the door's open!
Come on over after school and we'll play.
Note
10
drug effectsphrasal verbslangtransitive or intransitive
To start to feel a drug working, or, of a drug, to start working.
The pills took an hour to come on.
The stuff came on him fast, and he had to sit down.
Note

11
improvephrasal verbintransitive
To make progress or get better, little by little.
Your reading is coming on really well.
The tomatoes have come on a lot since the rain.
Similarprogress, develop, improve
Oppositeregress, deteriorate
Note
12
dareinterjection
Used to dare someone to come and fight you, showing you are not afraid.
He put up his fists and shouted, "Come on, then!"
"You want to fight? Come on!" the boy yelled across the playground.
Note
13
enter stagephrasal verbintransitive
To come onto the stage or into a show to perform.
You come on as soon as the lights go down.
The band came on an hour late, but the crowd forgave them.
Similarenter
Oppositeexit
14
sports substitutephrasal verbintransitive
In sports, to join the game as a substitute, taking another player's place.
The coach told her to come on for the injured striker.
He came on with ten minutes left and scored the winner.
Note
15
sales tricknoun · come-oncolloquialcountable
Something used to attract people, like a special offer in an advertisement.
The free gift was just a come-on to get people to sign up.
Shoppers soon learn to see through the come-ons in holiday ads.
Similarlure, enticement, inducement, hook
Note
16
join (job)phrasal verbslangtransitive
To join a job, hobby, or other activity that is already going on.
She came on as a cashier the summer I was promoted.
Most new helpers come on the project in June.
Similarjoin, start (entry)
Oppositeleave
Note
17
phrasal verbtransitive
The ordinary meaning of come and on together, like coming onto a path or moving onward.
Visitors may come on the property only during daylight hours.
My sister came on the bus with me to school.
18
behavephrasal verbslang
To act or seem a certain way to other people.
He comes on tough, but he is really very shy.
Don't come on so strong when you meet her parents.
Note
19
periodphrasal verbcolloquialidiomaticUKintransitive
To start your monthly period.
She came on during the school trip and had to ask the teacher for help.
Some girls come on for the first time at eleven or twelve.
Note
20
findphrasal verbtransitive
To find or meet someone or something by chance.
We came on an old well hidden in the tall grass.
If you come on a snake on the path, stay calm and back away.
Similarencounter, discover, find
Note
21
noun · come-onslangcountable
In the theater, an actor who is not good at anything except walking onto the stage.
The lead was a come-on, fine until he opened his mouth.
The director filled the small parts with come-ons who just had to stand there.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It comes from the phrase come on to, and was first used around 1897.