# come on

Pronunciation: say "kum ON" US /ˌkʌm ˈɑn/, UK /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/

## Interjection

1. Used to express frustration, exasperation, or impatience, or to urge someone to hurry up.
   - Simple: Used to tell someone to hurry up, or to show that you are annoyed or impatient.
   - _Come on, the light has been green for ten seconds._
   - _Oh, come on, you promised you'd have this finished by Friday._
2. Shouted or said to cheer someone on, or to show support and urge them to keep going.
   - Simple: Used to cheer for someone or to tell them they can do it.
   - _Come on, Lions! Hold them for one more minute!_
   - _Come on, don't give up now, you're nearly at the top._
3. Used to express disbelief at what someone has just said or claimed.
   - Simple: Used to show that you do not believe what someone just said.
   - _Come on, nobody pays that much for a sandwich._
   - _You expect me to think it was an accident? Come on._
4. Used to ask or tell someone to come along with you, to join you in going somewhere.
   - Simple: Used to tell someone to come with you.
   - _Grab your coat and come on, the cab is waiting._
   - _Come on, I want to show you the view from the roof._
12. Used as a challenge or in defiance, daring an opponent to approach and come at you.
   - Simple: Used to dare someone to come and fight you, showing you are not afraid.
   - _She squared up to the bigger kid and said, "Come on, I dare you."_
   - _He spread his arms wide and roared, "Come on! Take your best shot!"_

## Phrasal verb

5. Of an electric or electronic device, especially a light, to become switched on and start working.
   - Simple: Of a light or a machine, to turn on and start working.
   - _The dashboard warning lights come on for a second when you start the car._
   - _After the update, the laptop would not come on at all._
6. Of a program, song, or other broadcast, to begin playing, or to be broadcast through a radio, television, or other device.
   - Simple: Of a show or a song, to start playing on the radio or TV.
   - _A song I had not heard in years came on the radio._
   - _The news comes on at six, right after the game._
7. To show sexual or romantic interest in someone, usually through what one says and sometimes through actions.
   - Simple: To show that you are interested in someone in a sexual or romantic way.
   - _Some guy came on to her at the bar, so she moved to another table._
   - _Don't come on to people at work; it never ends well._
9. A friendlier, more urging way of saying come, used before in, over, up, round, by, or down to stress the movement. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A warm, friendly way to say come, used before words like in, over, or up.
   - _Come on up, the elevator is on the left._
   - _She told us to come on down whenever we liked._
10. To begin to feel a drug's effects, or, of the drug, to start producing them. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To start to feel a drug working, or, of a drug, to start working.
   - _About forty minutes in, the mushrooms began to come on._
   - _The edible came on her so hard she had to lie down._
11. To progress or develop, especially toward a finished or better state.
   - Simple: To make progress or get better, little by little.
   - _The young striker has come on enormously this season._
   - _How is the kitchen coming on? Is the plumbing finished?_
13. To make one's entrance onto the stage or into a performance.
   - Simple: To come onto the stage or into a show to perform.
   - _Actors who come on before their cue throw the whole scene off._
   - _She was coming on for her final speech when the fire alarm went off._
14. Of a substitute in a team sport, to enter the field of play, replacing a teammate.
   - Simple: In sports, to join the game as a substitute, taking another player's place.
   - _Substitutes who come on late in the game rarely get a chance to settle._
   - _The rookie came on for the veteran midway through the third quarter and changed the pace of the game._
16. To join a job, a hobby, or some other established pursuit. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To join a job, hobby, or other activity that is already going on.
   - _He came on in 2015, when the company had only twelve employees._
   - _Writers who come on the show midseason have to learn the characters fast._
17. Used in its literal sense, to move onto something or onward.
   - Simple: The ordinary meaning of come and on together, like coming onto a path or moving onward.
   - _Hikers who come on the trail after dark should carry a flashlight._
   - _The deer came on the road just ahead of us and froze in the headlights._
18. To behave or present oneself in a particular way, giving others a certain impression. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To act or seem a certain way to other people.
   - _The new manager came on strong in his first week, and the staff pushed back._
   - _Salespeople who come on like old friends the minute they meet you usually want something._
19. To get one's period, that is, to begin menstruating. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: To start your monthly period.
   - _I came on this morning, so I'll skip the swim and sit in the café._
   - _Most of us come on roughly once a month, but the timing can shift with stress or travel._
20. To encounter or discover someone or something, typically without having looked for it.
   - Simple: To find or meet someone or something by chance.
   - _Walking the dog at dawn, she came on a group of deer grazing by the fence._
   - _Readers who browse the shelves often come on books they would never have searched for._

## Noun · come-on

Pronunciation: say "KUM-on" US /ˈkʌmˌɑn/, UK /ˈkʌmˌɒn/

8. A remark, or sometimes an action, that signals sexual or romantic interest in someone. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Something you say or do to show you are interested in someone romantically.
   - _He insisted the lunch invitation was business, not a come-on._
   - _After a few drinks the compliments turned into open come-ons._
15. Something designed to attract people's interest, such as an advertising lure. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Something used to attract people, like a special offer in an advertisement.
   - _The low introductory rate is a come-on; the real price kicks in after three months._
   - _Casinos use free drinks and cheap buffets as come-ons for gamblers._
21. In the theater, a bad actor with little talent beyond walking onto the stage. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In the theater, an actor who is not good at anything except walking onto the stage.
   - _She was a come-on of the old school: a lovely entrance, and nothing after it._
   - _Touring companies in those days padded their casts with come-ons hired for their looks._

## Origin

Formed from the verb phrase come on to. It is first recorded around 1897, in the writings of Edward W. Townsend.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/come-on (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).