come on

Verb

come on (third-person singular simple present comes on, present participle coming on, simple past came on, past participle come on)

1. (transitive) To encounter, discover; to come upon.
   • Turning the corner, I came on Julia sitting by the riverbank.
   • We came on the seal's carcass only moments after the polar bears had been scared off by the approach of our boat.1989 May, Jeff MacInnis, “Braving the Northwest Passage”, in National Geographic, volume 175, number 5, page 599

   Synonyms:

   come across

2. (intransitive) To appear on a stage or in a performance.
   • I think he's coming on too late after my line.
3. (intransitive, transitive) To be broadcast (through a device), or (of a broadcast) to begin playing.
   • I was going to turn off the TV, but my favorite show came on.
   • A salsa song came on the radio.
4. (intransitive) To progress, to develop; to come along.
   • The new garden is coming on nicely.
   • But she looked a lady, Paul declared, as much as Mrs. Major Moreton, and far, far nicer. The family was coming on. Only Morel remained unchanged, or rather, lapsed slowly.1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “Chapter 10”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC
5. (intransitive, especially a light) To activate; to turn on.
   • The light came on as soon as I flicked the switch.
   • She pressed the power button and waited for the screen to come on.
6. (idiomatic, intransitive) To show sexual or relational interest through words or sometimes actions.
   • She started coming on to me as soon as my wife left the room.
   • Wait a minute. Are you like coming on to me? Is this a pass? Because, I mean, if it is, sex is like totally out of the question.1988, Julie Brown, Charlie Coffey, Terrence E. McNally, Earth Girls Are Easy (motion picture), spoken by Valerie (Geena Davis)

   Synonyms:

   hit on, pass, proposition

7. (UK, colloquial, idiomatic, intransitive) To get one's period, start menstruating.
   • Overall, menstrual modernity in the form of a more efficient throwaway technology was seized on and celebrated, as was the opportunity to send your man off to the shop to get it if you came on suddenly.2009, Jenny Diski, “Short cuts”, in London Review of Books, XXXI.20
8. To enter the playing field.
   • Blackburn made their third and final substitution with 25 minutes remaining, with Brett Emerton coming on for Dunn as they looked for ways to stem the Newcastle tide.2011 February 12, Nabil Hassan, “Blackburn 0-0 Newcastle”, in BBC
   • One of few positives from a Burnley perspective was a first appearance of the season for forward Michael Obafemi, who came on with five minutes remaining after recovering from a long-term hamstring injury2023 November 11, Matthew Howarth, “Arsenal 3-1 Burnley”, in BBC Sport
9. (informal, intransitive, by, round, over, up) Elaboration of come (in the sense of move towards the speaker or other focus), emphasising motion or progress, or conveying a nuance of familiarity or encouragement.
   • Don't just stand there on the doorstep. Come on in!
   • Don't leave without coming on round to see the baby.
10. (slang) To appear or seem to be a particular.
    • He's coming on strong.
    • They came a trick on me.
11. (intransitive, slang, transitive) To begin to feel the effects of a drug; to start causing effects.
    • The coke came on me quickly.
12. (slang, transitive) To join a job, hobby or other practice.
    • He came on at the same time as me.
13. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see come, on.

Interjection

1. Come along with me; join me in going.
   • I'll show you where the auditorium is. Come on!

   Synonyms:

   all right, c'mon, carn, come along, go on, heigh, hon, howay, nice one, zindabad

2. Synonym of let's go, a cheer or expression of support, encouragement, &c.
   • Come on, George! You can win!

   Synonyms:

   let's go

3. An expression of disbelief.
   • Come on! You can't possibly expect me to believe that.

   Synonyms:

   come off it, shut up, c'mon, get out of here, no way, applesauce, bender, bollocks, bosh, bugger off

4. An expression of frustration, exasperation, or impatience; hurry up.
   • Aw, come on! Get on with it!
   • Come on, we don't want to miss the train!
5. An expression of defiance or as a challenge; approach; come at me.
   • Come on! I'm not afraid of you.
   • BOX: […] Hark ye, sir—can you fight?
     COX: No, sir.
     BOX: No? Then come on—1847, John Maddison Morton, Box and Cox

   Synonyms:

   bring it on, bring it