Come on meaning
Come on means to tell someone to hurry or to try harder. It can also mean to say you don’t believe or agree with what someone said.
come on
come on · came · come · coming
Come on, we’re going to miss the bus!
Come on meanings and examples
5 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Tell someone to hurry or to try harder
come on
- Come on, we’re going to miss the bus!
- Come on, you can do it!
- Come on, tell me what happened.
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2
Say you don’t believe or agree with what someone said
come on
- Oh, come on! That’s not true.
- Come on, you don’t really believe that, do you?
- Come on, it wasn’t that bad!
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3
Start working, for a light or a machine
come on
- The heating comes on at six.
- Suddenly all the lights came on.
- The TV came on by itself last night!
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4
Start slowly, for an illness or a pain
come on
- I can feel a cold coming on.
- I think I’ve got a headache coming on.
- Take a tablet as soon as the pain comes on.
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5
Improve or make progress
come on
- Your English is really coming on!
- How’s the garden coming on?
- The new players are coming on well.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use come on in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is come on separable?
Come on has no object. In meaning 1 and 2 it is usually said alone at the start of a sentence: Come on, hurry up!
Come on to someone means show you are sexually interested in them, so use it with care: He came on to her at the party.
Verb tenses for come on
| Present | I come on · she comes on |
|---|---|
| Past | came on |
| Present perfect | have come on |
| -ing form | coming on |
Common mistakes with come on
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: Come in! We’re late!
Right: Come on! We’re late!
To hurry someone, say come on. Come in means enter.
Wrong: The light came up when I opened the door.
Right: The light came on when I opened the door.
Lights and machines come on.
Wrong: My cold is coming on me.
Right: I can feel a cold coming on.
Come on has no object here. Say feel something coming on.
Synonyms and opposites of come on
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- hurry upmove or act faster
- go onalso used to encourage someone
- startthe general word for meaning 3
Come on quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1___! The film starts in five minutes!
Come on tells someone to hurry.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Lights come on when they start working.
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3Your friend says she saw a ghost. You laugh and say: Oh, ___!
Come on! can mean I don’t believe you.
More phrasal verbs with come
All phrasal verbs with come, by level, with an exercise
15 phrasal verbs start with come. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- come fromA1be born in, or live in, a place
- come backA2return to the place where you are or the speaker is
- come inA2enter a room or building, towards the speaker
- come downA2move down to a lower place, towards the speaker
- come up withB1think of an idea, a plan or an answer
- come outB1become available to buy, watch or read, like a book or film
- come overB1visit someone at their home
- come aroundB1visit someone at their home
- come alongB1go somewhere with someone
- come offB1become separated from the thing it was fixed to
- come acrossB2find or meet something or someone by chance
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- come apartC2break into pieces
- come throughC2arrive or be officially approved, like a visa or results
Come on FAQ
Questions people ask about come on.
What does come on mean in a text?
In messages, Come on! often means hurry up, or I don’t believe you. The tone depends on the chat around it.
What is a come-on?
A come-on, with a hyphen, is a sign that someone is sexually interested, or a trick to make you buy something. It is informal.
What is the difference between come on and go on?
Both can encourage: Come on, you can do it! Go on, try it! Only come on is used to hurry someone or to say you don’t believe them.
Use come on in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.