come-on
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A bad actor whose talents do not extend far beyond walking onto the stage.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
When the public no longer rushed to the box-office to buy such synthetic exaltations of the spirit, pitchmen like Jerome K. Jerome and the aforesaid Kennedy got out their theopathic apparatus and had at the trade with elixirs in which actors, their faces chalked into a pallor exceeding Nicky Arnstei
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “come-on” mean?
A bad actor whose talents do not extend far beyond walking onto the stage.
Is “come-on” formal or informal?
come-on is generally slang.