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Meaning & use

sign on

verb, noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌsaɪn ˈɒn/
US/ˌsaɪn ˈɑːn/

Meanings

  1. verbphrasal verb

    To agree officially to join a team, job or project, usually by signing a document.

    Grammar: No object; often followed by with, for or as: she signed on as a volunteer.

    Patterns

    • sign on with someone
    • sign on as something
    • sign on for something

    The striker signed on with a new club for three years.

    Dozens of students signed on as volunteers for the cleanup.

    He signed on for another season of the show.

  2. verbphrasal verbcomputing

    To sign in to a computer system or start an online session.

    Grammar: Often followed by to: sign on to the network. Log on is the same.

    Patterns

    • sign on to something

    Please sign on to the school network before class starts.

    She signed on at nine and began answering emails.

    He couldn't sign on because he forgot his password.

  3. verbphrasal verbBritish

    To register at an office as unemployed in order to receive government payments.

    Grammar: No object; used in British English, often with the: he signs on every fortnight.

    Patterns

    • sign on at something
    • be on the sign-on

    He signs on every other Thursday at the job center.

    After losing her job, she had to sign on for the first time.

    Many people sign on while they look for new work.

  4. nouncountablebusiness

    A payment given to a person when they agree to join an employer or sports team, usually called a sign-on bonus.

    Grammar: Often written with a hyphen and used before bonus: a sign-on bonus.

    Patterns

    • a sign-on bonus

    The hospital offered nurses a generous sign-on bonus.

    His sign-on was larger than his first-year salary.

    The company advertised a sign-on bonus to attract engineers.

Word forms

third person singularsigns on
past tensesigned on
past participlesigned on
-ing formsigning on

Common combinations

sign on the dotted line
Once you sign on the dotted line, the offer is final.
sign on as a volunteer
She signed on as a volunteer at the hospital.
sign-on bonus
The coach got a sign-on bonus when he joined the team.
sign on with a company
He signed on with a shipping company.
sign on for a term
She signed on for a second term in office.

Synonyms and how they differ

enlist
Enlist is mainly for joining the armed forces or a cause, so it is narrower than sign on.
join
Join is the general word, and does not suggest a formal signature or contract.
sign up
Sign up often means to register for a course or activity, rather than take a job.
register
Register is more official and often involves a list or record kept by an authority.

Opposites

quitresign

Word family

sign off phrasal verb
to end a message, broadcast or computer session
sign up phrasal verb
to join or register
signatory noun
someone who has signed an agreement
signature noun
a person's name written by hand

Commonly confused: sign on or sign up?

sign on vs sign up

Sign up usually means register for a class or service, while sign on more often means accepting a job or contract.

Practice

The goalkeeper decided to ____ with a new club after leaving his old team.

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