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Glite Dictionary
to come on strong

to come on strong

8 6.7
To act in a confident, forceful way to make a strong impression
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : imponerse
  • In the interview, she really came on strong by showcasing her impressive skills.
  • come on strong lately
  • came on strong, too

I mean, and that's when I was coming on strong as well.

Examples

  • Vernon Jones, the CEO of DeKalb County, is coming on strong.

    Blog text (26)

  • You're coming on strong, you know?

    Swimfan (2002)

  • I did sort of come on strong yesterday.

    Sliver (1993)

  • Well, I came on strong, too.

    Sliver (1993)

  • - No, I wasn't coming on strong.

    The Comedian (2016)

  • Maybe we don't come on strong, though.

    Neighbors (2014)

  • On the same note, after a slow start to the season, Colston has come on strong in the past.

    Blog text (10)

  • We all know people who come on strong at first, making terrific impressions.

    Blog text (9)

  • Harper came on strong early in the season, fell off in the middle, but still finished with very respectable numbers for the year.

    Blog text (14)

  • Cameron Jordan has been coming on strong in recent weeks, especially as a pass rusher.

    Blog text (8)

Synonyms

to come out swinging
vsto come on strong
  • Informal
13 7.5

To start something immediately with strong, aggressive action

applies broadly to forceful behavior not only at the start of something
to come it strong
vsto come on strong
  • UK
9.9

Speak or act in a strong, confident way, often bragging

avoids boastful exaggeration and lacks a bragging tone

Antonyms

to hold back
108 4.2

Keep yourself from showing feelings or telling others

Surface Forms

come on strong infinitive
coming on strong present participle
comes on strong third person singular
came on strong past
come on strong past participle

Morphology

come + on + strong

The components 'come' (approach), 'on' (particle indicating direction/continuation), and 'strong' (forceful) together transparently suggest ‘approach in a forceful way’, so a learner who knows the words can infer the general idea. However, the specific pragmatic nuance (being overly forward or assertive, especially in social/romantic contexts) and the phrasal-verb pattern may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Come on strong may come from the image of someone literally come on, meaning to approach, with strong words or actions. Imagine a person stepping forward with too much energy to win someone over; that image explains why it means 'to behave in a very forceful or intense way'.