go on
Britishverb
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to continue or proceed
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to happen or take place
there's something peculiar going on here
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(of power, water supply, etc) to start running or functioning
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(preposition) to mount or board and ride on, esp as a treat
children love to go on donkeys at the seaside
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theatre to make an entrance on stage
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to act or behave
he goes on as though he's rich
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to talk excessively; chatter
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to continue talking, esp after a short pause
``When I am Prime Minister,'' he went on, ``we shall abolish taxes.''
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(foll by at) to criticize or nag
stop going on at me all the time!
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(preposition) to use as a basis for further thought or action
the police had no evidence at all to go on in the murder case
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(foll by for) to approach (a time, age, amount, etc)
he's going on for his hundredth birthday
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cricket to start to bowl
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to take one's turn
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(of clothes) to be capable of being put on
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(used with a negative) to care for; like
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something that is adequate for the present time
interjection
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Happen, take place, as in What's going on here? [Early 1700s]
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Continue, as in The show must go on . [Late 1500s]
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Keep on doing; also, proceed, as in He went on talking , or She may go on to become a partner . [Second half of 1600s]
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Act, behave, especially badly. For example, Don't go on like that; stop kicking the dog . [Second half of 1700s]
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Also, go on and on ; run on . Talk volubly, chatter, especially tiresomely. For example, How she does go on! The first usage dates from the mid-1800s; run on appeared in Nicholas Udall's Ralph Roister Doister (c. 1553): “Yet your tongue can run on.“
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An interjection expressing disbelief, surprise, or the like, as in Go on, you must be joking! [Late 1800s]
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Approach; see going on .
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Use as a starting point or as evidence, as in The investigator doesn't have much to go on in this case . [Mid-1900s]
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go on something . Begin something, as in go on line , meaning “start to use a computer,” or go on a binge , meaning “begin to overdo, especially drink or eat too much.”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of the people Tuchel befriended at the bar was Max Herre, a Stuttgart musician who would go on to be one of Germany's most popular rappers.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
Then they’ll go on a roadshow to meet prospective investors.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
During what she calls her favorite afternoon on any set, the four of them were waiting to go on, when someone suggested they name the ways they’ve died on screen.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Kim would go on to meet US and South Korean leaders, but it was always after consulting China.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
And he was very, very afraid of being in Alex’s book, because people wouldn’t pay lots of money to go on Troppo Tourists tours if they knew the captain was a bad guy.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
