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.
Your code will be on the Events page in your account when tickets go on sale.
From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2026
The question swam into my mind—a principal character sports one—during the musical “Wanted,” about a pair of black sisters who go on a righteous crime spree in the state in 1893.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
A print by a Yorkshire artist commissioned by Nasa in the early days of space travel will go on show as part of a pop art exhibition.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
Sometimes we go on bike rides as a group too, like we’ll do 20, 30, or sometimes 50 miles together.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
I go on to ask him about the Confederate flag being taken down.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
