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.
When child services representatives express their shock that the teenage Gheorghiu children don’t have internet access at home, can’t go on YouTube, and — gasp! — don’t have smartphones, their surprise blunts Mungiu’s sharp point.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
After I have brunch, I’ll go on a really long walk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
"We have to emphasise that the governor was right in his initial decision to refuse the prisoner to be good to go on temporary release."
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The movie, which hadn’t come out yet, would go on to gross nearly $2.8 billion worldwide—and there were almost definitely some fellow straphangers eager to see it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Before I go on, I need to introduce Gary Payne, another caseworker who will be assisting me with your group today,” he said.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
