go on

See also: goon, góon, gōon, go-on, and ĝo-on

English

Etymology 1

Structurally equivalent to go onward.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Verb

go on (third-person singular simple present goes on, present participle going on, simple past went on, past participle gone on)

1. (intransitive) To continue in extent.

   The meeting seemed to go on forever.

   Synonyms: endure; see also Thesaurus:persist

2. (intransitive) To continue an action.
   • 1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, 1993 edition, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, →ISBN, page 84:

     She crept up the stairs [...] On she went, across the landing, from which sprang the tall window, and up the next flight until she reached the top.

   I think I've said enough now; I'm not sure I should go on.

   He went on walking even when the policeman told him to stop.

   Synonyms: advance, carry on, forthgo, proceed, resume

3. (intransitive) To proceed.

   He went on to win a gold medal.

   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter III:

     […] while not a super-goof like some of the female goofs I'd met, she was quite goofy enough to be going on with.

   • 2012, The Onion Book of Known Knowledge, page 63:

     The kid who starts a business selling candy out of his locker always goes on to be a major sleazeball later in life.

   Synonyms: carry on, continue; see also Thesaurus:proceed

4. (intransitive) To talk frequently or at great length; to talk about (a subject) in that manner.

   go on and on

   Will you stop going on about your stupid holiday.

   Sam goes on and on about Pokémon.

   • 2002, Jane Green, Bookends, trade paperback, published 2003, →ISBN, page 67:

     "I don't believe you." I shake my head. "How on earth did you remember that? I must have told you years ago." […]
     "First of all, you go on about it far more than you think you do, […] ."

   Synonyms: blather, prattle, rabbit; see also Thesaurus:chatter

5. (intransitive) To happen (occur).

   What's going on?

   I really don't want to know what goes on between you and your boyfriend behind closed doors.

   • 2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 1948, page 43:

     At the time, with the D-Day invasion of Europe going on, their heroism was hardly noticed. Plenty of other heroes were dying elsewhere. Plenty of bigger bits of history were being made.

   Synonyms: come to pass, take place; see also Thesaurus:happen

Translations

travel by

• Finnish: matkustaa (fi), mennä (fi)
• French: prendre (fr)
• Spanish: coger (es), tomar (es)

talk about a subject frequently or at great length

• Finnish: jauhaa (fi), jankuttaa (fi), jankata (fi), vatvoa (fi)

continue

• Catalan: continuar (ca)
• Czech: pokračovat (cs), vytrvat
• Danish: fortsætte (da)
• Dutch: doorgaan (nl), verder gaan
• Finnish: jatkua (fi) (to continue), jatkaa (fi) (to expand upon), kestää (fi), venyä (fi) (informal) (e.g. "kokous venyi myöhään yöhön")
• French: continuer (fr)
• Galician: continuar (gl)
• German: weitermachen (de) (continue in action), weitergehen (de) (continue in extent), fortsetzen (de)
• Hebrew: הִמְשִׁיךְ (himshích) (transitive), נִמְשַׁךְ (nimshách) (intransitive)
• Icelandic: haltu áfram
• Italian: continuare (it)
• Latin: pergō (la)
• Lithuanian: tęsti (lt)
• Portuguese: continuar (pt)
• Russian: продолжа́ть (ru) impf (prodolžátʹ), продо́лжить (ru) pf (prodólžitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: lean air
• Spanish: continuar (es)
• Turkish: devam etmek (tr), sürmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: продо́вжувати impf (prodóvžuvaty), продо́вжити pf (prodóvžyty)
• Vietnamese: tiếp tục (vi)

make a decision based on

• Finnish: käyttää (fi), hyödyntää (fi)

happen

• Danish: ske (da)
• Finnish: tapahtua (fi), olla meneillään, käydä (fi) (e.g. "mitä kävi?")
• French: se passer (fr)
• German: passieren (de), los sein (de) (colloquial), abgehen (de) (slang)
• Irish: bí ar bun, bí ar siúl, tarlaigh
• Latin: agat (la)
• Portuguese: acontecer (pt)
• Russian: происходи́ть (ru) impf (proisxodítʹ)
• Spanish: pasar (es)
• Turkish: olmak (tr), gerçekleşmek (tr), dönmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: відбува́тися impf (vidbuvátysja), робитися impf (robytysja)

See also

• going on
• goings-on
• go on then
• what's going on

Interjection

go on

1. Expressing that the speaker can continue speaking without interruption from the listener.

   Go on! You were saying about those other ones too?

2. Expressing surprise, disbelief or incredulity.

   A: He asked Fiona to marry him.

   B: Go on!

   A: It's true, I swear.

   Synonyms: fiddlesticks, go on with you, horsefeathers, pull the other one; see also Thesaurus:bullshit

3. (especially Australia, New Zealand) Expressing encouragement, see come on.

   Go on! You can do it!

   Synonyms: attaboy; you go, girl; see also Thesaurus:come on

4. (especially British) Yes; it's a deal.

   —So three hundred on the chair then, and can we do two-fifty on the clock?
   —Go on, then.

Etymology 2

Structurally equivalent to go upon.

Verb

go on (third-person singular simple present goes on, present participle going on, simple past went on, past participle gone on)

1. (transitive) To use and adopt (information) in order to understand an issue, make a decision, etc.

   We can't go on what this map says; it's twenty years out of date.

   I didn't make a decision because I didn't have anything to go on.

Anagrams

• gono-, no go, no-go, nogo, noog, ongo