go
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: gō
ipa: /ɡoʊ/
note: Black Country
ipa: /ɡu/
ipa: /ɡæn/
ipa: /ɡəʊ/
ipa: /ɡoʊ/
ipa: [ɡoː]
ipa: [ɡəʉ]
ipa: [ɡɐʉ]
homophone: geaux
rhymes: -əʊ
Forms: form: goes
form: gan
Etymology: From Middle English gon, goon, from Old English gān (“to go”), from Proto-West Germanic *gān, from Proto-Germanic *gāną (“to go”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁- (“to leave”).
The inherited past tense form yode (compare Old English ēode) was replaced through suppletion in the 15th century by went, from Old English wendan (“to go, depart, wend”).
cognates and related terms
Cognate with Scots gae, gan, gang, ging, gyang (“to go”), Yola go, goe, goeth, gow (“to go”), West Frisian gean (“to go”), Alemannic German gaa, go (“to go, walk, step”), Bavarian geh (“to go”), Cimbrian ghéenan, gian (“to go”), Dutch gaan (“to go”), Dutch Low Saxon gan, gaon (“to go”), German gehen (“to go”), German Low German gahn (“to go”), Limburgish gaon, goëne (“to go”), Luxembourgish goen (“to go”), Yiddish גיין (geyn, “to go, walk”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish gå (“to go, walk”), Crimean Gothic geen (“to go”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌰𐌽 (gaggan, “to go”). Compare also Albanian ngah (“to run, drive, go”), Ancient Greek κιχάνω (kikhánō, “to meet with, arrive at”), Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬰𐬁𐬨𐬌 (zazāmi), Sanskrit जहाति (jáhāti).
Senses: examples: text: The Apostles were to be the first of a line. They would multiply successors, and the successors would die and their successors after them, but the line would never fail; and the come and go of men would not matter, since it is the one Christ operating through all of them.
ref: 1993, Francis J. Sheed, Theology and Sanity, →ISBN:
text: They talk easily together and they hear the come and go of the breeze in the soon to be turning burnt leaves of the high trees.
ref: 2009, Mark Raney, David Midgett, →ISBN, page 68:
glosses: The act of going.
examples: text: You’ve been on that pinball machine long enough—now let your brother have a go.
text: It’s your go.
synonyms: word: stint
word: turn
english: turn in a game
translation: turn in a game
word: move
english: turn in a game
translation: turn in a game
word: turn
glosses: A turn at something, or in something (e.g. a game).
examples: text: I’ll give it a go.
text: You have to stay and we will have a go at winning the championship next season."
ref: 2012, Alex Montgomery, Martin O'Neill: The Biography, →ISBN, page 196:
synonyms: attempt
bash
shot
stab
try
glosses: An attempt, a try.
examples: text: ate it all in one go
text: This could mean that the artist traced the illustration in two goes, as it were, or that the Utrecht Psalter slipped while he was tracing, but I do not think that the relative proportions are consistent enough to demonstrate this.
ref: 1995, William Noel, The Harley Psalter, →ISBN, page 65:
glosses: A period of activity.
examples: text: Even if she was bigger and more mature, she would have a tough go of it. We have read a lot on this diagnosis and have known from the beginning what she has been up against.” “It's true about this being a tough go,” I said. “Listen, I'm very sorry, but I'm on call here tomorrow and I will[…]"
ref: 2011 May 20, Sue L Hall M D, For the Love of Babies: One Doctor's Stories about Life in the Neonatal ICU, WorldMaker Media, →ISBN, page 155:
text: "She's had a rough go of things and no one wants to see her hurt.” Jason stared at Kate's slender frame, backlit by a spear of sunlight breaking through the cloud cover. "Then that makes the entire town plus one."
ref: 2013 July 2, Addison Fox, From This Moment On: An Alaskan Nights Novella (A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse), Penguin, →ISBN:
text: With public opinion turned more empathetic toward AF with the bombing of their building, Sarah and the Justice Department would have a tough go of it. But if this really was true [that they were behind the bombing themselves], and the media got ahold of it. . .
ref: 2015 May 26, Dr. Kevin Leman, Jeff Nesbit, A Perfect Ambition (The Worthington Destiny Book 1): A Novel, Revell, →ISBN:
glosses: A time; an experience.
examples: text: 1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby, in 1868, The Works of Charles Dickens, Volume 2: Nicholas Nickleby, Martin Chuzzlewit, American Notes, page 306,
“Well, this is a pretty go, is this here! An uncommon pretty go!
text: “Ain't this a rum go? This is a queer sort of dodge for lighting the streets.”
ref: 1869, Punch, volume 57, page 257:
text: The images of Mrs. Squeers, my daughter, and my son Wackford, all short of vittles, is perpetually before me; every other consideration melts away and vanishes, in front of these; the only number in all arithmetic that I know of, as a husband and a father, is number one, under this here most fatal go!
ref: 1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby:
text: "Supposing now that some of them were to slip into the boat at night and cut the cable, make off with her? That would be a pretty go, that would."
ref: 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
text: “It’s a rum go and no mistake.”
ref: 2018 February 11, Colin Dexter, Russell Lewis, 01:02:03 from the start, in Endeavour(Cartouche), season 5, episode 2 (TV series), spoken by DCI Fred Thursday (Roger Allam):
glosses: A circumstance or occurrence; an incident, often unexpected.
examples: text: We will begin as soon as the boss says it's a go.
text: "Well, Tom, is it a go? You can trust me, for you'll have the thousand in your pocket before you start.[…]"
ref: 1894, Bret Harte, The Sheriff of Siskyou:
text: And as soon as we gave them the go to continue, we lost communication.
ref: 2009, Craig Nelson, Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon, →ISBN:
synonyms: green light
glosses: An approval or permission to do something, or that which has been approved.
examples: 1598, John Marston, Pigmalion, The Metamorphosis of Pigmalions Image and Certaine Satyres, 1856, J. O. Halliwell (editor), The Works of John Marston: Reprinted from the Original Editions, Volume 3, page 211,
Let this suffice, that that same happy night,
So gracious were the goes of marriage […]
glosses: An act; the working or operation.
examples: text: quite the go
text: We are blowing each other out of the market with cheapness; but it is all the go, so we must not be behind the age.
ref: 1852, Jane Thomas (née Pinhorn), The London and Paris ladies' magazine of fashion (page 97)
synonyms: mode
style
trend
glosses: The fashion or mode.
examples: text: a high go
text: Gemmen (says he), you all well know
 The joy there is whene'er we meet;
 It's what I call the primest go,
 And rightly named, 'tis—'quite a treat,' […]
ref: 1820, Thomas Moore, W. Simpkin, R. Marshall, Jack Randall's Diary of Proceedings at the House of Call for Genius:
glosses: Noisy merriment.
examples: text: Jack Randall then impatient rose, / And said, ‘Tom's speech were just as fine / If he would call that first of goes [i.e. gin] / By that genteeler name—white wine.'
ref: 1820, Thomas Moore, W. Simpkin, R. Marshall, Jack Randall's Diary of Proceedings at the House of Call for Genius:
text: When the cloth was removed, Mr. Thomas Potter ordered the waiter to bring in two goes of his best Scotch whiskey, with warm water and sugar, and a couple of his "very mildest" Havannas,
ref: 1836, Charles Dickens, Sketches by Boz:
text: “Then, if you value it so highly,” I said, “you can hardly object to stand half a go of brandy for its recovery.”
ref: 1868 March, In a City Bus, in the Eclectic Magazine, new series volume VII, number 3
synonyms: gage
measure
glosses: A glass of spirits; a quantity of spirits.
examples: text: Albert's uncle had had a jolly good breakfast—fish and eggs and bacon and three goes of marmalade.
ref: 1904, Edith Nesbit, The New Treasure Seekers, Chapter 1:
glosses: A portion
examples: text: There is no go in him.
synonyms: energy
flair
liveliness
perseverance
pizzazz
spirit
verve
vigour
vim
vitality
zest
glosses: Power of going or doing; energy; vitality; perseverance.
qualifier: cribbage
glosses: The situation where a player cannot play a card which will not carry the aggregate count above thirty-one.
examples: text: That TOM, who was the GO among the GOES, in the very centre of fashion in London, should have to encounter the vulgar stare of this village; or, that the dairy-maid should leave off skimming her cream to take a peep at our hero, as he mounted his courser, is not at all surprising: and TOM only smiled at this provincial sort of rudeness.
ref: 1881, Pierce Egan, chapter VII, in Tom and Jerry, page 136:
text: He's a go among the goes, is Mr. Kestrel. He's only got to sport a new kind of topper, or tie his crumpler a new way, and every gentry-cove in town does just the same.
ref: 2012, Kate Ross, A Broken Vessel:
text: See Thesaurus:dandy
glosses: A dandy; a fashionable person.
Derived terms: give it a go
have a go
make a go of it
on the go
rum go