on
Language: English
Part of speech: prep
Pronunciation: enpr: ŏn
ipa: /ɒn/
note: Southern US, Midland US, Philadelphia, Baltimore
ipa: /ɔn/
ipa: /ɔʊn/
enpr: än
ipa: /ɑn/
ipa: [ɒːn ~ ɔːn]
ipa: /ɒn/
note: Dublin
ipa: /än/
homophone: awn stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
rhymes: -ɒn
rhymes: -ɔːn
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-West Germanic *ana
Old English on
Middle English on
English on
From Middle English on, from Old English on, an (“on, upon, onto, in, into”), from Proto-West Germanic *ana, from Proto-Germanic *ana (“on, at”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-.
Cognate with North Frisian a (“on, in”), Saterland Frisian an (“on, at”), West Frisian oan (“on, at”), Dutch aan (“on, at, to”), Low German an (“on, at”), German an (“to, at, on”), Swedish å (“on, at, in”), Faroese á (“on, onto, in, at”), Icelandic á (“on, in”), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰 (ana), Ancient Greek ἀνά (aná, “up, upon”), Albanian në (“in”); and from Old Norse upp á: Danish på, Swedish på, Norwegian på, see upon.
Senses: examples: text: A vase of flowers stood on the table.
text: Please lie down on the couch.
text: The parrot was sitting on Jim's shoulder.
text: I stood on the bridge at midnight.
ref: 1845, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Bridge:
glosses: Indicating position or location.
Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above.
examples: text: He had a scar on the side of his face.
text: There is a dirty smudge on this window.
text: The painting hangs on the wall.
text: The fruit ripened on the trees.
text: Should there be an accent on the "e"?
glosses: Indicating position or location.
Positioned at or resting against the outer surface of; attached to.
examples: text: He wore old shoes on his feet.
glosses: Indicating position or location.
Covering.
examples: The lighthouse that you can see is on the mainland.
The suspect is thought to still be on the campus.
glosses: Indicating position or location.
At or in (a geographical location or position).
examples: We live on the edge of the city.
on the left, on the right, on the side, on the bottom
glosses: Indicating position or location.
At (a relative spatial position).
examples: text: The fleet is on the American coast.
text: Croton-on-Hudson, Rostov-on-Don, Southend-on-Sea
glosses: Indicating position or location.
Near; adjacent to; alongside; just off.
examples: on a bus, on a train, on a plane, on a ferry, on a yacht
on a bicycle, on a motorbike, on a horse, on a scooter
glosses: Indicating position or location.
Aboard (a mode of transport, especially public transport, or transport that one sits astride or uses while standing).
examples: text: A ship was sighted on the port quarter.
text: on the bow; on the starboard beam
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: Indicating position or location.
In the direction of (some part of one's vessel), to within 45 degrees.
examples: text: All of the responsibility is on him.
text: I put a bet on the winning horse.
glosses: Expressing figurative placement, burden, or attachment.
examples: tug on the rope; push hard on the door
glosses: Denoting physical contact or interaction with an object, such as impact or application of force.
With verbs describing an action of pushing, pulling, pressing, etc., designates the thing to which force is applied.
examples: text: I stubbed my toe on an old tree stump.
text: I caught my fingernail on the door handle.
text: The rope snagged on a branch.
glosses: Denoting physical contact or interaction with an object, such as impact or application of force.
With verbs describing an action of hitting, rubbing, scratching, binding against, etc., designates the thing impacted or contacted.
examples: text: to play on a violin or piano
glosses: Denoting physical contact or interaction with an object, such as impact or application of force.
Denoting performance or action by contact with the surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by means of; with.
examples: text: A table can't stand on two legs.
text: After resting on his elbows, he stood on his toes, then walked on his heels.
glosses: Supported by (the specified part of itself).
examples: text: The Tories are on twenty-five percent in this constituency.
text: The blue team are on six points and the red team on five.
glosses: At (a certain value or level).
examples: text: I'm on question four.
glosses: At (a certain position within a sequence).
examples: text: Born on the 4th of July.
text: On Sunday I'm busy. I'll see you on Monday.
text: Can I see you on a different day?
glosses: At or during the date or day of.
examples: text: Smith scored again on twelve minutes, doubling Mudchester Rovers' lead.
text: The Spain striker had given Chelsea the lead on 29 minutes but was shown a straight red card 10 minutes later for a rash challenge on Mark Gower.
ref: 2011 September 24, Aled Williams, “Chelsea 4-1 Swansea”, in BBC Sport:
glosses: At (a given time after the start of something).
raw_tags: in sports reporting
examples: text: on the stroke of midnight; on the "B" of "Bang!"
text: on the point of leaving; on the verge of giving up
glosses: At (an instant or cusp).
examples: text: I was reading a book on history.
text: The city hosted the World Summit on the Information Society
text: I have no opinion on this subject.
text: [...] I received a note from that gentleman on a most trivial matter. I answered it as trivially.
ref: 1869 May, Anthony Trollope, “Lady Milborough as Ambassador”, in He Knew He Was Right, volume I, London: Strahan and Company, […], →OCLC, page 85:
glosses: Dealing with the subject of; about; concerning.
examples: text: I saw it on television.
text: Can't you see I'm on the phone?
text: My favorite shows are on BBC America.
text: The Beatles' appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show is on YouTube.
text: The film was released on DVD.
text: I'll pay on card.
text: He travelled on false documents.
glosses: Indicating a means or medium.
examples: text: They planned an attack on London.
text: The soldiers mutinied and turned their guns on their officers.
text: Her words made a lasting impression on my mind.
text: What will be the effect on morale?
glosses: Indicating the target of, or thing affected by, an event or action.
examples: text: I haven't got any money on me.
glosses: In the possession of.
examples: text: to arrest someone on suspicion of bribery
text: to contact someone on a hunch
glosses: Because of; due to; upon the basis of (something not yet confirmed as true).
examples: text: On Jack's entry, William got up to leave.
text: On the addition of ammonia, a chemical reaction begins.
text: A young woman, before marriage, hears only the myths of wedded bliss. Later, on discovering the truth, she conspires with other women to conceal it.
ref: 1988 February 14, Louise Rice, quoting Angela Bowen, “Confronting The Mythology Of Motherhood”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 30, page 7:
qualifier: also often 'upon'
glosses: At the time of (and often because of).
examples: text: I need to get my planting done, as the season will soon be on us.
text: Before we knew it, the forest was on us, and the air grew colder and damper.
qualifier: also often 'upon'
glosses: Arrived or coming into the presence of.
examples: text: The drinks are on me tonight, boys.
text: The meal is on the house.
text: I paid for the airfare and meals for my family, but the hotel room was on the company.
glosses: Paid for by.
examples: text: Have pity or compassion on him.
glosses: Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion.
examples: text: I had a terrible thirst on me.
text: '[…] the hunger is on me to carry my sword in distant places.' Mynyddog bowed his head.
ref: 2013 February 27, Rosemary Sutcliff, The Shining Company, Random House, →ISBN:
text: “Christ, the thirst on me.” “Sure, it's serious work, all that talk of independence.” The theater's stained-glass doors had first flung open in 1904, all in the hope of “rewriting the Irish identity,” of using culture in the fight[…]
ref: 2017 January 24, Ruth Gilligan, Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan, Tin House Books, →ISBN:
text: “I've got the hunger on me, I do.” Riordan snorted. Hardly a man knew hunger as he did. The prison rations at Point Lookout, spare enough, had been a feast compared to the black years in Ireland.[…]
ref: 2017 August 29, Ralph Peters, Judgment at Appomattox: A Novel, Forge Books, →ISBN, page 18:
glosses: Indicating the person experiencing an emotion, cold, thirst, hunger, etc.
examples: text: They lived on ten dollars a week.
text: The dog survived three weeks on rainwater.
text: 1950s, UK Egg Marketing Board advertising slogan.
Go to work on an egg.
glosses: Indicating a means of subsistence or sustenance.
examples: text: He's on his lunch break.
text: I'm on nights all this week.
text: on vacation; on holiday; on a mission; on the job; on the fiddle
glosses: Engaged in or occupied with (an action or activity).
examples: text: You've been on these antidepressants far too long.
glosses: Regularly taking (a drug).
examples: text: He's acting crazy because he's on crack right now.
glosses: Under the influence of (a drug, or something that is causing drug-like effects).
examples: text: heaps on heaps of food
text: mischief on mischief; loss on loss
glosses: In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series.
examples: text: I depended on them for assistance.
text: He will promise on certain conditions.
glosses: Indicating dependence or reliance.
examples: text: He is on the jury; I am on the committee.
glosses: Serving as a member of.
examples: text: He affirmed or promised on his word, or on his honour.
glosses: By virtue of; with the pledge of.
glosses: By virtue of; with the pledge of.
Ellipsis of I swear on: on my life, on God, on everything, etc.
raw_tags: in set phrases
examples: text: On us be all the blame.
text: A curse on him!
text: Please don't tell on her and get her in trouble.
text: He turned on her and has been her enemy ever since.
text: He went all honest on me, making me listen to his confession.
text: His blood be on vs, and on our children.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 27:25:
glosses: To the account or detriment of; denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon.
examples: text: The fight was three on one, and he never stood a chance.
qualifier: especially when numbers of combatants or competitors are specified
glosses: Against; in opposition to.
examples: text: On naturalism, it is therefore difficult to find a ground for ultimate moral hope.
ref: 2021, Gavin Ortlund, Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't: The Beauty of Christian Theism, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, →ISBN:
topics: human-sciences
logic
mathematics
philosophy
sciences
glosses: According to, from the standpoint of; expressing what must follow, whether accepted or not, if a given premise or system is assumed true.
examples: text: All the way around the table, off four cushions, and ... and he's on the black!
topics: ball-games
games
hobbies
lifestyle
snooker
sports
glosses: In a position of being able to pot (a given ball).
examples: text: a function on #92;mathbb#123;R#125;
topics: mathematics
sciences
glosses: Having as identical domain and codomain.
examples: text: an operator on #92;mathbb#123;Z#125;
topics: mathematics
sciences
glosses: Having Vⁿ as domain and V as codomain, for the specified set V and some integer n.
examples: text: the free group on four letters
topics: mathematics
sciences
glosses: Generated by.
examples: text: Twenty on three.
topics: mathematics
sciences
synonyms: over
glosses: Divided by.
examples: text: I never seen 'im, and that's the truth on it.
text: Be not jealous on me.
ref: 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
text: Or have we eaten on the insane root / That takes the reason prisoner?
ref: c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
glosses: Of.
examples: text: Hence on thy life: the captive maid is mine; / Whom not for price or pray'rs I will reſign: [...]
ref: a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The First Book of Homer’s Ilias”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume IV, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 415:
glosses: At the peril of, or for the safety of.
Synonyms: sense: dealing with the subject of
word: about
word: apropos
word: as for
sense: because of
word: by dint of
word: due to
Derived terms: depending on
end-on
follow-on
full-on
guidon
hands-on
hereon
land on
meson
onballer
on call
on-call
on-campus
on-chain
onfield
on foot
onglaze
ongoer
ongoing
on high
onlap
onlooker
onpass
on-prem
onramp
on-ramp
onscreen
onsell
onsetter
onshore
onside
onsides
onsight
on-site
onsite
onstage
on stream
onstream
on time
on-time
onto
on-trade
on-train
onward
onwards
onz
painted-on
pull up on
push up on
run up on
Stanton-on-the-Wolds
strap-on
thereon
whereon
Related terms: english: on
translation: on
word: depend
word: put on airs