FreeScrabbleDictionary

on

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
2
Words With Friends
3
Letters
2
Pronunciation
/ɒn/
See all 6 pronunciations
/ɒn/ · /ɔn/ · /ɔʊn/ · /ɑn/ · [ɒːn ~ ɔːn] · /än/

Definition of on

74 senses · 6 parts of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. (not-comparable)In the state of being active, functioning or operating.
    “All the lights are on, so they must be home.”
See all 74 definitions

adj

  1. (not-comparable)In the state of being active, functioning or operating.
    “All the lights are on, so they must be home.”
  2. (not-comparable)Happening; taking place; being or due to be put into action.
    “We had to ration our food because there was a war on.”
    “Some of the cast went down with flu, but the show's still on.”
    “That TV programme that you wanted to watch is on now.”
    “This is her last song. You're on next!”
    “Are we still on for tonight?”
  3. (informal, not-comparable)Happening; taking place; being or due to be put into action.
    “"Five bucks says the Cavs win tonight." ―"You're on!"”
    “If he wants a fight, he's on!”
  4. (not-comparable)Fitted; covering or being worn.
    “Your feet will soon warm up once your socks are on.”
    “I was trying to drink out of the bottle while the top was still on!”
  5. (not-comparable, postpositional)Of a stated part of something, oriented towards the viewer or other specified direction.
    “The photograph shows the UFO side on.”
    “edge on, side on, end on, face on”
  6. (UK, informal, not-comparable)Acceptable, appropriate.
    “It's not fair to do that – it's just not on.”
    “This kind of over-packaging of goods is completely not on.”
    “so Simon Nelson saying on Feedback "we'd prefer it if everybody listened to digital radio via DAB" is completely not on at all.”
  7. (not-comparable)Possible; capable of being successfully carried out.
    “Climbing up that steep ridge isn't on. We'll have to find another route.”
    “He'd like to play the red next to the black spot, but that shot isn't on.”
  8. (not-comparable)Available; remaining.
    “Smith is 25 points ahead with only 23 on.”
  9. (informal, not-comparable)Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter.
    “With one out and no men on, Tristen Carranza belted a ball to the opposite field for a solo home run to put the NM State deficit at just 2-1.”
    “Although Stanford was outhit 15-6, the Cardinal stranded eight runners to UCLA's three, hitting just 3-15 with runners on compared to the Bruin's 9-22.”
  10. (not-comparable)Within the half of the field on the same side as the batsman's legs; the left side for a right-handed batsman.
    “The captain moved two fielders to the on side.”
    “Ponsonby-Smythe hit a thumping on drive.”
  11. (not-comparable, postpositional)Of a ball, being the next in sequence to be potted, according to the rules of the game.
    “If the player fails to hit the ball on, it's a foul.”
  12. (not-comparable)Acting in character.
  13. (informal, not-comparable)Performative or funny in a wearying manner.
    “He always has to be on, it's so exhausting.”
  14. (euphemistic, not-comparable)Menstruating.
    “It still gets in the way of her doing things like swimming, and she avoids sleepovers when she's "on".”

adv

  1. (not-comparable)To an operating state.
    “turn the television on”
  2. (not-comparable)So as to cover or be fitted.
    “The lid wasn't screwed on properly.”
    “Put on your hat and gloves.”
  3. (not-comparable)Along, forwards (continuing an action), onwards.
    “The policeman moved the tramp on.”
    “Drive on past the railway station.”
    “From now on things are going to be different.”
    “rock on”
    “He met Luis Suarez's cross at the far post, only for Chelsea keeper Petr Cech to show brilliant reflexes to deflect his header on to the bar. Carroll turned away to lead Liverpool's insistent protests that the ball had crossed the line but referee Phil Dowd and assistant referee Andrew Garratt waved play on, with even a succession of replays proving inconclusive.”
  4. (not-comparable)In continuation, at length.
    “and so on”
    “He rambled on and on.”
  5. (not-comparable)Later.
    “Ten years on, nothing had changed in the village.”
  6. (not-comparable)Of betting odds, denoting a better-than-even chance. See also odds-on.
    “That horse is twenty-to-one on, so you need to stake twenty pounds just to win one pound.”
  7. (not-comparable)Of a ball, into a pottable position.
    “The black was previously unavailable, but in potting that red, he's now pushed the black on.”

prep

  1. Indicating position or location.
    “A vase of flowers stood on the table.”
    “Please lie down on the couch.”
    “The parrot was sitting on Jim's shoulder.”
    “We should go sailing on the lake together sometime.”
    “I stood on the bridge at midnight.”
  2. Indicating position or location.
    “He had a scar on the side of his face.”
    “There is a dirty smudge on this window.”
    “The painting hangs on the wall.”
    “The fruit ripened on the trees.”
    “Should there be an accent on the "e"?”
  3. Indicating position or location.
    “He wore old shoes on his feet.”
  4. Indicating position or location.
    “The lighthouse that you can see is on the mainland.”
    “The suspect is thought to still be on the campus.”
  5. Indicating position or location.
    “We live on the edge of the city.”
    “on the left, on the right, on the side, on the bottom”
  6. Indicating position or location.
    “The fleet is on the American coast.”
    “Croton-on-Hudson, Rostov-on-Don, Southend-on-Sea”
  7. Indicating position or location.
    “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”
  8. Indicating position or location.
    “A ship was sighted on the port quarter.”
    “on the bow; on the starboard beam”
  9. Expressing figurative placement, burden, or attachment.
    “All of the responsibility is on him.”
    “I put a bet on the winning horse.”
  10. Denoting physical contact or interaction with an object, such as impact or application of force.
    “tug on the rope; push hard on the door”
  11. Denoting physical contact or interaction with an object, such as impact or application of force.
    “I stubbed my toe on an old tree stump.”
    “I caught my fingernail on the door handle.”
    “The rope snagged on a branch.”
  12. Denoting physical contact or interaction with an object, such as impact or application of force.
    “to play on a violin or piano”
  13. Supported by (the specified part of itself).
    “A table can't stand on two legs.”
    “After resting on his elbows, he stood on his toes, then walked on his heels.”
  14. (UK)At (a certain value or level).
    “The Tories are on twenty-five percent in this constituency.”
    “The blue team are on six points and the red team on five.”
  15. At (a certain position within a sequence).
    “I'm on question four.”
  16. At or during the date or day of.
    “Born on the 4th of July.”
    “On Sunday I'm busy. I'll see you on Monday.”
    “Can I see you on a different day?”
  17. (UK, especially)At (a given time after the start of something).
    “Smith scored again on twelve minutes, doubling Mudchester Rovers' lead.”
    “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.”
  18. At (an instant or cusp).
    “on the stroke of midnight; on the "B" of "Bang!"”
    “on the point of leaving; on the verge of giving up”
    “About two weeks ago I had another foretaste of success and immediately on it a veritable disaster.”
  19. Dealing with the subject of; about; concerning.
    “I was reading a book on history.”
    “The city hosted the World Summit on the Information Society”
    “I have no opinion on this subject.”
    “[...] I received a note from that gentleman on a most trivial matter. I answered it as trivially.”
  20. Indicating a means or medium.
    “I saw it on television.”
    “Can't you see I'm on the phone?”
    “My favorite shows are on BBC America.”
    “The Beatles' appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show is on YouTube.”
    “The film was released on DVD.”
  21. Indicating the target of, or thing affected by, an event or action.
    “They planned an attack on London.”
    “The soldiers mutinied and turned their guns on their officers.”
    “Her words made a lasting impression on my mind.”
    “What will be the effect on morale?”
  22. (informal)In the possession of.
    “I haven't got any money on me.”
  23. Because of; upon the basis of (something not yet confirmed as true).
    “to arrest someone on suspicion of bribery”
    “to contact someone on a hunch”
  24. At the time of (and often because of).
    “On Jack's entry, William got up to leave.”
    “On the addition of ammonia, a chemical reaction begins.”
    “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.”
  25. Arrived or coming into the presence of.
    “I need to get my planting done, as the season will soon be on us.”
    “Before we knew it, the forest was on us, and the air grew colder and damper.”
  26. Paid for by.
    “The drinks are on me tonight, boys.”
    “The meal is on the house.”
    “I paid for the airfare and meals for my family, but the hotel room was on the company.”
  27. Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion.
    “Have pity or compassion on him.”
  28. (Ireland, especially)Indicating the person experiencing an emotion, cold, thirst, hunger, etc.
    “I had a terrible thirst on me.”
    “'[…] the hunger is on me to carry my sword in distant places.' Mynyddog bowed his head.”
    ““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[…]”
    ““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.[…]”
  29. Indicating a means of subsistence or sustenance.
    “They lived on ten dollars a week.”
    “The dog survived three weeks on rainwater.”
    “1950s, UK Egg Marketing Board advertising slogan. Go to work on an egg.”
  30. Engaged in or occupied with (an action or activity).
    “He's on his lunch break.”
    “I'm on nights all this week.”
    “on vacation; on holiday; on a mission; on the job; on the fiddle”
  31. Regularly taking (a drug).
    “You've been on these antidepressants far too long.”
  32. Under the influence of (a drug, or something that is causing drug-like effects).
    “He's acting crazy because he's on crack right now.”
  33. In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series.
    “heaps on heaps of food”
    “mischief on mischief; loss on loss”
  34. Indicating dependence or reliance.
    “I depended on them for assistance.”
    “He will promise on certain conditions.”
  35. Serving as a member of.
    “He is on the jury; I am on the committee.”
  36. By virtue of; with the pledge of.
    “He affirmed or promised on his word, or on his honour.”
  37. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal)By virtue of; with the pledge of.
  38. To the account or detriment of; denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon.
    “On us be all the blame.”
    “A curse on him!”
    “Please don't tell on her and get her in trouble.”
    “He turned on her and has been her enemy ever since.”
    “He went all honest on me, making me listen to his confession.”
  39. Against; in opposition to.
    “The fight was three on one, and he never stood a chance.”
  40. According to, from the standpoint of; (expressing what must follow, whether accepted or not, if a given premise or system is assumed true).
    “On naturalism, it is therefore difficult to find a ground for ultimate moral hope.”
  41. In a position of being able to pot (a given ball).
    “All the way around the table, off four cushions, and ... and he's on the black!”
  42. Having as identical domain and codomain.
    “a function on #92;mathbb#123;R#125;”
  43. Having Vⁿ as domain and V as codomain, for the specified set V and some integer n.
    “an operator on #92;mathbb#123;Z#125;”
  44. Generated by.
    “the free group on four letters”
  45. (Quebec)Divided by.
    “Twenty on three.”
  46. (dialectal, obsolete, regional)Of.
    “I never seen 'im, and that's the truth on it.”
    “Be not jealous on me.”
    “Or have we eaten on the insane root / That takes the reason prisoner?”
  47. (obsolete)At the peril of, or for the safety of.
    “Hence on thy life: the captive maid is mine; / Whom not for price or pray'rs I will reſign: [...]”
  48. (Scotland, UK, dialectal)Without.

verb

  1. (Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, colloquial, transitive)To switch on.
    “Can you on the light?”

noun

  1. In the Japanese language, a pronunciation, or reading, of a kanji character that was originally based on the character's pronunciation in Chinese, contrasted with kun.
    “Most kanji have two kinds of reading, called "on" and "kun".”

name

  1. (abbreviation, alt-of, initialism)Initialism of Old Norse.
  2. (abbreviation, alt-of)Abbreviation of Ontario: a province of Canada.
  3. Synonym of Heliopolis (“ancient Egyptian city”).

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-der. Proto-Germanic *an 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,…

See full etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-der. Proto-Germanic *an 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- (“on, onto”). Cognates Cognate with Yola a, an, ana, on (“on”), Saterland Frisian an (“on; at”), West Frisian oan (“on; to, towards”), Cimbrian aan, å (“on, onto”), Dutch aan (“on; at”), Low German an (“on; at, to”), German an (“at, in; on”), Luxembourgish un (“on; at, to”), Yiddish אָן (on, “on, onward”), Danish, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish å (“on”), Elfdalian ą̊ (“on”), Faroese and Icelandic á (“in; on”), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰 (ana, “at, on”); also Umbrian 𐌀𐌌- (am-), 𐌀𐌍- (an-, “up, upon”), Ancient Greek ἀνά (aná, “on, upon”) (whence Greek ανά (aná, “by, through, per”)), Albanian në (“in; on”), Latvian no (“from; out of; for; of; with”), Lithuanian nuo (“from, off; for, of”), Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, and Ukrainian на (na, “on”), Czech, Polish, Slovak, and Slovene na (“on”), Serbo-Croatian на, na (“on”), Old Armenian ան- (an-, “at, on, unto”); and from Old Norse upp á: Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Swedish på (“on”), Norwegian Nynorsk paa, på (“on”), see upon.

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