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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

go.

To move, either physically or in an abstract sense:

2 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ɡəʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ɡə//ɡu/ [ɡʊw]West-Midlands/ɡæn/Northumbria
  1. To move, either physically or in an abstract sense: To move through space (especially to or through a place). (May be used of tangible things such as people or cars, or intangible things such as moods or information.)

    intransitive
    Why don’t you go with us?
    This train goes through Cincinnati on its way to Chicago.
  2. To move, either physically or in an abstract sense: To move or travel through time (either literally—in a fictional or hypothetical situation in which time travel is possible—or in one's mind or knowledge of the historical record). (See also go back.)

    intransitive
    Yesterday was the second-wettest day on record; you have to go all the way back to 1896 to find a day when more rain fell.
    Fans want to see the Twelfth Doctor go to the 51st century to visit River in the library.
  3. To move, either physically or in an abstract sense: To navigate (to a file or folder on a computer, a site on the internet, a memory, etc.).

    intransitive
    For the best definitions, go to wiktionary.org
  4. To move, either physically or in an abstract sense: To move (a particular distance, or in a particular fashion).

    We've only gone twenty miles today.
    This car can go circles around that one.
  5. To move, either physically or in an abstract sense: To move or travel in order to do something, or to do something while moving.

    intransitive
    We went swimming.
    Let's go shopping.
  6. To move, either physically or in an abstract sense: To leave; to move away.

    intransitive
    Please don't go!
    I really must be going.
  7. To move, either physically or in an abstract sense: To follow or proceed according to (a course or path).

    Let's go this way for a while.
    She was going that way anyway, so she offered to show him where it was.
  8. To move, either physically or in an abstract sense: To travel or pass along.

    We went the full length of the promenade before we found a place to sit down.
    His life story goes the gamut, from poverty-stricken upbringing to colossal wealth.
  9. To move, either physically or in an abstract sense: To walk; to travel on one's feet.

    intransitive · obsolete
  10. To work or function (properly); to move or perform (as required).

    intransitive
    The engine just won't go anymore.
    Don't put your hand inside while the motor's going!
  11. To start; to begin (an action or process).

    intransitive
    You've got thirty seconds to solve the anagram, starting now. Go!
  12. To take a turn, especially in a game.

    intransitive
    It’s your turn; go.
    I've got all vowels. I don't think I can go.
  13. To attend.

    intransitive
    I go to school at the schoolhouse.
    She went to Yale.
  14. To proceed: To proceed (often in a specified manner, indicating the perceived quality of an event or state).

    intransitive
    That went well.
    "How are things going?" "Not bad, thanks."
  15. To proceed: To proceed (especially to do something foolish).

    colloquial · intransitive
    Why'd you have to go and do that?
    Why'd you have to go do that?
  16. To extend along.

    intransitive
    The fence goes the length of the boundary.
  17. To extend (from one point in time or space to another).

    intransitive
    This property goes all the way to the state line.
    The working week goes from Monday to Friday.
  18. To lead (to a place); to give access (to).

    intransitive
    Does this road go to Fort Smith?
  19. To become, move to or come to (a state, position, situation) To become (often used with colors and negative states).

    copulative
    You'll go blind.
    The milk went bad.
  20. To become, move to or come to (a state, position, situation) To move to (a position or state).

    If we can win on Saturday, we'll go top of the league.
    They went level with their rivals.
  21. To become, move to or come to (a state, position, situation) To come (to a certain condition or state).

    They went into debt.
    She goes to sleep around 10 o'clock.
  22. To assume the obligation or function of; to be, to serve as.

  23. To continuously or habitually be in a state.

    copulative · intransitive
    I don't want my children to go hungry.
    We went barefoot in the summer.
  24. To turn out, to result; to come to (a certain result).

    The decision went the way we expected.
  25. To tend (toward a result).

    intransitive
    Well, that goes to show you.
    These experiences go to make us stronger.
  26. To contribute to a (specified) end product or result.

    qualities that go to make a lady / lip-reader / sharpshooter
  27. To pass, to be used up: To elapse, to pass; to slip away. (Compare go by.)

    intransitive
    The time went slowly.
  28. To pass, to be used up: To end or disappear. (Compare go away.)

    intransitive
    After three days, my headache finally went.
  29. To pass, to be used up: To be spent or used up.

    intransitive
    His money went on drink.
  30. To die.

    intransitive
    I want to go in my sleep.
  31. To be lost or out: To be lost.

    intransitive
    The third wicket went just before lunch.
  32. To be lost or out: To be out.

    intransitive
    Smith bowls ... Jones hits it straight up in the air ... and ... caught! Jones has gone!
  33. To break down or apart: To collapse or give way, to break apart.

    intransitive
    Careful! It looks as if that ceiling could go at any moment!
  34. To break down or apart: To break down or decay.

    intransitive
    My mind is going.
    She's 83; her eyesight is starting to go.
  35. To be sold.

    intransitive
    The car went for five thousand dollars.
    The store is closing down so everything must go.
  36. To be discarded or disposed of.

    intransitive
    This chair has got to go.
    All this old rubbish can go.
  37. To be given, especially to be assigned or allotted.

    intransitive
    The property shall go to my wife.
    The award went to Steven Spielberg.
  38. To survive or get by; to last or persist for a stated length of time.

    intransitive · transitive
    How long can you go without water?
    We've gone without your help for a while now.
  39. To have a certain record.

    transitive
    They've gone one for three in this series.
    The team is going five in a row.
  40. To be authoritative, accepted, or valid: Of an opinion or instruction, to have (final) authority; to be authoritative.

    intransitive
    Whatever the boss says goes, do you understand?
  41. To be authoritative, accepted, or valid: To be accepted.

    intransitive
    Anything goes around here.
  42. To be authoritative, accepted, or valid: To be valid or applicable.

    intransitive
    The baked beans can go on this shelf, and the same goes for all these other tins.
  43. To say (something), to make a sound: To say (something, aloud or to oneself).

    colloquial · transitive
    I go, "As if!" And she was all like, "Whatever!"
    As soon as I did it, I went "that was stupid."
  44. To say (something), to make a sound: To make the (specified) sound.

    transitive
    Cats go "meow". Motorcycles go "vroom".
  45. To say (something), to make a sound: To sound; to make a noise.

    intransitive
    I woke up just before the clock went.
  46. To be expressed or composed (a certain way).

    The tune goes like this.
    As the story goes, he got the idea for the song while sitting in traffic.
  47. To resort (to).

    intransitive
    The nylon gears kept breaking, so we went to stainless steel.
  48. To apply or subject oneself to: To apply oneself; to undertake; to have as one's goal or intention. (Compare be going to.)

    I'm going to join a sports team.
    I wish you'd go and get a job.
  49. To apply or subject oneself to: To make an effort, to subject oneself (to something).

    intransitive
    You didn't have to go to such trouble.
    I never thought he'd go so far as to call you.
  50. To apply or subject oneself to: To work (through or over), especially mentally.

    intransitive
    I've gone over this a hundred times.
    Let's not go into that right now.
  51. To fit (in a place, or together with something): To fit.

    intransitive · often
    Do you think the sofa will go through the door?
    The belt just barely went around his waist.
  52. To fit (in a place, or together with something): To be compatible, especially of colors or food and drink.

    intransitive
    This shade of red doesn't go with the drapes.
    White wine goes better with fish than red wine.
  53. To fit (in a place, or together with something): To belong (somewhere).

    intransitive
    My shirts go on this side of the wardrobe.
    This piece of the jigsaw goes on the other side.
  54. To fit (in a place, or together with something): Of a ball, to be capable of being potted, not having its path to the pocket obstructed by other balls.

    intransitive
    He'd like to pot the pink, but I don't think it will go. The green's in the way.
  55. To date.

    intransitive
    How long have they been going together?
    He's been going with her for two weeks.
  56. To (begin to) date or have sex with (a particular race).

    transitive
  57. To attack: To fight or attack.

    intransitive
    I went at him with a knife.
  58. To attack: To fight.

    US · obsolete · slang · transitive
  59. To attack: To attack.

    Australian · slang · transitive
  60. Used to express how some category of things generally is, as a reference for, contrast to, or comparison with, a particular example.

    My cat Fluffy is very timid, as cats go.
    As far as burgers go, this is one of the best.
  61. To take (a particular part or share); to participate in to the extent of.

    transitive
    Let's go halves on this.
  62. To yield or weigh.

    transitive
    Those babies go five tons apiece.
  63. To offer, bid or bet an amount; to pay; to sell for.

    intransitive · transitive
    That's as high as I can go.
    We could go two fifty.
  64. To enjoy. (Compare go for.)

    colloquial · transitive
    I could go a beer right about now.
  65. To go to the toilet; to urinate or defecate.

    colloquial · intransitive
    I really need to go.
    Have you managed to go today, Mrs. Miggins?
  66. Expressing encouragement or approval.

    imperative
    Go, girl! You can do it!
  67. Clipping of go to the.

    Australia · Multicultural-London-English · Singapore · UK · abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · colloquial · especially · intransitive
  68. To fight, usually with the fists.

    colloquial · euphemistic · intransitive
    You said WHAT about my mom? Do you want to go, bro?
  69. To pass (a specified time) in gestation; to be pregnant.

    intransitive · usually
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *gāną Proto-West Germanic *gān Old English gān Middle English gon English go 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”), Vilamovian gejn, gyjn (“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, “to shun, avoid, lay aside”).

noun/ɡəʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ɡə//ɡu/ [ɡʊw]West-Midlands/ɡæn/Northumbria
  1. The act of going.

    countable · uncommon · uncountable
  2. A turn at something, or in something (e.g. a game).

    countable · uncountable
    You’ve been on that pinball machine long enough—now let your brother have a go.
    It’s your go.
  3. An attempt, a try.

    countable · uncountable
    I’ll give it a go.
  4. A period of activity.

    countable · uncountable
    ate it all in one go
  5. A time; an experience.

    countable · uncountable
  6. A circumstance or occurrence; an incident, often unexpected.

    countable · dated · slang · uncountable
  7. An approval or permission to do something, or that which has been approved.

    countable · uncountable
    We will begin as soon as the boss says it's a go.
  8. An act; the working or operation.

    countable · uncountable
  9. The fashion or mode.

    countable · dated · uncountable
    quite the go
  10. Noisy merriment.

    countable · dated · uncountable
    a high go
  11. A glass of spirits; a quantity of spirits.

    archaic · countable · slang · uncountable
  12. A portion

    countable · dated · uncountable
  13. Power of going or doing; energy; vitality; perseverance.

    uncountable
    There is no go in him.
  14. The situation where a player cannot play a card which will not carry the aggregate count above thirty-one.

    countable · uncountable
  15. A dandy; a fashionable person.

    British · countable · obsolete · slang · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *gāną Proto-West Germanic *gān Old English gān Middle English gon English go 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”), Vilamovian gejn, gyjn (“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, “to shun, avoid, lay aside”).

adj/ɡəʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ɡə//ɡu/ [ɡʊw]West-Midlands/ɡæn/Northumbria
  1. Working correctly and ready to commence operation; approved and able to be put into action.

    not-comparable · postpositional
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *gāną Proto-West Germanic *gān Old English gān Middle English gon English go 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”), Vilamovian gejn, gyjn (“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, “to shun, avoid, lay aside”).

noun/ɡəʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ɡə//ɡu/ [ɡʊw]West-Midlands/ɡæn/Northumbria
  1. A strategic board game, originally from China and today also popular in Japan and Korea, in which two players (black and white) attempt to control the largest area of the board with their counters.

    uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Japanese 囲碁 Japanese 碁bor. English go From Japanese 碁(ご) (go), shorter variant of Japanese 囲碁(いご) (igo), from Chinese 圍棋 /围棋 (wéiqí, literally “encirclement board game”).

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Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.