on.
In the state of being active, functioning or operating.
Meaning & usage
In the state of being active, functioning or operating.
All the lights are on, so they must be home.
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.
Happening; taking place; being or due to be put into action. Of a person, used to express agreement to or acceptance of a proposal or challenge made by that person; most commonly with subject “you” (see you're on).
"Five bucks says the Cavs win tonight." ―"You're on!"
If he wants a fight, he's on!
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!
Of a stated part of something, oriented towards the viewer or other specified direction.
The photograph shows the UFO side on.
Acceptable, appropriate.
It's not fair to do that – it's just not on.
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.
Available; remaining.
Smith is 25 points ahead with only 23 on.
Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter.
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.
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.
Acting in character.
Performative or funny in a wearying manner.
He always has to be on, it's so exhausting.
Menstruating.
Where this word comes from
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.
To an operating state.
turn the television on
So as to cover or be fitted.
The lid wasn't screwed on properly.
Put on your hat and gloves.
Along, forwards (continuing an action), onwards.
The policeman moved the tramp on.
Drive on past the railway station.
In continuation, at length.
and so on
He rambled on and on.
Later.
Ten years on, nothing had changed in the village.
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.
Of a ball, into a pottable position.
The black was previously unavailable, but in potting that red, he's now pushed the black on.
Where this word comes from
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.
Indicating position or location. Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above.
A vase of flowers stood on the table.
Please lie down on the couch.
Indicating position or location. Positioned at or resting against the outer surface of; attached to.
He had a scar on the side of his face.
There is a dirty smudge on this window.
Indicating position or location. Covering.
He wore old shoes on his feet.
Indicating position or location. At or in (a geographical location or position).
Indicating position or location. At (a relative spatial position).
Indicating position or location. Near; adjacent to; alongside; just off.
The fleet is on the American coast.
Croton-on-Hudson, Rostov-on-Don, Southend-on-Sea
Indicating position or location. Aboard (a mode of transport, especially public transport, or transport that one sits astride or uses while standing).
Indicating position or location. In the direction of (some part of one's vessel), to within 45 degrees.
A ship was sighted on the port quarter.
on the bow; on the starboard beam
Expressing figurative placement, burden, or attachment.
All of the responsibility is on him.
I put a bet on the winning horse.
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.
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.
I stubbed my toe on an old tree stump.
I caught my fingernail on the door handle.
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 By means of; with.
to play on a violin or piano
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.
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.
At (a certain position within a sequence).
I'm on question four.
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.
At (a given time after the start of something).
Smith scored again on twelve minutes, doubling Mudchester Rovers' lead.
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
Dealing with the subject of; about; concerning.
I was reading a book on history.
The city hosted the World Summit on the Information Society
Indicating a means or medium.
I saw it on television.
Can't you see I'm on the phone?
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.
In the possession of.
I haven't got any money on me.
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
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.
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.
Paid for by.
The drinks are on me tonight, boys.
The meal is on the house.
Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion.
Have pity or compassion on him.
Indicating the person experiencing an emotion, cold, thirst, hunger, etc.
I had a terrible thirst on me.
Indicating a means of subsistence or sustenance.
They lived on ten dollars a week.
The dog survived three weeks on rainwater.
Engaged in or occupied with (an action or activity).
He's on his lunch break.
I'm on nights all this week.
Regularly taking (a drug).
You've been on these antidepressants far too long.
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.
In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series.
heaps on heaps of food
mischief on mischief; loss on loss
Indicating dependence or reliance.
I depended on them for assistance.
He will promise on certain conditions.
Serving as a member of.
He is on the jury; I am on the committee.
By virtue of; with the pledge of.
He affirmed or promised on his word, or on his honour.
By virtue of; with the pledge of. Ellipsis of I swear on: on my life, on God, on everything, etc.
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!
Against; in opposition to.
The fight was three on one, and he never stood a chance.
According to, from the standpoint of; (expressing what must follow, whether accepted or not, if a given premise or system is assumed true).
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!
Having as identical domain and codomain.
a function on #92;mathbb#123;R#125;
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;
Generated by.
the free group on four letters
Divided by.
Twenty on three.
Of.
I never seen 'im, and that's the truth on it.
At the peril of, or for the safety of.
Where this word comes from
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.
To switch on.
Can you on the light?
Where this word comes from
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.
Without.
Where this word comes from
From Old Norse ón, án (“without”), from Proto-Germanic *ēnu, *ēno, *ino (“without”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḗnu (“without”). Cognate with North Frisian on (“without”), Middle Dutch an, on (“without”), Middle Low German āne (“without”), German ohne (“without”), Gothic 𐌹𐌽𐌿 (inu, “without, except”). Unlikely to be related to Ancient Greek ἄνευ (áneu, “without”), which is likely akin to Proto-Germanic *sundraz instead (whence sunder).
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".
Where this word comes from
From Japanese 音読み (on'yomi, literally “sound reading”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.