Word.ws English Dictionary

on

UK/ɒn/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

New Zealand[ɔ̟n] ~ [ɞ̠n]

on adjective: in the state of being active, functioning or operating. Also the ellipsis of I swear on.

on: in the state of being active, functioning or operating
Image: Javier Carro, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Adjective

on (not comparable)

  1. In the state of being active, functioning or operating.
    • All the lights are on, so they must be home.
    Antonyms:
    off
  2. 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.
    1. (informal) 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!
  3. 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!
  4. (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
  5. (UK, informal) 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.1998 May 22, Phoenix Gamma, “If I was owned Nintendo...”, in alt.games.video.nintendo-64 (Usenet)
  6. 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.
  7. Available; remaining.
    • Smith is 25 points ahead with only 23 on.
  8. (informal) 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 2-1.2019 February 24, Chris Kennedy, “Aggies Earn Series Win Over Yale in Sunday Finale”, in New Mexico State University Athletics
    • 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 9-22.2019 April 6, Daniel Martinez-Krams, “Baseball Falls Short in Game 2 of UCLA Series”, in The Stanford Daily
    Synonyms:
    on base
  9. 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.
    Synonyms:
    leg
    Antonyms:
    off
  10. (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.
  11. (roleplaying games) Acting in character.
  12. (informal) Performative or funny in a wearying manner.
    • He always has to be on, it's so exhausting.
  13. (euphemistic) Menstruating.
    • It still gets in the way of her doing things like swimming, and she avoids sleepovers when she's "on".2011, Hollie Smith Netmums, You and Your Tween: Managing the years from 9 to 13, Hachette, →ISBN

Adverb

on (not comparable)

  1. To an operating state.
    • turn the television on
  2. So as to cover or be fitted.
    • The lid wasn't screwed on properly.
    • Put on your hat and gloves.
  3. Along, forwards (continuing an action), onwards.
    • The policeman moved the tramp on.
    • Drive on past the railway station.
  4. In continuation, at length.
    • and so on
    • He rambled on and on.
  5. (infrequent in the US) Later.
    • Ten years on, nothing had changed in the village.
  6. 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.
    Antonyms:
    against
  7. Of a ball, into a pottable position.
    • The black was previously unavailable, but in potting that red, he's now pushed the black on.

Preposition (1)

on

  1. Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above.
    • A vase of flowers stood on the table.
    • Please lie down on the couch.
  2. 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.
  3. Covering.
    • He wore old shoes on his feet.
  4. At or in (a geographical location or position).
    • The lighthouse that you can see is on the mainland.
    • The suspect is thought to still be on the campus.
  5. At (a relative spatial position).
    • We live on the edge of the city.
    • on the left, on the right, on the side, on the bottom
  6. Near; adjacent to; alongside; just off.
    • The fleet is on the American coast.
    • Croton-on-Hudson, Rostov-on-Don, Southend-on-Sea
  7. Aboard (a mode of transport, especially public transport, or transport that one sits astride or uses while standing).
    • 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. 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
  9. Expressing figurative placement, burden, or attachment.
    • All of the responsibility is on him.
    • I put a bet on the winning horse.
  10. With verbs describing an action of pushing, pulling, pressing, etc., designates the thing to which force is applied.
    • tug on the rope; push hard on the door
  11. 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.
  12. 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
Show 34 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. 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.
  2. (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.
  3. At (a certain position within a sequence).
    • I'm on question four.
  4. 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.
  5. (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.2011 September 24, Aled Williams, “Chelsea 4-1 Swansea”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 03 Jan 2026
  6. 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
  7. Dealing with the subject of; about; concerning.
    • I was reading a book on history.
    • The city hosted the World Summit on the Information Society
    Synonyms:
    about
  8. Indicating a means or medium.
    • I saw it on television.
    • Can't you see I'm on the phone?
  9. 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.
  10. (informal) In the possession of.
    • I haven't got any money on me.
  11. 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
    Synonyms:
    by dint of
  12. (also often ‘upon’) 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.
  13. (also often ‘upon’) 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.
  14. Paid for by.
    • The drinks are on me tonight, boys.
    • The meal is on the house.
  15. Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion.
    • Have pity or compassion on him.
  16. (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.2013 February 27, Rosemary Sutcliff, The Shining Company, Random House, →ISBN
  17. Indicating a means of subsistence or sustenance.
    • They lived on ten dollars a week.
    • The dog survived three weeks on rainwater.
  18. Engaged in or occupied with (an action or activity).
    • He's on his lunch break.
    • I'm on nights all this week.
  19. Regularly taking (a drug).
    • You've been on these antidepressants far too long.
  20. 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.
  21. In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series.
    • heaps on heaps of food
    • mischief on mischief; loss on loss
  22. Indicating dependence or reliance.
    • I depended on them for assistance.
    • He will promise on certain conditions.
  23. Serving as a member of.
    • He is on the jury; I am on the committee.
  24. By virtue of; with the pledge of.
    • He affirmed or promised on his word, or on his honour.
  25. 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!
  26. (especially when numbers of combatants or competitors are specified) Against; in opposition to.
    • The fight was three on one, and he never stood a chance.
  27. 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.2021, Gavin Ortlund, Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't: The Beauty of Christian Theism, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, →ISBN
    Synonyms:
    in, under, with, within
  28. 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!
  29. Having as identical domain and codomain.
    • a function on #92;mathbb#123;R#125;
  30. 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;
  31. Generated by.
    • the free group on four letters
  32. (Quebec) Divided by.
    • Twenty on three.
    Synonyms:
    over
  33. (dialectal, obsolete, regional) Of.
    • I never seen 'im, and that's the truth on it.
    • Be not jealous on me.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]...
  34. (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: [...]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...

Verb

on (third-person singular simple present ons, present participle oning or onning, simple past and past participle oned or onned)

  1. (Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, colloquial, transitive) To switch on.
    • Can you on the light?
    Synonyms:
    turn on

Preposition (2)

on

  1. (Scotland, UK, dialectal) Without.

Noun

on

  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".

Proper noun (1) capitalized: ON

ON

  1. (abbreviation, initialism) Initialism of Old Norse.
  2. (abbreviation) Abbreviation of Ontario: a province of Canada.

Proper noun (2) capitalized: On

On

  1. Synonym of Heliopolis (“ancient Egyptian city”).
    Synonyms:
    Heliopolis

Also used as

on is also the ellipsis of I swear on.

on meaning in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Pashto

on in Hindi

positioned at the upper surface of
... पर

on in Urdu

positioned at the upper surface of
... پر

on in Bengali

positioned at the upper surface of
উপর upor

on in Pashto

positioned at the upper surface of
پر për, باندې bânde
positioned at or resting against the outer surface of; attached to
پورې pore
covering
په pë
at the date of
په pë
More languagesFewer languages
on in Arabic
عَلَى ʕalā, فِي fī, عَلَى حِسَابِهِ ʕalā ḥisābihi
on in Malay
atas, di atas, pada
on in Indonesian
terjadi, menyala, pasang, pakai
on in Persian
روشن rowšan, فعال fa'âl, روی ru-ye, در dar
on in Thai
บน bon
on in Vietnamese
trên
on in Myanmar
မှာ hma, ၌ hnai., အပေါ် a.pau

Examples of on in a sentence

  • 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?
  • Mike just threw coffee onto Paul's lap. It's on now.
  • England need a hundred runs, with twenty-five overs remaining. Game on!
  • From now on things are going to be different.

All 40 example sentences with on

Synonyms of on

10 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of on

Forms of on

Verb
third-person singular presentons
present participleoning
present participleonning
past participleoned
pastoned
past participleonned
pastonned
Preposition
alternative formohn

Origin of 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.

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).

From Japanese 音読み (on'yomi, literally “sound reading”).

Words formed from on

Phrases with on

183 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with on

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about on

What does on mean?
On means in the state of being active, functioning or operating.
What is on in Hindi?
On in Hindi is ... पर. See On meaning in Hindi.
How do you use on in a sentence?
That TV programme that you wanted to watch is on now.
What part of speech is on?
On can be an adjective, an adverb, a preposition or a verb.
How do you pronounce on?
On is pronounced /ɒn/ (UK).

Words near on in the dictionary

  1. OMWW
  2. omy
  3. OMZ
  4. OMZs
  5. Omāēqnomenēweqnaesen
  6. on
  7. on 'Change
  8. on a bell
  9. on a collision course
  10. on a daily basis
  11. on a day-to-day basis

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: on (page history and authors); ON (page history and authors); On (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-on.ogg, en-us-on.ogg.

Cite this entry: “on.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/on. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.