Did you mean: go (verb), go (board game), Go West (History), art-name, The Go (Rock Band), Go (novel), Go (song), Shosei Go, Eric Go, Kelly Clarkson (Pop Musician / Talent Show Contestant)

Results for go
On this page:
 
Dictionary:

go1

  () pronunciation

v., went (wĕnt), gone (gôn, gŏn), go·ing, goes (gōz).

v.intr.
  1. To move or travel; proceed: We will go by bus. Solicitors went from door to door seeking donations. How fast can the boat go?
  2. To move away from a place; depart: Go before I cry.
    1. To pursue a certain course: messages that go through diplomatic channels to the ambassador.
    2. To resort to another, as for aid: went directly to the voters of her district. See synonyms at resort.
    1. To extend between two points or in a certain direction; run: curtains that go from the ceiling to the floor.
    2. To give entry; lead: a stairway that goes to the basement.
  3. To function properly: The car won't go.
    1. To have currency.
    2. To pass from one person to another; circulate: Wild rumors were going around the office.
  4. To pass as the result of a sale: The gold watch went to the highest bidder.
  5. Informal. Used as an intensifier when joined by and to a coordinate verb: She went and complained to Personnel.
  6. Used in the progressive tense with an infinitive to indicate future intent or expectation: I am going to learn how to dance.
    1. To continue to be in a certain condition or continue an activity: go barefoot.
    2. To come to be in a certain condition: go mad; hair that had gone gray.
    3. To continue to be in effect or operation: a lease with one year to go.
    4. To carry out an action to a certain point or extent: Your parents went to great expense to put you through college.
  7. To be called; be known: Our friend William often goes by Billy.
    1. To be customarily located; belong: The fork goes to the left of the plate. Where do the plates go?
    2. To be capable of entering or fitting: Will the suitcase go into the trunk of your car?
    1. To pass into someone's possession: All the jewelry went to her heirs.
    2. To be allotted: How much of your salary goes for rent?
  8. To be a contributing factor: It all goes to show us that the project can be completed on time.
    1. To have a particular form: as the saying goes.
    2. To be such, by and large: well behaved, as big dogs go.
    1. To extend in time: The story goes back to the Middle Ages.
    2. To pass by; elapse: The day went pleasantly enough until I received your call.
    1. To be used up or finished: My interest in such things has gone.
    2. To be discarded or abolished: All luxuries will have to go.
    1. To become weak; fail: His hearing has started to go.
    2. To give way; break up: The dam is about to go.
  9. To cease living; die.
    1. To happen or develop; fare: How are things going?
    2. To have a successful outcome: creativity that made the advertising campaign really go.
  10. To be suitable or appropriate as an accessory or accompaniment: a color that goes beautifully with your complexion.
    1. To have authority: Whatever I say goes.
    2. To be valid, acceptable, or adequate.
  11. Informal. To excrete waste from the bladder or bowels.
  12. Informal. To begin an act: Here goes!
  13. Obsolete. To walk.
v.tr.
  1. To proceed or move according to: I was free to go my own way.
  2. To traverse: Only two of the runners went the entire distance.
  3. To engage in: went skiing.
  4. Informal.
    1. To bet: go $20 on the black horse.
    2. To bid: I'll go $500 on the vase.
  5. Informal.
    1. To take on the responsibility or obligation for: go bail for a client.
    2. To participate to (a given extent): Will you go halves with me if we win the lottery?
  6. To amount to; weigh: a shark that went 400 pounds.
  7. Sports. To have as a record: went 3 for 4 against their best pitcher.
  8. Informal. To enjoy: I could go a cold beer right now.
  9. To say or utter. Used chiefly in verbal narration: First I go, “Thank you,” then he goes, “What for?”
n., pl. goes.
  1. The act or an instance of going.
  2. An attempt; an effort: had a go at acting.
  3. The time or period of an activity.
  4. Informal. Energy; vitality: had lots of go.
  5. Informal.
    1. The go-ahead.
    2. often Go The starting point: “And from Go there was something deliciously illicit about the whole affair” (Erica Abeel).
    3. Informal. A situation in which planned operations can be effectuated: The space mission is a go.
adj.

Informal. Functioning correctly and ready for action: All systems are go.

phrasal verbs:

go about

  1. To set about to do; undertake: Go about your chores in a responsible way.
go along
  1. To cooperate: They get along by going along.
go around
  1. To satisfy a demand or requirement: just enough food to go around.
  2. To go here and there; move from place to place.
  3. To have currency: rumors going around.
go at
  1. To attack, especially with energy.
  2. To approach; undertake: He went at the job with a lot of energy.
go by
  1. To elapse; pass: as time goes by.
  2. To pay a short visit: My parents were away when we went by last week.
go down
    1. To drop below the horizon; set: The sun went down.
    2. To fall to the ground: The helicopter went down in a ball of fire.
    3. To sink: The torpedoed battleship went down.
    4. To experience defeat or ruin.
  1. To admit of easy swallowing: a cough syrup that goes down readily.
  2. To decrease in cost or value.
  3. Chiefly British. To leave a university.
  4. Slang. To occur; happen: “a collection of memorable pieces about the general craziness that was going down in those days” (James Atlas).
    1. To be accepted or tolerated: How will your ideas go down as far as corporate marketing is concerned?
    2. To come to be remembered in posterity: a debate that will go down as a turning point in the campaign.
  5. Vulgar Slang. To perform fellatio or cunnilingus.
go for
  1. Informal. To have a special liking for: I really go for progressive jazz.
  2. To attack: an opponent who is known to go for the jugular in arguments.
  3. To pass for or serve as: a couch that also goes for a bed.
go in
  1. To take part in a cooperative venture: went in with the others to buy a present.
  2. To make an approach, as before an attack: Troops went in at dawn.
go into
  1. To discuss or investigate: The book goes into classical mythology.
  2. To undertake as a profession or course of study: She's going into medicine.
go off
  1. To undergo detonation; explode.
  2. To make a noise; sound: The siren went off at noon.
  3. To leave: Don't go off mad.
  4. Informal. To adhere to the expected course of events or the expected plan: The project went off smoothly.
go on
  1. To take place; happen: didn't know what was going on.
    1. To continue: Life must go on.
    2. To keep on doing (something): Don't go on talking.
    3. To proceed: She went on to become a senator.
  2. Informal. To talk volubly: My, you do go on.
go out
  1. To become extinguished.
    1. To go outdoors; leave one's residence: He went out at seven.
    2. To take part in social life outside the home: goes out a lot.
  2. To become unfashionable: High boots went out last year.
  3. To undergo structural collapse: The bridge went out.
go over
  1. To gain acceptance or approval: a new style that didn't go over.
  2. To examine or review: go over the test scores.
go through
  1. To examine carefully: went through the students' papers.
  2. To experience: We went through hell while working on this project.
  3. To perform: I went through the sonata in 30 minutes.
go under
  1. To suffer defeat or destruction; fail.
  2. To lose consciousness.
go up
  1. To increase in price or value.
  2. To be in the process of construction: Office buildings went up all over town.
  3. Chiefly British. To go to a university.
go with
  1. To date (someone) regularly.
  2. To select or choose: decided to go with the pink wallpaper.

idioms:

from the word go

  1. From the very beginning.
go all the way
  1. Slang. To have sexual intercourse.
go back on
  1. To fail to honor or keep: go back on a promise.
go begging
  1. To be in little or no demand: “Prestige or no prestige, directors' jobs at some companies have actually gone begging” (Bill Powell).
go belly up Informal.
  1. To undergo total financial failure: “A record number of . . . banks went belly up” (New Republic).
go bust Informal.
  1. To undergo financial collapse: “Railroads were in the news mainly when they were going bust” (Christian Science Monitor).
go by the board
  1. To be discarded or ignored: old dress codes that have now gone by the board.
go down the line
  1. To provide strong support.
go fly a kite Informal.
  1. To cease being an annoyance. Often used in the imperative.
go for broke Informal.
  1. To commit or expend all of one's available resources toward achievement of a goal: “Why not go for broke and take on somebody who is quite young and see what he does?” (Roger L. Stevens).
go for it Informal.
  1. To expend all one's strength and resources toward achievement of an end or purpose.
go in for
  1. To have interest in: goes in for classical music.
  2. To take part in: goes in for water skiing.
go in with
  1. To join in or combine with: He'll go in with them on the plan.
go it alone
  1. To undertake a project, trip, or responsibility without the presence or help of others.
go off the deep end
  1. To behave hysterically or very recklessly.
go one better
  1. To surpass or outdo by one degree: He's gone me one better.
go out for
  1. To seek to become a participant in: go out for varsity soccer.
go out of (one's) way
  1. To inconvenience oneself in doing something beyond what is required.
go out the window Informal.
  1. To become insignificant or inoperative: “As soon as a third body is introduced to the Newtonian system, all lawful ordering of processes goes out the window” (Fusion).
go places Informal.
  1. To be on the way to success: a young executive who is clearly going places.
go steady
  1. To date someone exclusively.
go the distance
  1. To carry a course of action through to completion.
go the vole
  1. To risk all of one's resources in the prospect of achieving great gains.
go to it
  1. To begin something right away.
go to (one's) head
  1. To make one dizzy or inebriated.
  2. To make one proud or conceited.
go to pieces
  1. To lose one's self-control.
  2. To suffer the loss of one's health.
go to the mat Informal.
  1. To fight or dispute until one side or another is victorious: The governor will go to the mat with the legislature over the controversial spending bill.
go to the wall Informal.
  1. To lose a conflict or be defeated; yield: Despite their efforts, the team went to the wall.
  2. To be forced into bankruptcy; fail.
  3. To make an all-out effort, especially in defending another.
go to town Informal.
  1. To work or perform efficiently and rapidly.
  2. To be highly successful.
go up in flames (or smoke)
  1. To be utterly destroyed.
go without saying
  1. To be self-evident: It goes without saying that success is the product of hard work.
on the go
  1. Constantly busy or active.
to go
  1. To be taken out, as restaurant food or drink: coffee and doughnuts to go.

[Middle English gon, from Old English gān.]

Our Living Language   Go has long been used to describe the production of nonlinguistic noises, notably in conversation with children, as in The train went “toot.” The cow goes “moo.” In recent years, however, many speakers have begun to use go in informal conversation to report speech, as in Then he goes, “You think you're real smart, don't you?” This usage parallels the quotation introducers be all and be like. But unlike these other expressions, which can indicate thoughts or attitudes, the quotational use of go is largely restricted to dialogue related in the narrative present, especially when the narrator wishes to mimic the accent or intonation of the original speaker. See Note at all, like2.


go2 () pronunciation
n.

A Japanese game for two, played with counters on a board that is ruled with 19 vertical and 19 horizontal lines.

[Japanese, from Middle Chinese gi.]


 
 

(1) The title of an on-screen button that is clicked in order to start some action such as a search.

(2) A command used on a BBS or online service to switch the user to a particular forum or section. For example, typing go macintosh would switch you to a section specializing in Macintosh computers. Like any command language, you have to know what words to enter.



 
also go with

verb

  1. To move along a particular course: fare, journey, pass, proceed, push on, remove, travel, wend. Idioms: make one's way. See move/halt.
  2. To proceed in a specified direction: bear, head, make, set out, strike out. See approach/retreat.
  3. To move or proceed away from a place: depart, exit, get away, get off, go away, leave1, pull out, quit, retire, run (along), withdraw. Informal cut out, push off, shove off. Slang blow1, split, take off. Idioms: hit the road, take leave. See approach/retreat.
  4. To look to when in need: apply, refer, repair2, resort, run, turn. Idioms: fall backonupon, have recourse to. See used/unused.
  5. To proceed on a certain course or for a certain distance: carry, extend, lead, reach, run, stretch. See reach/unreachable.
  6. To change or fluctuate within limits: extend, range, run, vary. See change/persist.
  7. To perform a function effectively: function, operate, run, take, work. See thrive/fail/exist.
  8. To move toward a termination: go away, pass, pass away. See approach/retreat, increase/decrease, time.
  9. To have a proper or suitable place: belong, fit1. See order/disorder.
  10. To move past in time. elapse, lapse, pass. See time.
  11. To be depleted: consume, spend. Idioms: go down the drain. See increase/decrease.
  12. To fall in: buckle, cave in, collapse, crumple, give. Idioms: give way. See explosion/collapse.
  13. To cease living: decease, demise, depart, die, drop, expire, pass away, pass (on), perish, succumb. Informal pop off. Slang check out, croak, kick in, kick off. Idioms: bite the dust, breathe one's last, cash in, give up the ghost, go to one's grave, kick the bucket, meetone's endMaker, pass on to the Great Beyond, turn up one's toes. See live/die.
  14. To do or fare well: boom, flourish, prosper, thrive. Slang score. Idioms: getgosomewhere, go great guns, go strong. See thrive/fail/exist.
  15. To turn out well: come off, go over, pan out, succeed, work, work out. Slang click. See thrive/fail/exist.
  16. To put up with: abide, accept, bear, brook2, endure, stand (for), stomach, suffer, support, sustain, swallow, take, tolerate, withstand. Informal lump2. Idioms: take it, take it lying down. See accept/reject.
  17. To put up as a stake in a game or speculation: bet, gamble, lay1 (down), post2, put, risk, stake, venture, wager. See gambling.
  18. To make an offer of: bid, offer. See offer.

phrasal verb - go along

    To agree to cooperate or participate: Informal play along,, participate/abstain.

phrasal verb - go around

  1. To pass around but not through: bypass, circumnavigate, circumvent, detour, skirt. See seek/avoid.
  2. To become known far and wide: circulate, get around, spread, travel. Idioms: gomakethe rounds. See knowledge/ignorance.

phrasal verb - go at

  1. To set upon with violent force: aggress, assail, assault, attack, beset, fall on (or upon), have at, sail into, storm, strike. Informal light into, pitch into. See attack/defend.
  2. To start work on vigorously: attack, sail in, tackle, wade in (or into). Idioms: hop to it. See work/play.

phrasal verb - go away

  1. To move or proceed away from a place: depart, exit, get away, get off, go, leave1, pull out, quit, retire, run (along), withdraw. Informal cut out, push off, shove off. Slang blow1, split, take off. Idioms: hit the road, take leave. See approach/retreat.
  2. To move toward a termination: go, pass, pass away. See approach/retreat, increase/decrease, time.

phrasal verb - go back

    To go again to a former place: come back, return, revisit,, approach/retreat.

phrasal verb - go down

  1. To come to the ground suddenly and involuntarily: drop, fall, nose-dive, pitch, plunge, spill, topple, tumble. Idioms: take afallheaderplungespilltumble. See rise/fall.
  2. To undergo capture, defeat, or ruin: collapse, fall, go under, surrender, topple. See resist/yield, win/lose/recovery.

phrasal verb - go far

    To gain success: arrive, get ahead, get on, rise, succeed. Idioms: go places, make good, make it,, thrive/fail/exist.

phrasal verb - go for

  1. To be favorably disposed toward: approve, countenance, favor, hold with. Idioms: take kindly to. See praise/blame.
  2. To receive pleasure from: enjoy, like1, relish, savor. Slang dig. See like/dislike.
  3. To require a specified price: cost, sell for. See transactions.

phrasal verb - go in

    To come or go into (a place): come in, enter, penetrate. Nautical put in. Idioms: gainentranceentry, set foot in,, enter/exit.

phrasal verb - go off

    To release or cause to release energy suddenly and violently, especially with a loud noise: blast, blow1 (up), burst, detonate, explode, fire, fulminate, touch off,, explosion/collapse.

phrasal verb - go on

  1. To be in existence or in a certain state for an indefinitely long time: abide, continue, endure, hold out, last2, persist, remain, stay1. See continue/stop/pause.
  2. To continue without halting despite difficulties or setbacks: carry on, hang on, keep on, persevere, persist. Idioms: hang in there, keep going, keep it up. See continue/stop/pause.
  3. To talk volubly, persistently, and usually inconsequentially: babble, blabber, chatter, chitchat, clack, jabber, palaver, prate, prattle, rattle (on), run on. Informal spiel. Slang gab, gas, jaw, yak. Idioms: run off at the mouth, shoot thebreezebull. See words.

phrasal verb - go out

    To be with another person socially on a regular basis: date, see. Informal take out,, connect.

phrasal verb - go over

  1. To turn out well: come off, go, pan out, succeed, work, work out. Slang click. See thrive/fail/exist.
  2. To look at carefully or critically: check (out), con, examine, inspect, peruse, scrutinize, study, survey, traverse, view. Informal case. Idioms: give a going-over. See investigate.
  3. To give a recapitulation of the salient facts of: abstract, epitomize, recapitulate, review, run down, run through, summarize, sum up, synopsize, wrap up. Informal recap. See thoughts.

phrasal verb - go through

    To participate in or partake of personally: experience, feel, have, know, meet1 (with), see, suffer, taste (of), undergo. Archaic prove. Idioms: run up against,, participate/abstain.

phrasal verb - go under

  1. To undergo capture, defeat, or ruin: collapse, fall, go down, surrender, topple. See resist/yield, win/lose/recovery.
  2. To undergo sudden financial failure: break, bust, collapse, crash, fail. Informal fold. Idioms: go belly up, go bust, go on the rocks, go to the wall. See money.

phrasal verb - go up

    To move upward on or along: ascend, climb, mount, scale2,, rise/fall.

phrasal verb - go with

    To be in keeping with: become, befit, conform, correspond, fit1, match, suit,, agree/disagree.

noun

  1. A trying to do or make something: attempt, crack, effort, endeavor, essay, offer, stab, trial, try. Informal shot. Slang take. Archaic assay. See try.
  2. A brief trial: crack, stab, try. Informal fling, shot, whack, whirl. See try.
  3. A limited, often assigned period of activity, duty, or opportunity: bout, hitch, inning (often used in plural), shift, spell3, stint, stretch, time, tour, trick, turn, watch. See time.
  4. Capacity or power for work or vigorous activity: animation, energy, force, might, potency, power, puissance, sprightliness, steam, strength. Informal get-up-and-go, pep, peppiness, zip. See action/inaction.

adjective

    In a state of preparedness: ready, set1. Slang together. Idioms: all set, in working order. See prepared/unprepared.

 

n

Definition: spirit
Antonyms: lethargy, lifelessness

v

Definition: advance, proceed physically
Antonyms: remain, stay, stop

v

Definition: agree, harmonize
Antonyms: be incompatible, disagree, mismatch

v

Definition: die, collapse
Antonyms: be born, create

v

Definition: endure
Antonyms: surrender

v

Definition: operate, function
Antonyms: break


 
is short for:

Meaning Category
Bitmap graphics (GraphOn graphics file)Computing->File Extensions
Geeked OutMiscellaneous->Funnies
Gene OntologyMedical->Laboratory
General OfficeBusiness->General
General OfficerGovernmental->Military
General OrderBusiness->International Business
General OrganizationBusiness->General
Genetic OptimizerComputing->General
Georgetown OneMiscellaneous->Funnies
GeschäftsordnungInternational->German
Get OneInternet->Chat
Get OrganizedBusiness->General
Giga OctetComputing->General
Global OpenComputing->Assembly
Global OpportunitiesBusiness->International Business
Global OpportunityBusiness->Positions
Global OrderGovernmental->US Government
GordonGovernmental->Suppliers
Gorizia (Provence)International->Italian
Government of OntarioRegional->Canada Provinces
Greater OpportunitiesCommunity->Educational
Group OperationsCommunity->Educational
Groups OnlineInternet->Chat
Guard OfGovernmental->Military
Guelph OrientationAcademic & Science->Universities
Guild OfficerBusiness->Positions
Guranteed OverdoseMedical->Physiology
Guys OnlyBusiness->Positions
Walt Disney Company (formerly stock of Go.Com)Business->NYSE Symbols

Click here to submit an acronym.


 
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: n. - A board game for two players who place counters on a grid; A usually brief attempt. v. - To move, pass along, travel, proceed.

pronunciation Never advise anyone to go to war or to get married.

 
Wikipedia: go (verb)
For other meanings see Go.

The verb to go is irregular, and apart from be is the only suppletive verb in the English language.

Principal parts

The principal parts of the word are go, went, gone. Otherwise the modern English verb conjugates regularly. The irregularity of the principal parts results from the fact that they derive from two or possibly three different Indo-European roots.

The preterite, (or 'simple past tense') in no way etymologically relates to go, for went comes from wendan in Old English, which is also the source of wend. Old English wendan and gān (the latter of which means go) did share semantic similarities, and their similar meanings can be seen in the fact that the sentence "I'm wending my way home", means "I'm going home."

Theories concerning the origin of gone are discussed below.

Origin of ēode

Old English didn't have the preterite went in any form, instead using the word ēode, a word which hasn't left any trace in modern English in any form. When one looks at ēode, in all its conjugated forms, it is not surprising to see all the –d's, for these are the familiar Germanic dental suffixes, establishing ēode as a preterite. The root itself, ēo, came from the unattested Proto-Germanic *ijjôm. The Gothic form of this root is iddja, but this form hasn't produced any other attested root words in the other Germanic languages. *Ijjôm was itself a past tense form of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root * (go). Specifically, this root was either imperfect or aorist. (The aorist tense expressed momentary action in the past, while the imperfect, continual action in the past). * itself seems to have come from a PIE form *ei, î, and if this is correct, it would establish a link between the Old English Preterite for go and the Latin īre (go, pres inf.) (which is simply the î from *ei, î followed by a standard Latin infinitive ending, –re). The OED does not discuss this, but the 4th Edition of the American Heritage Dictionary does in its appendix of PIE stems, drawing heavily on Julius Pokorny's Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (page 293). (īre is the source of many English words, words as disparate as introit, preterite, and ambition).

Development of a new preterite

Returning to the etymology of go, our now-familiar ēode became, in ME, variously ȝede, yede, and yode. By the 15th century in southern England, wende (wend) had become synonymous with go, but its infinitive and present tense forms had ceased to be in frequent use. With a waning, morphing preterite tense (yode), go was ripe to receive a new preterite—the preterite of wende, the familiar went. In Scotland and in the dialects of northern England, yede was also replaced, but by gaed, which was produced by adding a regular dental suffix to the regional variant of go. Went made it into standard English because southern England was to become the politically, culturally, and economically central region of England in modern British history. However, a writer of no less importance than Spencer used yede to mean go in some instances, with its preterite form of yode, but this was dialectical.

Etymology of wend

Wend (the source of go's current preterite) came from wendan. Wendan is thought, on the basis of numerous Germanic cognates, (particularly Gothic wandjan), to have come from the PIE root *wand. This root would be the preterite stem of windan. The relationship between windan and wendan needs to be briefly addressed.

Relationship between windan and wendan

The original form from which we get went is windan, which had wendan as a preterite stem, which in turn gave us went. Windan is not surprisingly the source of the modern verb wind (whose preterite and past participle is wound). The original preterite of windan was *wand-, and windan had a causative form, wendan (meaning "to cause to wind", or "to cause to become wound"). So, went is derived from wendan, which is itself derived from windan. Let us now investigate the etymology of windan.

Origins of windan

The Oxford English Dictionary's entry for wand simply states that words like wend, wind, wand, and wander all have a common PIE root, and that this root is related to the idea of turning. (Note that wand originally meant a supple switch, not a stiff rod, and is related to the word from which whip is derived.) The most important IE root (found in Pokorny 3. *er- 1152.) is treated in one of the American Heritage Dictionary's etymological indices under *wer-2. Though this root also carries with it the idea of turning, none of its English descendants are the words for which we are looking. Many turning-related words do come from *wer-2 (which Pokorny calls er-). For instance, we have wrist, wreath, writhe, (all of which involve turning), wring, wrench, and worm are only the most obvious descendants of this root. So, all we can say is that wind is derived from a similar PIE root to *wer-2.

The root *w- presupposed turning or motion, and was probably used both transitively and intransitively. Though originally wend meant to cause to wind (and the winding often being done in an intransitive sense), due to the similarity of these two words, they have been confused for at least a thousand years, and have thus influenced each other's developments. For much of their histories, wend and wind have had the sense of going, and thus it is not surprising that wend eventually came to have the sense of go.

Origins of the infinitive

*Ghê- is the PIE root from which go comes. It had the sense of "To release, let go; to be released; to go" (but in the middle voice). From *ghê, comes Old English gân (to go) and German gehen (which is relatively regular, compared to English go). Though the 1st person present indicative for go in Old English was , aside from an unsurprising shift from an a to an o, there has been little change in the infinitive form of this word for its entire history. It is rare for such a common word to undergo so few changes over such a long history.

Origins of the past participle

Gone is closely related to the now-obsolete verb, gang. Gang means "to walk" or "to go", (Scots: I'll gang nae mair tae yon hoose!) and is possibly the source of the past participles gone and German gegangen (which also means gone). According to this theory, the preterit of a form of gang eventually became past participles in English, German, and other related languages. The question arises of the relationship between gai-, the form responsible for present forms, and gang-. The OED describes three main theories:

  • The two have no etymological connection, but have become similar in form because of their similar meanings.
  • Gang- is a nasalized reduplication of gai-.
  • The shorter gai- was created from gang- by analogy of stai- from stand- (the latter two relate to the verb "to stand").

Others have proposed a link between the Germanic forms and similar words in other Indo-European languages, but such theories have not attained general acceptance by the linguistic community.

Summary of the main Proto-Indo-European roots

Thus, we see that go (historically, anyway) is derived from at least 3 Proto-Indo-European roots: *ghê (from which we get go, and possibly gone), *ei, î, the source of ēode, and a root beginning in *w- from which we eventually get went, through windan and then wendan. We use three of the derivatives of these roots today, go, gone and went.

Slang

  • Go can be used as a term for the bathroom. (I really have to go!)
  • Sometimes kids say, "You wanna go?" when they are picking a fight.
  • Go can be used as a term for oral sex.

Miscellaneous

"Go!" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

References


 
Translations: Translations for: Go

Dansk (Danish)
1.
v. intr. - bevæge sig, blive, forsvinde, række, gælde, lyde
v. tr. - gå, rejse, følge
n. - go, pep, fut, forsøg, krudt, omgang
adj. - velfungerende

idioms:

  • go about    gribe an, gå omkring
  • go across    gå over
  • go against    gå imod
  • go ahead    gå i gang, gå i forvejen
  • go all out    anstrenge sig til det yderste
  • go back    gå tilbage
  • go out with    komme sammen med, gå i byen med
  • go to    gå til
  • go to it    gå til den, tage fat
  • go to one's head    stige en til hovedet
  • go up    stige
  • go up to    rejse til
  • go with    tage med, høre med
  • on the go    i fuld gang

2.
n. - et japansk spil

Nederlands (Dutch)
(door-/weg-/ heen) gaan, (af)lopen, worden, luiden, verdwijnen, uitvallen, toestaan/ gebeuren, gezag hebben, bezwijken, stuk gaan, bederven, dienen, gangbaar zijn, gelden, bieden (kaartspel), reiken, zeggen, verstrijken, uitgegeven/ verkocht worden, Af! (start), het gaan, energie, poging, beurt, succes, drukte, voorval, rage, portie, bezieling, aanval, vooruitstrevend, in orde, stand van zaken

Français (French)
1.
v. intr. - aller (faire qch), aller à/chez, partir, marcher, fonctionner, commencer, conduire, mener, remonter (loin), s'enfoncer (profondément), être placé, mettre, rentrer dans, ressembler, faire courir que, dire que, faire loi, aller sans dire, être sur le point de, se passer, être par rapport à la moyenne, être vendu (une maison), être disponible, vendre au plus offrant (aux enchères), servir à, donner (une récompense), passer (à) (un héritage, un titre), passer, dépenser (de l'argent), (gén) faire, sonner (l'alarme), avoir recours à, s'effondrer (un toit), se rompre, céder, griller (un fusible), aller jusqu'à (une somme d'argent), prendre son tour, aller avec, s'harmoniser, aller aux toilettes, (US) emporter (des plats à emporter)
v. tr. - voyager, parcourir, annoncer (au bridge), miser, parier
n. - essai, tour, dynamisme, (GB) attaque (d'une maladie)
adj. - dynamique, essayé

idioms:

  • all the go    faire fureur
  • go about    (Naut) virer de bord, s'attaquer à (une tâche), vaquer à
  • go against    être défavorable, tourner au désavantage de, être contraire à (aux principes), aller à l'encontre de, (Pol) ne pas être dans la ligne du parti, s'opposer à, aller à l'inverse de
  • go ahead    partir devant, (fig) continuer, mettre en route (un projet), avoir lieu (une grève)
  • go back    retourner, rebrousser chemin, faire demi-tour, reprendre le travail, reprendre les cours, remonter (le temps), revenir (à)
  • go out with    sortir avec, avoir un(e) petit(e) ami(e)
  • go to    aller à, assister à
  • go to it    se lancer, fonce (excl)
  • go up    monter, monter (les prix), (Théât) se lever (le rideau), être construit, être affiché, sauter, exploser (un bâtiment), (GB, Univ) entrer à l'université, reprendre les cours, (Sport) passer en première division, continuer, aller jusqu'à, gravir (une montagne), (École) passer dans une classe supérieure
  • go up to    aller droit à, aller à/en, voyager, monter à, approcher
  • go with    être d'accord avec qn, aller avec, aller de pair avec, sortir avec, coucher avec (qn)
  • have a go at    s'en prendre à
  • make a go of    réussir (qch)
  • on the go    en chantier (un projet), en cours
  • there you go again    (fig) vous voilà qui recommencez (excl), vous voilà qui repassez

2.
n. - jeu japonais à deux joueurs

Deutsch (German)
1.
v. - gehen, fahren, werden, sein, sterben, nachlassen, vergehen, verlaufen, losgehen, laufen, gehören, (ugs.) erlaubt sein
n. - Versuch, Anlauf, Energie, Tatkraft, Reihe, Erfolg
adj. - alles klar, alles in Ordnung

idioms:

  • all the go    der letzte Schrei sein (ugs.), groß in Mode sein
  • go about    herumlaufen, umgehen, angehen, nachgehen
  • go against    zuwiderhandeln, widersetzen
  • go ahead    vorausgehen, weitermachen
  • go back    zurückgehen
  • go out with    gehen mit
  • go to    gehen zu, fahren zu, führen nach
  • go to it    es angehen
  • go up    nach oben gehen, ansteigen, aufgehen, in die Höhe gehen, in die Luft fliegen, aufsteigen, promovieren
  • go up to    zugehen auf
  • go with    Hand in Hand gehen mit, zusammengehen, gehen mit
  • have a go at    versuchen, etw. zu tun, sich an etw. versuchen, sich jmdn. vornehmen od. vorknöpfen (ugs.), über jmdn. herfallen
  • make a go of    mit etw. Erfolg haben, eine Sache zum Erfolg führen, das Beste aus etw. machen
  • on the go    in ständiger Bewegung, ständig am Arbeiten
  • there you go again    da, schon wieder!

2.
n. - Versuch, Anlauf, Energie, Tatkraft, Reihe, Erfolg

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - πάω, πηγαίνω, αναχωρώ, φεύγω, γίνομαι, αποβαίνω, προοδεύω, προχωρώ, ταιριάζω, πωλούμαι, (επί χρόνου) περνώ, ξοδεύομαι, (για κουδούνι) χτυπώ, χάνομαι, χωρώ, μπαίνω, (στη διαίρεση) χωρώ, λειτουργώ
n. - δραστηριότητα, κίνηση, απόπειρα, δυναμισμός, γκο (ιαπωνικό επιτραπέζιο παιχνίδι στρατηγικής)

idioms:

  • go about    κυκλοφορώ, τριγυρίζω, διαδίδομαι, ασχολούμαι με, καταπιάνομαι με
  • go across    περνώ απέναντι
  • go against    αντιβαίνω σε, πάω κόντρα, αντιστρατεύομαι
  • go ahead    προχωρώ, πάω μπροστά, προοδεύω
  • go all out    βάζω τα δυνατά μου, σκίζομαι για
  • go back    επιστρέφω, επανέρχομαι, ξαναγυρίζω, αθετώ
  • go out with    βγαίνω με
  • go to    πηγαίνω σε, προσφεύγω σε
  • go to it    εμπρός λοιπόν!
  • go to one's head    (καθομ.) φουσκώνω τα μυαλά κάποιου
  • go up    ανεβαίνω, ανέρχομαι, ανατινάζομαι, υψώνομαι, αρχίζω να σπουδάζω σε πανεπιστήμιο
  • go up to    πλησιάζω
  • go with    πάω/πηγαίνω με, συνοδεύω, ταιριάζω με, συμβαδίζω με
  • on the go    στο πόδι, σε κίνηση

Italiano (Italian)
andare, divenire, morire, muoversi, dire, andarsene, camminare, seguire, tentativo, energia, turno

idioms:

  • anything goes    non ne va bene una
  • as things/bosses/people go    come vanno le cose
  • go about    andare in giro, occuparsi di, circolare
  • go after    correre dietro, corteggiare
  • go against    opporsi
  • go ahead    proseguire
  • go all out    buttarsi
  • go along    procedere
  • go along with    accompagnare, andare avanti, essere d'accordo
  • go around    circolare
  • go around with    andare in giro con
  • go at    attaccare
  • go away    andarsene
  • go back    ritornare
  • go back on    mancare alla parola data, rimangiarsi
  • go before    precedere
  • go by    superare, passare
  • go down    scendere, tramontare
  • go down as    essere ricordato per
  • go down with    ammalarsi di
  • go far    andare lontano
  • go for    assalire
  • go for it    competere per
  • go halves    fare a metà
  • go in    entrare
  • go in for    occuparsi di
  • go into    addentrarsi
  • go it    mettercela
  • go off    andar via, uscire da, esplodere, scadere, scattare, suonare
  • go off well    riuscire bene
  • go on    proseguire, accadere, accendersi
  • go on with    seguitare
  • go out    uscire, perdere i sensi
  • go out of one's way    prendersi il disturbo di
  • go out with    uscire con
  • go over    esaminare
  • go over to    passare la linea a
  • go round    fare il giro di
  • go round with    frequentare
  • go steady    fidanzarsi
  • go the extra mile    strafare
  • go through    esaminare, subire, perquisire
  • go through with    andare fino in fondo con
  • go to    andare a
  • go to it    legarselo al dito
  • go to law    passare ai fatti
  • go to one's head    montarsi la testa
  • go to pieces    andare a pezzi
  • go too far    passare i limiti
  • go towards    andare incontro a
  • go under    soccombere
  • go up    risalire, saltare in aria
  • go up to    andare diritto a
  • go with    andar insieme
  • go without    far senza
  • goes without saying    non c'è da dirlo
  • has gone and done    l'ha fatta bella
  • on the go    molto occupato, in viaggio da un posto ad un altro

Português (Portuguese)
v. - ir, andar
n. - impulso (m), energia (f), estado (m) das coisas, apuro (m), vez (f) (de jogar), tentativa (f)

idioms:

  • as things/bosses/people go    como costuma acontecer (com as pessoas/chefes), de acordo com as circunstâncias
  • go back    voltar, originar, mudar de opinião ou posição
  • go out of one's way    afastar-se, não poupar esforços para
  • go out with    sair com
  • go to    ir para
  • go to it    ir ao encontro do objetivo
  • go to one's head    subir à cabeça
  • go up    subir, aumentar (de preço, valor, etc.)
  • go up to    ir até
  • go with    sair com, combinar com, ser namorado de
  • on the go    em grande atividade

Русский (Russian)
быть в движении или начинать движение, идти, ехать, лететь, приводиться в движение, приводить в движение, направляться, быть в обращении, быть в действии, проходить (о времени), кончаться, умирать, рушиться, терпеть крах, становиться кем-л., гласить

idioms:

  • as things\bosses\ people go    что касается/делов/хо- зяевов/людей, сравнивая с другими
  • go back    возвращаться, быть переведенными назад (о часах), восходить (ко времени)
  • go out of one's way    изменять привычный маршрут, лезть из кожи вон
  • go out with    встречаться с кем-л. (ходить на свидания), идти с кем-л. (в театр, ресторан и т.п.)
  • go to    ну тебя!
  • go to it    за дело!
  • go to one's head    ударять в голову (об алкоголе, успехе)
  • go up    подниматься, расти, взрываться, сгорать, разоряться
  • go up to    подступаться к чему-л., поступать в университет, приезжать в большой город
  • go with    идти в комплекте с чем-л., сочетаться с чем-л., быть в близких отношениях с кем-л.
  • on the go    в процессе непрекращающегося движения или работы

Español (Spanish)
1.
v. intr. - hacerse, convertirse en, llegar a ser, meterse, ponerse, quedarse, resultar, volverse, morir, ir, irse, decir, rezar, marcharse, partir, funcionar, andar, marchar, pertenecer, pasar, usarse para, armonizar, consumirse, acudir a, fallar o romperse
v. tr. - ir, tolerar, arriesgar, asumir la responsabilidad de, desear
n. - intento, ensayo, esfuerzo, tentativa, energía, arrestos, turno, vez, acto de ir, acuerdo de negocios, logro, permiso para
adj. - pronto, que funciona bien

idioms:

  • all the go    actividad frenética
  • go about    circular, correr, ir de un sitio para otro, hacer, ocuparse, recorrer, emprender
  • go against    ir en contra de, ser desfavorable
  • go ahead    proceder, seguir adelante, llevar la delantera
  • go back    volver, regresar, retroceder, remontarse a
  • go out with    salir con, mantener relaciones amorosas con, tener relaciones con
  • go to    ir a, irse a, dirigirse a, ser otorgado a
  • go to it    ¡manos a la obra!, ¡adelante!
  • go up&n