to go on
57
1.1
- phrasal verb
- /ɡoʊ ɑn/
:
encenderse
- The light of the lamp by his bed goes on, and he sleepily opens his eyes.
- lights go on
- go on the air
And so when all the lights went on, Oh my God, this is it.
- And so when all the lights went on, Oh my God, this is it.
- And I went, a light bulb went on and said, whoa, I get it.
Examples
-
As soon as the machine goes on, it starts to hum quietly in the background.
-
There's a click and the light goes on in the cellar.
Fiction book (1997) -
Because late last night I saw a light go on.
-
For two hours, she sat on her bed watching the lights go on and off in the town.
Fiction book (1990) -
Electric lights went on automatically at 6 AM and went off automatically two hours later.
Academic text (1997) -
The emergency light goes on; the alarm sounds; lab assistants are running...
Fiction book (1998) -
Suddenly, the green light on the lock goes on and it unlocks with a clunk.
Fiction book (1991) -
The windows rattle, Lex screams, the flashlight goes on again, and the tyrannosaur strikes.
Fiction book (1993) -
When the power was restored, the lights go on immediately, illuminating the entire room.
-
She pressed the button, and the display screen goes on, showing the startup menu.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To begin an action, event or process
∞
2.2
To make a machine or device work
550
1.0
To make a machine or device start working
365
2.5
Start to work, like lights or heating
262
3.5
To start working after being switched on
95
2.0
To start operating and do the job it was made for
38
3.0
To make a machine or system begin to work
32
1.6
To make a device like a light start working by pressing a button or moving a switch
28
4.5
To start a computer and load its operating system
14
5.5
Start a computer's operating system so it can run
3
5.2
Start a computer system or service so it is ready to use
Antonyms
How Quickly
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to start running/operating' is directly derivable from combining 'go' (begin to run or be in action) with 'on' (into an active/operational state); a learner who knows both constituents can infer this meaning. The verb+on composition pattern signaling change into an active/working state is common in English and relatively transparent cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner is likely to understand it.
Etymology
Go on for machines comes from lights or engines that 'go on' when switched, like a lamp that suddenly shines. That clear start is why go on means 'to start working' for a device.