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on

on

∞ 1.0
Having power so it works
  • adjective
  • /ɑn/
: encendido
  • Further, you will be informed when the camera is on and when it is off.
  • on again

Number two, if you leave your lights on at night, I'm looking.

Examples

  • And as you guys can see, our lights are still on, we're still cooking.

  • These front lights are supposed to be on from dusk till dawn!

  • The lights in her room are on, but from the street, it looks empty.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Two weeks later, the lights were on in the stadium.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Miss, please, the seat belt sign is still on.

  • The lights are on in the kitchen, where the cops are playing poker and watching TV.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • So the LEDs should be on and they're not.

  • Although he had assumed the pool was closed, the lamps were on, sodium halos hanging in the mist.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The television is on now, so we can watch our favorite show.

  • Make sure the heater is on before the guests arrive.

Synonyms

90 4.1

Working and ready to use, for example machines or systems

indicates a device is powered and actively working
27 3.2

Working now and serving its purpose

represents a device being powered and active

Antonyms

off
∞ 1.0

Not working or operating

Idioms

come on
  • Informal
∞ 5.4

Say it to show disbelief, irritation, or to urge someone

∞ 1.0

Talking to someone using a telephone

887 1.0

Something or someone that is going to a place and will arrive soon

Shows a different idea from what you said before

on Earth
  • Informal
692 2.3

To show strong surprise or doubt in a question

597 2.9

Performing in front of an audience in a play or concert

550 3.4

Travelling from place to place for work, like a band or sports team

483 1.0

Burning with flames and smoke

426 1.0

At the expected time

369 1.8

Present on a vehicle like a ship or plane

367 1.4

To say that a list continues with similar items

363 3.6

Broadcasting live on radio or television for the public

314 3.4

Moving forward as planned to reach a goal

310 1.7

It happens sometimes but not very often

294 2.5

Happens during the early stages of a process or activity

270 4.8

At risk of being lost or harmed because of how something turns out

261 3.2

Filmed for a TV show or movie

260 3.5

Available for discussion or decision later

259 1.6

By choice, not by accident

252 2.7

At work doing your job

Having work or problems that you must deal with

right on
  • Informal
245 7.0

Exactly correct in what someone says

244 3.6

Agreeing with and supporting a plan or idea

211 1.0

Traveling away from home to visit another place for holiday or work

196 2.7

A trip in which people travel to give shows or events

196 2.3

Available for people to buy

185 3.2

Used to show one idea that you will compare with another

it's on
  • Informal
165 7.5

Something planned or a challenge that is now sure to happen

163 2.5

Stopped for a short time until someone decides to continue

155 3.8

Very close to doing or feeling something

148 2.1

It is the usual amount when you look at all cases together

142 3.4

You keep thinking about something and cannot stop

139 3.6

To introduce one of two contrasting points in a discussion

on someone's ass
  • Offensive
134 9.9

To keep asking someone to do something all the time in an annoying, pushy way

131 2.8

Immediately at the exact place where something happens, often needing a quick response

124 2.0

Happens at the planned time and is not late

Happens often at set times

110 3.9

Often traveling or changing what you do

110 1.7

Because of something such as illness or rain

108 2.1

Ready to use or help when needed

108 4.6

It is true in writing or in theory but not always in real life

107 1.2

Ask someone to wait for a short time

To show an opposite idea in a discussion

To say the opposite to correct a wrong idea

During the time someone is responsible for what happens

on high
  • Literature
89 7.4

To be at the top of a place or feel very excited, sometimes meaning from a power above

Having the same view about a plan or goal

right on
  • Archaic
84 7.7

A strong informal shout that shows agreement

About to happen soon or visible where the sky meets the sea

79 4.4

In a way that makes a person or place known and important

on edge
  • Informal
79 4.3

Feeling nervous and tense so you are easily upset or worried

77 3.2

Free for customers from a restaurant or bar

Compounds

An expression on a person's face that shows their feelings

on-the-scene
  • Literature
213 4.2

At the place where something is happening or has just happened

173 3.2

Needing something else to happen or be true

145 3.1

Between two people with no one else present

133 4.2

A way of thinking about a subject or issue

110 3.4

At the place where the work happens

84 3.9

Involving direct practical work rather than only theory

54 3.8

To face something directly without avoiding it

44 1.0

The place at your right side when you face forward

turn-on
  • NSFW
38 8.2

Something that makes someone feel sexually excited or attracted

return on investment
  • Specialized
35 3.5

How much money you gain from putting money into something, shown as a percent

34 3.9

The front of one vehicle hits the front of another in a crash

32 2.3

A small bag a passenger can take onto an airplane

dead-on
  • Informal
30 6.0

Exactly right and very accurate

29 3.5

When two people compete directly, often in sports

war on women
  • Offensive
25 6.7

A set of actions and laws that harm or limit women's rights, especially in politics and society

23 3.9

A thing you add to a program or device to give extra features

17 4.1

Things that happen, often unusual, secret, or maybe dishonest

15 3.5

Happening while you are working at your job

come-on
  • NSFW
14 7.4

Something meant to attract someone, like a compliment or an ad

14 7.5

Completely correct and in line with modern social values

13 6.4

Dependent on something else or on certain conditions

An ordinary person who is not an expert

A cooked ear with rows of yellow kernels you eat by holding the ends

A way someone thinks about life and the things that happen

10 6.8

A person who stays close to someone to get help or money, often annoying

8 3.7

Made to attach by a small piece that holds on, not by piercing or sewing

8 5.6

Very likely to happen or succeed

7 2.7

A light touch or knock to get someone's attention

A person or team thought most likely to win

Sermon on the Mount
  • Literature
7 6.2

A long talk by Jesus that gives key moral teachings in the Bible books Matthew and Luke

walk-on
  • Jargon
6 6.8

A small acting role in a play, film, or TV show that usually has no spoken lines

5 4.5

Happening immediately at the place where something is happening

hair-on-fire
  • Informal
5 9.1

People act in a panic and work very quickly to solve a problem

4 3.9

At the side of a street where people park or put signs

put-on
  • Informal
4 7.5

A false act or story that tries to trick people, often to make them laugh

4 9.1

A rule in cricket making a team bat again immediately after a very low first innings score

3 4.0

A small accessory that fastens to clothing or glasses without piercing

A very beautiful place where people feel happy and peaceful

A sentence that joins more than one full idea without proper punctuation or connecting words

pile on
  • Texting
3 6.0

A sudden wave of criticism from many people online

3 3.2

A piece of clothing you put on without using laces or buttons

war on Christmas
  • Literature
3 8.4

A claim that some people are trying to stop public Christmas celebrations

3 3.8

Happening sometimes and stopping at other times

A control that turns power to a device on or off

Study where you do practical tasks with real tools or equipment

2 4.7

An indirect result of an event that causes other changes

2 3.8

A small bottle with a round ball at the top that applies liquid to the skin like deodorant

slam on
  • Informal
2 8.2

A strong attack in words on a person or group

An international agreement from 1947 to reduce taxes on imports and other trade barriers

An ordinary woman who is not famous and says what many people think

on-license
  • Specialized
1 7.9

Official permission to sell alcohol for people to drink in a bar or restaurant

Paying in cash when someone brings goods to your home

A way to learn about other countries and cultures

1 8.3

An act of placing hands on a person to bless, give authority, or heal them

1 3.2

A private meeting or match between two people

base on balls
  • Specialized
1 5.5

An advance to first base after a batter receives four pitches outside the strike zone

A new version of an old idea used in fashion, food, or stories

1 1.6

Putting on clothes to see if they fit or suit you

put-on
  • Informal
1 7.6

Seems real but is actually false

Pieces of grilled chicken on a wooden stick sold as a quick snack

1 7.1

Something that makes an event less enjoyable or exciting

walk-on
  • Jargon
1 7.3

An acting part that has no spoken lines

1 7.2

A tight piece of underwear you pull on over the hips to shape the body

1 5.3

A percent showing how well a company makes profit from the money put into it

A drink of whiskey with ice cubes and nothing else

A place that makes a neighborhood look bad because it is empty, damaged, or not cared for

A way of living in a vehicle like a van or camper and moving often

shit on toast
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A rude way to say food or other things are very bad

A court decision before a trial made only from written statements when the main facts are agreed

A modern speech or document treated as a complete moral guide

word on the wire
  • Informal
1 8.0

News people share that is not official, often as a rumor

A city and major port on the Don River in southwestern Russia

How Active

running
295 1.5
on
∞ 1.0
off
∞ 1.0
inactive
19 2.5

Surface Forms

on positive

Etymology

On originally meant being 'in place' or 'in contact', so when a device is on it is 'in action' or 'working'. That's why we say the lights are on to mean they are active.