go

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "go"

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English gon, goon, from Old English gān (“to go”), from Proto-West Germanic *gān, from Proto-Germanic *gāną (“to go”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁- (“to leave”).

The inherited past tense form yode (compare Old English ēode) was replaced through suppletion in the 15th century by went, from Old English wendan (“to go, depart, wend”).

cognates and related terms

Cognate with Scots gae (“to go”), West Frisian gean (“to go”), Dutch gaan (“to go”), Low German gahn (“to go”), German gehen (“to go”), Swedish and Danish gå (“to go”), Norwegian gå (“to walk”). Compare also Albanian ngah (“to run, drive, go”), Ancient Greek κιχάνω (kikhánō, “to meet with, arrive at”), Avestan 𐬰𐬀𐬰𐬁𐬨𐬌 (zazāmi), Sanskrit जहाति (jáhāti).

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

go (third-person singular simple present goes, present participle going, simple past went or (archaic) yode, past participle gone or (nonstandard) went)

  1. To move:
    Synonyms: move, fare, tread, draw, drift, wend, cross
    Antonyms: freeze, halt, remain, stand still, stay, stop
    1. (intransitive) To move through space (especially to or through a place). (May be used of tangible things like people or cars, or intangible things like moods or information.)
      • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
        She was so mad she wouldn't speak to me for quite a spell, but at last I coaxed her into going up to Miss Emmeline's room and fetching down a tintype of the missing Deacon man.
      • 2005, David Neilson, Standstill, →ISBN, page 159:
        […] there was a general sense of panic going through the house; […]
      • 2013, Mike Vouri, The Pig War: Standoff at Griffin Bay, →ISBN, page 177:
        Telegrams to London went by wire to Halifax, Nova Scotia, thence by steam mail packet to Liverpool, […]
      • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
        I have to go now.
        Audio (US)(file)
      Why don’t you go with us?
      This train goes through Cincinnati on its way to Chicago.
      Chris, where are you going?
      There's no public transit where I'm going.
      Wow, look at him go!
    2. (intransitive) To move or travel through time (either literally—in a fictional or hypothetical situation in which time travel is possible—or in one's mind or knowledge of the historical record). (See also go back.)
      • 2002 September 18, Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 107th Congress, second session; Senate, page 17033:
        You have to go all the way back to Herbert Hoover to see a performance in the Standard & Poors 500 equal to what we are experiencing right now.
      • 2010, Charlotte Sadler, Time for One More Dance, →ISBN, page 162:
        "I don't know how to tell you this, Aubrey, but you can't go back to 1938 […] the program won't accept any date that I input before 1941." […] "Well, I'll go to 1941, then."
      Yesterday was the second-wettest day on record; you have to go all the way back to 1896 to find a day when more rain fell.
      Fans want to see the Twelfth Doctor go to the 51st century to visit River in the library.
    3. (intransitive) To navigate (to a file or folder on a computer, a site on the internet, a memory, etc).
      • 2009, David J. Clark, The Unofficial Guide to Microsoft Office Word 2007, →ISBN, page 536:
        To access Office-related TechNet resources, go to www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/office.
      • 2009, Lisa W. Coyne, Amy R. Murrell, The Joy of Parenting, →ISBN:
        Go to your earliest memory and to your favorite one, then to one that's difficult to consider.
      • 2012, Glen E. Clarke, Edward Tetz, CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One For Dummies, →ISBN, page 280:
        Go to drive C: through My Computer (or Computer in Windows 7 and Vista) and double-click the c:\data folder.
    4. To move (a particular distance, or in a particular fashion).
      • 2003, Harrison E. Salisbury, The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad, →ISBN, page 307:
        The car went a short distance, then halted. There was something wrong with the carburetor.
      We've only gone twenty miles today.
      This car can go circles around that one.
    5. (intransitive) To move or travel in order to do something, or to do something while moving.
      We went swimming.
      Let's go shopping.
    6. (intransitive) To leave; to move away.
      Synonyms: depart, leave, exit, go away, go out
      Antonyms: come, arrive, approach
      Please don't go!
      I really must be going.
      Workmen were coming and going at all hours of the night.
    7. (obsolete, intransitive) To walk; to travel on one's feet. [11th–19th c.]
      • 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Book XII:
        ‘As for that,’ seyde Sir Trystram, ‘I may chose othir to ryde othir to go.’
      • 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, Kupperman, published 1988, page 129:
        Master Piercie our new President, was so sicke hee could neither goe nor stand.
      • 1684, John Bunyan, “Battle with Giant Slay-good”, in The Pilgrim's Progress, Part II Section 3:
        Other brunts I also look for; but this I have resolved on, to wit, to run when I can, to go when I cannot run, and to creep when I cannot go.
  2. (intransitive, chiefly of a machine) To work or function (properly); to move or perform (as required).
    Synonyms: function, work, operate
    The engine just won't go anymore.
    • 1997, New Scientist, volume 154, page 105:
      'Although the lemon is now black and shrivelled the motor is still going strong. If I can make my small motor run for month after month on a single lemon, just imagine how much "juice" there must be in a whole sackful', Mr Ashill said.
    • 2008, Michael Buckley, Shangri-La: A Practical Guide to the Himalayan Dream, →ISBN, page 146:
      […] though his publisher swears black and blue that Kelder is still going strong and still remains an intensely private person.
  3. (intransitive) To start; to begin (an action or process).
    Get ready, get set, go!
    On your marks, get set, go!
    On your marks, set, go!
    Here goes nothing.
    Let's go and hunt.
    • 1693, [William] Congreve, The Old Batchelour, a Comedy. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Peter Buck, […], →OCLC, Act V, page 45:
      At leaſt, I'm ſure I can fiſh it out of her. She's the very Sluce to her Lady's Secrets;—'Tis but ſetting her Mill agoing, and I can drein her of 'em all.
    • 2001 June 18, a prophecy, quoted in Mary and the Unity of the Church →ISBN, page 49:
      Be listening for my voice. Go when you hear my voice say go.
  4. (intransitive) To take a turn, especially in a game.
    Synonyms: move, make one's move, take one’s turn
    It’s your turn; go.
  5. (intransitive) To attend.
    I go to school at the schoolhouse.
    She went to Yale.
    They only go to church on Christmas.
  6. To proceed:
    1. (intransitive) To proceed (often in a specified manner, indicating the perceived quality of an event or state).
      That went well.
      "How are things going?" "Not bad, thanks."
      • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
        How goes the night, boy?
      • 1727, John Arbuthnot, Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures. Explain'd and exemplify'd in several dissertations:
        I think, as the world goes, he was a good sort of man enough.
      • 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick: Or, The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry after Truth, […], 2nd edition, London: […] John Clark and Richard Hett, […], Emanuel Matthews, […], and Richard Ford, […], published 1726, →OCLC:
        Whether the cause goes for me or against me, you must pay me the reward.
      • 1986, The Opera Quarterly, volume 4, numbers 3-4, page 24:
        I certainly won't mention it to Ben, and will go carefully if he mentions it to me.
    2. (intransitive, colloquial, with another verb, sometimes linked by and) To proceed (especially to do something foolish).
      Why'd you have to go and do that?
      Why'd you have to go do that?
      He just went and punched the guy.
      • 2011, Debra Glass, Scarlet Widow, →ISBN, page 96:
        And even if she had believed the story about a John Smith, she might go telling everyone in town about what she'd seen.
  7. To follow or travel along (a path):
    1. To follow or proceed according to (a course or path).
      • 1951?, Gunther Olesch et al., Siddhartha, translation of original by Hermann Hesse:
        I'm repeating it: I wish that you would go this path up to its end, that you shall find salvation!
      Let's go this way for a while.
      She was going that way anyway, so she offered to show him where it was.
    2. To travel or pass along.
      • 2010, Luke Dixon, Khartoum, →ISBN, page 60:
        A shady promenade went the length of the street and the entrance to the hotel was a few steps back in the darkness, away from the glaring sunshine.
  8. (intransitive) To extend (from one point in time or space to another).
    This property goes all the way to the state line.
    • 1946, Hearings Before the Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack, Congress of the United States, Seventy-ninth Congress, First Session, page 2459:
      I think those figures start from 1932 and go to 1941, inclusive, […]
    • 2007, Math for All: Differentiating instruction, grades K-2, →ISBN, page 38:
      Even though they can give a basic fact such as 4×4, I don't know that this knowledge goes very deep for them.
  9. (intransitive) To lead (to a place); to give access to.
    Does this road go to Fort Smith?
    • 2013, Without Delusion, →ISBN, page 191:
      “Where does this door go?” Bev asked as she pointed to a door painted a darker green than the powder green color of the carpet. Janet answered. “That door goes to the back yard.”
  10. (copulative) To become. (The adjective that follows usually describes a negative state.)
    Synonyms: become, turn, change into
    You'll go blind.  The milk went bad.
    I went crazy.
    After failing as a criminal, he decided to go straight.
    The video clip went viral.
    Don't tell my Mum: she'll go ballistic.
    • 2001, Saverio Giovacchini, Hollywood Modernism: Film and Politics, →ISBN, page 18:
      Referring to the American radicals who went Hollywood in the 1930s, Abraham Polonsky argues that "you can't possibly explain the Hollywood communists away […] "
  11. To assume the obligation or function of; to be, to serve as.
    • 1912, The Bookseller, Newsdealer and Stationer, volume 36, page 17:
      There is scarcely a business man who is not occasionally asked to go bail for somebody.
    • 2010, Jane Sanders, Youth Justice: Your Guide to Cops and Courts, →ISBN:
      Most welfare workers are not allowed to go surety for clients.
  12. (intransitive, copulative) To continuously or habitually be in a state.
    I don't want my children to go hungry.
    We went barefoot in the summer.
  13. (copulative) To come to (a certain condition or state).
    They went into debt, she goes to sleep around 10 o'clock.
    the local shop wants to go digital, and eventually go global.
  14. (intransitive) To change (from one value to another) in the meaning of wend.
    The traffic light went straight from green to red.
  15. To turn out, to result; to come to (a certain result).
    How did your meeting with Smith go?
    • 2014, Tim Harris, Politics Under the Later Stuarts, →ISBN, page 195:
      When Wharton had to relinquish his seat in Buckinghamshire on his elevation to the peerage in 1696, he was unable to replace himself with a suitable man, and the by-election went in favour of a local Tory, Lord Cheyne.
  16. (intransitive) To tend (toward a result).
    Well, that goes to show you.
    These experiences go to make us stronger.
  17. To contribute to a (specified) end product or result.
    qualities that go to make a lady / lip-reader / sharpshooter
    • 1839, A Challenge to Phrenologists; Or, Phrenology Tested, page 155:
      What can we know of any substance or existence, but as made up of all the qualities that go to its composition: extension, solidity, form, colour; take these away, and you know nothing.
    • 1907, Patrick Doyle, Indian Engineering, volume 41, page 181:
      The avoirdupois pound is one of 7,000 grains, and go to the pound.
  18. To pass, to be used up:
    1. (intransitive, of time) To elapse, to pass; to slip away. (Compare go by.)
      The time went slowly.
      • 1850, “Sketches of New England Character”, in Holden's Dollar Magazine, volumes 5-6, page 731:
        But the days went and went, and she never came; and then I thought I would come here where you were.
      • 2008, Sue Raymond, Hidden Secrets, →ISBN, page 357:
        The rest of the morning went quickly and before Su knew it Jean was knocking on the door […]
    2. (intransitive) To end or disappear. (Compare go away.)
      Synonyms: disappear, vanish, go away, end, dissipate
      Antonyms: remain, stay, hold
      After three days, my headache finally went.
    3. (intransitive) To be spent or used up.
      His money went on drink.
      • 2011, Ross Macdonald, Black Money, →ISBN, page 29:
        All I have is a sleeping bag right now. All my money goes to keep up the cars.
  19. (intransitive) To die.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:die
    I want to go in my sleep.
  20. (intransitive, cricket) To be lost or out:
    1. (intransitive, cricket, of a wicket) To be lost.
    2. (intransitive, cricket, of a batsman) To be out.
  21. To break down or apart:
    1. (intransitive) To collapse or give way, to break apart.
      Synonyms: crumble, collapse, disintegrate, give way
      • 1998, Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek‎[2], →ISBN, page 157:
        I wonder if I hopped up and down, would the bridge go?
      • 2011, Shaunti Feldhahn, The Lights of Tenth Street, →ISBN:
        Sober-eyed commentators safe in their television studios interviewed engineers about the chances that the rest of the dam could go.
      • 2012, Carolyn Keene, Mardi Gras Masquerade, →ISBN, page 38:
        Jackson shook his head. "The contractor said those panes could go at any moment." / "Right. Just like the wiring could go at any moment, and the roof could go at any moment."
    2. (intransitive) To break down or decay.
      My mind is going.
      She's 83; her eyesight is starting to go.
  22. (intransitive) To be sold.
    The car went for five thousand dollars.
    The store is closing down so everything must go.
  23. (intransitive) To be discarded or disposed of.
    This chair has got to go.
    All this old rubbish can go.
  24. (intransitive) To be given, especially to be assigned or allotted.
    The property shall go to my wife.
    The award went to Steven Spielberg.
    • 2007, David Bouchier, The Song of Suburbia: Scenes from Suburban Life, →ISBN, page 19:
      If my money goes to education, I want a report card.
  25. (transitive, intransitive) To survive or get by; to last or persist for a stated length of time.
    • 1983, Princeton Alumni Weekly, volume 84, page 48:
      Against the Big Green, Princeton went the entire first and third quarters without gaining a first down, […]
    • 2011 June 4, Phil McNulty, “England 2-2 Switzerland”, in BBC‎[3]:
      England have now gone four games without a win at Wembley, their longest sequence without a victory in 30 years, and still have much work to do to reach Euro 2012 as they prepare for a testing trip to face Bulgaria in Sofia in September.
    • 2011, H. R. F. Keating, Zen there was Murder →ISBN:
      'Surely one cannot go for long in this world to-day without at least a thought for St Simon Stylites?'
    How long can you go without water?
    We've gone without your help for a while now.
    I've gone ten days now without a cigarette.
    Can you two go twenty minutes without arguing?!
  26. (transitive, sports) To have a certain record.
    They've gone one for three in this series.
    The team is going five in a row.
  27. To be authoritative, accepted, or valid:
    1. (intransitive) Of an opinion or instruction, to have (final) authority; to be authoritative.
      Whatever the boss says goes, do you understand?
    2. (intransitive) To be accepted.
      Anything goes around here.
      • 1691, [John Locke], Some Considerations of the Consequences of the Lowering of Interest, and Raising the Value of Money. […], London: […] Awnsham and John Churchill, […], published 1692, →OCLC:
        The money which remains should go according to its true value.
    3. (intransitive) To be valid.
      • 2014, Shayna Lance King, If You'd Read This Book: You'd Be Employed By Now, →ISBN, page 22:
        [To job interviews, wear] muted colors. No pink or paisley (that goes for you too, guys!) […]
  29. To say (something), to make a sound:
    1. (transitive, colloquial) To say (something, aloud or to oneself). (Often used in present tense.)
      I go, "As if!" And she was all like, "Whatever!"
      As soon as I did it, I went "that was stupid."
    2. (transitive) To make the (specified) sound.
      Cats go "meow". Motorcycles go "vroom".
    3. (intransitive) To sound; to make a noise.
      • 1992 June 24, Edwina Currie, Diary:
        At 4pm, the phone went. It was The Sun: 'We hear your daughter's been expelled for cheating at her school exams […] ' / / She'd made a remark to a friend at the end of the German exam and had been pulled up for talking. / / As they left the exam room, she muttered that the teacher was a 'twat'. He heard and flipped—a pretty stupid thing to do, knowing the kids were tired and tense after exams. Instead of dropping it, the teacher complained to the Head and Deb was carpeted.
      I woke up just before the clock went.
  30. To be expressed or composed (a certain way).
    The tune goes like this.
    As the story goes, he got the idea for the song while sitting in traffic.
  31. (intransitive) To resort (to).
    The nylon gears kept breaking, so we went to stainless steel.
  32. To apply or subject oneself to:
    1. To apply oneself; to undertake; to have as one's goal or intention. (Compare be going to.)
      I'm going to join a sports team.
      I wish you'd go and get a job.
      He went to pick it up, but it rolled out of reach.
      He's going to leave town tomorrow.
      • a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the page number)”, in Fulke Greville, Matthew Gwinne, and John Florio, editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC; republished in Albert Feuillerat, editor, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia (Cambridge English Classics: The Complete Works of Sir Philip Sidney; I), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1912, →OCLC:
        Seeing himself confronted by so many, like a resolute orator, he went not to denial, but to justify his cruel falsehood.
      • 1990, Celestine Sibley, Tokens of myself, →ISBN, page 73:
        Now I didn't go to make that mistake about the record-breaking drought of more than fifty years ago, but, boy, am I glad I made it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have heard from Joe Almand.
    2. (intransitive) To make an effort, to subject oneself (to something).
      You didn't have to go to such trouble.
      I never thought he'd go so far as to call you.
      She went to great expense to help them win.
    3. (intransitive) To work (through or over), especially mentally.
      I've gone over this a hundred times.
      Let's not go into that right now.
  33. To fit (in a place, or together with something):
    1. (intransitive, often followed by a preposition) To fit.
      Synonyms: fit, pass, stretch, come, make it
      Do you think the sofa will go through the door?
      The belt just barely went around his waist.
    2. (intransitive) To be compatible, especially of colors or food and drink.
      Synonym: harmonize
      Antonym: clash
      This shade of red doesn't go with the drapes.
      White wine goes better with fish than red wine.
    3. (intransitive) To belong (somewhere).
      Synonyms: belong, have a place
      My shirts go on this side of the wardrobe.
      This piece of the jigsaw goes on the other side.
  34. (intransitive) To date.
    Synonyms: go out (with), date, see
    How long have they been going together?
    He's been going with her for two weeks.
  35. (transitive) To (begin to) date or have sex with (a particular race).
    • 2005, Frederick Smith, Down For Whatever, Kensington Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 197:
      You can date black, you can do white, on a slow night maybe even go for an Asian boy, but most likely you'll go Latino unless the aforementioned guys speak a little Spanish […]
    • 2010 November 9, Greg Fitzsimmons, Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons: Tales of Redemption from an Irish Mailbox, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 166:
      I felt that was an insult to John Lennon, but I married her anyway. Thinking back, I should have gone Asian.
    • 2010, Marty Nazzaro, The City of Presidents, FriesenPress, →ISBN, page 131:
      “I could give a flying fuck less if Ronnie dated a Martian, but the fact of the matter is that it would not be cool for him to go Asian. He knows it and I know it.” Ronnie did not respond at all. Shit, he wanted to date Tai in the worst way, […]
    • 2011 May 3, Sandra Guzmán, The New Latina’s Bible: The Modern Latina’s Guide to Love, Spirituality, Family, and La Vida‎[4], Basic Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC:
      In fact, Hispanics and Asians are riding the wave—26 percent of Latino and 31 percent of Asian newlywed couples were mixed race or ethnicity. And, when marrying out, we went white—four in ten Latinos married a white spouse, […]
    • 2012 March 1, Sylvia Lett, All Night Lover, Kensington Publishing Corp., →ISBN, →OCLC, page 182:
      She's gone black now. That's a big change for you, Cassie. So tell me, is it true what they say about black men?
    • 2017 May 16, Judith A. Yates, "She Is Evil!": Madness and Murder in Memphis‎[5], WildBlue Press, →ISBN, →OCLC:
      “She went black,” he remembers. “She only started dating black guys. Or foreigners.”
    • 2018 November 27, M.J. Kane, A Heart Not Easily Broken (Butterfly Memoirs)‎[6], Written Musings, →ISBN:
      “Your twin is dating a white man,” Lashana interjected. […] “ […] Now, let me get this straight, Eb, you've gone white?”
    • 2022 January 4, Radhika Sanghani, 30 Things I Love About Myself‎[7], Penguin, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC:
      She's hot. Hey, how are your parents about it all? I mean, you're breaking two taboos there—you're dating women, and you've gone white.
  36. To attack:
    1. (intransitive) To fight or attack.
      • 2002, “Objects in Space”, in Firefly, Jayne Cobb (actor):
        You wanna go, little man?
      I went at him with a knife.
    2. (transitive, obsolete, US, slang) To fight.
      • 1900, Burt L. Standish, Frank Merriwell's Tricks: Or True Friends and False‎[8]:
        You've shown me his weak points, and I'll go him whether you stick by me or not.
    3. (transitive, Australian slang) To attack.
      • 1964, Robert Close, Love Me Sailor, page 131:
        As big as me. Strong, too. I was itching to go him, And he had clouted Ernie.
      • 2002, James Freud, I am the Voice Left from Drinking, unnumbered page:
        Then I′m sure I heard him mutter ‘Why don′t you get fucked,’ under his breath.
        It was at that moment that I became a true professional. Instead of going him, I announced the next song.
      • 2005, Joy Dettman, One Sunday, page 297:
        Tom stepped back, considered the hill, and taking off down it. She was going to go him for blowing that flamin′ whistle in her ear all day.
  38. To be in general; to be usually; often in comparison to others of the same group.
    • 1975, Private Eye, numbers 340-366, page 9:
      Booster is not a loud trumpeter as elephants go.
    • 1982, Fernand Braudel, On History, →ISBN, page 40:
      They are fairly rough and ready as models go, not often driven to the rigor of an authentic scientific law, and never worried about coming out with some revolutionary mathematical language — but models nonetheless, […]
    • 1991, Katherine Paterson, Lyddie:
      She was, as girls go, scrawny and muscular, yet her boyish frame had in the last year betrayed her.
  39. (transitive) To take (a particular part or share); to participate in to the extent of.
    Let's go halves on this.
  40. (transitive) To yield or weigh.
    • 1910, Ray Stannard Baker, Adventures in Friendship‎[9], page 182:
      This'll go three tons to the acre, or I'll eat my shirt.
    Those babies go five tons apiece.
  41. (transitive, intransitive) To offer, bid or bet an amount; to pay.
    That's as high as I can go.
    We could go two fifty.
    I'll go a ten-spot.
    I'll go you a shilling.
    I'll go him one better.
  42. (transitive, colloquial) To enjoy. (Compare go for.)
    I could go a beer right about now.
  43. (intransitive, colloquial) To urinate or defecate.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:urinate, see also Thesaurus:defecate
    I really need to go.
    Have you managed to go today, Mrs. Miggins?
    • 2006, Kevin Blue, Practical Justice: Living Off-Center in a Self-Centered World, →ISBN, page 54:
      Clarence was just as surprised to see Richard, and he went—right there in the doorway. I had slept through all this mayhem on the other side of the apartment. By the time I got up, these were all semi-comical memories and the urine had been cleaned up.
  44. (imperative) Expressing encouragement or approval.
    Go, girl! You can do it!
Usage notes[edit]
  • Along with do, make, and to a lesser extent other English verbs, go is often used as a substitute for a verb that was used previously or that is implied, in the same way a pronoun substitutes for a noun. For example:
    Chris: Then he goes like this: (Chris then waves his arms around, implying that the phrase means then he waves his arms).
  • Some speakers use went for the past participle, especially in informal contexts, though this is considered nonstandard and is proscribed.
  • Like other English verbs, the verb go once had an alternative present participle formed with the suffix -and, i.e. goand. Goand is now obsolete, having been replaced by going, except in a few rural dialects in Scotland and Northern England, where it is considered archaic. Even in such dialects, it is never used to form the continuous tenses. These examples are from the Highlands:
    Goand snell athwart the houf, hoo hent 'im be the swyr.
    Goand oot of the holt, she saw a woundor baist.
Conjugation[edit]
Conjugation of go
infinitive (to) go
present tense past tense
1st-person singular go went, yode†
2nd-person singular go, goest† went, yode†, wentest†
3rd-person singular goes, goeth† went, yode†
plural go
subjunctive go went, yode†
imperative go —
participles going, goand† gone, yode†

†Archaic or obsolete.

Quotations[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
walk — see walk
leave — see leave
attend — see attend
extend — see extend
lead (tend or reach in a certain direction) — see lead
change — see change
turn out — see turn out
of time: elapse, pass — see elapse,‎ pass
die — see die
survive — see survive
attack — see attack
urinate, defecate — see urinate,‎ defecate
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Noun[edit]

go (countable and uncountable, plural goes)

  1. (uncommon) The act of going.
    • 1993, Francis J. Sheed, Theology and Sanity, →ISBN:
      The Apostles were to be the first of a line. They would multiply successors, and the successors would die and their successors after them, but the line would never fail; and the come and go of men would not matter, since it is the one Christ operating through all of them.
    • 2009, Mark Raney, David Midgett, →ISBN, page 68:
      They talk easily together and they hear the come and go of the breeze in the soon to be turning burnt leaves of the high trees.
  2. A turn at something, or in something (e.g. a game).
    Synonyms: stint, (turn in a game) turn, (turn in a game) move, turn
    You’ve been on that pinball machine long enough—now let your brother have a go.
    It’s your go.
  3. An attempt, a try.
    Synonyms: attempt, bash, shot, stab, try
    I’ll give it a go.
    • 2012, Alex Montgomery, Martin O'Neill: The Biography, →ISBN, page 196:
      You have to stay and we will have a go at winning the championship next season."
  4. An approval or permission to do something, or that which has been approved.
    Synonym: green light
    We will begin as soon as the boss says it's a go.
    • 1894, Bret Harte, The Sheriff of Siskyou:
      "Well, Tom, is it a go? You can trust me, for you'll have the thousand in your pocket before you start. […] "
    • 2009, Craig Nelson, Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon, →ISBN:
      And as soon as we gave them the go to continue, we lost communication.
  5. An act; the working or operation.
    • 1598, John Marston, Pigmalion, The Metamorphosis of Pigmalions Image and Certaine Satyres, 1856, J. O. Halliwell (editor), The Works of John Marston: Reprinted from the Original Editions, Volume 3, page 211,
      Let this suffice, that that same happy night,
      So gracious were the goes of marriage […]
  6. (slang, dated) A circumstance or occurrence; an incident, often unexpected.
    • 1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby, in 1868, The Works of Charles Dickens, Volume 2: Nicholas Nickleby, Martin Chuzzlewit, American Notes, page 306,
      “Well, this is a pretty go, is this here! An uncommon pretty go!
    • 1869, Punch, volume 57, page 257:
      “Ain't this a rum go? This is a queer sort of dodge for lighting the streets.”
    • 1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby:
      The images of Mrs. Squeers, my daughter, and my son Wackford, all short of vittles, is perpetually before me; every other consideration melts away and vanishes, in front of these; the only number in all arithmetic that I know of, as a husband and a father, is number one, under this here most fatal go!
    • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
      "Supposing now that some of them were to slip into the boat at night and cut the cable, make off with her? That would be a pretty go, that would."
    • 2018 February 11, Colin Dexter, Russell Lewis, 01:02:03 from the start, in Endeavour(Cartouche), season 5, episode 2 (TV series), spoken by DCI Fred Thursday (Roger Allam):
      “It’s a rum go and no mistake.”
  7. (dated) The fashion or mode.
    Synonyms: mode, style, trend
    quite the go
    • 1852, Jane Thomas (née Pinhorn), The London and Paris ladies' magazine of fashion (page 97)
      We are blowing each other out of the market with cheapness; but it is all the go, so we must not be behind the age.
  8. (dated) Noisy merriment.
    a high go
    • 1820, Thomas Moore, W. Simpkin, R. Marshall, Jack Randall's Diary of Proceedings at the House of Call for Genius:
      Gemmen (says he), you all well know
      The joy there is whene'er we meet;
      It's what I call the primest go,
      And rightly named, 'tis—'quite a treat,' […]
  9. (slang, archaic) A glass of spirits; a quantity of spirits.
    Synonyms: gage, measure
    • 1820, Thomas Moore, W. Simpkin, R. Marshall, Jack Randall's Diary of Proceedings at the House of Call for Genius:
      Jack Randall then impatient rose, / And said, ‘Tom's speech were just as fine / If he would call that first of goes [i.e. gin] / By that genteeler name—white wine.'
    • 1836, Charles Dickens, Sketches by Boz:
      When the cloth was removed, Mr. Thomas Potter ordered the waiter to bring in two goes of his best Scotch whiskey, with warm water and sugar, and a couple of his "very mildest" Havannas,
    • 1868 March, In a City Bus, in the Eclectic Magazine, new series volume VII, number 3:
      “Then, if you value it so highly,” I said, “you can hardly object to stand half a go of brandy for its recovery.”
  10. (dated) A portion
    • 1904, Edith Nesbit, The New Treasure Seekers, Chapter 1:
      Albert's uncle had had a jolly good breakfast—fish and eggs and bacon and three goes of marmalade.
  11. (uncountable) Power of going or doing; energy; vitality; perseverance.
    Synonyms: energy, flair, liveliness, perseverance, pizzazz, spirit, verve, vigour, vim, vitality, zest
    There is no go in him.
  12. (cribbage) The situation where a player cannot play a card which will not carry the aggregate count above thirty-one.
  13. A period of activity.
    ate it all in one go
    • 1995, William Noel, The Harley Psalter, →ISBN, page 65:
      This could mean that the artist traced the illustration in two goes, as it were, or that the Utrecht Psalter slipped while he was tracing, but I do not think that the relative proportions are consistent enough to demonstrate this.
  14. (obsolete, British slang) A dandy; a fashionable person.
    • 1881, Pierce Egan, chapter VII, in Tom and Jerry‎[10], page 136:
      That TOM, who was the GO among the GOES, in the very centre of fashion in London, should have to encounter the vulgar stare of this village; or, that the dairy-maid should leave off skimming her cream to take a peep at our hero, as he mounted his courser, is not at all surprising: and TOM only smiled at this provincial sort of rudeness.
    • 2012, Kate Ross, A Broken Vessel:
      He's a go among the goes, is Mr. Kestrel. He's only got to sport a new kind of topper, or tie his crumpler a new way, and every gentry-cove in town does just the same.
    See Thesaurus:dandy
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Adjective[edit]

go (not comparable)

  1. (postpositive, chiefly military and space flight) Working correctly and ready to commence operation; approved and able to be put into action.
    • 1962, United States. Congress, Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the […] Congress, page 2754:
      John Glenn reports all systems are go.
    • 1964, Instruments and Control Systems:
      "Life support system is go," said the earphone.
    • 2011, Matthew Stover, Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor: Star Wars Legends, Del Rey, →ISBN:
      “Green One has four starts and is go.”
    • 2016, Tim Brewster, Stuck: It's About to Get Very Weird […] , Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 118:
      “Weapons ready?” Sam and I pull our loaded BB guns out of the bag and slot them into place in the longholsters on our backs.“ Weapons are go,” Sam replied.

Etymology 2[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

From the Japanese 碁 (go), one character of the game's more usual Japanese name 囲碁 (igo), taken from the Chinese 圍棋 / 围棋 (wéiqí).

Alternative forms[edit]

Noun[edit]

go (uncountable)

  1. (board games) A strategic board game, originally from China and today also popular in Japan and Korea, in which two players (black and white) attempt to control the largest area of the board with their counters.
    Synonyms: weiqi, baduk
Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Alemannic German[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Short form of gon (“to, towards”). Particle served originally as a preposition (prespositions gon, gan still do). Cognate to (particle/preposition) Alemannic German ga, ge, gi, gu, etc. From Middle High German gon (gan, gen), from Old High German gagan, from Proto-Germanic *gagin. Cognate to German gen (“to, towards”), gegen (“against, towards”), Dutch tegen, English gain, gain-, again, against, Icelandic gegn.

Not to be confused with the verb go (“to go”) (gaa, goo, etc.).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (Swiss) IPA(key): [ɡo], [ɡɔ]
  • Hyphenation: go

Particle[edit]

go

  1. to (particle follows after verbs (such as go, come); placed before infinitive)
    Synonyms: (in northern and western Switzerland dialects with certain verbs) cho, lah
    I(ch) gang go (ga, ge, gi, gu) schaffe. ― I am going to work.
    I(ch) gahn(e) go schaffe. ― I'm going to work.
    I(ch) gang go schlaaffe. ― I am going to sleep.

Preposition[edit]

go

  1. (dated) to, towards (indicating a direction; nowaday often replaced by uf, nach)
    Synonyms: uf, nach
    I(ch) gang go (ga, gi, etc.) Bäärn. ― I'm going to Bern.
    I(ch) gang go (ga, gi, etc.) Züri. ― I'm going to Zurich.
  2. to (used a verb preposition; in combination with verbs and often reduplicated. See particle for more)
  3. (used as an auxiliary time verb for perfect (tense) sentences; placed after verb sii (“being”) and causing an omission of participle gange (“went”))

Etymology 2[edit]

Cognate to (verb) Alemannic German gon (“go”), ga, gan, etc. From Middle High German gān (gēn), from Old High German gān, (gēn), from Proto-West Germanic *gān, from Proto-Germanic *gāną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁- (“to leave”). Cognate with German gehen, Low German gan, gahn, Dutch gaan, English go, Danish and Swedish gå.

Not to be confused with the particle/preposition go (“to, towards”) (ga, ge, etc.).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (Swiss) IPA(key): [ɡoː], [ɡɔː]
  • Hyphenation: go

Verb[edit]

go (goo, goh) (third-person singular simple present goht, past participle ggange, past subjunctive gieng, auxiliary sii)

  1. to go, to walk, step (movement/motion indicating starting point, direction, aim and purpose)
  2. to go away, walk away , step away
  3. to enter; to step in(side), walk in(side), step in(side) (+ inne (“in(side)”) (ine (“id”)); a room, house, building)
  4. to be in motion, to work
    Es muess go (ga, gaa, gah, goo, goh). ― It has to work (It must work).
  5. to flow (indicating flow direction of a river, stream, creek)
Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • [11] particle/preposition/verb "go" (gā, ga, gān, gan, gāⁿ, gaⁿ, go,​ goⁿ,​ gogeⁿ,​ gi) in Schweizerisches Idiotikon (Swiss,Idiotikon)
  • [12] article about "go" (to, towards, against) in Schweizerisches Idiotikon (Swiss Idiotikon), by Christoph Landolt, August 2018

Arigidi[edit]

Adjective[edit]

go

  1. tall

References[edit]

  • B. Oshodi, The HTS (High Tone Syllable) in Arigidi: An Introduction, in the Nordic Journal of African Studies 20(4): 263–275 (2011)

Czech[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Japanese 碁 (go), from Chinese 圍棋 / 围棋 (wéiqí).

Noun[edit]

go n

  1. (board games) go

Declension[edit]

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Japanese 碁 (go), from Chinese 圍棋 / 围棋 (wéiqí).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

go n (uncountable)

  1. (board games) go

Esperanto[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

go (accusative singular go-on, plural go-oj, accusative plural go-ojn)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter G.

See also[edit]

Finnish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Japanese 碁 (go).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡoː/, [ˈɡo̞ː]

Noun[edit]

go

  1. go (game)

Declension[edit]

Inflection of go (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)
nominative go got
genitive gon goiden
goitten
partitive gota goita
illative gohon goihin
singular plural
nominative go got
accusative nom. go got
gen. gon
genitive gon goiden
goitten
partitive gota goita
inessive gossa goissa
elative gosta goista
illative gohon goihin
adessive golla goilla
ablative golta goilta
allative golle goille
essive gona goina
translative goksi goiksi
abessive gotta goitta
instructive — goin
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of go (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative goni goni
accusative nom. goni goni
gen. goni
genitive goni goideni
goitteni
partitive gotani goitani
inessive gossani goissani
elative gostani goistani
illative gohoni goihini
adessive gollani goillani
ablative goltani goiltani
allative golleni goilleni
essive gonani goinani
translative gokseni goikseni
abessive gottani goittani
instructive — —
comitative — goineni
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative gosi gosi
accusative nom. gosi gosi
gen. gosi
genitive gosi goidesi
goittesi
partitive gotasi goitasi
inessive gossasi goissasi
elative gostasi goistasi
illative gohosi goihisi
adessive gollasi goillasi
ablative goltasi goiltasi
allative gollesi goillesi
essive gonasi goinasi
translative goksesi goiksesi
abessive gottasi goittasi
instructive — —
comitative — goinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative gomme gomme
accusative nom. gomme gomme
gen. gomme
genitive gomme goidemme
goittemme
partitive gotamme goitamme
inessive gossamme goissamme
elative gostamme goistamme
illative gohomme goihimme
adessive gollamme goillamme
ablative goltamme goiltamme
allative gollemme goillemme
essive gonamme goinamme
translative goksemme goiksemme
abessive gottamme goittamme
instructive — —
comitative — goinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative gonne gonne
accusative nom. gonne gonne
gen. gonne
genitive gonne goidenne
goittenne
partitive gotanne goitanne
inessive gossanne goissanne
elative gostanne goistanne
illative gohonne goihinne
adessive gollanne goillanne
ablative goltanne goiltanne
allative gollenne goillenne
essive gonanne goinanne
translative goksenne goiksenne
abessive gottanne goittanne
instructive — —
comitative — goinenne
third-person possessor
singular plural
nominative gonsa gonsa
accusative nom. gonsa gonsa
gen. gonsa
genitive gonsa goidensa
goittensa
partitive gotaan
gotansa 		goitaan
goitansa
inessive gossaan
gossansa 		goissaan
goissansa
elative gostaan
gostansa 		goistaan
goistansa
illative gohonsa goihinsa
adessive gollaan
gollansa 		goillaan
goillansa
ablative goltaan
goltansa 		goiltaan
goiltansa
allative golleen
gollensa 		goilleen
goillensa
essive gonaan
gonansa 		goinaan
goinansa
translative gokseen
goksensa 		goikseen
goiksensa
abessive gottaan
gottansa 		goittaan
goittansa
instructive — —
comitative — goineen
goinensa

Derived terms[edit]

compounds

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Japanese 碁 (go), from Chinese 圍棋 / 围棋 (wéiqí).

Noun[edit]

go m (plural go)

  1. go (board game)
    Synonym: jeu de go

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

go m (plural gos)

  1. Alternative form of gau

Etymology 3[edit]

Borrowed from Bambara go, itself from French gosse.

Noun[edit]

go f (plural go or gos)

  1. (Ivory Coast, France) girlfriend
  2. (Senegal, France) girl, chick
    • 1998, “Agrévolution”, in Ol Kainry (lyrics), Ce n’est que l’début, performed by Agression Verbale:
      Georgetown pète le champagne, y’a du son, y’a des go et le sunshine
      Tu vois y’a pas de fringues, en caleçon et débardeurs
      Avec une bande de démarreurs, des go qui me disent “t’es speed comme Schumacher”
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Synonyms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Hungarian[edit]

Hungarian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia hu

Etymology[edit]

From Japanese 碁 (go), though it is usually called 囲碁 (igo) in Japanese.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

go (plural gók)

  1. (board games) go

Declension[edit]

Inflection of go
singular plural
nominative go gók
accusative gót gókat
dative gónak góknak
instrumental góval gókkal
causal-final góért gókért
translative góvá gókká
terminative góig gókig
essive-formal góként gókként
essive-modal — —
inessive góban gókban
superessive gón gókon
adessive gónál góknál
illative góba gókba
sublative góra gókra
allative góhoz gókhoz
elative góból gókból
delative góról gókról
ablative gótól góktól
non-attributive
possessive - singular 		góé góké
non-attributive
possessive - plural 		góéi gókéi
Possessive forms of go
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. góm góim
2nd person sing. gód góid
3rd person sing. gója gói
1st person plural gónk góink
2nd person plural gótok góitok
3rd person plural gójuk góik

Derived terms[edit]

Indonesian[edit]

Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Etymology[edit]

From the Japanese 碁 (go) character, though it is usually called 囲碁 (igo) in Japanese.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ɡo/
  • Hyphenation: go

Noun[edit]

go (first-person possessive goku, second-person possessive gomu, third-person possessive gonya)

  2. (board games) A strategic board game, originally from China, in which two players (black and white) attempt to control the largest area of the board with their counters.

Irish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Irish co, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“next to, at, with, along”). Cognate with German ge- (“with”) (collective prefix) and gegen (“toward, against”), English gain-, Spanish con (“with”), Russian ко (ko, “to”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

go (triggers eclipsis, takes dependent form of irregular verbs)

  1. that (used to introduce a subordinate clause)
    Deir sé go bhfuil deifir air. ― He says that he is in a hurry.
  2. used to introduce a subjunctive hortative
    Go gcuidí Dia leo. ― May God help them.
    Go maire tú é! ― May you live to enjoy it!
    Go raibh maith agat. ― Thank you. (literally, “May you have good.”)
  3. until, till
    Synonym: go dtí go
    Fan go dtiocfaidh sé. ― Wait until he comes.

Related terms[edit]

  • (introducing subordinate clause; until):
    • gur (for past tenses)
    • nach (for negated clauses)
    • nár (for past tenses in negated clauses)
  • (introducing subjunctive hortative): nár (for a negative wish)

Preposition[edit]

go (plus dative, triggers h-prothesis)

  1. to (with places), till, until
    dul go Meiriceá ― to go to America
    Fáilte go hÉirinn ― Welcome to Ireland
    go leor ― enough, plenty, galore (literally, “until plenty”)
    go fóill ― still, yet, till later, in a while, later on

Usage notes[edit]

  • In the meaning "to", used with place names that do not start with the definite article. Place names that do start with the definite article use go dtí instead. In a few fixed phrases, the archaic form gos is used.

Synonyms[edit]

Particle[edit]

go (triggers h-prothesis)

  1. used to make temporary state adverbs
    D’ith sé go maith. ― He ate well.
    Shiúlaíodar go mall. ― They walked slowly.
    go feargach ― angrily
  2. used to make predicative adjectives expressing an opinion or value judgment
    Tá an t-anraith seo go maith. ― This soup is good.
    Bhí a mac go hálainn. ― Her son was beautiful.
    Ní raibh an film go huafásach. ― The film wasn't awful.

Usage notes[edit]

Only used with predicate adjectives expressing a value judgment like "good/bad", "beautiful/ugly" etc. Other predicate adjectives do not take a particle:

Tá an t-anraith seo te. ― This soup is hot.
Bhí a mac ard. ― Her son was tall.
Ní raibh an film fada. ― The film wasn't long.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 88

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Japanese 碁 (go), from Chinese 圍棋 / 围棋 (wéiqí).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡɔ/*, /ˈɡo/*[1]
  • Rhymes: -ɔ, -o
  • Hyphenation: gò, gó

Noun[edit]

go m (uncountable)

  1. (board games) go

References[edit]

  1. ^ go in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Further reading[edit]

  • go in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Iu Mien[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *qʷuw (“far”), from Chinese 迂 (OC *qʷ(r)a, *[ɢ]ʷ(r)a). Cognate with White Hmong deb and Western Xiangxi Miao [Fenghuang] ghoub.

Adjective[edit]

go 

  1. far, distant

Jamaican Creole[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Derived from English go.

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

go

  1. to go; going; went. (tense is determined from context)
    • 2012, Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment, Edinburgh: DJB, published 2012, →ISBN, Matyu 21:29:
      “Di bwai se, ‘Mi naa go no we.’ Bot lietaraan im chienj im main an go.
      The son answered, ‘I won't [go],’ but afterwards he was sorry for what he said and he did go.
    • 2023, Yuunivorshal Deklarieshan a Yuuman Raits, United Nations, Aatikl 13.2:
      Evribadi av di rait fi lef eni konchri, iivn im uona konchri, an kyan go bak a im uona konchri enitaim im waahn.
      Everybody has the right to leave any country, even his own country, and can go back to his own country anytime he wants.

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • go at majstro.com

Japanese[edit]

Romanization[edit]

go

  1. Rōmaji transcription of ご
  2. Rōmaji transcription of ゴ

Lhao Vo[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  1. go:

Etymology[edit]

Cognate with Burmese ကာ (ka, “shield”).

Noun[edit]

go

  1. shield

References[edit]

  • Dr. Ola Hanson, A Dictionary of the Kachin Language (1906).

Middle English[edit]

Verb[edit]

go

  1. Alternative form of gon (“to go”)

Nigerian Pidgin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English go

Verb[edit]

go

  1. to go
    Im no go go wia wahala dey ― She will not go where there is trouble

Particle[edit]

go (to disambiguate this meaning, the acute intonation and the acute accent can be used: "gó")

  1. Used to express the future tense, will
    Im no go dey dia ― He will not be there
    • 1985, Sonny Oti (lyrics and music), “Nigeria Go Survive”, performed by Veno:
      Nigeria go survive / Africa go survive / My people go survive o / Nigeria go survive
      Nigeria will survive / Africa will survive / My people will survive, yes / Nigeria will survive

Northern Sami[edit]

Etymology[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

go

  1. when
  2. when, as
  3. since, because
  4. (in comparisons) than

Further reading[edit]

  • Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎[13], Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Ojibwe[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Particle[edit]

go

  1. emphasis marker
    Mii sa go ozhiitaawaad igo.
    They were getting ready.

References[edit]

Pali[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Alternative forms

Etymology[edit]

Inherited from Sanskrit गो (go).

Noun[edit]

go m or f

  1. cow, ox, bull

Declension[edit]

Declension table of "go" (masculine)
Case \ NumberSingularPlural
Nominative (first)gogavo or gāvo
Accusative (second)gavaṃ or gāvuṃ or gāvaṃgavo or gāvo
Instrumental (third)gavena or gāvenagohi or gobhi
Dative (fourth)gavassa or gāvassagunnaṃ or gavaṃ or gonaṃ
Ablative (fifth)gavasmā or gavamhā or gavā or gāvā or gāvasmā or gāvamhāgohi or gobhi
Genitive (sixth)gavassa or gāvassagunnaṃ or gavaṃ or gonaṃ
Locative (seventh)gavasmiṃ or gavamhi or gave or gāve or gāvasmiṃ or gāvamhigavesu or gāvesu or gosu
Vocative (calling)gogavo or gāvo

Derived terms[edit]

Pijin[edit]

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Etymology[edit]

From English go.

Verb[edit]

go

  1. to go; to leave; to go to; to go toward
    • 1988, Geoffrey Miles White, Bikfala faet: olketa Solomon Aelanda rimembarem Wol Wo Tu‎[14], page 75:
      Bihaen hemi finisim skul blong hem, hemi go minista long sios long ples blong hem long 'Areo.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Polish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronoun[edit]

go m

  1. genitive/accusative singular mute of on
    Widzisz go? ― Can you see him?

Pronoun[edit]

go n

  1. genitive singular mute of ono

See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Borrowed from Japanese 碁 (go).

Noun[edit]

go n (indeclinable)

  1. go

Further reading[edit]

  • go in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Japanese 碁 (go), from Chinese 圍棋 / 围棋 (wéiqí).

Noun[edit]

go m (uncountable)

  1. (board games) go (Chinese strategy board game)

Salar[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Amdo Tibetan [script needed] (go, “door”). Related to 口 (kǒu). Unrelated to Turkish kapı, Uyghur [script needed] (qovuq).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (Chahandusi, Jiezi, Gaizi, Qingshui, Mengda, Hanbahe, Baizhuang, Xunhua, Qinghai) IPA(key): [koː]
  • (Mengda, Xunhua, Qinghai, Ili, Yining, Xinjiang) IPA(key): [qoː]
  • (Qingshui, Baizhuang, Xunhua, Qinghai) IPA(key): [ko]

Noun[edit]

go

  1. door

References[edit]

  • Potanin, G.N. (1893) “go”, in Тангутско-Тибетская окраина Китая и Центральная Монголия (in Russian)
  • Kakuk, S. (1962). “Un Vocabulaire Salar.” Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 14, no. 2: 173–96. [15]
  • Tenishev, Edhem (1976) “go”, in Stroj salárskovo jazyká [Grammar of Salar], Moscow, pages 385, 463
  • 林 (Lin), 莲云 (Lianyun) (1985) “go”, in 撒拉语简志 [A Brief History of Salar]‎[16], Beijing: 民族出版社: 琴書店, →OCLC, page 113
  • Yakup, Abdurishid (2002) “go”, in An Ili Salar Vocabulary: Introduction and a Provisional Salar-English Lexicon‎[17], Tokyo: University of Tokyo, →ISBN, page 107
  • Ma, Chengjun, Han, Lianye, Ma, Weisheng (December 2010) “go”, in 米娜瓦尔 艾比布拉 (Minavar Abibra), editor, 撒维汉词典 (Sāwéihàncídiǎn) [Salar-Uyghur-Chinese dictionary], 1st edition, Beijing, →ISBN, page 231
  • 马伟 (Ma Wei), 朝克 (Chao Ke) (2016) “go”, in 濒危语言——撒拉语研究 [Endangered Languages ​​- Salar Language Studies], 青海 (Qinghai): 国家社会科学基金项目 (National Social Science Foundation Project), page 274

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *golъ, from Proto-Indo-European *gelH- (“naked, bald”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

gȏ (definite gȍlī, comparative gòlijī, Cyrillic spelling го̑)

  1. (Bosnia, Serbia) naked, nude, bare

Declension[edit]

indefinite forms
singular masculine feminine neuter
nominative go gola golo
genitive gola gole gola
dative golu goloj golu
accusative inanimate
animate 		go
gola 		golu golo
vocative go gola golo
locative golu goloj golu
instrumental golim golom golim
plural masculine feminine neuter
nominative goli gole gola
genitive golih golih golih
dative golim(a) golim(a) golim(a)
accusative gole gole gola
vocative goli gole gola
locative golim(a) golim(a) golim(a)
instrumental golim(a) golim(a) golim(a)
definite forms
singular masculine feminine neuter
nominative goli gola golo
genitive golog(a) gole golog(a)
dative golom(u/e) goloj golom(u/e)
accusative inanimate
animate 		goli
golog(a) 		golu golo
vocative goli gola golo
locative golom(e/u) goloj golom(e/u)
instrumental golim golom golim
plural masculine feminine neuter
nominative goli gole gola
genitive golih golih golih
dative golim(a) golim(a) golim(a)
accusative gole gole gola
vocative goli gole gola
locative golim(a) golim(a) golim(a)
instrumental golim(a) golim(a) golim(a)

South Efate[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Probably related to Big Nambas ka-.

Pronunciation[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

go

  1. and

Spanish[edit]

Noun[edit]

go m (uncountable)

  1. go (game)

Further reading[edit]

Sranan Tongo[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English go.

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

go

  1. To go

Swedish[edit]

Adjective[edit]

go (comparative goare, superlative goast)

  1. (colloquial) Alternative form of god (chiefly of taste)
    Glassen var riktigt go
    The ice cream was really tasty
  2. (colloquial) appealing, usually in a cozy, cuddly, cute, or charming way
    Kudden var mjuk och go
    The pillow was soft and cozy
    Hennes kaniner är så goa
    Her rabbits are so cute and sweet

Declension[edit]

Inflection of go
Indefinite Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular go goare goast
Neuter singular gott goare goast
Plural goa goare goast
Masculine plural3 goe goare goast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 goe goare goaste
All goa goare goaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
3) Dated or archaic

Noun[edit]

go n

  1. (colloquial) go (initiative, perseverance, etc.)
    Synonym: jävlar anamma
    Det är inget go i honom
    There's no go in him

Noun[edit]

go

  1. (board games) go

References[edit]

Tok Pisin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English go.

Verb[edit]

go

  1. go, leave

Tyap[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

go

  1. to maintain, nurture, incubate

Venetian[edit]

Verb[edit]

go

  1. first-person singular present indicative of gaver

Vietnamese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Noun[edit]

go • (𩸰)

  1. (Northern Vietnam) gills
    • 1920, François Chaize [Cố Thịnh], “Phần II. Hạng vật có xương sống (Vertébrés)”, in Địa cầu vạn vật luận - Động vật (Histoire naturelle - zoologie):
      4° Lớp ếch nhái ( Batraciens ) Có máu lạnh; lái tim có 3 ngăn; vật ấy hoá hình, lúc bé có go để thở dưới nước rồi thay go lấy phổi để thở trong khí giời; có da trơn trụi lông; thường có 4 chân; hầu hết đẻ trứng.
      4° Amphibians ( Batraciens ) are ectothermic; they have three-chambered hearts and undergo metamorphosis, as when they are juvenile, they have gills to breathe underwater but lose their gills for lungs in order to breathe air; their skin is smooth and furless; they are often quadruped; most are oviparous.
    • 1920, Nguyễn Can Mộng, “Bài 50”, in Nam học Hán văn khoá bản:
      鰓 Tai = go cá, ouïes.
      鰓 Tai = fish gills, ouïes.

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

go • (𦁣)

  1. woof, weft

Volapük[edit]

Adverb[edit]

go

  1. absolutely

Welsh[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle Welsh gwo-, from Old Welsh guo-, from Proto-Brythonic *gwo-, from Proto-Celtic *uɸo- (“under”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

go (causes soft mutation)

  1. pretty, a bit, fairly

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “go”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

Yola[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Verb[edit]

go

  1. Alternative form of goan (“going”)
    • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 84:
      Ha deight ouse var gabble, tell ee zin go t'glade.
      You have put us in talk, 'till the sun goes to set.

Etymology 2[edit]

Verb[edit]

go

  1. Alternative form of goe (“to go”)
    • 1867, “VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 100:
      Go gaame abuth Forth, thou unket saalvache.
      Go, make game about Forth, thou uncouth sloven.

References[edit]

  • Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867

Yoruba[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

gò

  1. to cover or put something in a coop; usually referring to birds
    ó go adìẹ náà ― She put the chicken in a coop
Usage notes[edit]
  • go before a direct object
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Compare with Olukumi gó

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

go

  1. (Ondo, Ifẹ, Ikalẹ) to be tall
    Ulí yí Olú kọ́ go ― The house Olu built is tall (Oǹdó)

Zhuang[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Chinese 棵.

Classifier[edit]

go (1957–1982 spelling go)

  1. Used with plants.

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle Chinese 歌 (kɑ).

Noun[edit]

go (1957–1982 spelling go)

  1. song

Etymology 3[edit]

From Middle Chinese 哥 (kɑ).

Noun[edit]

go (1957–1982 spelling go)

  1. elder brother
    Synonyms: (dialectal) goq, (dialectal) goj
  2. male relative outside of one's nuclear family, of the same generation, and older than oneself; brother-in-law or cousin

Etymology 4[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Particle[edit]

go (1957–1982 spelling go)

  1. Used sentence-finally to express certainty or decisiveness.
    Synonym: (dialectal) goh
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