on

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on

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(ŏn, ôn)

prep.

1. Used to indicate position above and supported by or in contact with: The vase is on the table. We rested on our hands and knees.
2. Used to indicate contact with or extent over (a surface) regardless of position: a picture on the wall; a rash on my back.
3. Used to indicate location at or along: the pasture on the south side of the river; a house on the highway.
4. Used to indicate proximity: a town on the border.
5. Used to indicate attachment to or suspension from: beads on a string.
6. Used to indicate figurative or abstract position: on the young side, but experienced; on her third beer; stopped on chapter two.
1. Used to indicate actual motion toward, against, or onto: jumped on the table; the march on Washington.
2. Used to indicate figurative or abstract motion toward, against, or onto: going on six o'clock; came on the answer by accident.
1. Used to indicate occurrence at a given time: on July third; every hour on the hour.
2. Used to indicate the particular occasion or circumstance: On entering the room, she saw him.
1. Used to indicate the object affected by actual, perceptible action: The spotlight fell on the actress. He knocked on the door.
2. Used to indicate the object affected by a figurative action: Have pity on them.
3. Used to indicate the object of an action directed, tending, or moving against it: an attack on the fortress.
4. Used to indicate the object of perception or thought: gazed on the vista; meditated on his actions.
Used to indicate the agent or agency of a specified action: cut his foot on the broken glass; talked on the telephone.
1. Used to indicate a medicine or other corrective taken or undertaken routinely: went on a strict diet.
2. Used to indicate a substance that is the cause of an addiction, a habit, or an altered state of consciousness: high on dope.
1. Used to indicate a source or basis: "We will reach our judgments not on intentions or on promises but on deeds and on results" (Margaret Thatcher).
2. Used to indicate a source of power or energy: The car runs on methane.
1. Used to indicate the state or process of: on leave; on fire; on the way.
2. Used to indicate the purpose of: travel on business.
3. Used to indicate a means of conveyance: ride on a train.
4. Used to indicate availability by means of: beer on tap; a physician on call.
Used to indicate belonging to: a nurse on the hospital staff.
Used to indicate addition or repetition: heaped error on error.
1. Concerning; about: a book on astronomy.
2. Concerning and to the disadvantage of: We have some evidence on him.
Informal. In one's possession; with: I haven't a cent on me.
At the expense of; compliments of: drinks on the house.

adv.

In or into a position or condition of being supported by or in contact with something: Put the coffee on.
In or into a position of being attached to or covering something: Put your clothes on.
In the direction of something: He looked on while the ship docked.
1. Toward or at a point lying ahead in space or time; forward: The play moved on to the next city.
2. At or to a more distant point in time or space: I'll do it later on.
In a continuous course: He worked on quietly.
1. In or into performance or operation: Turn on the radio.
2. In progress or action; in a state of activity: The show must go on.
In or at the present position or condition: stay on; hang on.
In a condition of being scheduled for or decided upon: There is a party on tonight.

adj.

Being in operation: The television is on.
1. Engaged in a given function or activity, such as a vocal or dramatic role: You're on in five minutes!
2. Under or behaving as if under observation: A minister is always on.
Informal. Functioning or performing at a high degree of competence or energy: The goalie is really on.
1. Planned; intended: We have nothing much on for this weekend.
2. Happening; taking place: The parade is on.
Baseball. Having reached base safely; on base: Two runners are on.

idioms:

be on to Slang.

To be aware of or have information about: You'll never deceive us again; we're on to you.

on and off

Intermittently.

on and on

Without stopping; continuously.

[Middle English, from Old English an, on.]

USAGE NOTE To indicate motion toward a position, both on and onto can be used: The cat jumped on the table. The cat jumped onto the table. Onto is more specific, however, in indicating that the motion was initiated from an outside point. He wandered onto the battlefield means that he began his wandering at some point off the battlefield. He wandered on the battlefield may mean that his wandering began on the battlefield. • In constructions where on is an adverb attached to a verb, it should not be joined with to to form the single word onto: move on to (not onto) new subjects; hold on to (not onto) our gains. • In their uses to indicate spatial relations, on and upon are often interchangeable: It was resting on (or upon) two supports. We saw a finch light on (or upon) a bough. To indicate a relation between two things, however, instead of between an action and an end point, upon cannot always be used: Hand me the book on (not upon) the table. It was the only town on (not upon) the main line. Similarly, upon cannot always be used in place of on when the relation is not spatial: He wrote a book on (not upon) alchemy. She will be here on (not upon) Tuesday.

on

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In American English, on is idiomatic in two uses in which British English uses a different preposition:

My father...had a dry-goods store on Gesia Street—I. B. Singer, 1983 (British English in)

On weekends she would play disk jockey like that for hours—New Yorker, 1987 (British English at).

Previous:	omit, omelette, often
Next:	on to, onto, one, ongoing

Antonyms by Answers.com:

on

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adv, adj

Definition: in contact; ahead of
Antonyms: off

Investopedia Financial Dictionary:

One-Cancels-the-Other Order - OCO

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An order stipulating that if one part of the order is executed, then the other part is automatically canceled.

Investopedia Says:
An investor with limited funds may place an order to buy both stocks and bonds and specify that it's a "one-cancels-the-other-order." In other words, if the market favors stocks and they are bought, the order to buy bonds will be canceled. Conversely, if the market suggests bonds are the way to go, the order will be to buy bonds and the order to buy stocks will be canceled.

Related Links:
Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes when you buy or sell a stock? Read on and find out! The Nitty-Gritty Of Executing A Trade
Find out the various ways in which a broker can fill an order, which can affect costs. Understanding Order Execution
Taking control of your portfolio means knowing what orders to use when buying or selling stocks. The Basics Of Trading A Stock

Sign Language Videos:

on

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sign description: One hand is placed on top of the back of the opposite hand.

Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang:

on

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adverb
adverb, US

1: Aware of (the situation); alert to or knowledgeable about (something). (1885 —) .
G. Ade The Preacher didn't know what all this meant,...but you can rest easy that the Pew-Holders were On in a minute (1900).

2: US On drugs; addicted to or taking drugs. (1938 —) .
W. Gaddis She's high right now, can't you see it? She's been on for three days (1955).

Previous:	omee, olive oil, oldie
Next:	oncer, one-arm joint, one-arm(ed) bandit

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'on'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier

For a list of words related to on, see:

Baseball - on: (adj) on base
Prepositions
Dimensions and Directions - on: (prep) used to indicate location or immediate proximity; (adv) toward a place; forward or along a given course
Relative Positions - on: (adv) in contact with or in close proximity to a surface

Rhymes:

on

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See words rhyming with "on."

Translations:

On

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Dansk (Danish)
prep. - på, op på, over, om, ved, efter, af, mod, til, ud fra
adv. - på, for, videre, tændt
n. - on-side el. leg-side; i cricket
adj. - acceptabel, på den side hvor slåeren står (cricket), villig til at deltage

idioms:

be on være i gang, være i drift, foregå
be on about kværne om
be on to være klar over
go on fortsæt
not on ikke tændt
on and off af og til, tændt og slukket
on and on blive ved og ved
on at starte på et bestemt tidspunkt, plage
on time være rettidig
take on påtage sig

Nederlands (Dutch)
op, aan, langs, aangaande, betreffende, over, in, voort, tegen, bij (zich), op het moment van, toe, doorgaand (niet afgelast)

Français (French)
prep. - sur, au sujet de, de, dans, à, contre, le, du, en avant, à, au, aux, sur/au sujet de
adv. - sur, en, plus tard, encore, plus loin, en scène
n. - (Sport) (ne pas être) hors-jeu (football, cricket, etc)
adj. - avoir lieu, diffusé, à la télé, prévu, au théâtre, au cinéma (des films projetés), à l'affiche, en marche, allumé (un appareil), ouvert (un robinet), (GB) permissible, acceptable, construit (un toit), mis (le couvert)

idioms:

be on about être préparé à propos de, être prêt à propos de
be on at être après qn
be on to parler à (qn) de, informer (qn) de, être informé de
be on to something être sur une piste intéressante, trouver, comprendre, saisir
go on être placé, poursuivre, repartir, se remettre en route, continuer, s'étendre à n'en plus finir sur qch, faire sans cesse des remarques sur qch, passer à (un autre sujet), se passer, se dérouler, passer (le temps), se conduire (péj), (Théât) entrer en scène, (Sport) entrer en jeu, se porter (malade), approcher/aller sur (la cinquantaine), se fonder sur, s'intéresser à
not on (cela) ne se fait pas (une conduite)
on and off de temps en temps, par intermittence
on and on sans répit, constamment
on it (Austral) boire un coup (fam), en signe d'accord, pour fêter ça
you're on (Radio, TV, Théât) à vous (excl), d'accord (excl), ça marche (excl)

Deutsch (German)
prep. - auf, an, über
adj. - auf, an, über
adv. - auf, an, über, vorwärts, weiter
n. - vom Werfer aus rechte Feldseite

idioms:

be on about ständig sprechen über
be on at jmdm. mit etwas in den Ohren liegen
be on to durchblicken
be on to something etw. ausfindig gemacht haben, etw. [klar] erkennen
go on fortfahren, weitergehen, anhalten, geschehen, angehen, fortfahren mit
not on etw. ist ausgeschlossen
on and off ab und an
on and on immer weiter
on it (Australia) (inf) [etw.] trinken
you're on abgemacht!, die Wette gilt!

Ελληνική (Greek)
prep. - (ε)πάνω σε, επί, εις, σε, προς, κατά τη διεύθυνση, κατά τη δεδομένη χρονική στιγμή ή περίοδο, περί
adj. - εξελισσόμενος, διαδραματιζόμενος, τεκταινόμενος, κοντινός ή κοντινότερος
adv. - επάνω, προς τα εμπρός, εμπρός, συνεχώς, χωρίς διακοπή, φορεμένος (για ρούχο), αναμμένος, ανοιχτός, σε λειτουργία
n. - κατάσταση λειτουργίας, ενεργοποίησης ή δραστηριοποίησης
abbr. - παλαιά νορβηγικά

idioms:

be on είμαι σε ισχύ
be on about συζητώ ή αναφέρομαι (ιδιαίτερα επίμονα και φορτικά) σε κάτι (κν. τσαμπουνάω)
be on to έχω καταλάβει, είμαι στο τηλέφωνο με
go on συνεχίζω
not on απαράδεκτος, ανέφικτος
on and off κατά διαστήματα, κάπου-κάπου
on and on αδιάκοπα, συνεχώς, ασταμάτητα
on at που γκρινιάζει
on time στην ώρα, εγκαίρως
take on (προσ)λαμβάνω, αρχίζω, αναλαμβάνω, καταπιάνομαι, αρπάζομαι, εξοργίζομαι, κορώνω, διαδίδομαι, κερδίζω έδαφος, γίνομαι της μόδας, δέχομαι, παίρνω (επιβάτες κ.λπ.), δέχομαι να αναμετρηθώ με, διαδίδομαι, πιάνω, γίνομαι δημοφιλής

Italiano (Italian)
per, di, su, dentro, in, a, sopra, avanti

idioms:

(just) not on sbagliato
be on essere d'accordo, entusiasmarsi
be on about insistere su
be on to mangiare la foglia, scoprire il gioco di
be/keep on at continuare
on and off talvolta
on and on sempre, continuo, senza fine
on time puntuale, in orario

Português (Portuguese)
prep. - em, sobre
adj. - posto
adv. - posição

idioms:

(just) not on (simplesmente) não dá
be on estar ligado
be on about tagarelar sobre
be on to sacar, saber sobre
be/keep on at insistir em
go on continuar
go on with continuar com
on and off a intervalos
on and on continuadamente, sem parar
on time na hora
take on assumir, adotar

Русский (Russian)
на

idioms:

(just) not on нельзя
be on состояться, идти (по телевизору), участвовать
be on about нудить
be on to поймать, знать кто виновен
be/keep on at не отделываться
go on длиться, происходить, проходить (о времени), упорно продолжать, переходить (к вопросу и пр.), распространяться (по поводу), спорить, вести себя, полагаться (на), путешествовать (на чем-л.)
go on with продолжать делать что-л.
on and off от случая к случаю
on and on все дальше и дальше, бесконечно
on time вовремя
take on браться за дело, принимать вызов/пари, принимать на себя ответственность/вину и т.д.

Español (Spanish)
prep. - contra, sobre, acerca de, de, en, a, por, encima de, adelante, más
adv. - puesto, encima, sobre sí
n. - posición de juego (cricket)
adj. - encendido, puesto, que está en marcha, que funciona, que ha empezado, abierto, que tiene un papel

idioms:

be on about referirse o discutir a fondo
be on at quejarse o refunfuñar, dar la lata
be on to caer en el chiste, darse cuenta de, estar al tanto o al corriente, comprender
be on to something tener una idea que se espera que conduzca a un gran resultado
go on continuar, proseguir, seguir, desatarse, pasar, acaecer, acontecer, ocurrir, presentarse, producirse, sobrevenir, suceder, adelantar, avanzar, encenderse, ¡qué va!, ¡vaya!, ¡sigue!
not on inaceptable, imposible
on and off a ratos, de vez en cuando, a intervalos
on and on sin parar, sin cesar, continuamente
on it sobre él, en eso
you're on estás en el aire, estás al aire

Svenska (Swedish)
prep. - på, i, vid
adj. - på-
adv. - på, vidare
n. - spelarens rätta position (cricket)
abbr. - fornnordiska språket (Old Norse)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
在...上, 以...为轴, 以...支持, 挂在...上, 朝, 向, 在上, 行动中, 向前, 右手击球员的左后方场地, 左手击球员的右后方场地, 正起作用的

idioms:

be on 已经开始了, 接受打赌
be on about 反复地谈, 令人生厌地谈
be on to 觉察到
go on 继续下去, 发生, 过去
not on 一次也不, 从来不
on and off 断断续续地, 间歇地
on and on 继续不停地
on at 唠叨, 不停地催促或责怪
on time 准时, 以分期付款方式
take on 穿上, 承担, 呈现

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
prep. - 在...上, 以...為軸, 以...支援, 掛在...上, 朝, 向
adv. - 在上, 行動中, 向前
n. - 右手擊球員的左後方場地, 左手擊球員的右後方場地
adj. - 正起作用的

idioms:

be on 已經開始了, 接受打賭
be on about 反覆地談, 令人生厭地談
be on to 覺察到
go on 繼續下去, 發生, 過去
not on 一次也不, 從來不
on and off 斷斷續續地, 間歇地
on and on 繼續不停地
on at 嘮叨, 不停地催促或責怪
on time 準時, 以分期付款方式
take on 穿上, 承擔, 呈現

한국어 (Korean)
prep. - ~위에, 걸치고, ~에 대하여, (날짜,시간)~에
adv. - ~에 대하여, ~을 통하여, 입고서, 앞쪽으로
n. - 크리켓에서 타자의 왼쪽 앞
adj. - (크리켓)타자의 왼쪽 앞에

idioms:

be on 가능하다, 진척되다, ~작동중인
be on about 남이 말한 것을 이해하지 못해서 혼란스러운
be on to 남의 의향을 알아차리고 있다, ~에게 잔소리를 하다
go on 나아가다
not on 멈추다
on and on 계속
take on 가는 길에 ~에 들르다

日本語 (Japanese)
prep. - 上に, 属して, 沿って, 接して, 対して, 不利になるように, 向かって, 近づいて, …について, …で, 乗って
n. - オン
adj. - オンの
adv. - 載って, 着けて, 前方へ, 続けて, 舞台に出て, 勤務について, 進行して, 予定されて, 通って

idioms:

(just) not on 不可能だ, できそうもない
be on 参加の意志がある, 使える
be on about …についてしつこく話す
be on to よく知っている, と接触する, とがめる
on and off 時々, 不規則に
on and on 引き続いて

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(حرف جر) على (صفه) دائر, مشغل (ظرف) فوق, مهيأ (اختصار) مختصر Old Norse: من اللغه النرويجيه القديمه, مقاطعه أونتاريو في كندا Ontario‏

עברית (Hebrew)
prep. - ‮על, ב-, מ-‬
adv. - ‮קדימה, בתוכנית, על-יד, לעבר, לכיוון, הלאה, עליו‬
n. - ‮מחצית שדה המשחק (לאורך) שרגלי החובט אינן מופנות אליה (קריקט)‬
adj. - ‮דלוק, על-יד, פועל, נמשך, מתרחש‬

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American Heritage Dictionary The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read