1
as in to happen
to take place
what in the world is going on in there?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to ramble
to talk at length without sticking to a topic or getting to a point
my, but Aunt Betty does go on about all of her aches and pains
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in idiot
a stupid person
an unfortunate tendency to call those who disagree with him "brainless goons"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the crime boss threatened to send the goons after him if he squealed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of go on
Isaac Butler, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
There’s no indication that this issue will last that long, not least because reports on Downdetector seem mostly to be trending downwards at the moment, indicating that things may slowly be returning to normal, 9to5Mac went on.
—David Phelan, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Willa eludes Lockjaw's goons with the help of Deandra (Regina Hall), a French 75 member, and finds refuge with the Sisters of the Brave Beaver, a convent of sympathetic (if exhausted) nuns.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for go on
Verb
The letter goes on to remind them that Christianity is not monolithic and that many Christians, including the people who made the film, believe in it.
—Isaac Butler, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
There’s no indication that this issue will last that long, not least because reports on Downdetector seem mostly to be trending downwards at the moment, indicating that things may slowly be returning to normal, 9to5Mac went on.
—David Phelan, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Noun
The era of the goon is pretty much over.
—Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Willa eludes Lockjaw's goons with the help of Deandra (Regina Hall), a French 75 member, and finds refuge with the Sisters of the Brave Beaver, a convent of sympathetic (if exhausted) nuns.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for go on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for go on
Verb
-
Today, the property is a best-case example of the magic that happens when old meets new.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
And unlike in-person voting, where verification happens upfront, mail-in ballots must be inspected and have signatures verified.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Stories abound about people who ramble, jump from one thought to the next, and communicate in a manner that makes others around them suspect that the person is tired and overworked.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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When asked simple questions by William Savitt, one of the attorneys representing OpenAI, Musk rambled and avoided the issue at hand.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
18 May 2026
Noun
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The fact that this racist thug has been handed policing power by Netanyahu says more about the state of Israel’s democracy and political values—and in particular about the prime minister’s values—than many Israelis might like to admit.—
Avi Issacharoff,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
-
White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie told CNN that rescue divers were teaching the villagers how to dive out of the cave themselves, as the space is narrow and water levels are not coming down despite efforts to pump the water out.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
One of these next summers, the cabin is to come down and be replaced with new construction, maybe even the re-creation of a big stone fireplace.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Lluís then calls Puig Antich a moron.—
Colm Tóibín,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2026
-
This drunk moron — quite different from his character in the novel — bears a ton of blame.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The iconic villain, portrayed by Robert Mitchum in 1962’s Cape Fear and by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s 1991 version, is back on screen in the new Apple TV adaptation.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
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Dead-end conflict is where the hero and the villain, the good guys and the bad guys, essentially never have any opportunity for movement or reconciliation at the end of the story.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Surveillance video captured the moments before the crash that has rattled many people in Passyunk Square.—
Dan Snyder,
CBS News,
2 June 2026
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The crackdown on more than 20 nursing schools in South Florida rattled the healthcare industry both here and across the country as agents with the FBI and Health and Human Services alerted state licensing boards about the nurses who illicitly obtained their credentials.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
My dad has always said the lottery is a tax on the stupid.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
4 Apr. 2026
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The scale of the headloss was best summed up by Luis Suarez attempting to reason with Messi, before the Argentine did anything on the Suarez scale of stupid.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Go on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/go%20on. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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