as people go

Variant of go

go definition

go (gō)

intransitive verb went, gone, going go′·ing

  1. to move along; travel; proceed to go 90 miles an hour to be moving who goes there?
    1. to be in operation, as a mechanism, action, etc.
    2. to work or operate properly; function a clock that isn't going
    to behave in a certain way; gesture, act, or make sounds as specified or shown the balloon went “pop” to take or follow a particular course, line of action, etc.; specif.,: sometimes used merely to emphasize a following verb [did you have to go and do that?]
    1. to turn out; result the war went badly
    2. to be guided, regulated, or directed by a procedure, method, etc. to go by what someone says
    3. to take its course; proceed how is the evening going?
    to pass: said of time to pass from person to person a rumor went through the office to be known or accepted to go by the name of Lindsay to move about or be in a certain condition or state, usually for some time to go in rags to pass into a certain condition, state, etc.; become; turn to go mad to have a certain form, arrangement, etc.; be expressed, phrased, voiced, or sung as the saying goes to be or act in harmony; fit in a hat that goes well with the dress to put oneself to go to some trouble to contribute to a result; tend; help facts that go to prove a case☆ to have force, validity, acceptance, etc. that rule still goes; anything goesInformal to perform in an especially inspired or exciting manner a jazz band that can really go
  2. to move off; leave; depart to begin to move off, as in a race: used as a command
    1. to leave a court of justice
    2. to continue (unpunished, unrewarded, unrequited, etc.)
    to cease to have an effect; come to an end; pass away the pain has gone to die to be removed or eliminated the third paragraph had to go to break away; be carried away or broken off the mast went in the storm to fail; give way his eyesight is going to be given up or sacrificed the country house must go to pass into the hands of someone; be allotted, awarded, or given the prize goes to Jean to be sold (for a specified sum)Informal to pass bodily waste matter; relieve oneself
  3. to move toward a place or person or in a certain direction to go to the back of the room to move out of sight or out of the presence of the speaker: used as a command to make regularly scheduled trips as specified a bus that goes to Chicago
    1. to extend, lead, reach, etc. to a place a road that goes to London
    2. to be able to extend or reach the belt won't go around his waist
    to move toward, enter, or attend and then engage in or take part in the activities of: additional meaning is conveyed by the use of a noun governed by to, or by a participle [to go to college, to go swimming]; reason for going is indicated by an infinitive, by and with a verb, or by a noun governed by to[to go to learn, to go to breakfast] to be capable of passing (through), fitting (into), etc. it won't go through the door to carry one's case, plan, etc. (to an authority) to turn or resort (to) to go to war
    1. to carry one's activity to specified lengths the pitcher went 7 innings
    2. to extend or reach so far in behavior, action, etc. to go too far in one's protests
    to endure; last; hold out to have a particular or regular place or position the shirts go in the top drawer

Etymology: ME gon < OE gan, akin to Du gaan, Ger gehen < IE base *ĝhē-, orig., to leave behind, go away > Sans jíhītē, (he) goes; the pt. went is < wend replacing OE eode, ME yede

transitive verb

  1. to travel or proceed along to go Route 90
  2. to bet; wager
  3. ☆ Informal to tolerate; put up with I can't go him
  4. Informal to furnish (bail) for an arrested person
  5. Informal to be willing to pay, bid, etc. (a specified sum)
  6. ☆ Informal to appreciate or enjoy could you go a piece of pie?
  7. Informal to say: used to describe dialogue [He goes “When?” and she goes “Tonight!”]

noun pl. goes

  1. the act of going
  2. something that operates successfully; a success to make a go of a marriage
  3. Informal the power of going; animation; energy
  4. Informal a state of affairs
  5. ☆ Informal an agreement, or bargain is it a go?
  6. Informal a try; attempt; endeavor
  7. Brit., Informal a quantity given or taken at one time
  8. Cribbage
    1. a call made by a player who cannot play a card because any card in his hand will carry the count above 31
    2. a point received for playing the last card in any sequence with a count less than 31

adjective

  1. functioning properly or ready to go
  2. all right; OK
go Idioms

as people (or things) go

in comparison with how other people (or things) are

from the word “go''

☆
from the outset

go about

  1. to be occupied with; be busy at; do
  2. to move from place to place; circulate
  3. come about (sense ) (at come)

go after

Informal to try to catch or get; pursue

go against

to be or act in opposition to

go along

  1. to proceed; continue
  2. to agree; cooperate
  3. to accompany: often with with

go around

  1. to enclose; surround
  2. ☆ to be enough to provide a share for each
  3. to move from place to place; circulate

go at

  1. to attack
  2. to work at

go back on

☆ Informal
  1. to be faithless or disloyal to; betray
  2. to break (a promise, etc.)

go beyond

to exceed

go by

  1. to pass
  2. to be guided or led by
  3. to be known or referred to by

go down

  1. to descend; sink; set
  2. to suffer defeat; lose
  3. to be perpetuated, as in history
  4. to fall; decline prices went down
  5. to be swallowed
  6. Informal to be accepted with approval
  7. Informal to take place; happen
  8. Brit. to leave a university, esp. upon graduation

go down on

Vulgar, Slang to perform oral sex on

go for

  1. to be regarded or taken as
  2. to try to get
  3. ☆ to advocate; support
  4. ☆ Informal to attack
  5. Informal to be attracted by; like very much

go hard with

to cause trouble or pain to

go in for

☆
Informal to engage, take part, or indulge in; be given to

go into

  1. to inquire into
  2. to take up as a study or occupation
  3. to examine or review
  4. to be contained in 5 goes into 10 twice

go in with

to share expenses or obligations with; join

go it

Informal to carry on some activity; proceed; act to go it alone

go missing

Chiefly Brit. to become lost or absent, often under suspicious circumstances; disappear the ship went missing in the dense fog

go off

  1. to go away; leave, esp. suddenly
  2. to explode; detonate
  3. to make a noise
  4. to happen

go on

  1. to move ahead; proceed; continue
  2. to behave
  3. to happen; take place
  4. Informal to chatter or rant
  5. Theater to make an entrance

go (a person) one better

☆
Informal to outdo or surpass (a person)

go out

  1. to come to an end; specif.,
    1. to be extinguished
    2. to become outdated
  2. to attend social affairs, the theater, etc.
  3. to go on strike
  4. to try out (for an athletic team, etc.)
  5. Golf

go over

  1. to examine thoroughly
  2. to do again
  3. to review
  4. ☆ Informal to be successful

go some

☆
Informal to do or achieve quite a lot

go through

  1. to perform thoroughly
  2. to endure; suffer; experience
  3. ☆ to look through; search
  4. ☆ to get approval or acceptance
  5. to spend

go through with

to pursue to the end; complete

go to!

Archaic come!indeed!: used to express disapproval, disbelief, etc.

go together

  1. to match; harmonize
  2. ☆ Informal to date only each other

go under

☆ to fail, as in business

go up

  1. to rise in value, price, etc.; increase
  2. Brit. to enter a university

go up in flames (or smoke)

to burn

go with

Informal to be a sweetheart of

go without

to manage or do without

have a go at

Informal to try; attempt

let go

  1. to set free; let escape
  2. to release one's hold or grip
  3. to give up; abandon, as one's interest in something
  4. to dismiss from a job; fire

let oneself go

to be unrestrained or uninhibited

no go

Informal not possible; without use or value

on the go

Informal in constant motion or action

to go

Informal
  1. ☆ to be taken out: said of food in a restaurant
  2. remaining; still to be completed, etc. one finished, two to go

what goes?

☆
Slang what's happening?

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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