1.
[syn: on the way, en route]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
On \On\ ([o^]n), prep. [OE. on, an, o, a, AS. on, an; akin to D.
aan, OS. & G. an, OHG. ana, Icel. [=a], Sw. [*a], Goth. ana,
Russ. na, L. an-, in anhelare to pant, Gr. 'ana`, Zend ana.
[root]195. Cf. A-, 1, Ana-, Anon.]
The general signification of on is situation, motion, or
condition with respect to contact or support beneath; as:
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1. At, or in contact with, the surface or upper part of a
thing, and supported by it; placed or lying in contact
with the surface; as, the book lies on the table, which
stands on the floor of a house on an island.
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I stood on the bridge at midnight. --Longfellow.
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2. To or against the surface of; -- used to indicate the
motion of a thing as coming or falling to the surface of
another; as, rain falls on the earth.
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Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken.
--Matt. xxi.
44.
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3. Denoting performance or action by contact with the
surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by
means of; with; as, to play on a violin or piano. Hence,
figuratively, to work on one's feelings; to make an
impression on the mind.
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4. At or near; adjacent to; -- indicating situation, place,
or position; as, on the one hand, on the other hand; the
fleet is on the American coast.
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5. In addition to; besides; -- indicating multiplication or
succession in a series; as, heaps on heaps; mischief on
mischief; loss on loss; thought on thought. --Shak.
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6. Indicating dependence or reliance; with confidence in; as,
to depend on a person for assistance; to rely on; hence,
indicating the ground or support of anything; as, he will
promise on certain conditions; to bet on a horse; based on
certain assumptions.
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7. At or in the time of; during; as, on Sunday we abstain
from labor. See At (synonym).
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8. At the time of; -- often conveying some notion of cause or
motive; as, on public occasions, the officers appear in
full dress or uniform; the shop is closed on Sundays.
Hence, in consequence of, or following; as, on the
ratification of the treaty, the armies were disbanded;
start on the count of three.
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9. Toward; for; -- indicating the object of some passion; as,
have pity or compassion on him.
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10. At the peril of, or for the safety of. "Hence, on thy
life." --Dryden.
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11. By virtue of; with the pledge of; -- denoting a pledge or
engagement, and put before the thing pledged; as, he
affirmed or promised on his word, or on his honor.
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12. To the account of; -- denoting imprecation or invocation,
or coming to, falling, or resting upon; as, on us be all
the blame; a curse on him.
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His blood be on us and on our children. --Matt.
xxvii. 25.
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13. In reference or relation to; as, on our part expect
punctuality; a satire on society.
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14. Of. [Obs.] "Be not jealous on me." --Shak.
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Or have we eaten on the insane root
That takes the reason prisoner? --Shak.
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Note: Instances of this usage are common in our older
writers, and are sometimes now heard in illiterate
speech.
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15. Occupied with; in the performance of; as, only three
officers are on duty; on a journey; on the job; on an
assignment; on a case; on the alert.
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16. In the service of; connected with; a member of; as, he is
on a newspaper; on a committee.
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Note: On and upon are in general interchangeable. In some
applications upon is more euphonious, and is therefore
to be preferred; but in most cases on is preferable.
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17. In reference to; about; concerning; as, to think on it;
to meditate on it.
[PJC]
On a bowline. (Naut.) Same as Closehauled.
On a wind, or On the wind (Naut.), sailing closehauled.
On a sudden. See under Sudden.
On board, On draught, On fire, etc. See under Board,
Draught, Fire, etc.
On it, On't, of it. [Obs. or Colloq.] --Shak.
On shore, on land; to the shore.
On the road, On the way, On the wing, etc. See under
Road, Way, etc.
On to, upon; on; to; -- sometimes written as one word,
onto, and usually called a colloquialism; but it may be
regarded in analogy with into.
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They have added the -en plural form on to an elder
plural. --Earle.
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We see the strength of the new movement in the new
class of ecclesiastics whom it forced on to the
stage. --J. R. Green.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Way \Way\, n. [OE. wey, way, AS. weg; akin to OS., D., OHG., &
G. weg, Icel. vegr, Sw. v[aum]g, Dan. vei, Goth. wigs, L.
via, and AS. wegan to move, L. vehere to carry, Skr. vah.
[root]136. Cf. Convex, Inveigh, Vehicle, Vex, Via,
Voyage, Wag, Wagon, Wee, Weigh.]
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1. That by, upon, or along, which one passes or processes;
opportunity or room to pass; place of passing; passage;
road, street, track, or path of any kind; as, they built a
way to the mine. "To find the way to heaven." --Shak.
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I shall him seek by way and eke by street.
--Chaucer.
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The way seems difficult, and steep to scale.
--Milton.
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The season and ways were very improper for his
majesty's forces to march so great a distance.
--Evelyn.
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2. Length of space; distance; interval; as, a great way; a
long way.
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And whenever the way seemed long,
Or his heart began to fail. --Longfellow.
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3. A moving; passage; procession; journey.
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I prythee, now, lead the way. --Shak.
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4. Course or direction of motion or process; tendency of
action; advance.
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If that way be your walk, you have not far.
--Milton.
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And let eternal justice take the way. --Dryden.
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5. The means by which anything is reached, or anything is
accomplished; scheme; device; plan.
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My best way is to creep under his gaberdine. --Shak.
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By noble ways we conquest will prepare. --Dryden.
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What impious ways my wishes took! --Prior.
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6. Manner; method; mode; fashion; style; as, the way of
expressing one's ideas.
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7. Regular course; habitual method of life or action; plan of
conduct; mode of dealing. "Having lost the way of
nobleness." --Sir. P. Sidney.
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Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths
are peace. --Prov. iii.
17.
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When men lived in a grander way. --Longfellow.
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8. Sphere or scope of observation. --Jer. Taylor.
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The public ministers that fell in my way. --Sir W.
Temple.
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9. Determined course; resolved mode of action or conduct; as,
to have one's way.
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10. (Naut.)
(a) Progress; as, a ship has way.
(b) pl. The timbers on which a ship is launched.
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11. pl. (Mach.) The longitudinal guides, or guiding surfaces,
on the bed of a planer, lathe, or the like, along which a
table or carriage moves.
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12. (Law) Right of way. See below.
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By the way, in passing; apropos; aside; apart from, though
connected with, the main object or subject of discourse.
By way of, for the purpose of; as being; in character of.
Covert way. (Fort.) See Covered way, under Covered.
In the family way. See under Family.
In the way, so as to meet, fall in with, obstruct, hinder,
etc.
In the way with, traveling or going with; meeting or being
with; in the presence of.
Milky way. (Astron.) See Galaxy, 1.
No way, No ways. See Noway, Noways, in the
Vocabulary.
On the way, traveling or going; hence, in process;
advancing toward completion; as, on the way to this
country; on the way to success.
Out of the way. See under Out.
Right of way (Law), a right of private passage over
another's ground. It may arise either by grant or
prescription. It may be attached to a house, entry, gate,
well, or city lot, as well as to a country farm. --Kent.
To be under way, or To have way (Naut.), to be in motion,
as when a ship begins to move.
To give way. See under Give.
To go one's way, or To come one's way, to go or come; to
depart or come along. --Shak.
To go one's way to proceed in a manner favorable to one; --
of events.
To come one's way to come into one's possession (of
objects) or to become available, as an opportunity; as,
good things will come your way.
To go the way of all the earth or
to go the way of all flesh to die.
To make one's way, to advance in life by one's personal
efforts.
To make way. See under Make, v. t.
Ways and means.
(a) Methods; resources; facilities.
(b) (Legislation) Means for raising money; resources for
revenue.
Way leave, permission to cross, or a right of way across,
land; also, rent paid for such right. [Eng]
Way of the cross (Eccl.), the course taken in visiting in
rotation the stations of the cross. See Station, n., 7
(c) .
Way of the rounds (Fort.), a space left for the passage of
the rounds between a rampart and the wall of a fortified
town.
Way pane, a pane for cartage in irrigated land. See Pane,
n., 4. [Prov. Eng.]
Way passenger, a passenger taken up, or set down, at some
intermediate place between the principal stations on a
line of travel.
Ways of God, his providential government, or his works.
Way station, an intermediate station between principal
stations on a line of travel, especially on a railroad.
Way train, a train which stops at the intermediate, or way,
stations; an accommodation train.
Way warden, the surveyor of a road.
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Syn: Street; highway; road.
Usage: Way, Street, Highway, Road. Way is generic,
denoting any line for passage or conveyance; a highway
is literally one raised for the sake of dryness and
convenience in traveling; a road is, strictly, a way
for horses and carriages; a street is, etymologically,
a paved way, as early made in towns and cities; and,
hence, the word is distinctively applied to roads or
highways in compact settlements.
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All keep the broad highway, and take delight
With many rather for to go astray. --Spenser.
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There is but one road by which to climb up.
--Addison.
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When night
Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons
Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.
--Milton.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
on the way
adv 1: on a route to some place; "help is on the way"; "we saw
him on the way to California" [syn: on the way, en
route]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
27 Moby Thesaurus words for "on the way":
along the way, as one goes, brewing, en passant, en route,
forthcoming, going on, in embryo, in hand, in mid-progress,
in passing, in preparation, in process, in production, in progress,
in the oven, in the works, in transit, in transitu, on stream,
on the anvil, on the fire, on the road, on the wing,
under construction, under revision, under way