on the road

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

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. [1913 Webster]

I stood on the bridge at midnight.— Longfellow.[1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken.— Matt. xxi. 44.[1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster +PJC]

7.At or in the time of; during; as, on Sunday we abstain from labor. See At (synonym). [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster +PJC]

9.Toward; for; -- indicating the object of some passion; as, have pity or compassion on him. [1913 Webster]

10.At the peril of, or for the safety of. "Hence, on thy life." --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

His blood be on us and on our children.— Matt. xxvii. 25.[1913 Webster]

13.In reference or relation to; as, on our part expect punctuality; a satire on society. [1913 Webster]

14.Of. [Obs.] "Be not jealous on me." --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Or have we eaten on the insane root That takes the reason prisoner?— Shak.[1913 Webster]

Note: Instances of this usage are common in our older writers, and are sometimes now heard in illiterate speech. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster +PJC]

16.In the service of; connected with; a member of; as, he is on a newspaper; on a committee. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

They have added the -en plural form on to an elder plural.— Earle.[1913 Webster]

We see the strength of the new movement in the new class of ecclesiastics whom it forced on to the stage.— J. R. Green.[1913 Webster]

1.A journey, or stage of a journey. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

With easy roads he came to Leicester.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

2.An inroad; an invasion; a raid. [Obs.] --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

3.A place where one may ride; an open way or public passage for vehicles, persons, and animals; a track for travel, forming a means of communication between one city, town, or place, and another. [1913 Webster]

The most villainous house in all the London road.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

Note: The word is generally applied to highways, and as a generic term it includes highway, street, and lane. [1913 Webster]

4.[Possibly akin to Icel. rei[eth]i the rigging of a ship, E. ready.] A place where ships may ride at anchor at some distance from the shore; a roadstead; -- often in the plural; as, Hampton Roads. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Now strike your saile, ye jolly mariners, For we be come unto a quiet rode [road].— Spenser.[1913 Webster]

On the road, or Uponthe road, traveling or passing over a road; coming or going; traveling; on the way. [1913 Webster]

My hat and wig will soon be here, They are upon the road.— Cowper.[1913 Webster]

Road agent, a highwayman, especially on the stage routes of the unsettled western parts of the United States; -- a humorous euphemism. [Western U.S.] [1913 Webster]

The highway robber -- road agent he is quaintly called.— The century.[1913 Webster]

Road book, a guidebook in respect to roads and distances.

road kill See roadkill in the vocabulary.

Road metal, the broken, stone used in macadamizing roads.

Road roller, a heavy roller, or combinations of rollers, for making earth, macadam, or concrete roads smooth and compact. -- often driven by steam.

Road runner (Zool.), the chaparral cock.

Road steamer, a locomotive engine adapted to running on common roads.

To go on the road, to engage in the business of a commercial traveler. [Colloq.]

To take the road, to begin or engage in traveling.

To take to the road, to engage in robbery upon the highways. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Way; highway; street; lane; pathway; route; passage; course. See Way. [1913 Webster]