Ask Difference

Come vs. Go — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on September 22, 2023
"Come" refers to movement toward the speaker or a specified location, while "Go" indicates movement away from the speaker or the current location.
Come vs. Go — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Come and Go

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Key Differences

The verbs "Come" and "Go" both deal with the concept of movement, but their usages define different directions. When you use "Come," you are referencing movement towards a particular point of reference, usually the speaker or the listener. For instance, if someone is at home and calls a friend, they might say, "Come over to my place." Here, "Come" indicates the action of moving towards the home.
On the other hand, "Go" is used to describe movement away from the point of reference. If the same person tells their child to visit a neighbor's house, they might say, "Go to Mrs. Smith's house." Here, the movement is away from the current location or the speaker. This departure could be temporary, such as going to the store, or more permanent, like going to live in another country.
In some scenarios, "Come" and "Go" might seem interchangeable, but their perspective remains consistent. If two friends are discussing attending a party, one might ask, "Will you come to the party?" while responding, the other could say, "Yes, I'll go." Even in this situation, "Come" speaks from the party's location, while "Go" speaks from the responder's current location.
Both "Come" and "Go" are fundamental verbs in the English language and understanding the directional differences between them aids in clearer communication. Their applications extend beyond literal physical movement and can denote conceptual ideas, like coming to a realization or going through a difficult time.

Comparison Chart

Primary Definition

Movement toward a reference.
Movement away from a reference.
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Perspective

Usually towards the speaker.
Usually away from the speaker.

Usage Example

"Come here!"
"Go there!"

Temporal Context

"When will you come back?"
"When will you go away?"

Abstract Usage

"Come to understand."
"Go through a tough phase."

Compare with Definitions

Come

Come indicates movement towards a reference.
Please come to the front desk.

Go

Go indicates movement away from a location.
She will go to Paris next week.

Come

Come also refers to starting to do something.
Come see what I found!

Go

Go also signifies becoming.
The ice cream will go bad if left outside.

Come

Come might refer to reaching a state or position.
She has come a long way in her career.

Go

Go might refer to the act of functioning or working.
The watch goes tick-tock.

Come

Come can denote occurrence or arrival.
Christmas comes in December.

Go

Go can denote participating in an activity.
Let's go skiing this winter.

Come

Come can indicate a particular order or sequence.
Your turn will come after mine.

Go

Go can mean to leave a place.
It's time to go home.

Come

Move or travel towards or into a place thought of as near or familiar to the speaker
Jess came into the kitchen
He came rushing out
I came here on holiday with my parents

Go

Move from one place to another; travel
We've a long way to go
She longs to go back home
He went out to the shops

Come

Occur; happen; take place
His father waited for a phone call that never came
Twilight had not yet come
A chance like this doesn't come along every day

Go

Leave; depart
I really must go

Come

Take or occupy a specified position in space, order, or priority
Prisons come well down the list of priorities
I make sure my kids come first

Go

Intend or be likely or intended to be or do something (used to express a future tense)
She's going to have a baby
I'm going to be late for work

Come

Pass into a specified state, especially one of separation or disunion
His shirt had come undone

Go

Pass into or be in a specified state, especially an undesirable one
The food is going bad
No one went hungry in our house
He's gone crazy

Come

Be sold, available, or found in a specified form
The shirts come in three sizes
The cars come with a variety of extras

Go

Proceed or turn out in a specified way
At first all went well
How did the weekend go?

Come

Have an orgasm.

Go

Be harmonious, complementary, or matching
Rosemary goes with roast lamb
The earrings and the scarf don't really go

Come

When a specified time is reached or event happens
I don't think that they'll be far away from honours come the new season

Go

(of a machine or device) function
My car won't go

Come

Semen ejaculated at an orgasm.

Go

Contribute to or be put into (a whole)
Considerable effort went into making the operation successful

Come

To advance toward the speaker or toward a specified place; approach
Come to me.

Go

(of an article) be regularly kept or put in a particular place
Remember which card goes in which slot

Come

To advance in a specified manner
The children came reluctantly when I insisted.

Go

(of a song or account) have a specified content or wording
If you haven't heard it, the story goes like this

Come

To make progress; advance
A former drug addict who has come a long way.

Go

Use a toilet; urinate or defecate
He had to go but couldn't, because she was still in the bathroom

Come

To fare
How are things coming today? They're coming fine.

Go

An attempt or trial at something
Have a go at answering the questions yourself

Come

To reach a particular point in a series or as a result of orderly progression
At last we came to the chapter on ergonomics.

Go

A person's turn to use or do something
Come on Tony, it's your go
I had a go on Nigel's racing bike

Come

To arrive, as in due course
Dawn comes at 5 AM in June.

Go

Spirit, animation, or energy
There's no go in me at all these days

Come

To move into view; appear
The moon came over the horizon.

Go

A state of affairs
This seems a rum sort of go

Come

To occur in time; take place
The game will be played tomorrow, come rain or shine.

Go

An enterprise which has been approved
Tell them the project is a go

Come

To arrive at a particular result or end
Come to an understanding.

Go

A Japanese board game of territorial possession and capture.

Come

To arrive at or reach a particular state or condition
Come to your senses!.

Go

Functioning properly
All systems go

Come

To move or be brought to a particular position
The convoy came to an abrupt halt.

Go

To move or travel; proceed
We will go by bus. Solicitors went from door to door seeking donations. How fast can the boat go?.

Come

To extend; reach
Water that came to my waist.

Go

To move away from a place; depart
Go before I cry.

Come

To have priority; rank
My work comes first.

Go

To pursue a certain course
Messages that go through diplomatic channels to the ambassador.

Come

To happen as a result
This mess comes of your carelessness.

Go

To resort to another, as for aid
Went directly to the voters of her district.

Come

To fall to one
No good can come of this.

Go

To extend between two points or in a certain direction; run
Curtains that go from the ceiling to the floor.

Come

To occur in the mind
A good idea just came to me.

Go

To give entry; lead
A stairway that goes to the basement.

Come

To issue forth
A cry came from the frightened child.

Go

To function properly
The car won't go.

Come

To be derived; originate
Oaks come from acorns.

Go

To have currency.

Come

To be descended
They come from a good family.

Go

To pass from one person to another; circulate
Wild rumors were going around the office.

Come

To be within a given range or spectrum of reference or application
This stipulation comes within the terms of your contract.

Go

To pass as the result of a sale
The gold watch went to the highest bidder.

Come

To be a native or resident
My friend comes from Chicago.

Go

(Informal) Used as an intensifier or to indicate annoyance when joined by and to a coordinate verb
She went and complained to Personnel.

Come

To add up to a certain amount
Expenses came to more than income.

Go

Used in the progressive tense with an infinitive to indicate future intent or expectation
I am going to learn how to dance.

Come

To become
The knot came loose. This is a dream that has come true.

Go

To continue to be in a certain condition or continue an activity
Go barefoot.

Come

To turn out to be
A good education doesn't come cheap.

Go

To come to be in a certain condition
Go mad.
Hair that had gone gray.

Come

To be available or obtainable
Shoes that come in all sizes.

Go

To continue to be in effect or operation
A lease with one year to go.

Come

Vulgar Slang To experience orgasm.

Go

To carry out an action to a certain point or extent
Your parents went to great expense to put you through college.

Come

Semen ejaculated during orgasm.

Go

To be called; be known
Our friend William often goes by Billy.

Come

(intransitive) To move from further away to nearer to.
She’ll be coming ’round the mountain when she comes...

Go

To be customarily located; belong
The fork goes to the left of the plate. Where do the plates go?.

Come

To move towards the speaker.
I called the dog, but she wouldn't come.
Stop dawdling and come here!

Go

To be capable of entering or fitting
Will the suitcase go into the trunk of your car?.

Come

To move towards the listener.
Hold on, I'll come in a second.
You should ask the doctor to come to your house.

Go

To pass into someone's possession
All the jewelry went to her heirs.

Come

To move towards the object that is the focus of the sentence.
No-one can find Bertie Wooster when his aunts come to visit.
Hundreds of thousands of people come to Disneyland every year.

Go

To be allotted
How much of your salary goes for rent?.

Come

(in subordinate clauses and gerunds) To move towards the agent or subject of the main clause.
King Cnut couldn't stop the tide coming.
He threw the boomerang, which came right back to him.

Go

To be a contributing factor
It all goes to show us that the project can be completed on time.

Come

To move towards an unstated agent.
The butler should come when called.

Go

To have a particular form
As the saying goes.

Come

(intransitive) To arrive.

Go

To be such, by and large
Well behaved, as big dogs go.

Come

(intransitive) To appear, to manifest itself.
The pain in his leg comes and goes.

Go

To extend in time
The story goes back to the Middle Ages.

Come

(with an infinitive) To begin to have an opinion or feeling.
We came to believe that he was not so innocent after all.
She came to think of that country as her home.

Go

To pass by; elapse
The day went pleasantly enough until I received your call.

Come

(with an infinitive) To do something by chance, without intending to do it.
Could you tell me how the document came to be discovered?

Go

To be used up or finished
My interest in such things has gone.

Come

(intransitive) To take a position relative to something else in a sequence.
Which letter comes before Y?
Winter comes after autumn.

Go

To be discarded or abolished
All luxuries will have to go.

Come

To achieve orgasm; to cum; to ejaculate.
He came after a few minutes.

Go

To become weak; fail
His hearing has started to go.

Come

To become butter by being churned.

Go

To give way; break up
The dam is about to go.

Come

To approach a state of being or accomplishment.
They came very close to leaving on time.
His test scores came close to perfect.
One of the screws came loose, and the skateboard fell apart.

Go

To cease living; die.

Come

To take a particular approach or point of view in regard to something.
He came to SF literature a confirmed technophile, and nothing made him happier than to read a manuscript thick with imaginary gizmos and whatzits.

Go

To happen or develop; fare
How are things going?.

Come

To become, to turn out to be.
He was a dream come true.

Go

To have a successful outcome
Creativity that made the advertising campaign really go.

Come

(intransitive) To be supplied, or made available; to exist.
He's as tough as they come.
Our milkshakes come in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours.
A new sports car doesn't come cheap.

Go

To be suitable or appropriate as an accessory or accompaniment
A color that goes beautifully with your complexion.

Come

(slang) To carry through; to succeed in.
You can't come any tricks here.

Go

To have authority
Whatever I say goes.

Come

(intransitive) Happen.
This kind of accident comes when you are careless.

Go

To be valid, acceptable, or adequate.

Come

To have as an origin, originate.

Go

(Informal) To urinate or defecate
I left the meeting early because I really had to go!.

Come

To have a certain social background.

Go

(Informal) To begin an act
Here goes!.

Come

To be or have been a resident or native.
Where did you come from?

Go

(Obsolete) To walk.

Come

To have been brought up by or employed by.
She comes from a good family.
He comes from a disreputable legal firm.

Go

To proceed or move according to
I was free to go my own way.

Come

To begin (at a certain location); to radiate or stem (from).
The river comes from Bear Lake.
Where does this road come from?

Go

To traverse
Only two of the runners went the entire distance.

Come

To germinate.

Go

To engage in
Went skiing.

Come

To pretend to be; to behave in the manner of.
Don’t come the innocent victim. We all know who’s to blame here.

Go

To bet
Go $20 on the black horse.

Come

(obsolete) Coming, arrival; approach.

Go

To bid
I'll go $500 on the vase.

Come

Semen

Go

To take on the responsibility or obligation for
Go bail for a client.

Come

Female ejaculatory discharge.

Go

To participate to (a given extent)
Will you go halves with me if we win the lottery?.

Come

Senseid|en|typography}} {{alternative form of commain its medieval use as a middot ⟨·⟩ serving as a form of colon.

Go

To amount to; weigh
A shark that went 400 pounds.

Come

Used to indicate a point in time at or after which a stated event or situation occurs.
Leave it to settle for about three months and, come Christmas time, you'll have a delicious concoction to offer your guests.
Come retirement, their Social Security may turn out to be a lot less than they counted on.
Come summer, we would all head off to the coast.

Go

(Sports) To have as a record
Went 3 for 4 against their best pitcher.

Come

An exclamation to express annoyance.
Come come! Stop crying.
Come now! You must eat it.

Go

(Informal) To enjoy
I could go a cold beer right now.

Come

An exclamation to express encouragement, or to precede a request.
Come come! You can do it.
Come now! It won't bite you.

Go

(Informal) To say or utter. Used chiefly in verbal narration
First I go, "Thank you," then he goes, "What for?".

Come

To move hitherward; to draw near; to approach the speaker, or some place or person indicated; - opposed to go.
Look, who comes yonder?
I did not come to curse thee.

Go

The act or an instance of going.

Come

To complete a movement toward a place; to arrive.
When we came to Rome.
Lately come from Italy.

Go

An attempt; an effort
Had a go at acting.

Come

To approach or arrive, as if by a journey or from a distance.
The hour is coming, and now is.
So quick bright things come to confusion.

Go

The time or period of an activity.

Come

To approach or arrive, as the result of a cause, or of the act of another.
From whence come wars?
Both riches and honor come of thee !

Go

(Informal) Energy; vitality
Had lots of go.

Come

To arrive in sight; to be manifest; to appear.
Then butter does refuse to come.

Go

The go-ahead.

Come

To get to be, as the result of change or progress; - with a predicate; as, to come untied.
How come you thus estranged?
How come her eyes so bright?
Think not that I am come to destroy.
We are come off like Romans.
The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year.
They were criedIn meeting, come next Sunday.
On better thoughts, and my urged reasons,They are come about, and won to the true side.

Go

Often Go The starting point
"And from Go there was something deliciously illicit about the whole affair" (Erica Abeel).

Come

To carry through; to succeed in; as, you can't come any tricks here.

Go

(Informal) A situation in which planned operations can be effectuated
The space mission is a go.

Come

Coming.

Go

A board game of Chinese origin in which two players take turns placing counters on the points formed by the intersection of 19 vertical and 19 horizontal lines.

Come

Move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody;
He came singing down the road
Come with me to the Casbah
Come down here!
Come out of the closet!
Come into the room

Go

(Informal) Functioning correctly and ready for action
All systems are go.

Come

Reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress;
She arrived home at 7 o'clock
She didn't get to Chicago until after midnight

Go

To move:

Come

Come to pass; arrive, as in due course;
The first success came three days later
It came as a shock
Dawn comes early in June

Go

(intransitive) To move through space (especially to or through a place). May be used of tangible things like people or cars, or intangible things like moods or information.
Why don’t you go with us?
This train goes through Cincinnati on its way to Chicago.
Chris, where are you going?
There's no public transit where I'm going.
Wow, look at him go!

Come

Reach a state, relation, or condition;
The water came to a boil
We came to understand the true meaning of life
Their anger came to a boil
I came to realize the true meaning of life

Go

(intransitive) To move or travel through time (either literally—in a fictional or hypothetical situation in which time travel is possible—or in one's mind or knowledge of the historical record). See also go back.
Yesterday was the second-wettest day on record; you have to go all the way back to 1896 to find a day when more rain fell.
Fans want to see the Twelfth Doctor go to the 51st century to visit River in the library.

Come

To be the product or result;
Melons come from a vine
Understanding comes from experience

Go

(intransitive) To navigate (to a file or folder on a computer, a site on the internet, a memory, etc).

Come

Enter or assume a condition, relation, use, or position;
He came into contact with a terrorist group
The shoes came untied
I came to see his point of view
Her face went red with anger
The knot came loose
Your wish will come true

Go

To move (a particular distance, or in a particular fashion).
We've only gone twenty miles today.
This car can go circles around that one.

Come

Be found or available;
These shoes come in three colors; The furniture comes unassembled

Go

(intransitive) To move or travel in order to do something, or to do something while moving.
We went swimming.
Let's go shopping.

Come

Come forth;
A scream came from the woman's mouth
His breath came hard

Go

(intransitive) To leave; to move away.
Please don't go!
I really must be going.
Workmen were coming and going at all hours of the night.

Come

Be a native of;
She hails from Kalamazoo

Go

To walk; to travel on one's feet.

Come

Extend or reach;
The water came up to my waist
The sleeves come to your knuckles

Go

To work or function (properly); to move or perform (as required).
The engine just won't go anymore.

Come

Exist or occur in a certain point in a series;
Next came the student from France

Go

(intransitive) To start; to begin (an action or process).
Get ready, get set, go!
On your marks, get set, go!
On your marks, set, go!
Here goes nothing.
Let's go and hunt.

Come

Come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example;
She was descended from an old Italian noble family
He comes from humble origins

Go

(intransitive) To take a turn, especially in a game.
It’s your turn; go.

Come

Cover a certain distance;
She came a long way

Go

(intransitive) To attend.
I go to school at the schoolhouse.
She went to Yale.
They only go to church on Christmas.

Come

Come under, be classified or included;
Fall into a category
This comes under a new heading

Go

To proceed:

Come

Happen as a result;
Nothing good will come of this

Go

(intransitive) To proceed (often in a specified manner, indicating the perceived quality of an event or state).
That went well.
"How are things going?" "Not bad, thanks."

Come

Add up in number or quantity;
The bills amounted to $2,000
The bill came to $2,000

Go

To proceed (especially to do something foolish).
Why'd you have to go and do that?
Why'd you have to go do that?
He just went and punched the guy.

Come

Develop into;
This idea will never amount to anything
Nothing came of his grandiose plans

Go

To follow or travel along (a path):

Come

Be received;
News came in of the massacre in Rwanda

Go

To follow or proceed according to (a course or path).
Let's go this way for a while.
She was going that way anyway, so she offered to show him where it was.

Come

Come to one's mind; suggest itself;
It occurred to me that we should hire another secretary
A great idea then came to her

Go

To travel or pass along.

Come

Proceed or get along;
How is she doing in her new job?
How are you making out in graduate school?
He's come a long way

Go

(intransitive) To extend (from one point in time or space to another).
This property goes all the way to the state line.

Come

Experience orgasm;
She could not come because she was too upset

Go

(intransitive) To lead (to a place); to give access to.
Does this road go to Fort Smith?

Come

Have a certain priority;
My family comes first

Go

(copulative) To become. The adjective that follows usually describes a negative state.
You'll go blind.
The milk went bad / went sour.
I went crazy / went mad.
After failing as a criminal, he decided to go straight.
The video clip went viral.
Don't tell my Mum: she'll go ballistic.

Go

To assume the obligation or function of; to be, to serve as.

Go

To continuously or habitually be in a state.
I don't want my children to go hungry.
We went barefoot in the summer.

Go

(copulative) To come to (a certain condition or state).
They went into debt, she goes to sleep around 10 o'clock.
The local shop wants to go digital, and eventually go global.

Go

(intransitive) To change (from one value to another) in the meaning of wend.
The traffic light went straight from green to red.

Go

To turn out, to result; to come to (a certain result).
How did your meeting with Smith go?

Go

(intransitive) To tend (toward a result).
Well, that goes to show you.
These experiences go to make us stronger.

Go

To contribute to a (specified) end product or result.
Qualities that go to make a lady / lip-reader / sharpshooter

Go

To pass, to be used up:

Go

To elapse, to pass; to slip away. Compare go by.
The time went slowly.

Go

(intransitive) To end or disappear. Compare go away.
After three days, my headache finally went.

Go

(intransitive) To be spent or used up.
His money went on drink.

Go

(intransitive) To die.

Go

To be lost or out:

Go

To be lost.

Go

To be out.

Go

To break down or apart:

Go

(intransitive) To collapse or give way, to break apart.

Go

(intransitive) To break down or decay.
My mind is going.
She's 83; her eyesight is starting to go.

Go

(intransitive) To be sold.
The car went for five thousand dollars.
The store is closing down so everything must go.

Go

(intransitive) To be discarded or disposed of.
This chair has got to go.
All this old rubbish can go.

Go

(intransitive) To be given, especially to be assigned or allotted.
The property shall go to my wife.
The award went to Steven Spielberg.

Go

To survive or get by; to last or persist for a stated length of time.
How long can you go without water?
We've gone without your help for a while now.
I've gone ten days now without a cigarette.
Can you two go twenty minutes without arguing?!

Go

To have a certain record.
They've gone one for three in this series.
The team is going five in a row.

Go

To be authoritative, accepted, or valid:

Go

(intransitive) To have (final) authority; to be authoritative.
Whatever the boss says goes, do you understand?

Go

(intransitive) To be accepted.
Anything goes around here.

Go

(intransitive) To be valid.

Go

To say (something), to make a sound:

Go

To say (something, aloud or to oneself). Often used in present tense.
I go, "As if!" And she was all like, "Whatever!"
As soon as I did it, I went "that was stupid."

Go

(transitive) To make the (specified) sound.
Cats go "meow". Motorcycles go "vroom".

Go

(intransitive) To sound; to make a noise.
I woke up just before the clock went.

Go

To be expressed or composed (a certain way).
The tune goes like this.
As the story goes, he got the idea for the song while sitting in traffic.

Go

(intransitive) To resort (to).
I'll go to court if I have to.

Go

To apply or subject oneself to:

Go

To apply oneself; to undertake; to have as one's goal or intention. Compare be going to.
I'm going to join a sports team.
I wish you'd go and get a job.
He went to pick it up, but it rolled out of reach.
He's going to leave town tomorrow.

Go

(intransitive) To make an effort, to subject oneself (to something).
You didn't have to go to such trouble.
I never thought he'd go so far as to call you.
She went to great expense to help them win.

Go

(intransitive) To work (through or over), especially mentally.
I've gone over this a hundred times.
Let's not go into that right now.

Go

To fit (in a place, or together with something):

Go

To fit.
Do you think the sofa will go through the door?
The belt just barely went around his waist.

Go

(intransitive) To be compatible, especially of colors or food and drink.
This shade of red doesn't go with the drapes.
White wine goes better with fish than red wine.

Go

(intransitive) To belong (somewhere).
My shirts go on this side of the wardrobe.
This piece of the jigsaw goes on the other side.

Go

(intransitive) To date.
How long having they been going together?
He's been going with her for two weeks.

Go

To attack:

Go

(intransitive) To fight or attack.
I went at him with a knife.

Go

To fight.

Go

To attack.

Go

To be in general; to be usually.
As sentences go, this one is pretty boring.

Go

(transitive) To take (a particular part or share); to participate in to the extent of.
Let's go halves on this.

Go

(transitive) To yield or weigh.
Those babies go five tons apiece.

Go

To offer, bid or bet an amount; to pay.
That's as high as I can go.
We could go two fifty.
I'll go a ten-spot.
I'll go you a shilling.
I'll go him one better.

Go

To enjoy. Compare go for.
I could go a beer right about now.

Go

To urinate or defecate.
I really need to go.
Have you managed to go today, Mrs. Miggins?

Go

(imperative) Expressing encouragement or approval.
Go, girl! You can do it!

Go

(uncommon) The act of going.

Go

A turn at something, or in something (e.g. a game).
You’ve been on that pinball machine long enough—now let your brother have a go.
It’s your go.

Go

An attempt, a try.
I’ll give it a go.

Go

An approval or permission to do something, or that which has been approved.
We will begin as soon as the boss says it's a go.

Go

An act; the working or operation.

Go

A circumstance or occurrence; an incident, often unexpected.

Go

(dated) The fashion or mode.
Quite the go

Go

(dated) Noisy merriment.
A high go

Go

A glass of spirits; a quantity of spirits.

Go

(uncountable) Power of going or doing; energy; vitality; perseverance.
There is no go in him.

Go

(cribbage) The situation where a player cannot play a card which will not carry the aggregate count above thirty-one.

Go

A period of activity.
Ate it all in one go

Go

A dandy; a fashionable person.

Go

(board game) A strategic board game, originally from China, in which two players (black and white) attempt to control the largest area of the board with their counters.

Go

Working correctly and ready to commence operation; approved and able to be put into action.

Go

Gone.

Go

To pass from one place to another; to be in motion; to be in a state not motionless or at rest; to proceed; to advance; to make progress; - used, in various applications, of the movement of both animate and inanimate beings, by whatever means, and also of the movements of the mind; also figuratively applied.

Go

To move upon the feet, or step by step; to walk; also, to walk step by step, or leisurely.
You know that loveWill creep in service where it can not go.
Thou must run to him; for thou hast staid so long that going will scarce serve the turn.
He fell from running to going, and from going to clambering upon his hands and his knees.

Go

To be passed on fron one to another; to pass; to circulate; hence, with for, to have currency; to be taken, accepted, or regarded.
The man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.
[The money] should go according to its true value.

Go

To proceed or happen in a given manner; to fare; to move on or be carried on; to have course; to come to an issue or result; to succeed; to turn out.
How goes the night, boy ?
I think, as the world goes, he was a good sort of man enough.
Whether the cause goes for me or against me, you must pay me the reward.

Go

To proceed or tend toward a result, consequence, or product; to tend; to conduce; to be an ingredient; to avail; to apply; to contribute; - often with the infinitive; as, this goes to show.
Against right reason all your counsels go.
To master the foul flend there goeth some complement knowledge of theology.

Go

To apply one's self; to set one's self; to undertake.
Seeing himself confronted by so many, like a resolute orator, he went not to denial, but to justify his cruel falsehood.

Go

To proceed by a mental operation; to pass in mind or by an act of the memory or imagination; - generally with over or through.
By going over all these particulars, you may receive some tolerable satisfaction about this great subject.

Go

To be with young; to be pregnant; to gestate.
The fruit she goes with,I pray for heartily, that it may findGood time, and live.

Go

To move from the person speaking, or from the point whence the action is contemplated; to pass away; to leave; to depart; - in opposition to stay and come.
I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God; . . . only ye shall not go very far away.

Go

To pass away; to depart forever; to be lost or ruined; to perish; to decline; to decease; to die.
By Saint George, he's gone!That spear wound hath our master sped.

Go

To reach; to extend; to lead; as, a line goes across the street; his land goes to the river; this road goes to New York.
His amorous expressions go no further than virtue may allow.

Go

To have recourse; to resort; as, to go to law.
They never go about . . . to hide or palliate their vices.
Then went this saying abroad among the brethren.
He . . . went aside privately into a desert place.
Nothing so ridiculous, . . . but it goes down whole with him for truth.
The law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He was as ready to go in for statistics as for anything else.
The leaders . . . will not go off until they hear you.
The wedding went off much as such affairs do.
It is not easy to make a simile go on all fours.
There are other men fitter to go out than I.
What went ye out for to see ?
Life itself goes out at thy displeasure.
I must not go over Jordan.
Let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan.
Ishmael . . . departed to go over to the Ammonites.
If we go over the laws of Christianity, we shall find that . . . they enjoin the same thing.

Go

To take, as a share in an enterprise; to undertake or become responsible for; to bear a part in.
They to go equal shares in the booty.

Go

To bet or wager; as, I'll go you a shilling.

Go

Act; working; operation.
So gracious were the goes of marriage.

Go

A circumstance or occurrence; an incident.
This is a pretty go.

Go

The fashion or mode; as, quite the go.

Go

Noisy merriment; as, a high go.

Go

A glass of spirits.

Go

Power of going or doing; energy; vitality; perseverance; push; as, there is no go in him.

Go

That condition in the course of the game when a player can not lay down a card which will not carry the aggregate count above thirty-one.

Go

Something that goes or is successful; a success; as, he made a go of it; also, an agreement.
"Well," said Fleming, "is it a go?"

Go

A time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else);
It's my go
A spell of work

Go

Street names for methylenedioxymethamphetamine

Go

A usually brief attempt;
He took a crack at it
I gave it a whirl

Go

A board game for two players who place counters on a grid; the object is to surround and so capture the opponent's counters

Go

Change location; move, travel, or proceed;
How fast does your new car go?
We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus
The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect
The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell

Go

Follow a procedure or take a course;
We should go farther in this matter
She went through a lot of trouble
Go about the world in a certain manner
Messages must go through diplomatic channels

Go

Move away from a place into another direction;
Go away before I start to cry
The train departs at noon

Go

Enter or assume a certain state or condition;
He became annoyed when he heard the bad news
It must be getting more serious
Her face went red with anger
She went into ecstasy
Get going!

Go

Be awarded; be allotted;
The first prize goes to Mary
Her money went on clothes

Go

Have a particular form;
The story or argument runs as follows
As the saying goes...

Go

Stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point;
Service runs all the way to Cranbury
His knowledge doesn't go very far
My memory extends back to my fourth year of life
The facts extend beyond a consideration of her personal assets

Go

Follow a certain course;
The inauguration went well
How did your interview go?

Go

Be abolished or discarded;
These ugly billboards have to go!
These luxuries all had to go under the Khmer Rouge

Go

Be or continue to be in a certain condition;
The children went hungry that day

Go

Make a certain noise or sound;
She went `Mmmmm'
The gun went `bang'

Go

Perform as expected when applied;
The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in
Does this old car still run well?
This old radio doesn't work anymore

Go

To be spent or finished;
The money had gone after a few days
Gas is running low at the gas stations in the Midwest

Go

Progress by being changed;
The speech has to go through several more drafts
Run through your presentation before the meeting

Go

Continue to live; endure or last;
We went without water and food for 3 days
These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America
The racecar driver lived through several very serious accidents

Go

Pass, fare, or elapse; of a certain state of affairs or action;
How is it going?
The day went well until I got your call

Go

Pass from physical life and lose all all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life;
She died from cancer
They children perished in the fire
The patient went peacefully

Go

Be in the right place or situation;
Where do these books belong?
Let's put health care where it belongs--under the control of the government
Where do these books go?

Go

Be ranked or compare;
This violinist is as good as Juilliard-trained violinists go

Go

Begin or set in motion;
I start at eight in the morning
Ready, set, go!

Go

Have a turn; make one's move in a game;
Can I go now?

Go

Be contained in;
How many times does 18 go into 54?

Go

Be sounded, played, or expressed;
How does this song go again?

Go

Blend or harmonize;
This flavor will blend with those in your dish
This sofa won't go with the chairs

Go

Lead, extend, or afford access;
This door goes to the basement
The road runs South

Go

Be the right size or shape; fit correctly or as desired;
This piece won't fit into the puzzle

Go

Go through in search of something; search through someone's belongings in an unauthorized way;
Who rifled through my desk drawers?

Go

Be spent;
All my money went for food and rent

Go

Give support (to) or make a choice (of) one out of a group or number;
I plumped for the losing candidates

Go

Stop operating or functioning;
The engine finally went
The car died on the road
The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town
The coffee maker broke
The engine failed on the way to town
Her eyesight went after the accident

Go

Functioning correctly and ready for action;
All systems are go

Common Curiosities

Does "Come" only refer to physical movement?

No, it can be abstract, like "come to realize."

Can "Go" be used for future plans?

Yes, as in "I plan to go to the beach."

Is "Come" always about moving closer?

Generally, yes. It denotes movement toward a reference point.

Can "Go" mean to become?

Yes, like "go crazy" or "go bankrupt."

How is "Go" used in games?

It can mean a turn, like in "It's your go."

How is "Come" used in orders?

It can be directive, like "Come here!"

Can "Go" mean to function?

Yes, like in "The alarm clock goes off at 7 AM."

Is "Coming over" the same as visiting?

Yes, it generally means visiting someone's location.

How does "Go about" work?

It means to approach a task, as in "go about your work."

Is "Go on" about continuing?

Yes, it means to proceed or continue.

Can "Come" indicate a point in time?

Yes, like "Winter comes after fall."

Is "Come around" about changing opinions?

Yes, it can mean to change one's view.

Can "Go" indicate a sound?

Yes, like "The cows go 'moo'."

Can both "Come" and "Go" be about attending events?

Yes. "Will you come to the party?" or "I'll go to the concert."

Does "Come up" mean something is approaching?

It can, or it can mean something arises, like an issue.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.

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