go

The word "go" is one of the most basic and useful verbs in English. Its main meaning is to move or travel from one place to another, as in "She went to Italy for her vacation" or "Let's go for a walk." It can also mean to leave: "I have to go now." In many situations, it carries the idea of starting or continuing, as in "The show must go on" or the shout "Go!" at the start of a race.

But "go" does much more than talk about movement. It can describe whether something works: "My car won't go." It can describe what happens: "How did the meeting go?" It can also show change: "He went pale," "The milk went bad," or "She went quiet." In this way, it often points to a new state or condition.

"Go" is also common in many fixed phrases and everyday expressions. We say "go wrong" when something fails, "go well" when things succeed, "go on" when something continues, and "go ahead" when someone is allowed to begin. It can describe time passing, as in "The week went quickly," and it appears in games, sports, and signals to begin, as in "Ready, set, go!" Because it can express movement, leaving, working, happening, changing, and continuing, "go" is one of the broadest and most frequent words in everyday English.