Go means to move from one place to another. It is one of the most common and versatile verbs in English, used to describe travel, change of state, and a vast range of everyday actions.
What Does Go Mean?
Go comes from the Old English verb gan, meaning to walk or to go. It is one of the most ancient and frequently used verbs in the language. Its irregular past tense went actually comes from a separate Old English verb, wendan (to turn, to travel) — a process linguists call suppletion, where forms from different roots merge into a single paradigm. The past participle is gone.
At its simplest, go describes movement from one location to another: go to school, go home, go abroad. However, English uses go in many extended senses: to describe a change of state (go red, go missing, go wrong), to indicate how something functions (the car won't go), and as the basis for dozens of phrasal verbs (go on, go out, go through).
It is important to distinguish go from come. Use go for movement away from the current position or towards a third location. Use come for movement towards the speaker or listener. This distinction is a very common difficulty for learners at all levels.
Example Sentences (A2–C1)
| Sentence | Level & Usage Note |
|---|---|
| We decided to go to the park after lunch. | A2 — basic movement towards a place |
| She goes to the gym three times a week. | A2 — habitual action with present simple |
| Everything went wrong on the day of the interview. | B1 — go + adjective to describe change of state |
| The negotiations are going well so far, but nothing has been signed yet. | B2 — present continuous to describe progress |
| The committee went ahead with the proposal despite considerable opposition from residents. | C1 — phrasal verb in formal/written context |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning / Example |
|---|---|
| go to school / work / bed | everyday routines: The children go to bed at eight. |
| go for a walk / run / swim | leisure activities: Let's go for a walk along the river. |
| go abroad / overseas | travel to another country: She went abroad for the first time at sixteen. |
| go wrong / missing / mad | change of negative state: The plan went wrong almost immediately. |
| go ahead | proceed or give permission: Please go ahead with your presentation. |
| go on (a trip / holiday) | undertake a journey or activity: We're going on holiday next month. |
| go through (a difficult time) | experience something hard: She's been going through a lot lately. |
| go back | return to a place or topic: Let's go back to what you said earlier. |
Usage Notes — Formal vs Informal
In everyday informal British English, go is the default verb for almost any kind of movement or activity. In formal or written contexts, more specific verbs often replace it to add precision and register: proceed, depart, attend, travel, visit, or undertake.
Compare: I'm going to the conference (neutral, spoken) vs I will be attending the conference (formal, written). Both are correct, but attending is more appropriate in professional correspondence.
Note also the informal use of go as a reporting verb, common in British and Australian English: She went, "I can't believe it!" This is very colloquial and should never appear in formal writing.
Related Words & Word Forms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
Yesterday I goed to the cinema with my friends.
Yesterday I went to the cinema with my friends. (go is irregular; past simple = went)
Can you go with me to the party? (said to the person hosting the party, when you are both already at the venue)
Can you come with me to the party? (movement towards listener's location — use come, not go)