Search Result for "on the road":
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (1)

1. travelling about;
- Example: "they took the show on the road"
- Example: "they lost all their games on the road"
[syn: on the road, on tour]


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: [1913 Webster] 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]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Road \Road\ (r[=o]), n. [AS. r[=a]d a riding, that on which one rides or travels, a road, fr. r[imac]dan to ride. See Ride, and cf. Raid.] 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]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

on the road n 1: travelling about; "they took the show on the road"; "they lost all their games on the road" [syn: on the road, on tour]