On prep.  The general signification of on is situation, motion, or condition with respect to contact or support beneath; as: --
 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.
    I stood on the bridge at midnight.   --Longfellow.
 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.
    Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken.   --Matt. xxi. 44.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 7. At or in the time of; during; as, on Sunday we abstain from labor. See At (synonym).
 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.
 9. Toward; for; -- indicating the object of some passion; as, have pity or compassion on him.
 10. At the peril of, or for the safety of. “Hence, on thy life.”
 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.
 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.
    His blood be on us and on our children.   --Matt. xxvii. 25.
 13. In reference or relation to; as, on our part expect punctuality; a satire on society.
 14. Of. [Obs.] “Be not jealous on me.”
 Or have we eaten on the insane root
 That takes the reason prisoner?   --Shak.
 Note: ☞ Instances of this usage are common in our older writers, and are sometimes now heard in illiterate speech.
 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.
 16. In the service of; connected with; a member of; as, he is on a newspaper; on a committee.
 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.
 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.
    They have added the -en plural form on to an elder plural.   --Earle.
    We see the strength of the new movement in the new class of ecclesiastics whom it forced on to the stage.   --J. R. Green.


 Draught n.
 1. The act of drawing or pulling; as: (a) The act of moving loads by drawing, as by beasts of burden, and the like.
    A general custom of using oxen for all sort of draught would be, perhaps, the greatest improvement.   --Sir W. Temple.
 (b) The drawing of a bowstring. [Obs.]
    She sent an arrow forth with mighty draught.   --Spenser.
 (c) Act of drawing a net; a sweeping the water for fish.
    Upon the draught of a pond, not one fish was left.   --Sir M. Hale.
 (d) The act of drawing liquor into the mouth and throat; the act of drinking.
    In his hands he took the goblet, but a while the draught forbore.   --Trench.
 (e) A sudden attack or drawing upon an enemy. [Obs.]
    By drawing sudden draughts upon the enemy when he looketh not for you.   --Spenser.
 (f) Mil. The act of selecting or detaching soldiers; a draft (see Draft, n., 2) (g) The act of drawing up, marking out, or delineating; representation.
 2. That which is drawn; as: (a) That which is taken by sweeping with a net.
    Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.   --Luke v. 4.
    He laid down his pipe, and cast his net, which brought him a very great draught.   --L'Estrange.
 (b) Mil. The force drawn; a detachment; -- in this sense usually written draft. (c) The quantity drawn in at once in drinking; a potion or potation.
    Disguise thyself as thou wilt, still, Slavery, . . . still thou art a bitter draught.   --Sterne.
    Low lies that house where nut-brown draughts inspired.   --Goldsmith.
 (d) A sketch, outline, or representation, whether written, designed, or drawn; a delineation.
    A draught of a Toleration Act was offered to the Parliament by a private member.   --Macaulay.
    No picture or draught of these things from the report of the eye.   --South.
 (e) Com. An order for the payment of money; -- in this sense almost always written draft. (f) A current of air moving through an inclosed place, as through a room or up a chimney.
    He preferred to go and sit upon the stairs, in . . .  a strong draught of air, until he was again sent for.   --Dickens.
 3. That which draws; as: (a) A team of oxen or horses. --Blackstone. (b) A sink or drain; a privy. --Shak. --Matt. xv. 17. (c) pl. Med. A mild vesicatory; a sinapism; as, to apply draughts to the feet.
 4. Capacity of being drawn; force necessary to draw; traction.
    The Hertfordshire wheel plow . . . is of the easiest draught.   --Mortimer.
 5. Naut. The depth of water necessary to float a ship, or the depth a ship sinks in water, especially when laden; as, a ship of twelve feet draught.
 6. Com. An allowance on weighable goods. [Eng.] See Draft, 4.
 7. A move, as at chess or checkers. [Obs.]
 8. The bevel given to the pattern for a casting, in order that it may be drawn from the sand without injury to the mold.
 9. Masonry See Draft, n., 7.
 Angle of draught, the angle made with the plane over which a body is drawn by the line in which the pulling force acts, when the latter has the direction best adapted to overcome the obstacles of friction and the weight of the body.
 Black draught. See under Black, a.
 Blast draught, or Forced draught, the draught produced by a blower, as by blowing in air beneath a fire or drawing out the gases from above it.
 Natural draught, the draught produced by the atmosphere flowing, by its own weight, into a chimney wherein the air is rarefied by heat.
 On draught, so as to be drawn from the wood (as a cask, barrel, etc.) in distinction from being bottled; as, ale on draught.
 Sheer draught. See under Sheer.