The difference between About and On
When used as prepositions, about means in a circle around, whereas on means positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above.
When used as adverbs, about means on all sides, whereas on means to an operating state.
When used as adjectives, about means moving around, whereas on means in the state of being active, functioning or operating.
On is also noun with the meaning: in the japanese language, a pronunciation, or reading, of a kanji character that was originally based on the character's pronunciation in chinese, contrasted with kun.
On is also verb with the meaning: to switch on.
check bellow for the other definitions of About and On
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About as a preposition:
In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of.
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About as a preposition:
Near; not far from; approximately; regarding time, size, quantity.
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About as a preposition:
On the point or verge of.
Examples:
"the show is about to start; I am not about to admit to your crime"
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About as a preposition:
On one's person; nearby the person.
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About as a preposition:
Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.
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About as a preposition:
Concerned with; engaged in; intent on.
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About as a preposition:
Concerning; with regard to; on account of; on the subject of; to affect.
Examples:
"He knew more about what was occurring than anyone."
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About as a preposition (figurative):
In or near, as in mental faculties or in possession of; in control of; at one's command; in one's makeup.
Examples:
"He has his wits about him."
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About as a preposition:
In the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place.
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About as an adverb:
Not distant; approximate. On all sides; around. Here and there; around; in one place and another; up and down. Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence, in quality, manner, degree, quantity, or time; almost. Near; in the vicinity.
Examples:
"'about as cold;  about as high"
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About as an adverb:
In succession; one after another; in the course of events.
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About as an adverb:
On the move; active; astir.
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About as an adverb (nautical):
To a reversed order; half round; facing in the opposite direction; from a contrary point of view. To the opposite tack.
Examples:
"to face about;  to turn oneself about'"
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About as an adverb (obsolete):
Preparing; planning.
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About as an adverb (archaic):
In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; around the outside; in circumference.
Examples:
"a mile about, and a third of a mile across"
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About as an adverb (chiefly, North America, colloquial):
Going to; on the verge of; intending to.
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About as an adjective:
Moving around; astir.
Examples:
"out and about;  up and about'"
"After my bout with Guillan-Barre Syndrome, it took me 6 months to be up and about again."
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About as an adjective:
In existence; being in evidence; apparent
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On as an adjective:
In the state of being active, functioning or operating.
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On as an adjective:
Performing according to schedule.
Examples:
"Are we still on for tonight?"
"Is the show still on?"
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On as an adjective (chiefly, UK, informal, usually negative):
Acceptable, appropriate.
Examples:
"You can't do that; it's just not on."
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On as an adjective (informal):
Destined, normally in the context of a challenge being accepted; involved, doomed.
Examples:
"Five bucks says the Cavs win tonight." ―"You're on!"
"Mike just threw coffee onto Paul's lap. It's on now."
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On as an adjective (baseball, informal):
Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter.
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On as an adjective (euphemistic):
Menstruating.
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On as an adverb:
To an operating state.
Examples:
"turn the [[television]] on'"
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On as an adverb:
Along, forwards (continuing an action).
Examples:
"drive on, rock on'"
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On as an adverb:
In continuation, at length.
Examples:
"and so on."
"He rambled on and on."
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On as an adverb (cricket):
In, or towards the half of the field on the same side as the batsman's legs; the left side for a right-handed batsman; leg.
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On as an adverb (not US):
Later.
Examples:
"Ten years on, nothing had changed in the village."
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On as a preposition:
Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above.
Examples:
"'on the table; on the couch"
"The parrot was sitting on Jim's shoulder."
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On as a preposition:
At or near; adjacent to.
Examples:
"Soon we'll pass a statue on the left."
"The fleet is on the American coast."
"[[wikipedia:Croton-on-Hudson Croton-on-Hudson]], [[wikipedia:Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don]], [[wikipedia:Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea]]"
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On as a preposition:
Covering.
Examples:
"He wore old shoes on his feet."
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On as a preposition:
At the date of.
Examples:
"Born on the 4th of July."
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On as a preposition:
Some time during the day of.
Examples:
"I'll see you on Monday. The bus leaves on Friday. Can I see you on a different day? On Sunday I'm busy."
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On as a preposition:
Dealing with the subject of, about, or concerning something.
Examples:
"A book on history. The World Summit on the Information Society."
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On as a preposition:
Touching; hanging from.
Examples:
"The fruit ripened on the trees. The painting hangs on the wall."
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On as a preposition (informal):
In the possession of.
Examples:
"I haven't got any money on me."
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On as a preposition:
Because of, or due to.
Examples:
"To arrest someone on suspicion of bribery. To contact someone on a hunch."
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On as a preposition:
Upon; at the time of (and often because of).
Examples:
"'On Jack's entry, William got up to leave."
"'On the addition of ammonia, a chemical reaction begins."
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On as a preposition:
Paid for by.
Examples:
"The drinks are on me tonight, boys. The meal is on the house. I paid for the airfare and meals for my family, but the hotel room was on the company."
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On as a preposition:
Examples:
"I saw it on television. Can't you see I'm on the phone?"
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On as a preposition:
Examples:
"They lived on ten dollars a week. The dog survived three weeks on rainwater."
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On as a preposition:
Away or occupied with (e.g. a scheduled activity).
Examples:
"He's on his lunch break. on vacation; on holiday"
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On as a preposition:
Denoting performance or action by contact with the surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by means of; with.
Examples:
"to play on a violin or piano"
"Her words made a lasting impression on my mind."
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On as a preposition:
Regularly taking (a drug).
Examples:
"You've been on these antidepressants far too long. He's acting so strangely, I think he must be on something."
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On as a preposition:
Under the influence of (a drug).
Examples:
"He's acting crazy because he's on crack right now."
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On as a preposition (mathematics):
Having identical domain and codomain.
Examples:
"a function on'"
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On as a preposition (mathematics):
Having V^n as domain and V as codomain, for some set V and integer n.
Examples:
"an operator on'"
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On as a preposition (mathematics):
Generated by.
Examples:
"the free group on four letters"
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On as a preposition:
Supported by (the specified part of itself).
Examples:
"A table can't stand on two legs. After resting on his elbows, he stood on his toes, then walked on his heels."
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On as a preposition:
At a given time after the start of something; at.
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On as a preposition:
In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series.
Examples:
"heaps on heaps of food"
"mischief on mischief; loss on loss"
"rfquotek Shakespeare"
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On as a preposition (obsolete, regional):
of
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On as a preposition:
Indicating dependence or reliance; with confidence in.
Examples:
"I depended on them for assistance."
"He will promise on certain conditions."
"Do you ever bet on horses?"
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On as a preposition:
Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion.
Examples:
"Have pity or compassion on him."
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On as a preposition (obsolete):
At the peril of, or for the safety of.
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On as a preposition:
In the service of; connected with; of the number of.
Examples:
"He is on a newspaper; I am on the committee."
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On as a preposition:
By virtue of; with the pledge of.
Examples:
"He affirmed or promised on his word, or on his honour."
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On as a preposition:
To the account or detriment of; denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon.
Examples:
"'On us be all the blame."
"A curse on him!"
"Please don't tell on her and get her in trouble."
"He turned on her and has been her enemy ever since."
"He went all honest on me, making me listen to his confession."
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On as a preposition (especially when numbers of combatants or competitors are specified):
Against; in opposition to.
Examples:
"The fight was three on one, and he never stood a chance."
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On as a verb (transitive, Singapore, Philippines):
to switch on
Examples:
"Can you on the light?"
"synonyms: turn on"
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On as a preposition (UK, _, dialectal, Scotland):
Without.
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On as a noun:
In the Japanese language, a pronunciation, or reading, of a kanji character that was originally based on the character's pronunciation in Chinese, contrasted with kun.
Examples:
"Most kanji have two kinds of reading, called "on" and "kun"."