Standard Lemma guide

GOTO

name · noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɡəʊ.tuː/
  • General-American: /ˈɡoʊ.tu/
  • CMU ARPABET: G OW1 T UW2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: G OW1 T OW0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname from Japanese.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any construct which produces an unstructured jump in the flow of execution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

Examples

  • The setjmp/longjmp facility in C is essentially a GOTO.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Alternative letter-case form of GOTO.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • Overall, experience in the two decades that followed the publication of Dijkstra's letter showed the folly of producing goto-laden code.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To reach (a point in a program) by means of a GOTO instruction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 後藤 (Gotō).

From go to, a keyword for this purpose in many programming languages.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: GOTO — Translations
  • Finnish: GOTO-lause — Translations
  • German: GOTO — Translations
  • German: GOTO-Anweisung — Translations
  • German: GOTO-Befehl — Translations
  • Polish: instrukcja skoku — Translations