behind vs on

behind

prep
  • As a result or consequence of. 

  • Responsible for, being the creator or controller of. 

  • After in developmental progress, score, grade, etc.; inferior to. 

  • After in time. 

  • In the past, from the viewpoint of. 

  • Concealed by (something serving as a facade or disguise). 

  • After in physical progress or distance. 

  • In support of. 

  • Underlying, being the reason for or explanation of. 

  • At or to the back or far side of. 

adj
  • Slow. 

  • Not advanced to the required or expected degree; overdue or in arrears. 

adv
  • Behind the scenes in a theatre; backstage. 

  • At or in the rear or back part of something. 

  • So as to come after someone or something in position, distance, advancement, ranking, time, etc. 

  • So as to be still in place after someone or something has departed or ceased to exist. 

  • In a rearward direction. 

  • Backward in time or order of succession; past. 

noun
  • In the Eton College field game, any of a group of players consisting of two "shorts" (who try to kick the ball over the bully) and a "long" (who defends the goal). 

  • The rear, back-end. 

  • The buttocks, bottom, butt. 

  • A one-point score. 

  • The catcher. 

on

prep
  • Because of, or due to. 

  • To the account or detriment of; denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon. 

  • So as to impact; against. 

  • Some time during the day of. 

  • Indicating a means of subsistence. 

  • Denoting performance or action by contact with the surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by means of; with. 

  • Dealing with the subject of; about; concerning. 

  • In the possession of. 

  • Inside (a vehicle) for the purpose of travelling. 

  • Indicating the person experiencing an emotion, cold, thirst, hunger, etc. 

  • Expressing figurative placement or attachment. 

  • Supported by (the specified part of itself). 

  • Having identical domain and codomain. 

  • At or in (a certain region or location). 

  • Upon; at the time of (and often because of). 

  • Under the influence of (a drug). 

  • Generated by. 

  • Regularly taking (a drug). 

  • Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above. 

  • Against; in opposition to. 

  • Indicating dependence or reliance. 

  • Covering. 

  • Engaged in or occupied with (an action or activity). 

  • Paid for by. 

  • Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion. 

  • At the date of. 

  • Indicating the target of, or thing affected by, an event or action. 

  • In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series. 

  • Indicating a means or medium. 

  • By virtue of; with the pledge of. 

  • Near; adjacent to; alongside. 

  • Having Vⁿ as domain and V as codomain, for some set V and integer n. 

  • Without. 

  • Positioned at or resting against the outer surface of; attached to. 

  • So as to impart force to. 

  • Serving as a member of. 

  • At a given time after the start of something; at. 

verb
  • To switch on. 

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. 

adv
  • Of betting odds, denoting a better-than-even chance. See also odds-on. 

  • Along, forwards (continuing an action). 

  • To an operating state. 

  • In continuation, at length. 

  • So as to cover or be fitted. 

adj
  • Destined, normally in the context of a challenge being accepted; involved, doomed. 

  • Acting in character. 

  • Fitted; covering; being worn. 

  • Acceptable, appropriate. 

  • Within the half of the field on the same side as the batsman's legs; the left side for a right-handed batsman. 

  • In the state of being active, functioning or operating. 

  • Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter. 

  • Of a stated part of something, oriented towards the viewer or other specified direction. 

  • Menstruating. 

  • Performing according to schedule; taking place. 

How often have the words behind and on occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )