To move on means to stop dwelling on something and direct your attention toward what comes next. When you move on from a mistake on a math test, you focus on studying for the next one instead of replaying your errors over and over. When a coach tells the team to move on after a tough loss, she means they should learn what they can from it, then look ahead to their next game.

Moving on doesn't mean pretending something didn't happen or that it didn't matter. It means accepting what happened and choosing not to let it control your thoughts and energy anymore. After an argument with a friend, you might talk it through, apologize if needed, and then move on so the friendship can continue to grow.

People also use this phrase when they're ready for a change. A family might move on from their old neighborhood to a new city. A student moves on from elementary school to middle school. In these cases, moving on means leaving one chapter of life behind and beginning another.

The opposite of moving on is staying stuck: replaying the same disappointing moment, holding grudges, or refusing to accept that circumstances have changed. Moving on takes a kind of mental strength because it means letting go of something, whether that's a hurt feeling, a comfortable routine, or a way things used to be.