| intransitive |
| 1. adj. (grammar, of a verb) not transitive: not having, or not taking, a direct object | |
| The word "drink" is a transitive verb in "they drink wine", but an intransitive one in "they drink often.". | |
| 2. adj. (rare) not transitive or passing further; kept; detained | |
| And then it is for the image's sake and so far is intransitive; but whatever is paid more to the image is transitive and passes further. — Jeremy Taylor. | |
| to |
| 1. part. A particle used for marking the following verb as an infinitive. | |
| I want to leave. | |
| He asked me what to do. | |
| I don’t know how to say it. | |
| I have places to go and people to see. | |
| 2. part. As above, with the verb implied. | |
| "Did you visit the museum?" "I wanted to, but it was closed.". | |
| If he hasn't read it yet, he ought to. | |
| 3. part. A particle used to create phrasal verbs. | |
| I have to do laundry today. | |
| 4. prep. Indicating destination: In the direction of, and arriving at. | |
| We are walking to the shop. | |
| 5. prep. Used to indicate purpose. | |
| He devoted himself to education. | |
| They drank to his health. | |
| 6. prep. Used to indicate result of action. | |
| His face was beaten to a pulp. | |
| 7. prep. Used after an adjective to indicate its application. | |
| similar to ..., relevant to ..., pertinent to ..., I was nice to him, he was cruel to her, I am used to walking. | |
| 8. prep. (obsolete,) As a. | |
| With God to friend (with God as a friend); with The Devil to fiend (with the Devil as a foe); lambs slaughtered to lake (lambs slaughtered as a sacrifice); t | |
| 9. prep. (arithmetic) Used to indicate a ratio or comparison. | |
| one to one = 1:1 | |
| ten to one = 10:1. | |
| I have ten dollars to your four. | |
| 10. prep. (arithmetic) Used to indicate that the preceding term is to be raised to the power of the following value; indicates exponentiation. | |
| Three squared or three to the second power is nine. | |
| Three to the power of two is nine. | |
| Three to the second is nine. | |
| 11. prep. Used to indicate the indirect object. | |
| I gave the book to him. | |
| 12. prep. (time) Preceding. | |
| ten to ten = 9:50; We're going to leave at ten to (the hour). | |
| 13. prep. Used to describe what something consists of or contains. | |
| Anyone could do this job; there's nothing to it. | |
| There's a lot of sense to what he says. | |
| 14. prep. (Canada, UK, Newfoundland, West Midlands) At. | |
| Stay where you're to and I'll come find you, b'y. | |
| 15. adv. Toward a closed, touching or engaging position. | |
| Please push the door to. | |
| 16. adv. (nautical) Into the wind. | |
| 17. adv. misspelling of too | |
| shrivel |
| 1. v. (intransitive) To collapse inward; to crumble. | |
| The plant shrivelled from lack of water. | |
| 2. v. (intransitive) To become wrinkled. | |
| His fingers were shriveled from being in the bath for too long. | |
| 3. v. To draw into wrinkles. | |
| The hot sun shrivelled the leaves. | |
| droop |
| 1. v. (intransitive) To hang downward; to sag. | |
| 2. v. (intransitive) To slowly become limp; to bend gradually. | |
| 3. v. (intransitive) To lose all energy, enthusiasm or happiness; to flag. | |
| 4. v. To allow to droop or sink. | |
| 5. v. To proceed downward, or toward a close; to decline. | |
| 6. n. something which is limp or sagging | |
| 7. n. a condition or posture of drooping | |
| He walked with a discouraged droop. | |
| or |
| 1. conj. Connects at least two alternative words, phrases, clauses, sentences, etc. each of which could make a passage true. In English, this is the "inclusive or." The "exclusive or" is formed by "either(...) | |
| In Ohio, anyone under the age of 18 who wants a tattoo or body piercing needs the consent of a parent or guardian. | |
| He might get cancer, or be hit by a bus, or God knows what. | |
| 2. conj. (logic) An operator denoting the disjunction of two propositions or truth values. There are two forms, the inclusive or and the exclusive or. | |
| 3. conj. Counts the elements before and after as two possibilities. | |
| 4. conj. Otherwise (a consequence of the condition that the previous is false). | |
| It's raining! Come inside or you'll catch a cold! | |
| 5. conj. Connects two equivalent names. | |
| The country Myanmar, or Burma | |
| 6. n. (logic, electronics) alternative form of OR | |
| 7. n. (tincture) The gold or yellow tincture on a coat of arms. | |
| 8. adj. (tincture) Of gold or yellow tincture on a coat of arms. | |
| 9. adv. (obsolete) Early (on). | |
| 10. adv. (obsolete) Earlier, previously. | |
| 11. prep. (now archaic, or dialect) Before; ere. | |
| dry |
| 1. adj. Free from or lacking moisture. | |
| This towel's dry. Could you wet it and cover the chicken so it doesn't go dry as it cooks? | |
| 2. adj. Unable to produce a liquid, as water, (Petrochemistry) oil, or (farming) milk. | |
| This well is as dry as that cow. | |
| 3. adj. (masonry) Built without or lacking mortar. | |
| 4. adj. (chemistry) Anhydrous: free from or lacking water in any state, regardless of the presence of other liquids. | |
| Dry alcohol is 200 proof. | |
| 5. adj. Free from or lacking alcohol or alcoholic beverages. | |
| Of course it's a dry house. He was an alcoholic but he's been dry for almost a year now. | |
| 6. adj. (law) Describing an area where sales of alcoholic or strong alcoholic beverages are banned. | |
| You'll have to drive out of this dry county to find any liquor. | |
| 7. adj. Free from or lacking embellishment or sweetness, particularly: | |
| 8. adj. (wine & other alcoholic beverages) Low in sugar; lacking sugar; unsweetened. | |
| Proper martinis are made with London dry gin and dry vermouth. | |
| 9. adj. (humor) Amusing without showing amusement. | |
| Steven Wright has a deadpan delivery, Norm Macdonald has a dry sense of humor, and Oscar Wilde had a dry wit. | |
| 10. adj. Lacking interest, boring. | |
| A dry lecture may require the professor to bring a watergun in order to keep the students' attention. | |
| 11. adj. (fine arts) Exhibiting precise execution lacking delicate contours or soft transitions of color. | |
| 12. adj. (science, somewhat pejorative) Involving computations rather than work with biological or chemical matter. | |
| 13. adj. (of a sound recording) Free from applied audio effects. | |
| 14. adj. Without a usual complement or consummation; impotently. (attn, en, improve this) | |
| never dry fire a bow; dry humping her girlfriend; making a dry run | |
| 15. n. (US) A prohibitionist (of alcoholic beverages). | |
| 16. n. (especially, Australia, with "the") The dry season. | |
| 17. n. (Australia) An area of waterless country. | |
| 18. n. (UK, politics) A radical or hard-line Conservative; especially, one who supported the policies of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, contrasted with wet. | |
| 19. v. (intransitive) To lose moisture. | |
| The clothes dried on the line. | |
| 20. v. To remove moisture from. | |
| Devin dried her eyes with a handkerchief. | |
| 21. v. (obsolete, intransitive) To be thirsty. | |
| up |
| 1. adv. Away from the surface of the Earth or other planet; in opposite direction to the downward pull of gravity. | |
| I looked up and saw the airplane overhead. | |
| 2. adv. (intensifier) Used as an aspect marker to indicate a completed action or state Thoroughly, completely. | |
| I will mix up the puzzle pieces. | |
| Tear up the contract. | |
| He really messed up. | |
| Please type up our monthly report. | |
| 3. adv. To or from one's possession or consideration. | |
| I picked up some milk on the way home. | |
| The committee will take up your request. | |
| She had to give up her driver's license after the accident. | |
| 4. adv. North. | |
| I will go up to New York to visit my family this weekend. | |
| 5. adv. To a higher level of some quantity or notional quantity, such as price, volume, pitch, happiness, etc. | |
| Gold has gone up with the uncertainty in the world markets. | |
| Turn it up, I can barely hear it. | |
| Listen to your voice go up at the end of a question. | |
| Cheer up, the weekend's almost here. | |
| 6. adv. (rail transport) Traditional term for the direction leading to the principal terminus, towards milepost zero. | |
| 7. adv. (sailing) Against the wind or current. | |
| 8. adv. (Cartesian graph) In a positive vertical direction. | |
| 9. adv. (cricket) Relatively close to the batsman. | |
| The bowler pitched the ball up. | |
| 10. adv. (hospitality, US) Without additional ice. | |
| Would you like that drink up or on ice? | |
| 11. adv. (academia) Towards Cambridge or Oxford. | |
| She's going up to read Classics this September. | |
| 12. adv. To or in a position of equal advance or equality; not short of, back of, less advanced than, away from, etc.; usually followed by to or with. | |
| I was up to my chin in water. | |
| A stranger came up and asked me for directions. | |
| 13. adv. To or in a state of completion; completely; wholly; quite. | |
| Drink up. The pub is closing. | |
| Can you sum up your research? | |
| The comet burned up in the atmosphere. | |
| I need to sew up the hole in this shirt. | |
| 14. adv. Aside, so as not to be in use. | |
| to lay up riches; put up your weapons | |
| 15. prep. Toward the top of. | |
| The cat went up the tree. They walk up the steps. | |
| 16. prep. Toward the center, source, or main point of reference; toward the end at which something is attached. | |
| The information made its way up the chain of command to the general. I felt something crawling up my arm. | |
| 17. prep. Further along (in any direction). | |
| Go up the street until you see the sign. | |
| 18. prep. From south to north of | |
| 19. prep. From the mouth towards the source (of a river or waterway). | |
| 20. prep. (vulgar slang) Of a man: having sex with. | |
| Phwoar, look at that bird. I'd love to be up her. | |
| 21. prep. (colloquial) At (a given place, especially one imagined to be higher or more remote from a central location). | |
| 22. adj. Awake. | |
| I can’t believe it’s 3 a.m. and you’re still up. | |
| 23. adj. Finished, to an end | |
| Time is up! | |
| 24. adj. In a good mood. | |
| I’m feeling up today. | |
| 25. adj. Willing; ready. | |
| If you are up for a trip, let’s go. | |
| 26. adj. Next in a sequence. | |
| Smith is up to bat. | |
| 27. adj. Happening; new. | |
| What is up with that project at headquarters? | |
| 28. adj. Facing upwards; facing toward the top. | |
| Put the notebook face up on the table. | |
| Take a break and put your feet up. | |
| 29. adj. Larger; greater in quantity. | |
| Sales are up from last quarter. | |
| 30. adj. Ahead; leading; winning. | |
| The home team were up by two goals at half-time. | |
| 31. adj. Standing. | |
| Get up and give her your seat. | |
| 32. adj. On a higher level. | |
| The new ground is up. | |
| 33. adj. Available; made public. | |
| The new notices are up as of last Tuesday. | |
| 34. adj. (poker, postnominal) Said of the higher-ranking pair in a two pair. | |
| AAKK = aces up | |
| QQ33 = queens up | |
| 35. adj. Well-informed; current. | |
| I’m not up on the latest news. What’s going on? | |
| 36. adj. (computing) Functional; working. | |
| Is the server back up? | |
| 37. adj. (anchor, Adj_railway)(of a railway line or train) Traveling towards a major terminus. | |
| The London train is on the up line. | |
| 38. adj. Headed, or designated to go, upward, as an escalator, stairway, elevator etc. | |
| 39. adj. (bar tending) Chilled and strained into a stemmed glass. | |
| A Cosmopolitan is typically served up. | |
| 40. adj. (slang) Erect. | |
| 41. adj. (of the Sun or Moon) Above the horizon, in the sky (i.e. during daytime or night-time) | |
| 42. adj. (slang) well-known; renowned | |
| 43. n. The direction opposed to the pull of gravity. | |
| Up is a good way to go. | |
| 44. n. A positive thing. | |
| I hate almost everything about my job. The only up is that it's so close to home. | |
| 45. n. An upstairs room of a two story house. | |
| She lives in a two-up two-down. | |
| 46. v. (transitive, colloquial) To increase or raise. | |
| If we up the volume, we'll be able to make out the details. | |
| We upped anchor and sailed away. | |
| 47. v. (transitive, colloquial) To promote. | |
| It wasn’t long before they upped him to Vice President. | |
| 48. v. (intransitive) To act suddenly, usually with another verb. | |
| especially |
| 1. adv. (manner) In a special manner; specially. | |
| 2. adv. (focus) Particularly; to a greater extent than is normal. | |
| 3. adv. (focus) Used to place greater emphasis upon someone or something. | |
| Invite them all, especially Molly. | |
| from |
| 1. prep. With the source or provenance of or at. | |
| This wine comes from France. | |
| I got a letter from my brother. | |
| 2. prep. With the origin, starting point or initial reference of or at. | |
| He had books piled from floor to ceiling. | |
| He left yesterday from Chicago. | |
| Face away from the wall! | |
| 3. prep. (mathematics, now uncommon) Denoting a subtraction operation. | |
| 20 from 31 leaves 11. | |
| 4. prep. With the separation, exclusion or differentiation of. | |
| An umbrella protects from the sun. | |
| He knows right from wrong. | |
| lack |
| 1. n. (obsolete) A defect or failing; moral or spiritual degeneracy. | |
| 2. n. A deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want. | |
| 3. v. To be without, to need, to require. | |
| My life lacks excitement. | |
| 4. v. (intransitive) To be short (of or for something). | |
| He'll never lack for company while he's got all that money. | |
| 5. v. (intransitive, obsolete) To be in want. | |
| 6. v. (obsolete) To see the deficiency in (someone or something); to find fault with, to malign, reproach. | |
| of |
| 1. prep. Expressing distance or motion. | |
| 2. prep. (now obsolete, or dialectal) From (of distance, direction), "off". | |
| 3. prep. (obsolete except in phrases) Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.). | |
| 4. prep. From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.). | |
| There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage. | |
| 5. prep. (North America, Scotland, Ireland) Before (the hour); to. | |
| What's the time? / Nearly a quarter of three. | |
| 6. prep. Expressing separation. | |
| 7. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object.) | |
| Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband. | |
| 8. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with resulting state indicated by an adjective.) | |
| He seemed devoid of human feelings. | |
| 9. prep. (obsolete) (Indicating removal, absence or separation, construed with an intransitive verb.) | |
| 10. prep. Expressing origin. | |
| 11. prep. (Indicating an ancestral source or origin of descent.) | |
| The word is believed to be of Japanese origin. | |
| 12. prep. (Indicating a (non-physical) source of action or emotion; introducing a cause, instigation); from, out of, as an expression of. | |
| The invention was born of necessity. | |
| 13. prep. (following an intransitive verb) (Indicates the source or cause of the verb.) | |
| It is said that she died of a broken heart. | |
| 14. prep. (following an adjective) (Indicates the subject or cause of the adjective.) | |
| I am tired of all this nonsense. | |
| 15. prep. Expressing agency. | |
| 16. prep. (following a passive verb) (Indicates the agent (for most verbs, now usually expressed with by).) | |
| I am not particularly enamoured of this idea. | |
| 17. prep. (Used to introduce the "subjective genitive"; following a noun to form the head of a postmodifying noun phrase) (see also 'Possession' senses below). | |
| The contract can be terminated at any time with the agreement of both parties. | |
| 18. prep. (following an adjective) (Used to indicate the agent of something described by the adjective.) | |
| It was very brave of you to speak out like that. | |
| 19. prep. Expressing composition, substance. | |
| 20. prep. (after a verb expressing construction, making etc.) (Used to indicate the material or substance used.) | |
| Many 'corks' are now actually made of plastic. | |
| 21. prep. (directly following a noun) (Used to indicate the material of the just-mentioned object.) | |
| She wore a dress of silk. | |
| 22. prep. (Indicating the composition of a given collective or quantitative noun.) | |
| What a lot of nonsense! | |
| 23. prep. (Used to link a given class of things with a specific example of that class.) | |
| Welcome to the historic town of Harwich. | |
| 24. prep. (Links two nouns in near-apposition, with the first qualifying the second); "which is also". | |
| I'm not driving this wreck of a car. | |
| 25. prep. Introducing subject matter. | |
| 26. prep. (Links an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb and its subject (especially verbs to do with thinking, feeling, expressing etc.), with its subject-ma | |
| I'm always thinking of you. | |
| 27. prep. (following a noun (now chiefly nouns of knowledge, communication etc.)) (Introduces its subject matter); about, concerning. | |
| He told us the story of his journey to India. | |
| 28. prep. (following an adjective) (Introduces its subject matter.) | |
| This behaviour is typical of teenagers. | |
| 29. prep. Having partitive effect. | |
| 30. prep. (following a number or other quantitive word) (Introduces the whole for which is indicated only the specified part or segment); "from among". | |
| Most of these apples are rotten. | |
| 31. prep. (following a noun) (Indicates a given part.) | |
| 32. prep. (now archaic, literary, with preceding partitive word assumed, or as a predicate after to be) Some, an amount of, one of. | |
| On the whole, they seem to be of the decent sort. | |
| 33. prep. (Links to a genitive noun or possessive pronoun, with partitive effect (though now often merged with possessive senses, below).) | |
| He is a friend of mine. | |
| 34. prep. Expressing possession. | |
| 35. prep. Belonging to, existing in, or taking place in a given location, place or time. Compare "origin" senses, above. | |
| He was perhaps the most famous scientist of the twentieth century. | |
| 36. prep. Belonging to (a place) through having title, ownership or control over it. | |
| The owner of the nightclub was arrested. | |
| 37. prep. Belonging to (someone or something) as something they possess or have as a characteristic; (the "possessive genitive". (With abstract nouns, this inter | |
| Keep the handle of the saucepan away from the flames. | |
| 38. prep. Forming the "objective genitive". | |
| 39. prep. (Follows an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action.) | |
| She had a profound distrust of the police. | |
| 40. prep. Expressing qualities or characteristics. | |
| 41. prep. (now archaic, or literary) (Links an adjective with a noun or noun phrase to form a quasi-adverbial qualifier); in respect to, as regards. | |
| My companion seemed affable and easy of manner. | |
| 42. prep. (Indicates a quality or characteristic); "characterized by". | |
| Pooh was said to be a bear of very little brain. | |
| 43. prep. (Indicates quantity, age, price, etc.) | |
| We have been paying interest at a rate of 10%. | |
| 44. prep. (US, informal considered incorrect by some) (Used to link singular indefinite nouns (preceded by the indefinite article) and attributive adjectives mod | |
| It's not that big of a deal. | |
| 45. prep. Expressing a point in time. | |
| 46. prep. (chiefly regional) During the course of (a set period of time, day of the week etc.), now specifically with implied repetition or regularity. | |
| Of an evening, we would often go for a stroll along the river. | |
| 47. prep. (UK dialectal, chiefly in negative constructions) For (a given length of time). | |
| I've not tekken her out of a goodly long while. | |
| 48. prep. (after a noun) (Indicates duration of a state, activity etc.) | |
| After a delay of three hours, the plane finally took off. | |
| water |
| 1. n. A substance (of molecular formula H₂O) found at room temperature and pressure as a clear liquid; it is present naturally as rain, and found in rivers, lakes and seas; its solid form is ice and its gas | |
| By the action of electricity, the water was resolved into its two parts, oxygen and hydrogen. | |
| 2. n. (in particular) The liquid form of this substance: liquid H₂O. | |
| May I have a glass of water? | |
| Your plants need more water. | |
| 3. n. A serving of liquid water. | |
| 4. n. (alchemy, philosophy) The aforementioned liquid, considered one of the Classical elements or basic elements of alchemy. | |
| He showed me the river of living water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God. | |
| 5. n. (or in the plural) Water in a body; an area of open water. | |
| The boat was found within the territorial waters. | |
| These seals are a common sight in the coastal waters of Chile. | |
| 6. n. (poetic, archaic, or dialectal) A body of water, almost always a river. | |
| 7. n. A combination of water and other substance(s). | |
| 8. n. (sometimes ) Mineral water. | |
| Perrier is the most popular water in this restaurant. | |
| 9. n. (often, in the plural) Spa water. | |
| Many people visit Bath to take the waters. | |
| 10. n. (pharmacy) A solution in water of a gaseous or readily volatile substance. | |
| ammonia water | |
| 11. n. Urine. | |
| 12. n. Amniotic fluid; used only in the plural in the UK but often also in the singular in North America, especially to avoid cacophony, as in this example: ( | |
| Before the child is born, the pregnant woman’s water breaks. (North America) | |
| Before your child is born, your water(s) will break. (North America) | |
| Before the child is born, the pregnant woman’s waters break. (UK) | |
| 13. n. (colloquial, medicine) Fluids in the body, especially when causing swelling. | |
| He suffers from water on the knee. | |
| 14. n. (figuratively, in the or in the singular) A state of affairs; conditions; usually with an adjective indicating an adverse condition. | |
| The rough waters of change will bring about the calm after the storm. | |
| 15. n. (colloquial, figuratively) A person's intuition. | |
| I know he'll succeed. I feel it in my waters. | |
| 16. n. (dated, finance) Excess valuation of securities. | |
| 17. n. The limpidity and lustre of a precious stone, especially a diamond. | |
| a diamond of the first water is perfectly pure and transparent | |
| 18. n. A wavy, lustrous pattern or decoration such as is imparted to linen, silk, metals, etc. | |
| 19. v. To pour water into the soil surrounding (plants). | |
| 20. v. To wet or supply with water; to moisten; to overflow with water; to irrigate. | |
| 21. v. To provide (animals) with water for drinking. | |
| I need to go water the cattle. | |
| 22. v. (intransitive) To get or take in water. | |
| The ship put into port to water. | |
| 23. v. (transitive, colloquial) To urinate onto. | |
| Nature called, so I stepped into the woods and watered a tree. | |
| 24. v. To dilute. | |
| Can you water the whisky, please? | |
| 25. v. (transitive, dated, finance) To overvalue (securities), especially through deceptive accounting. | |
| 26. v. (intransitive) To fill with or secrete water. | |
| Chopping onions makes my eyes water. | |
| The smell of fried onions makes my mouth water. | |
| 27. v. To wet and calender, as cloth, so as to impart to it a lustrous appearance in wavy lines; to diversify with wavelike lines. | |
| to water silk | |
