writing |
1. n. Graphism of symbols such as letters that express some meaning. | |
2. n. Something written, such as a document, article or book. | |
3. n. The process of representing a language with symbols or letters. | |
4. n. A work of an author. | |
5. n. The style of writing of a person. | |
I can't read your writing. | |
6. n. (as a modifier) Intended for or used in writing. | |
a writing table | |
7. v. present participle of write | |
an |
1. art. Form of a used before a vowel sound | |
2. art. (now quite rare) Form of a used before 'h' in an unstressed syllable | |
3. art. (nonstandard) Form of a used before 'h' in a stressed syllable | |
4. conj. (archaic) If | |
5. conj. (archaic) So long as. | |
An it harm none, do what ye will. | |
6. conj. (archaic) As if; as though. | |
7. n. The first letter of the Georgian alphabet, ა (Mkhedruli), Ⴀ (Asomtavruli) or ⴀ (Nuskhuri). | |
8. prep. In each; to or for each; per. | |
I was only going twenty miles an hour. | |
opening |
1. v. present participle of open | |
2. n. An act or instance of making or becoming open. | |
The daily openings of the day lily bloom gives it its name. | |
He remembered fondly the Christmas morning opening of presents. | |
3. n. Something that is open. | |
A salamander darted out of an opening in the rocks. | |
He slipped through an opening in the crowd. | |
4. n. An act or instance of beginning. | |
There have been few factory and store openings in the US lately. | |
Their opening of the concert with Brass in Pocket always fires up the crowd. | |
5. n. Something that is a beginning. | |
6. n. The first performance of a show or play by a particular troupe. | |
They were disappointed at the turnout for their opening, but hoped that word would spread. | |
7. n. The initial period a show at an art gallery or museum is first opened, especially the first evening. | |
8. n. The first few measures of a musical composition. | |
9. n. (chess) The first few moves in a game of chess. | |
John spends two hours a day studying openings, and another two hours studying endgames. | |
10. n. A vacant position, especially in an array. | |
Are there likely to be any openings on the Supreme Court in the next four years? | |
11. n. A time available in a schedule. | |
If you'd like to make a booking with us, we have an opening at twelve o'clock. | |
The only two-hour openings for the hockey rink are between 1AM and 5AM. | |
12. n. An unoccupied employment position. | |
We have an opening in our marketing department. | |
13. n. An opportunity, as in a competitive activity. | |
14. n. (math) In mathematical morphology, the dilation of the erosion of a set. | |
15. adj. (cricket) describing the first period of play, usually up to the fall of the first wicket; describing a batsman who opens the innings or a bowler who opens the attack | |
open |
1. adj. (not comparable) Not closed; accessible; unimpeded. | |
Turn left after the second open door. | |
It was as if his body had gone to sleep standing up and with his eyes open. | |
2. adj. Not drawn together, closed, or contracted; extended; expanded. | |
an open hand; an open flower; an open prospect | |
3. adj. (not comparable) Actively conducting or prepared to conduct business. | |
Banks are not open on bank holidays. | |
4. adj. (comparable) Receptive. | |
I am open to new ideas. | |
5. adj. (not comparable) Public | |
He published an open letter to the governor on a full page of the New York Times. | |
6. adj. (not comparable) Candid, ingenuous, not subtle in character. | |
The man is an open book. | |
7. adj. (mathematics, logic, of a formula) Having a free variable. | |
8. adj. (mathematics, topology, of a set) Which is part of a predefined collection of subsets ofX, that defines a topological space onX. | |
9. adj. (graph theory, of a walk) Whose first and last vertices are different. | |
10. adj. (computing, not comparable, of a file, document, etc.) In current use; mapped to part of memory. | |
I couldn't save my changes because another user had the same file open. | |
11. adj. (business) Not fulfilled. | |
I've got open orders for as many containers of red durum as you can get me. | |
12. adj. Not settled or adjusted; not decided or determined; not closed or withdrawn from consideration. | |
an open question | |
to keep an offer or opportunity open | |
13. adj. (music, stringed instruments) Without any fingers pressing the string against the fingerboard. | |
14. adj. Not of a quality to prevent communication, as by closing waterways, blocking roads, etc.; hence, not frosty or inclement; mild; used of the weather or the climate. | |
an open winter | |
15. adj. (phonetics) Uttered with a relatively wide opening of the articulating organs; said of vowels. | |
16. adj. (phonetics) Uttered, as a consonant, with the oral passage simply narrowed without closure. | |
17. adj. (phonetics, of a syllable) That ends in a vowel; not having a coda. | |
18. adj. (computing) Made public, usable with a free licence. | |
19. adj. (medicine) Resulting from an incision, puncture or any other process by which the skin no longer protects an internal part of the body. | |
20. v. To make something accessible or allow for passage by moving from a shut position. | |
Turn the doorknob to open the door. | |
21. v. To make (an open space, etc.) by clearing away an obstacle or obstacles, in order to allow for passage, access, or visibility. | |
He opened a path through the undergrowth. | |
22. v. To bring up, broach. | |
I don't want to open that subject. | |
23. v. To enter upon, begin. | |
to open a discussion | |
to open fire upon an enemy | |
to open trade, or correspondence | |
to open a case in court, or a meeting | |
24. v. To spread; to expand into an open or loose position. | |
to open a closed fist | |
to open matted cotton by separating the fibres | |
to open a map, book, or scroll | |
25. v. To make accessible to customers or clients. | |
I will open the shop an hour early tomorrow. | |
26. v. To start (a campaign). | |
Vermont will open elk hunting season next week. | |
27. v. (intransitive) To become open. | |
The door opened all by itself. | |
28. v. (intransitive) To begin conducting business. | |
The shop opens at 9:00. | |
29. v. (intransitive, cricket) To begin a side's innings as one of the first two batsmen. | |
30. v. (intransitive, poker) To bet before any other player has in a particular betting round in a game of poker. | |
After the first two players fold, Julie opens for $5. | |
31. v. (transitive, intransitive, poker) To reveal one's hand. | |
Jeff opens his hand revealing a straight flush. | |
32. v. (computing, transitive, intransitive, of a file, document, etc.) To load into memory for viewing or editing. | |
33. v. (obsolete) To disclose; to reveal; to interpret; to explain. | |
34. n. A sports event in which anybody can compete; as, the Australian Open. | |
35. n. (electronics) A wire that is broken midway. | |
The electrician found the open in the circuit after a few minutes of testing. | |
36. n. (with the) Open or unobstructed space; an exposed location. | |
I can't believe you left the lawnmower out in the open when you knew it was going to rain this afternoon! | |
Wary of hunters, the fleeing deer kept well out of the open, dodging instead from thicket to thicket. | |
37. n. (with the) Public knowledge or scrutiny; full view. | |
We have got to bring this company's corrupt business practices into the open. | |
section |
1. n. A cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something. | |
2. n. A part, piece, subdivision of anything. | |
3. n. (music) A group of instruments in an orchestra. | |
The horn section is the group of symphonic musicians who play the French horn. | |
4. n. A part of a document. | |
5. n. An act or instance of cutting. | |
6. n. A cross-section (image that shows an object as if cut along a plane). | |
7. n. (aviation) A cross-section perpendicular the longitudinal axis of an aircraft in flight. | |
8. n. (surgery) An incision or the act of making an incision. | |
9. n. (surgery, specifically, colloquial) (short for, Caesarean section) | |
10. n. (sciences) A thin slice of material prepared as a specimen for research. | |
11. n. (botany) A taxonomic rank below the genus (and subgenus if present), but above the species. | |
12. n. (zoology) An informal taxonomic rank below the order ranks and above the family ranks. | |
13. n. (military) A group of 10-15 soldiers led by a non-commissioned officer and forming part of a platoon. | |
14. n. (category theory) A right inverse. | |
15. n. (NZ) A piece of residential land; a plot. | |
16. n. (Canadian) A one-mile square area of land, defined by a government survey. | |
17. n. (geology) A sequence of rock layers. | |
18. v. To cut, divide or separate into pieces. | |
19. v. (British) To commit (a person, to a hospital, with or without their consent), as for mental health reasons. So called after various sections of legal acts regarding mental health. | |
20. v. (medical) To perform a cesarean section on (someone). | |
in |
1. prep. Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or other limits. | |
2. prep. Contained by. | |
The dog is in the kennel. | |
3. prep. Within. | |
4. prep. Surrounded by. | |
We are in the enemy camp. Her plane is in the air. | |
5. prep. Part of; a member of. | |
One in a million. She's in band and orchestra. | |
6. prep. Pertaining to; with regard to. | |
What grade did he get in English? | |
Military letters should be formal in tone, but not stilted. | |
7. prep. At the end of a period of time. | |
They said they would call us in a week. | |
8. prep. Within a certain elapsed time | |
Are you able to finish this in three hours? The massacre resulted in over 1000 deaths in three hours. | |
9. prep. During (said of periods of time). | |
in the first week of December; Easter falls in the fourth lunar month; The country reached a high level of prosperity in his fi | |
10. prep. (grammar, phonetics, of sounds and letters) Coming at the end of a word. | |
English nouns in -ce form their plurals in -s. | |
11. prep. Into. | |
Less water gets in your boots this way. | |
12. prep. Used to indicate limit, qualification, condition, or circumstance. | |
In replacing the faucet washers, he felt he was making his contribution to the environment. | |
13. prep. Indicating an order or arrangement. | |
My fat rolls around in folds. | |
14. prep. Denoting a state of the subject. | |
He stalked away in anger. John is in a coma. | |
15. prep. Indicates, connotatively, a place-like form of someone's (or something's) personality, as his, her or its psychic and physical characteristics. | |
You've got a friend in me. He's met his match in her. | |
16. prep. Wearing (an item of clothing). | |
I glanced over at the pretty girl in the red dress. | |
17. prep. Used to indicate means, medium, format, genre, or instrumentality. | |
18. prep. (of something offered or given in an exchange) In the form of, in the denomination of. | |
Please pay me in cash — preferably in tens and twenties. | |
The deposit can be in any legal tender, even in gold. | |
Her generosity was rewarded in the success of its recipients. | |
19. prep. Used to indicate a language, script, tone, etc. of a text, speech, etc. | |
Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" in C minor is among his most popular. | |
His speech was in French, but was simultaneously translated into eight languages. | |
When you write in cursive, it's illegible. | |
20. v. (obsolete, transitive) To enclose. | |
21. v. (obsolete, transitive) To take in; to harvest. | |
22. adv. (not comparable) Located indoors, especially at home or the office, or inside something. | |
Is Mr. Smith in? | |
23. adv. Moving to the interior of a defined space, such as a building or room. | |
Suddenly a strange man walked in. | |
24. adv. (sports) Still eligible to play, e.g. able to bat in cricket and baseball. | |
He went for the wild toss but wasn't able to stay in. | |
25. adv. (UK) Abbreviation of in aid of. | |
What's that in? | |
26. adv. After the beginning of something. | |
27. n. A position of power or a way to get it. | |
His parents got him an in with the company | |
28. n. (sport) The state of a batter/batsman who is currently batting – see innings | |
29. n. A re-entrant angle; a nook or corner. | |
30. adj. In fashion; popular. | |
Skirts are in this year. | |
31. adj. Incoming. | |
the in train | |
32. adj. (nautical, of the sails of a vessel) Furled or stowed. | |
33. adj. (legal) With privilege or possession; used to denote a holding, possession, or seisin. | |
in by descent; in by purchase; in of the seisin of her husband | |
34. adj. (cricket) Currently batting. | |
35. n. Inch. | |
fiction |
1. n. Literary type using invented or imaginative writing, instead of real facts, usually written as prose. | |
The company’s accounts contained a number of blatant fictions. | |
I am a great reader of fiction. | |
2. n. A verbal or written account that is not based on actual events (often intended to mislead). | |
The butler’s account of the crime was pure fiction. | |
3. n. (legal) A legal fiction. | |
including |
1. prep. Such as, among which; introducing one or more parts of the group or topic just mentioned. | |
All you have to do is to fill in the details, including your name and address and the amount you wish to give. | |
2. prep. (rare, nonstandard) Introducing a finite clause. | |
3. v. present participle of include | |
include |
1. v. To bring into a group, class, set, or total as a (new) part or member. | |
I will purchase the vacation package if you will include car rental. | |
2. v. To contain, as parts of a whole; to comprehend. | |
The vacation package includes car rental. | |
Does this volume of Shakespeare include his sonnets? | |
I was included in the invitation to the family gathering. | |
up to and including page twenty-five | |
3. v. (obsolete) To enclose, confine. | |
4. v. (obsolete) To conclude; to terminate. | |
5. v. (programming) To use a directive that allows the use of source code from another file. | |
You have to include the strings library to use this function. | |
6. n. (programming) A piece of source code or other content that is dynamically retrieved for inclusion in another item. | |
novel |
1. adj. new, original, especially in an interesting way | |
2. n. (obsolete) A novelty; something new. | |
3. n. A work of prose fiction, longer than a novella. | |
4. n. (historical) A fable; a short tale, especially one of many making up a larger work. | |
5. n. (classical studies, historical) A new legal constitution in ancient Rome. | |
play |
1. v. (intransitive) To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation or entertainment. | |
They played long and hard. | |
2. v. To perform in (a sport); to participate in (a game). | |
He plays on three teams. Who's playing now? play football; play sports; play games | |
3. v. To compete against, in a game. | |
4. v. (in the scoring of games and sports) To be the opposing score to. | |
Look at the score now ... 23 plays 8! | |
5. v. (intransitive) To take part in amorous activity; to make love, fornicate; to have sex. | |
6. v. To act as the indicated role, especially in a performance. | |
He plays the King, and she's the Queen. No part of the brain plays the role of permanent memory. | |
7. v. (heading, transitive, intransitive) To produce music or theatre. | |
8. v. (intransitive, of a musical instrument) To produce music. | |
9. v. (intransitive, especially, of a person) To produce music using a musical instrument. | |
I've practiced the piano off and on, but I still can't play very well. | |
10. v. (transitive, especially, of a person) To produce music (or a specified song or musical style) using (a specified musical instrument). | |
I'll play the piano and you sing. Can you play an instrument? We especially like to play jazz together. Play a song for me.&ems | |
11. v. (transitive, ergative) To use a device to watch or listen to the indicated recording. | |
You can play the DVD now. | |
12. v. (intransitive, of a theatrical performance) To be performed; (or of a, film) to be shown. | |
His latest film is playing in the local theatre tomorrow. | |
13. v. (transitive, of a theatrical company, or band, etc.) To perform in or at; to give performances in or at. | |
14. v. To act or perform (a play). | |
to play a comedy | |
15. v. To behave in a particular way.: | |
16. v. (copulative) Contrary to fact, to give an appearance of being. | |
17. v. (intransitive) To act with levity or thoughtlessness; to trifle; to be careless. | |
18. v. (intransitive) To act; to behave; to practice deception. | |
19. v. To bring into sportive or wanton action; to exhibit in action; to execute. | |
to play tricks | |
20. v. (intransitive) To move in any manner; especially, to move regularly with alternate or reciprocating motion; to operate. | |
The fountain plays. | |
21. v. (intransitive) To move gaily; to disport. | |
22. v. To put in action or motion. | |
to play cannon upon a fortification; to play a trump in a card game | |
23. v. To keep in play, as a hooked fish, in order to land it. | |
24. v. (transitive, colloquial) To manipulate, deceive, or swindle someone. | |
You played me! | |
25. n. (formerly ) Activity for amusement only, especially among the young. | |
26. n. Similar activity, in young animals, as they explore their environment and learn new skills. | |
27. n. (ethology) "Repeated, incompletely functional behavior differing from more serious versions ..., and initiated voluntarily when ... in a low-stress setting.". | |
28. n. The conduct, or course of a game. | |
29. n. An individual's performance in a sport or game. | |
30. n. (turn-based games) An action carried out when it is one's turn to play. | |
31. n. A literary composition, intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue. | |
32. n. A theatrical performance featuring actors. | |
We saw a two-act play in the theatre. | |
33. n. A major move by a business. | |
34. n. A geological formation that contains an accumulation or prospect of hydrocarbons or other resources. | |
35. n. The extent to which a part of a mechanism can move freely. | |
No wonder the fanbelt is slipping: there’s too much play in it. | |
Too much play in a steering wheel may be dangerous. | |
36. n. (informal) Sexual activity or sexual role-playing. | |
37. n. (archaic, now usually in compounds) Activity relating to martial combat or fighting. | |
handplay, swordplay | |
and |
1. conj. As a coordinating conjunction; expressing two elements to be taken together or in addition to each other. | |
2. conj. Used simply to connect two noun phrases, adjectives or adverbs. | |
3. conj. Simply connecting two clauses or sentences. | |
4. conj. Introducing a clause or sentence which follows on in time or consequence from the first. | |
5. conj. (obsolete) Yet; but. | |
6. conj. Used to connect certain numbers: connecting units when they precede tens (not dated); connecting tens and units to hundreds, thousands etc. (now often | |
7. conj. (now colloquial, or literary) Used to connect more than two elements together in a chain, sometimes to stress the number of elements. | |
8. conj. Connecting two identical elements, with implications of continued or infinite repetition. | |
9. conj. Introducing a parenthetical or explanatory clause. | |
10. conj. Introducing the continuation of narration from a previous understood point; also used alone as a question: ‘and so what?’. | |
11. conj. (now regional or somewhat colloquial) Used to connect two verbs where the second is dependent on the first: ‘to’. Used especially after come, | |
12. conj. Introducing a qualitative difference between things having the same name; "as well as other". | |
13. conj. Used to combine numbers in addition; plus (with singular or plural verb). | |
14. conj. Expressing a condition.: | |
15. conj. (now US dialect) If; provided that. | |
16. conj. (obsolete) As if, as though. | |
17. n. (enm, music, often informal) In rhythm, the second half of a divided beat. | |
18. n. (UK dialectal) Breath. | |
19. n. (UK dialectal) Sea smoke; steam fog. | |
20. v. (UK dialectal, intransitive) To breathe; whisper; devise; imagine. | |
movie |
1. n. (chiefly North American) A recorded sequence of images displayed on a screen at a rate sufficiently fast to create the appearance of motion. | |
2. n. (usually chiefly North American) A cinema. | |
Let's go to the movies. | |
by |
1. prep. Near or next to. | |
The mailbox is by the bus stop. | |
2. prep. At some time before (the given time), or before the end of a given time interval. | |
Be back by ten o'clock! We will send it by the first week of July. | |
3. prep. Indicates the actor in a clause with its verb in the passive voice: Through the action or presence of. | |
The matter was decided by the chairman. The boat was swamped by the water. He was protected by his body armour. | |
4. prep. Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of. | |
There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare | |
5. prep. Indicates the cause of a condition or event: Through the action of, caused by, responsibility for; by dint of. | |
6. prep. Indicates a means: Involving/using the means of. | |
I avoided the guards by moving only when they weren't looking. | |
7. prep. Indicates a source of light used as illumination. | |
The electricity was cut off, so we had to read by candlelight. | |
8. prep. Indicates an authority, rule, or permission followed. | |
I sorted the items by category. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. | |
9. prep. Indicates the amount of some progression: With a change of. | |
Our stock is up by ten percent. | |
10. prep. In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another. | |
We went through the book page by page. We crawled forward by inches. | |
11. prep. Indicates a referenced source: According to. | |
He cheated by his own admission. | |
12. prep. Indicates an oath: With the authority of. | |
By Jove! I think she's got it! By all that is holy, I'll put an end to this. | |
13. prep. Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something. | |
It is easy to invert a 2-by-2 matrix. The room was about 4 foot by 6 foot. The bricks used to build the wall measured 10 by 20 by 30 cm. | |
14. prep. (horse breeding) Designates a horse's male parent (sire); cf. out of. | |
She's a lovely little filly, by Big Lad, out of Damsel in Distress. | |
15. adv. Along a path which runs by the speaker. | |
I watched as it passed by. | |
16. adv. In the vicinity, near. | |
There was a shepherd close by. | |
The shop is hard by the High Street. | |
17. adv. To or at a place, as a residence or place of business. | |
I'll stop by on my way home from work. | |
We're right near the lifeguard station. Come by before you leave. | |
18. adv. Aside, away. | |
The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring. | |
19. adj. Out of the way, subsidiary. | |
20. n. (card games) A pass | |
21. interj. alternative spelling of bye | |
which |
1. det. (interrogative) What, of those mentioned or implied. | |
Which song made the charts? | |
2. det. (relative) The one or ones that. | |
Show me which one is bigger. | |
They couldn't decide which song to play. | |
3. det. (relative) The one or ones mentioned. | |
He once owned a painting of the house, which painting would later be stolen. | |
For several seconds he sat in silence, during which time the tea and sandwiches arrived. | |
I'm thinking of getting a new car, in which case I'd get a red one. | |
4. pron. (interrogative) What one or ones (of those mentioned or implied). | |
Which is bigger?; Which is which? | |
5. pron. (relative) Who; whom; what (of those mentioned or implied). | |
He walked by a door with a sign, which read: PRIVATE OFFICE. | |
We've met some problems which are very difficult to handle. | |
He had to leave, which was very difficult. | |
No art can be properly understood apart from the culture of which it is a part. | |
6. pron. (relative, archaic) Used of people (now generally who, whom or that). | |
7. n. An occurrence of the word which. | |
background |
1. adj. Less important in a scene. | |
background noise. | |
2. n. One's social heritage, or previous life; what one did in the past. | |
The lawyer had a background in computer science. | |
3. n. A part of the picture that depicts scenery to the rear or behind the main subject; context. | |
4. n. Information relevant to the current situation about past events; history. | |
5. n. A less important feature of scenery (as opposed to foreground). | |
There was tons of noise in the background. | |
The photographer let us pick a background for the portrait. | |
6. n. (computing) The image or color over which a computer's desktop items are shown (e.g. icons or application windows). | |
7. n. (computing) A type of activity on a computer that is not normally visible to the user. | |
The antivirus program is running in the background. | |
8. v. To put in a position that is not prominent. | |
9. v. (journalism) To gather and provide background information (on). | |
information |
1. n. That which resolves uncertainty; anything that answers the question of "what a given entity is". | |
2. n. Things that are or can be known about a given topic; communicable knowledge of something. | |
I need some more information about this issue. | |
3. n. The act of informing or imparting knowledge; notification. | |
For your information, I did this because I wanted to. | |
4. n. (legal) A statement of criminal activity brought before a judge or magistrate; in the UK, used to inform a magistrate of an offence and request a warrant; in the US, an accusation brought before a jud | |
5. n. (obsolete) The act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation. | |
6. n. (now rare) The systematic imparting of knowledge; education, training. | |
7. n. (now rare) The creation of form; the imparting of a given quality or characteristic; forming, animation. | |
8. n. (computing) … the meaning that a human assigns to data by means of the known conventions used in its representation. | |
9. n. (Christianity) Divine inspiration. | |
10. n. A service provided by telephone which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber. | |
11. n. (information theory) Any unambiguous abstract data, the smallest possible unit being the (ll, en, bit, id=datum). | |
12. n. As contrasted with data, information is processed to extract relevant data. | |
13. n. (information technology) Any ordered sequence of symbols (or signals) (that could contain a message). | |
about |
1. prep. In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of. | |
2. prep. Near; not far from; approximately; regarding time, size, quantity. | |
3. prep. On the point or verge of. | |
the show is about to start; I am not about to admit to your crime | |
4. prep. On one's person; nearby the person. | |
5. prep. Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout. | |
6. prep. Concerned with; engaged in; intent on. | |
7. prep. Concerning; with regard to; on account of; on the subject of; to affect. | |
He knew more about what was occurring than anyone. | |
8. prep. (figurative) In or near, as in mental faculties or (literally) in possession of; in control of; at one's command; in one's makeup. | |
He has his wits about him. | |
9. prep. In the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place. | |
10. adv. Not distant; approximate. | |
11. adv. On all sides; around. | |
12. adv. Here and there; around; in one place and another; up and down. | |
13. adv. Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence, in quality, manner, degree, quantity, or time; almost. | |
about as cold; about as high | |
14. adv. Near; in the vicinity. | |
15. adv. In succession; one after another; in the course of events. | |
16. adv. On the move; active; astir. | |
17. adv. To a reversed order; half round; facing in the opposite direction; from a contrary point of view. | |
to face about; to turn oneself about | |
18. adv. (nautical) To the opposite tack. | |
19. adv. (obsolete) Preparing; planning. | |
20. adv. (archaic) In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; around the outside; in circumference. | |
a mile about, and a third of a mile across | |
21. adv. (chiefly North America, colloquial) Going to; on the verge of; intending to. | |
22. adj. Moving around; astir. | |
out and about; up and about | |
After my bout with Guillan-Barre Syndrome, it took me 6 months to be up and about again. | |
23. adj. In existence; being in evidence; apparent | |
the |
1. art. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already | |
I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.) | |
The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.) | |
The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird. | |
2. art. Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause. | |
The street that runs through my hometown. | |
3. art. Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time. | |
No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe. | |
God save the Queen! | |
4. art. Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item. | |
That was the best apple pie ever. | |
5. art. Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive. | |
That apple pie was the best. | |
6. art. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class. | |
7. art. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective. | |
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable. | |
8. art. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar. | |
No one in the whole country had seen it before. | |
I don't think I'll get to it until the morning. | |
9. art. Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun. | |
A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”) | |
10. art. When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention. | |
That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery. | |
11. adv. 1=With a comparative ormore and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives. | |
The hotter the better. | |
The more I think about it, the weaker it looks. | |
The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children. | |
It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it. | |
12. adv. 1=With a comparative, and often withfor it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated withnone. | |
It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it. | |
It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it. | |
I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that. | |
characters |
1. n. plural of character | |
character |
1. n. A being involved in the action of a story. | |
2. n. A distinguishing feature; characteristic; trait; phene. | |
(genetics) A single locus governing the petal colour character was detected on the linkage group A2. | |
3. n. A complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person or a group. | |
A study of the suspect's character and his cast iron alibi ruled him out. | |
4. n. Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; moral strength. | |
He has a great deal of character. | |
"You may not like to eat liver," said Calvin's father, "but it builds character.". | |
5. n. A unique or extraordinary individual; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits, especially charisma. | |
Julius Caesar is a great historical character. | |
That bloke is such a character. | |
6. n. A written or printed symbol, or letter. | |
7. n. (dated) Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the particular form of letters used by a person or people. | |
an inscription in the Runic character | |
8. n. (dated) A secret cipher; a way of writing in code. | |
9. n. (computing) One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character. | |
10. n. (informal) A person or individual, especially one who is unknown or raises suspicions. | |
We saw a shady character slinking out of the office with some papers. | |
11. n. (mathematics) A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group. | |
12. n. Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty. | |
in the miserable character of a slave | |
in his character as a magistrate | |
13. n. (dated) The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation. | |
a man's character for truth and veracity | |
Her actions give her a bad character. | |
14. n. (dated) A reference given to a servant, attesting to his/her behaviour, competence, etc. | |
15. v. (obsolete) To write (using characters); to describe. | |
events |
1. n. plural of event | |
2. v. third-person singular present indicative of event | |
event |
1. n. An occurrence; something that happens. | |
2. n. A prearranged social activity (function, etc.) | |
I went to an event in San Francisco last week. | |
Where will the event be held? | |
3. n. One of several contests that combine to make up a competition. | |
4. n. An end result; an outcome (now chiefly in phrases). | |
In the event, he turned out to have what I needed anyway. | |
5. n. (physics) A point in spacetime having three spatial coordinates and one temporal coordinate. | |
6. n. (computing) A possible action that the user can perform that is monitored by an application or the operating system (event listener). When an event occurs an event handler is called which performs a s | |
7. n. (probability theory) A set of some of the possible outcomes; a subset of the sample space. | |
IfX is a random variable representing the toss of a six-sided die, then its sample space could be denoted as 1,2,3,4,5,6. Examples of events could be:X = 1,X = 2, X \ge 5, X \not = 4, andX \isi | |
8. n. (obsolete) An affair in hand; business; enterprise. | |
9. n. (medicine) An episode of severe health conditions. | |
10. v. (obsolete) To occur, take place. | |
11. v. (obsolete, intransitive) To be emitted or breathed out; to evaporate. | |
12. v. (obsolete, transitive) To expose to the air, ventilate. | |
13. v. cln, en, basic words | |
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. | |
setting |
1. v. present participle of set | |
2. n. The time, place and circumstance in which something (such as a story or picture) is set; context; scenario. | |
3. n. The act of setting. | |
the setting of the sun | |
the setting, or hardening, of moist plaster of Paris | |
4. n. A piece of metal in which a precious stone or gem is fixed to form a piece of jewelry. | |
5. n. A level or placement that a knob or control is set to. | |
the volume setting on a television | |
6. n. The act of marking the position of game, as a setter does. | |
7. n. Hunting with a setter. | |
8. n. Something set in, or inserted. | |
9. n. A piece of vocal or choral music composed for particular words (set to music). | |
10. n. The mounting of a play, etc., for the stage. | |
11. n. The direction of a current of wind. | |
12. adj. that disappears below the horizon | |
the setting sun | |
set |
1. v. To put (something) down, to rest. | |
Set the tray there. | |
2. v. To attach or affix (something) to something else, or in or upon a certain place. | |
I have set my heart on running the marathon. | |
3. v. To put in a specified condition or state; to cause to be. | |
4. v. (transitive, dated) To cause to stop or stick; to obstruct; to fasten to a spot. | |
to set a coach in the mud | |
5. v. To determine or settle. | |
to set the rent | |
6. v. To adjust. | |
I set the alarm at 6 a.m. | |
7. v. To punch (a nail) into wood so that its head is below the surface. | |
8. v. To arrange with dishes and cutlery, to set the table. | |
Please set the table for our guests. | |
9. v. To introduce or describe. | |
I’ll tell you what happened, but first let me set the scene. | |
10. v. To locate (a play, etc.); to assign a backdrop to. | |
He says he will set his next film in France. | |
11. v. To compile, to make (a puzzle or challenge). | |
This crossword was set by Araucaria. | |
12. v. To prepare (a stage or film set). | |
13. v. To fit (someone) up in a situation. | |
14. v. To arrange (type). | |
It was a complex page, but he set it quickly. | |
15. v. To devise and assign (work) to. | |
The teacher set her students the task of drawing a foot. | |
16. v. (transitive, volleyball) To direct (the ball) to a teammate for an attack. | |
17. v. (intransitive) To solidify. | |
The glue sets in four minutes. | |
18. v. To render stiff or solid; especially, to convert into curd; to curdle. | |
to set milk for cheese | |
19. v. (intransitive) Of a heavenly body, to disappear below the horizon of a planet, etc, as the latter rotates. | |
The moon sets at eight o'clock tonight. | |
20. v. (transitive, bridge) To defeat a contract. | |
21. v. (obsolete, now followed by "out", as in set out) To begin to move; to go forth. | |
22. v. (transitive, botany) To produce after pollination. | |
to set seed | |
23. v. (intransitive, of fruit) To be fixed for growth; to strike root; to begin to germinate or form. | |
24. v. (intransitive, Southern US, Midwestern US, dialects) To sit (be in a seated position). | |
He sets in that chair all day. | |
25. v. To hunt game with the aid of a setter. | |
26. v. (hunting, ambitransitive) Of a dog, to indicate the position of game. | |
The dog sets the bird. | |
Your dog sets well. | |
27. v. (obsolete) To apply oneself; to undertake earnestly; to set out. | |
28. v. To fit music to words. | |
29. v. To place plants or shoots in the ground; to plant. | |
to set pear trees in an orchard | |
30. v. To become fixed or rigid; to be fastened. | |
31. v. To have a certain direction of motion; to flow; to move on; to tend. | |
The current sets to the north; the tide sets to the windward. | |
32. v. To place or fix in a setting. | |
to set a precious stone in a border of metal | |
to set glass in a sash | |
33. v. To put in order in a particular manner; to prepare. | |
to set (that is, to hone) a razor | |
to set a saw | |
34. v. To extend and bring into position; to spread. | |
to set the sails of a ship | |
35. v. To give a pitch to, as a tune; to start by fixing the keynote. | |
to set a psalm | |
36. v. To reduce from a dislocated or fractured state. | |
to set a broken bone | |
37. v. (masonry) To lower into place and fix solidly, as the blocks of cut stone in a structure. | |
38. v. (obsolete) To wager in gambling; to risk. | |
39. v. To adorn with something infixed or affixed; to stud; to variegate with objects placed here and there. | |
40. v. (obsolete) To value; to rate; used with at. | |
41. v. To establish as a rule; to furnish; to prescribe; to assign. | |
to set a good example; to set lessons to be learned | |
42. v. (Scotland) To suit; to become. | |
It sets him ill. | |
43. n. A punch for setting nails in wood. | |
nail set | |
44. n. A device for receiving broadcast radio waves (or, more recently, broadcast data); a radio or television. | |
television set | |
45. n. (alt form, sett): a hole made and lived in by a badger. | |
46. n. (alt form, sett): pattern of threads and yarns. | |
47. n. (alt form, sett): piece of quarried stone. | |
48. n. (horticulture) A small tuber or bulb used instead of seed, particularly onion sets and potato sets. | |
49. n. The amount the teeth of a saw protrude to the side in order to create the kerf. | |
50. n. (obsolete, rare) That which is staked; a wager; hence, a gambling game. | |
51. n. (engineering) Permanent change of shape caused by excessive strain, as from compression, tension, bending, twisting, etc. | |
the set of a spring | |
52. n. (piledriving) A piece placed temporarily upon the head of a pile when the latter cannot otherwise be reached by the weight, or hammer. | |
53. n. (printing, dated) The width of the body of a type. | |
54. n. A young oyster when first attached. | |
55. n. Collectively, the crop of young oysters in any locality. | |
56. n. A series or group of something. (Note the similar meaning in Etymology 2, Noun) | |
57. n. (colloquial) The manner, state, or quality of setting or fitting; fit. | |
the set of a coat | |
58. n. The camber of a curved roofing tile. | |
59. adj. Fixed in position. | |
60. adj. Rigid, solidified. | |
61. adj. Ready, prepared. | |
on your marks, get set, go!; on your marks, set, go! | |
62. adj. Intent, determined (to do something). | |
set on getting to his destination | |
63. adj. Prearranged. | |
a set menu | |
64. adj. Fixed in one’s opinion. | |
Is |
1. n. plural of I | |
2. v. third-person singular present indicative of be | |
He is a doctor. He retired some time ago. | |
Should he do the task, it is vital that you follow him. | |
3. n. plural of i | |
remember to dot your is | |
be |
1. v. (intransitive, now literary) To exist; to have real existence. | |
2. v. (with there, or dialectally it, as dummy subject) To exist. | |
There is just one woman in town who can help us. (or, dialectally:) It is just one woman in town who can help us. | |
3. v. (intransitive) To occupy a place. | |
The cup is on the table. | |
4. v. (intransitive) To occur, to take place. | |
When will the meeting be? | |
5. v. (intransitive, in perfect tenses, without predicate) Elliptical form of "be here", "go to and return from" or similar. | |
The postman has been today, but my tickets have still not yet come. | |
I have been to Spain many times. | |
Moscow, huh? I've never been, but it sounds fascinating. | |
6. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject and object are the same. | |
Knowledge is bliss. | |
Hi, I’m Jim. | |
7. v. (transitive, copulative, mathematics) Used to indicate that the values on either side of an equation are the same. | |
3 times 5 is fifteen. | |
8. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject plays the role of the predicate nominal. | |
François Mitterrand was president of France from 1981 to 1995. | |
9. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to connect a noun to an adjective that describes it. | |
The sky is blue. | |
10. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by a noun or noun phrase. | |
The sky is a deep blue today. | |
11. v. (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the passive voice. | |
The dog was drowned by the boy. | |
12. v. (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the continuous forms of various tenses. | |
The woman is walking. | |
I shall be writing to you soon. | |
We liked to chat while we were eating. | |
13. v. (archaic, auxiliary) Used to form the perfect aspect with certain intransitive verbs, most of which indicate motion. Often still used for "to go". | |
14. v. (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form future tenses, especially the future periphrastic. | |
I am to leave tomorrow. | |
I would drive you, were I to obtain a car. | |
15. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to link a subject to a measurement. | |
This building is three hundred years old. | |
I am 75 kilograms. | |
He’s about 6 feet tall. | |
16. v. (transitive, copulative, with a cardinal numeral) Used to state the age of a subject in years. | |
I’m 20. (= I am 20 years old.) | |
17. v. (with a dummy subject) it Used to indicate the time of day. | |
It is almost eight. (= It is almost eight o’clock.) | |
It’s 8:30 read eight-thirty in Tokyo. | |
What time is it there? It’s night. | |
18. v. (With since) Used to indicate passage of time since the occurrence of an event. | |
It has been three years since my grandmother died. (similar to My grandmother died three years ago, but emphasizes the intervening period) | |
It had been six days since his departure, when I received a letter from him. | |
19. v. (often, impersonal, with it as a dummy subject) Used to indicate weather, air quality, or the like. | |
It is hot in Arizona, but it is not usually humid. | |
Why is it so dark in here? | |
20. v. (dynamic/lexical "be", especially in progressive tenses, conjugated non-suppletively in the present tense, see usage notes) To exist or behave in a certain way. | |
"What do we do?" "We be ourselves.". | |
Why is he being nice to me? | |
conveyed |
1. v. simple past tense and past participle of convey | |
convey |
1. v. To move (something) from one place to another. | |
Air conveys sound. Water is conveyed through the pipe. | |
2. v. (dated) To take or carry (someone) from one place to another. | |
3. v. To communicate; to make known; to portray. | |
to convey an impression; to convey information | |
4. v. (legal) To transfer legal rights (to). | |
He conveyed ownership of the company to his daughter. | |
5. v. (obsolete) To manage with privacy; to carry out. | |
6. v. (obsolete) To carry or take away secretly; to steal; to thieve. | |