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. | |
act |
1. n. Something done, a deed. | |
an act of goodwill | |
2. n. (obsolete) Actuality. | |
3. n. A product of a legislative body, a statute. | |
4. n. The process of doing something. | |
He was caught in the act of stealing. | |
5. n. A formal or official record of something done. | |
6. n. A division of a theatrical performance. | |
The pivotal moment in the play was in the first scene of the second act. | |
7. n. A performer or performers in a show. | |
Which act did you prefer? The soloist or the band? | |
8. n. Any organized activity. | |
9. n. A display of behaviour. | |
10. n. A thesis maintained in public, in some English universities, by a candidate for a degree, or to show the proficiency of a student. | |
11. n. A display of behaviour meant to deceive. | |
to put on an act | |
12. v. (intransitive) To do something. | |
If you don't act soon, you will be in trouble. | |
13. v. (obsolete, transitive) To do (something); to perform. | |
14. v. (intransitive) To perform a theatrical role. | |
I started acting at the age of eleven in my local theatre. | |
15. v. Of a play: to be acted out (well or badly). | |
16. v. (intransitive) To behave in a certain way. | |
He's acting strangely - I think there's something wrong with him. | |
17. v. (copulative) To convey an appearance of being. | |
He acted unconcerned so the others wouldn't worry. | |
18. v. To do something that causes a change binding on the doer. | |
act on behalf of John | |
19. v. (intransitive, construed with on or upon) To have an effect (on). | |
High-pressure oxygen acts on the central nervous system and may cause convulsions or death. | |
Gravitational force acts on heavy bodies. | |
20. v. To play (a role). | |
He's been acting Shakespearean leads since he was twelve. | |
21. v. To feign. | |
He acted the angry parent, but was secretly amused. | |
22. v. (mathematics, intransitive, construed with on or upon, of a group) To map via a homomorphism to a group of automorphisms (of). | |
This group acts on the circle, so it can't be left-orderable! | |
23. v. (obsolete, transitive) To move to action; to actuate; to animate. | |
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. | |
splashing |
1. v. present participle of splash | |
2. n. An action that splashes. | |
Bathtime was full of mischief and splashings. | |
splash |
1. n. (onomatopoeia) The sound made by an object hitting a liquid. | |
I heard a splash when the rock landed in the pond. | |
2. n. A small amount of liquid. | |
I felt a splash of rain, so I put up my hood. | |
I felt a splash of water on my leg as the car drove into the nearby puddle. | |
3. n. A small amount (of color). | |
The painter put a splash of blue on the wall to make it more colorful | |
4. n. A mark or stain made from a small amount of liquid. | |
There was a visible splash on his pants after he went to the bathroom. | |
5. n. An impact or impression. | |
The new movie made quite a splash upon its release. | |
6. n. (computing, informal) splash screen | |
7. n. (wrestling) A body press; a move where the wrestler jumps forward from a raised platform such as the top turnbuckle, landing stomach first across an opponent lying on the ground below. | |
8. n. (dated) A cosmetic powder for the complexion. | |
9. v. To hit or agitate liquid so that part of it separates from the principal liquid mass. | |
sit and splash in the bathtub | |
10. v. To disperse a fluid suddenly; to splatter. | |
water splashed everywhere | |
11. v. to hit or expel liquid at | |
The children were splashing each other playfully in the sea. | |
When she comes in the door, splash her with perfume. | |
12. v. To create an impact or impression; to print, post or publicize prominently. | |
The headline was splashed across newspapers everywhere. | |
13. v. To spend (money) | |
After pay day I can afford to splash some cash and buy myself a motorbike. | |
14. v. To launch a ship. | |
15. v. (transitive, MLE) To stab (a person), causing them to bleed. | |
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. | |
soft |
1. adj. Easily giving way under pressure. | |
My head sank easily into the soft pillow. | |
2. adj. (of cloth or similar material) Smooth and flexible; not rough, rugged, or harsh. | |
Polish the silver with a soft cloth to avoid scratching. | |
soft silk; a soft skin | |
3. adj. (of a sound) Quiet. | |
I could hear the soft rustle of the leaves in the trees. | |
4. adj. Gentle. | |
There was a soft breeze blowing. | |
5. adj. Expressing gentleness or tenderness; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind. | |
soft eyes | |
6. adj. Gentle in action or motion; easy. | |
7. adj. Weak in character; impressible. | |
8. adj. Requiring little or no effort; easy. | |
9. adj. Not bright or intense. | |
soft lighting | |
10. adj. Having a slight angle from straight. | |
At the intersection with two roads going left, take the soft left. | |
It's important to dance on soft knees to avoid injury. | |
11. adj. (linguistics) Voiced; sonant. | |
12. adj. (linguistics, rare) voiceless | |
13. adj. (linguistics, Slavic languages) palatalized | |
14. adj. (slang) Lacking strength or resolve, wimpy. | |
When it comes to drinking, he is as soft as they come. | |
15. adj. (of water) Low in dissolved calcium compounds. | |
You won't need as much soap, as the water here is very soft. | |
16. adj. (colloquial) Foolish. | |
17. adj. (physics) Of a ferromagnetic material; a material that becomes essentially non magnetic when an external magnetic field is removed, a material with a low magnetic coercivity. (compare hard) | |
18. adj. (of a person) Physically or emotionally weak. | |
19. adj. Incomplete, or temporary; not a full action. | |
The admin imposed a soft block/ban on the user or a soft lock on the article. | |
20. adj. (of a man) Effeminate. | |
21. adj. Agreeable to the senses. | |
a soft liniment | |
soft wines | |
22. adj. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring or jagged; pleasing to the eye. | |
soft colours | |
the soft outline of the snow-covered hill | |
23. interj. (archaic) Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast. | |
24. adv. (obsolete) Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly. | |
25. n. A soft or foolish person; an idiot. | |
26. n. (motorsports) (ellipsis of soft tyre) (A tyre whose compound is softer than mediums, and harder than supersofts.) | |
mud |
1. n. A mixture of water and soil or fine grained sediment. | |
2. n. A plaster-like mixture used to texture or smooth drywall. | |
3. n. (construction industry slang) Wet concrete as it is being mixed, delivered and poured. | |
4. n. (figuratively) Willfully abusive, even slanderous remarks or claims, notably between political opponents. | |
The campaign issues got lost in all the mud from both parties. | |
5. n. (slang) Money, dough, especially when proceeding from dirty business. | |
6. n. (gay sex, slang) stool that is exposed as a result of anal sex | |
7. n. (geology) A particle less than 62.5 microns in diameter, following the Wentworth scale | |
8. n. (slang) A black person. | |
9. v. To make muddy or dirty; to apply mud to (something). | |
10. v. To make turbid. | |
11. v. (intransitive, Internet) To participate in a MUD or multi-user dungeon. | |
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 | |
etc |
1. adv. alternative form of etc. | |