each |
1. det. All; every; qualifying a singular noun, indicating all examples of the thing so named seen as individual or separate items (compare every). | |
make sure you wash each bowl well; the sun comes up each morning and sets each night | |
2. det. Every one; every thing. | |
I'm going to give each of you a chance to win. | |
3. det. For one; per. | |
The apples cost 50 cents each. | |
4. n. (operations, philosophy) An individual item: the least quantitative unit in a grouping. | |
squirming |
1. v. present participle of squirm | |
2. n. The motion of something that squirms. | |
squirm |
1. v. To twist one’s body with snakelike motions. | |
The prisoner managed to squirm out of the straitjacket. | |
2. v. To twist in discomfort, especially from shame or embarrassment. | |
I recounted the embarrassing story in detail just to watch him squirm. | |
3. v. (figuratively) To move with a slow, irregular motion. | |
4. n. A twisting, snakelike movement of the body. | |
song |
1. n. A musical composition with lyrics for voice or voices, performed by singing. | |
Thomas listened to his favorite song on the radio yesterday. | |
2. n. (by extension) Any musical composition. | |
3. n. Poetical composition; poetry; verse. | |
4. n. The act or art of singing. | |
5. n. A melodious sound made by a bird, insect, whale or other animal. | |
I love hearing the song of canary birds. | |
6. n. (ornithology) The distinctive sound that a male bird utters to attract a mate or to protect his territory; (contrasts with call) | |
7. n. Something that cost only a little; chiefly in for a song. | |
He bought that car for a song. | |
8. n. An object of derision; a laughing stock. | |
abandons |
1. n. plural of abandon | |
2. n. (plural only, archaic, British slang) Abandoned children; foundlings.(R:Barrere, volume=1, page=3) | |
3. n. (plural only, archaic, British slang) Prostitutes. | |
4. v. third-person singular present indicative of abandon | |
abandon |
1. v. To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions. | |
2. v. To desist in doing, practicing, following, holding, or adhering to; to turn away from; to permit to lapse; to renounce; to discontinue. | |
3. v. To leave behind; to desert as in a ship or a position, typically in response to overwhelming odds or impending dangers; to forsake, in spite of a duty or responsibility. | |
Many baby girls have been abandoned on the streets of Beijing. | |
4. v. (transitive, obsolete) To subdue; to take control of. | |
5. v. (transitive, obsolete) To cast out; to banish; to expel; to reject. | |
6. v. To no longer exercise a right, title, or interest, especially with no interest of reclaiming it again; to yield; to relinquish. | |
7. v. To surrender to the insurer (an insured item), so as to claim a total loss. | |
8. n. A yielding to natural impulses or inhibitions; freedom from artificial constraint, with loss of appreciation of consequences.(R:CDOE, page=2). | |
9. n. (obsolete) abandonment; relinquishment. | |
any |
1. adv. To even the slightest extent, at all. | |
I will not remain here any longer. | |
If you get any taller, you'll start having to duck through doorways! | |
2. det. At least one; of at least one kind. One at all. | |
do you have any biscuits?; do you have any food?; I haven't got any money; it won't do you any good | |
3. det. No matter what kind. | |
choose any items you want; any person may apply | |
4. pron. Any thing(s) or person(s). | |
Any may apply. | |
notion |
1. n. Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept. | |
2. n. A sentiment; an opinion. | |
3. n. (obsolete) Sense; mind. | |
4. n. (colloquial) An invention; an ingenious device; a knickknack. | |
Yankee notions | |
5. n. Any small article used in sewing and haberdashery, such as a button or zipper. | |
6. n. (colloquial) Inclination; intention; disposition. | |
I have a notion to do it. | |
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. | |
consistency |
1. n. Local coherence. | |
2. n. Correspondence or compatibility. | |
3. n. Reliability or uniformity; the quality of being consistent. | |
They want to achieve a high degree of consistency in their process and their product. | |
4. n. The degree of viscosity of something. | |
Mix it until it has the consistency of a thick paste. | |
5. n. (logic) Freedom from contradiction; the state of a system of axioms such that none of the propositions deduced from them are mutually contradictory. | |
6. n. (obsolete) Firmness of constitution or character; substantiality; durability; persistency. | |
As |
1. n. plural of A | |
She went from getting Cs and Ds to earning straight As. | |
2. adv. To such an extent or degree. | |
You’re not as tall as I am. | |
It's not as well made, but it's twice as expensive. | |
3. adv. In the manner or role specified. | |
The kidnappers released him as agreed. | |
The parties were seen as agreeing on a range of issues. | |
He was never seen as the boss, but rather as a friend. | |
4. adv. (dated) For example (compare such as). | |
5. conj. In the same way that; according to what. | |
Do as I say! | |
I'm under a lot of pressure, as you know. | |
As you wish, my lord! | |
6. conj. At the same instant that; when. | |
As I came in, she flew. | |
7. conj. At the same time that; while. | |
He sleeps as the rain falls. | |
8. conj. Varying through time in the same proportion that. | |
As my fear grew, so did my legs become heavy. | |
9. conj. Being that, considering that, because, since. | |
As it’s too late, I quit. | |
10. conj. Introducing a basis of comparison, after as, so, or a comparison of equality. | |
She's twice as strong as I was two years ago. | |
It's not so complicated as I expected. | |
11. conj. (dated) Introducing a comparison with a hypothetical state (+ subjunctive); ‘as though’, ‘as if’. | |
12. conj. Introducing a comparison with a hypothetical state with the verb elided; as if, as though. | |
13. conj. (now England, US, regional) Functioning as a relative conjunction; that. | |
14. conj. Expressing concession; though. | |
15. conj. (obsolete, rare) Than. | |
16. prep. Introducing a basis of comparison, with an object in the objective case. | |
You are not as tall as me. | |
They're big as houses. | |
17. prep. In the role of. | |
What is your opinion as a parent? | |
18. n. (unit of weight) A libra. | |
19. n. Any of several coins of Rome, coined in bronze or later copper; or the equivalent value. | |
20. n. plural of a | |
jagged |
1. adj. Unevenly cut; having the texture of something so cut. | |
2. adj. Having a rough quality. | |
3. adj. (computing) Of an array, having a different cardinality in each dimension, such that a representation on paper would appear uneven. | |
4. v. simple past tense and past participle of jag | |
jag |
1. n. A sharp projection. | |
2. n. A part broken off; a fragment. | |
3. n. (botany) A cleft or division. | |
4. n. (Scotland) A medical injection. | |
5. v. To cut unevenly. | |
6. v. (Pittsburgh) To tease. | |
7. n. Enough liquor to make a person noticeably drunk; a skinful. | |
8. n. A binge or period of overindulgence; a spree. | |
9. n. A fit, spell, outburst. | |
10. n. A one-horse cart load, or, in modern times, a truck load, of hay or wood. | |
11. n. (Scotland, archaic) A leather bag or wallet; (in the plural) saddlebags. | |
guitars |
1. n. plural of guitar | |
2. v. third-person singular present indicative of guitar | |
guitar |
1. n. (musical instrument) A stringed musical instrument, of European origin, usually with a fretted fingerboard and six strings, played with the fingers or a plectrum (guitar pick). | |
2. n. (musical instrument) Any type of musical instrument of the lute family, characterized by a flat back, along with a neck whose upper surface is in the same plane as the soundboard, with strings along t | |
3. v. (rare) To play the guitar. | |
slice |
1. n. That which is thin and broad. | |
2. n. A thin, broad piece cut off. | |
a slice of bacon; a slice of cheese; a slice of bread | |
3. n. amount | |
4. n. A piece of pizza. | |
5. n. (British) A snack consisting of pastry with savoury filling. | |
I bought a ham and cheese slice at the service station. | |
6. n. A broad, thin piece of plaster. | |
7. n. A knife with a thin, broad blade for taking up or serving fish; also, a spatula for spreading anything, as paint or ink. | |
8. n. A salver, platter, or tray. | |
9. n. A plate of iron with a handle, forming a kind of chisel, or a spadelike implement, variously proportioned, and used for various purposes, as for stripping the planking from a vessel's side, for cuttin | |
10. n. One of the wedges by which the cradle and the ship are lifted clear of the building blocks to prepare for launching. | |
11. n. (printing) A removable sliding bottom to a galley. | |
12. n. (golf) A shot that (for the right-handed player) curves unintentionally to the right. See fade, hook, draw | |
13. n. (Australia, NZ, UK) Any of a class of heavy cakes or desserts made in a tray and cut out into squarish slices. | |
14. n. (medicine) A section of image taken of an internal organ using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT (computed tomography), or various forms of x-ray. | |
15. n. (falconry) A hawk's or falcon's dropping which squirts at an angle other than vertical. (See mute.) | |
16. v. To cut into slices. | |
Slice the cheese thinly. | |
17. v. To cut with an edge utilizing a drawing motion. | |
The knife left sliced his arm. | |
18. v. (golf) To hit a shot that slices (travels from left to right for a right-handed player). | |
19. v. (tennis) To hit the ball with a stroke that causes a spin, resulting in the ball swerving or staying low after a bounce. | |
20. v. (badminton) To hit the shuttlecock with the racket at an angle, causing it to move sideways and downwards. | |
21. v. (soccer) To kick the ball so that it goes in an unintended direction, at too great an angle or too high. | |
22. v. (rowing) To angle the blade so that it goes too deeply into the water when starting to take a stroke. | |
23. v. To clear (e.g. a fire, or the grate bars of a furnace) by means of a slice bar. | |
through |
1. prep. From one side of an opening to the other. | |
I went through the window. | |
2. prep. Entering, then later leaving. | |
I drove through the town at top speed without looking left or right. | |
3. prep. Surrounded by (while moving). | |
We slogged through the mud for hours before turning back and giving up. | |
4. prep. By means of. | |
This team believes in winning through intimidation. | |
5. prep. (North America) To (or up to) and including, with all intermediate values. | |
from 1945 through 1991; the numbers 1 through 9; your membership is active through March 15, 2013 | |
6. adj. Passing from one side of something to the other. | |
Interstate highways form a nationwide system of through roads. | |
7. adj. Finished; complete. | |
They were through with laying the subroof by noon. | |
8. adj. Valueless; without a future. | |
After being implicated in the scandal, he was through as an executive in financial services. | |
9. adj. No longer interested. | |
She was through with him. | |
10. adj. Proceeding from origin to destination without delay due to change of equipment. | |
The through flight through Memphis was the fastest. | |
11. adj. (association football) In possession of the ball beyond the last line of defence but not necessarily the goalkeeper; through on goal. | |
12. adv. From one side to the other by way of the interior. | |
The arrow went straight through. | |
13. adv. From one end to the other. | |
Others slept; he worked straight through. | |
She read the letter through. | |
14. adv. To the end. | |
He said he would see it through. | |
15. adv. Completely. | |
Leave the yarn in the dye overnight so the color soaks through. | |
16. adv. Out into the open. | |
The American army broke through at St. Lo. | |
17. n. A large slab of stone laid in a dry-stone wall from one side to the other; a perpend. | |
18. n. (obsolete) A coffin, sarcophagus or tomb of stone; a large slab of stone laid on a tomb. | |
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. | |
wailing |
1. n. A loud drawn out scream or howl. | |
2. v. present participle of wail | |
Craig ran off wailing because his friend pulled a prank on him. | |
wail |
1. v. (intransitive) To cry out, as in sorrow or anguish. | |
2. v. (intransitive) To weep, lament persistently or bitterly. | |
3. v. (intransitive) To make a noise like mourning or crying. | |
The wind wailed and the rain streamed down. | |
4. v. To lament; to bewail; to grieve over. | |
to wail one's death | |
5. v. (slang) To perform with great liveliness and force. | |
6. n. A prolonged cry, usually high-pitched, especially as of grief or anguish. | |
She let out a loud, doleful wail. | |
7. n. Any similar sound as of lamentation; a howl. | |
The wail of snow-dark winter winds. | |
A bird's wail in the night. | |
8. n. A sound made by emergency vehicle sirens, contrasted with "yelp" which is higher-pitched and faster. | |
9. v. (obsolete) (synonym of wale, , to choose; to select) | |
rhythms |
1. n. plural of rhythm | |
2. Trivia. This is the longest common English word containing none of the five major vowels (a, e, i, o and u, with y considered a minor vowel). | |
rhythm |
1. n. The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter. | |
Dance to the rhythm of the music. | |
2. n. A specifically defined pattern of such variation. | |
Most dances have a rhythm as distinctive as the Iambic verse in poetry | |
3. n. A flow, repetition or regularity. | |
Once you get the rhythm of it, the job will become easy. | |
4. n. The tempo or speed of a beat, song or repetitive event. | |
We walked with a quick, even rhythm. | |
5. n. The musical instruments which provide rhythm (mainly; not or less melody) in a musical ensemble. | |
The Baroque term basso continuo is virtually equivalent to rhythm | |
6. n. A regular quantitative change in a variable (notably natural) process. | |
The rhythm of the seasons dominates agriculture as well as wildlife | |
7. n. Controlled repetition of a phrase, incident or other element as a stylistic figure in literature and other narrative arts; the effect it creates. | |
The running gag is a popular rhythm in motion pictures and theater comedy | |