many |
1. det. An indefinite large number of. | |
many people enjoy playing chess; there are many different ways to cook a meal | |
2. pron. A collective mass of people. | |
Democracy must balance the rights of the few against the will of the many | |
A great many do not understand this. | |
3. pron. An indefinite large number of people or things. | |
Many are called, but few are chosen. | |
4. n. A multitude; a great aggregate; a mass of people; the generality; the common herd. | |
5. n. A considerable number. | |
patients |
1. n. plural of patient | |
patient |
1. adj. (of a person) Willing to wait if necessary; not losing one's temper while waiting. | |
Be patient: your friends will arrive in a few hours. | |
2. adj. Constant in pursuit or exertion; persevering; calmly diligent. | |
patient endeavour | |
3. adj. (obsolete) Physically able to suffer or bear. | |
4. n. A person or animal who receives treatment from a doctor or other medically educated person. | |
5. n. (linguistics, grammar) The noun or noun phrase that is semantically on the receiving end of a verb's action. | |
The subject of a passive verb is usually a patient. | |
6. n. One who, or that which, is passively affected; a passive recipient. | |
mistakenly |
1. adv. wrongly, erroneously | |
I mistakenly assumed that the shop was still there. | |
2. adv. by accident, by mistake, in error (without intention to do so) | |
Today I mistakenly took your packed lunch to work. | |
believe |
1. v. To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing) | |
If you believe the numbers, you'll agree we need change. | |
I believe there are faeries. | |
2. v. To accept that someone is telling the truth. | |
Why did I ever believe you? | |
3. v. (intransitive) To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth. | |
After that night in the church, I believed. | |
4. v. To consider likely | |
I believe it might rain tomorrow. (Here, the speaker merely accepts the accuracy of the conditional.) | |
that |
1. conj. Introducing a clause which is the subject or object of a verb (such as one involving reported speech), or which is a complement to a previous statement. | |
He told me that the book is a good read. | |
I believe that it is true. — She is convinced that he is British. | |
2. conj. Introducing a subordinate clause expressing a reason or cause: because, in that. | |
Be glad that you have enough to eat. | |
3. conj. (now uncommon) Introducing a subordinate clause that expresses an aim, purpose or goal ("final"), and usually contains the auxiliaries may, might or should: so, so that. | |
4. conj. Introducing — especially, but not exclusively, with an antecedent like so or such — a subordinate clause expressing a result, consequence or effect. | |
The noise was so loud that she woke up. | |
The problem was sufficiently important that it had to be addressed. | |
5. conj. (archaic, or poetic) Introducing a premise or supposition for consideration: seeing as; inasmuch as; given that; as would appear from the fact that. | |
6. conj. Introducing a subordinate clause modifying an adverb. | |
Was John there? — Not that I saw. | |
How often did she visit him? — Twice that I saw. | |
7. conj. Introducing an exclamation expressing a desire or wish. | |
8. conj. Introducing an exclamation expressing a strong emotion such as sadness or surprise. | |
9. det. The (thing, person, idea, etc) indicated or understood from context, especially if more remote physically, temporally or mentally than one designated as "this", or if expressing distinction. | |
That book is a good read. This one isn't. | |
That battle was in 1450. | |
That cat of yours is evil. | |
10. pron. (demonstrative) The thing, person, idea, quality, event, action or time indicated or understood from context, especially if more remote geographically, temporally or mentally than one designated as "t | |
He went home, and after that I never saw him again. | |
11. pron. The known (thing); (used to refer to something just said). | |
They're getting divorced. What do you think about that? | |
12. pron. (demonstrative) The aforementioned quality; used together with a verb and pronoun to emphatically repeat a previous statement. | |
The water is so cold! — That it is. | |
13. pron. (relative) (plural that) Which, who; (representing a subject, direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition). | |
The CPR course that she took really came in handy. | |
The house that he lived in was old and dilapidated. | |
14. pron. (colloquial) (Used in place of relative adverbs such as where or when; often omitted.) | |
the place that = where or to which I went last year | |
the last time that = when I went to Europe | |
15. adv. (degree) To a given extent or degree. | |
"The ribbon was that thin." "I disagree, I say it was not that thin, it was thicker... or maybe thinner...". | |
16. adv. (degree) To a great extent or degree; very, particularly (in negative constructions). | |
I'm just not that sick. | |
I did the run last year, and it wasn't that difficult. | |
17. adv. (obsolete, outside, dialects) To such an extent; so. (in positive constructions). | |
Ooh, I was that happy I nearly kissed her. | |
18. n. (philosophy) Something being indicated that is there; one of those. | |
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 | |
exercising |
1. v. present participle of exercise | |
2. n. The act by which something is exercised. | |
exercise |
1. n. Any activity designed to develop or hone a skill or ability. | |
The teacher told us the next exercise is to write an essay. | |
2. n. Physical activity intended to improve strength and fitness. | |
3. n. A setting in action or practicing; employment in the proper mode of activity; exertion; application; use. | |
4. n. The performance of an office, ceremony, or duty. | |
5. n. (obsolete) That which gives practice; a trial; a test. | |
6. v. To exert for the sake of training or improvement; to practice in order to develop. | |
to exercise troops or horses; to exercise one's brain with a puzzle | |
7. v. (intransitive) To perform physical activity for health or training. | |
I exercise at the gym every day. | |
8. v. To use (a right, an option, etc.); to put into practice. | |
The tenant exercised its option to renew the tenancy. | |
She is going to exercise her right to vote. | |
9. v. (now often, in passive) To occupy the attention and effort of; to task; to tax, especially in a painful or vexatious manner; harass; to vex; to worry or make anxious. | |
exercised with pain | |
10. v. (obsolete) To set in action; to cause to act, move, or make exertion; to give employment to. | |
they |
1. pron. (the third-person plural) A group of people, animals, plants or objects previously mentioned. | |
Fred and Jane? They just arrived. Dogs may bark if they want to be fed. Plants wilt if they are not watered. | |
I have a car and a truck, but they are both broken. | |
2. pron. (the third-person singular, sometimes proscribed) A single person, previously mentioned, especially if of unknown or non-binary gender, but not if previously named and identified as male or female. | |
3. pron. (indefinite pronoun, vague meaning) People; some people; people in general; someone, excluding the speaker. | |
They say it’s a good place to live. | |
They didn’t have computers in the old days. | |
They should do something about this. | |
They have a lot of snow in winter. | |
4. det. (now Southern England dialect, or nonstandard) The, those. | |
5. det. (US dialects including AAVE) Their. | |
6. pron. (US dialectal) There (especially as an expletive subject of be). | |
are |
1. v. second-person singular present of be | |
Mary, where are you going? | |
2. v. first-person plural present of be | |
We are not coming. | |
3. v. second-person plural present of be | |
Mary and John, are you listening? | |
4. v. third-person plural present of be | |
They are here somewhere. | |
5. v. (East Yorkshire, Midlands) present of be | |
6. n. (dialectal, or obsolete) grace, mercy | |
To bid God's are. | |
God's are is what children of God seech and seek. | |
7. n. (obsolete) honour, dignity | |
8. n. (rare) an accepted (but deprecated and rarely used) SI unit of area equal to 100 square metres, or a former unit of approximately the same extent. Symbol: a | |
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? | |
making |
1. n. The act of forming, causing, or constituting; workmanship; construction. | |
2. n. Process of growth or development. | |
As a child he didn’t seem like a genius in the making. | |
3. v. present participle of make | |
make |
1. v. To create. | |
2. v. To build, construct, or produce. | |
We made a bird feeder for our yard. | |
I'll make a man out of him yet. | |
3. v. To write or compose. | |
I made a poem for her wedding. | |
He made a will. | |
4. v. To bring about; to effect or produce by means of some action. | |
make war | |
They were just a bunch of ne'er-do-wells who went around making trouble for honest men. | |
5. v. (religious) To create (the universe), especially (in Christianity) from nothing. | |
God made earth and heaven. | |
6. v. (intransitive, now mostly colloquial) To behave, to act. | |
To make like a deer caught in the headlights. | |
They made nice together, as if their fight never happened. | |
He made as if to punch him, but they both laughed and shook hands. | |
7. v. (intransitive) To tend; to contribute; to have effect; with for or against. | |
8. v. To constitute. | |
They make a cute couple. | |
This makes the third infraction. | |
One swallow does not a summer make. | |
9. v. 1995, Harriette Simpson Arnow: Critical Essays on Her Work, p.46: | |
10. v. To add up to, have a sum of. | |
Two and four make six. | |
11. v. (intransitive, construed with of typically interrogative) To interpret. | |
I don’t know what to make of it. | |
12. v. (transitive, usually stressed) To bring into success. | |
This company is what made you. | |
She married into wealth and so has it made. | |
13. v. (ditransitive, second object is an adjective or participle) To cause to be. | |
The citizens made their objections clear. | |
This might make you a bit woozy. | |
Did I make myself heard? | |
Scotch will make you a man. | |
14. v. To cause to appear to be; to represent as. | |
15. v. (ditransitive, second object is a verb) To cause (to do something); to compel (to do something). | |
You're making her cry. | |
I was made to feel like a criminal. | |
16. v. (ditransitive, second object is a verb, can be stressed for emphasis or clarity) To force to do. | |
The teacher made the student study. | |
Don’t let them make you suffer. | |
17. v. (ditransitive, of a fact) To indicate or suggest to be. | |
His past mistakes don’t make him a bad person. | |
18. v. (transitive, of a bed) To cover neatly with bedclothes. | |
19. v. (transitive, US slang) To recognise, identify. | |
20. v. (transitive, colloquial) To arrive at a destination, usually at or by a certain time. | |
We should make Cincinnati by 7 tonight. | |
21. v. (intransitive, colloquial) To proceed (in a direction). | |
They made westward over the snowy mountains. | |
Make for the hills! It's a wildfire! | |
They made away from the fire toward the river. | |
22. v. To cover (a given distance) by travelling. | |
23. v. To move at (a speed). | |
The ship could make 20 knots an hour in calm seas. | |
This baby can make 220 miles an hour. | |
24. v. To appoint; to name. | |
25. v. (transitive, slang) To induct into the Mafia or a similar organization (as a made man). | |
26. v. (intransitive, colloquial, euphemistic) To defecate or urinate. | |
27. v. To earn, to gain (money, points, membership or status). | |
They hope to make a bigger profit. | |
He didn't make the choir after his voice changed. | |
She made ten points in that game. | |
28. v. To pay, to cover (an expense); chiefly used after expressions of inability. | |
29. v. (obsolete, intransitive) To compose verses; to write poetry; to versify. | |
30. v. To enact; to establish. | |
31. v. To develop into; to prove to be. | |
She'll make a fine president. | |
32. v. To form or formulate in the mind. | |
make plans | |
made a questionable decision | |
33. v. To perform a feat. | |
make a leap | |
make a pass | |
make a u-turn | |
34. v. (obsolete) To act in a certain manner; to have to do; to manage; to interfere; to be active; often in the phrase to meddle or make. | |
35. v. (obsolete) To increase; to augment; to accrue. | |
36. v. (obsolete) To be engaged or concerned in. | |
37. v. (now archaic) To cause to be (in a specified place), used after a subjective what. | |
38. v. (transitive, euphemism) To take the virginity of. | |
39. v. To have sexual intercourse with. | |
40. n. (often of a car) Brand or kind; often paired with model. | |
What make of car do you drive? | |
41. n. How a thing is made; construction. | |
42. n. Origin of a manufactured article; manufacture. | |
The camera was of German make. | |
43. n. Quantity produced, especially of materials. | |
44. n. (dated) The act or process of making something, especially in industrial manufacturing. | |
45. n. A person's character or disposition. | |
46. n. (bridge) The declaration of the trump for a hand. | |
47. n. (physics) The closing of an electrical circuit. | |
48. n. (computing) A software utility for automatically building large applications, or an implementation of this utility. | |
49. n. (slang) Recognition or identification, especially from police records or evidence. | |
50. n. (slang) Past or future target of seduction (usually female). | |
51. n. (slang) A promotion. | |
52. n. A home-made project | |
53. n. (basketball) A made basket. | |
54. n. (dialectal) Mate; a spouse or companion. | |
55. n. (Scotland, Ireland, Northern England, now rare) A halfpenny. | |
their |
1. det. Belonging to, from, of, or relating to, them (plural). | |
they will meet tomorrow at their convenience; this is probably their cat | |
2. det. Belonging to someone (one person, singular). | |
3. adv. misspelling of there | |
4. contraction. misspelling of they’re | |
back |
1. adj. (not comparable) Near the rear. | |
Go in the back door of the house. | |
2. adj. (not comparable) Not current. | |
I’d like to find a back issue of that magazine. | |
3. adj. (not comparable) Far from the main area. | |
They took a back road. | |
4. adj. (not comparable) In arrear; overdue. | |
They still owe three months' back rent. | |
5. adj. (not comparable) Moving or operating backward. | |
back action | |
6. adj. (comparable, phonetics) Pronounced with the highest part of the body of the tongue toward the back of the mouth, near the soft palate (most often describing a vowel). | |
The vowel of smallcaps - lot has a back vowel in most dialects of England. | |
7. adv. (not comparable) To or in a previous condition or place. | |
He gave back the money. He needs his money back. He was on vacation, but now he’s back. The office fell into chaos when you left, but now order is back. | |
8. adv. Away from the front or from an edge. | |
Sit all the way back in your chair. | |
Step back from the curb. | |
9. adv. In a manner that impedes. | |
Fear held him back. | |
10. adv. In a reciprocal manner. | |
If you hurt me, I'll hurt you back. | |
11. adv. Earlier, ago. | |
many years back | |
12. n. The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly. | |
Could you please scratch my back? | |
13. n. The spine and associated tissues. | |
I hurt my back lifting those crates. | |
14. n. (slang) Large and attractive buttocks. | |
15. n. (figurative) The part of a piece of clothing which covers the back. | |
I still need to finish the back of your dress. | |
16. n. The backrest, the part of a piece of furniture which receives the human back. | |
Can you fix the back of this chair? | |
17. n. (obsolete) That part of the body that bears clothing. (Now used only in the phrase clothes on one's back.) | |
18. n. That which is farthest away from the front. | |
He sat in the back of the room. | |
19. n. The side of any object which is opposite the front or useful side. | |
Turn the book over and look at the back. | |
20. n. # The edge of a book which is bound. | |
# The titles are printed on the backs of the books. | |
21. n. # (printing) The inside margin of a page. | |
22. n. # The side of a blade opposite the side used for cutting. | |
# Tap it with the back of your knife. | |
23. n. The reverse side; the side that is not normally seen. | |
I hung the clothes on the back of the door. | |
24. n. Area behind, such as the backyard of a house. | |
We'll meet out in the back of the library. | |
25. n. The part of something that goes last. | |
The car was near the back of the train. | |
26. n. (sports) In some team sports, a position behind most players on the team. | |
The backs were lined up in an I formation. | |
27. n. (figuratively) Upper part of a natural object which is considered to resemble an animal's back. | |
The small boat raced over the backs of the waves. | |
28. n. A support or resource in reserve. | |
29. n. (nautical) The keel and keelson of a ship. | |
The ship's back broke in the pounding surf. | |
30. n. (mining) The roof of a horizontal underground passage. | |
31. n. (slang) Effort, usually physical. | |
Put some back into it! | |
32. n. A non-alcoholic drink (often water or a soft drink), to go with hard liquor or a cocktail. | |
Could I get a martini with a water back? | |
33. n. Among leather dealers, one of the thickest and stoutest tanned hides. | |
34. v. (intransitive) To go in the reverse direction. | |
the train backed into the station; the horse refuses to back | |
35. v. To support. | |
I back you all the way; which horse are you backing in this race? | |
36. v. (nautical, of the wind) To change direction contrary to the normal pattern; that is, to shift anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere, or clockwise in the southern hemisphere. | |
37. v. (nautical, of a square sail) To brace the yards so that the wind presses on the front of the sail, to slow the ship. | |
38. v. (nautical, of an anchor) To lay out a second, smaller anchor to provide additional holding power. | |
39. v. (of a hunting dog) To stand still behind another dog which has pointed. | |
40. v. To push or force backwards. | |
to back oxen | |
The mugger backed her into a corner and demanded her wallet. | |
41. v. (transitive, obsolete) To get upon the back of; to mount. | |
42. v. (transitive, obsolete) To place or seat upon the back. | |
43. v. To make a back for; to furnish with a back. | |
to back books | |
44. v. To adjoin behind; to be at the back of. | |
45. v. To write upon the back of, possibly as an endorsement. | |
to back a letter; to back a note or legal document | |
46. v. (legal, of a justice of the peace) To sign or endorse (a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender). | |
47. v. To row backward with (oars). | |
to back the oars | |
48. n. A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc. | |
49. n. A ferryboat. | |
worse |
1. adj. comparative form of bad: more bad | |
Your exam results are worse than before. | |
The harder you try, the worse you do. | |
2. adj. comparative form of ill: more ill | |
She was very ill last week but this week she’s worse. | |
3. adv. comparative form of badly: more badly | |
He drives worse than anyone I know. | |
4. adv. comparative form of ill: more ill. | |
He's worse-mannered than she is. | |
5. adv. Less skillfully. | |
6. adv. More severely or seriously. | |
7. adv. (sentence adverb) Used to start a sentence describing something that is worse. | |
Her leg is infected. Still worse, she's developing a fever. | |
8. v. (obsolete, transitive) To make worse; to put at disadvantage; to discomfit. | |
9. n. (obsolete) Loss; disadvantage; defeat. | |
10. n. That which is worse; something less good. | |
Do not think the worse of him for his enterprise. | |