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. | |
Case |
1. n. (grammar) abstract feature of a noun phrase that determines its function in a sentence, such as a grammatical case and a position. | |
2. n. An actual event, situation, or fact. | |
For a change, in this case, he was telling the truth. | |
It is not the case that every unfamiliar phrase is an idiom. | |
In case of fire, break glass. sign on fire extinguisher holder in public space | |
3. n. (now rare) A given condition or state. | |
4. n. A piece of work, specifically defined within a profession. | |
It was one of the detective's easiest cases. Social workers should work on a maximum of forty active cases. The doctor told us of an interesting case he had treated that morning. | |
5. n. (academia) An instance or event as a topic of study. | |
The teaching consists of theory lessons and case studies. | |
6. n. (legal) A legal proceeding, lawsuit. | |
7. n. (grammar) A specific inflection of a word depending on its function in the sentence. | |
The accusative case canonically indicates a direct object. Latin has six cases, and remnants of a seventh. | |
8. n. (grammar) Grammatical cases and their meanings taken either as a topic in general or within a specific language. | |
Jane has been studying case in Caucasian languages. Latin is a language that employs case. | |
9. n. (medicine) An instance of a specific condition or set of symptoms. | |
There were another five cases reported overnight. | |
10. n. (programming) A section of code representing one of the actions of a conditional switch. | |
11. v. (obsolete) To propose hypothetical cases. | |
12. n. A box that contains or can contain a number of identical items of manufacture. | |
13. n. A box, sheath, or covering generally. | |
a case for spectacles; the case of a watch | |
14. n. A piece of luggage that can be used to transport an apparatus such as a sewing machine. | |
15. n. An enclosing frame or casing. | |
a door case; a window case | |
16. n. A suitcase. | |
17. n. A piece of furniture, constructed partially of transparent glass or plastic, within which items can be displayed. | |
18. n. The outer covering or framework of a piece of apparatus such as a computer. | |
19. n. (printing, historical) A shallow tray divided into compartments or "boxes" for holding type, traditionally arranged in sets of two, the "upper case" (containing capitals, small capitals, accented) and | |
20. n. (typography, by extension) The nature of a piece of alphabetic type, whether a “capital” (upper case) or “small” (lower case) letter. | |
21. n. (poker slang) Four of a kind. | |
22. n. (US) A unit of liquid measure used to measure sales in the beverage industry, equivalent to 192 fluid ounces. | |
23. n. (mining) A small fissure which admits water into the workings. | |
24. n. A thin layer of harder metal on the surface of an object whose deeper metal is allowed to remain soft. | |
25. adj. (poker slang) The last remaining card of a particular rank. | |
He drew the case eight! | |
26. v. To place (an item or items of manufacture) into a box, as in preparation for shipment. | |
27. v. To cover or protect with, or as if with, a case; to enclose. | |
28. v. (transitive, informal) To survey (a building or other location) surreptitiously, as in preparation for a robbery. | |
was |
1. v. first-person singular past of be. | |
2. v. third-person singular past of be. | |
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? | |
not |
1. adv. Negates the meaning of the modified verb. | |
Did you take out the trash? No, I did not. | |
Not knowing any better, I went ahead. | |
2. adv. To no degree. | |
That is not red; it's orange. | |
3. conj. And not. | |
I wanted a plate of shrimp, not a bucket of chicken. | |
He painted the car blue and black, not solid purple. | |
4. interj. (slang) Used to indicate that the previous phrase was meant sarcastically or ironically. | |
I really like hanging out with my little brother watching Barney... not! | |
Sure, you're perfect the way you are... not! | |
5. n. Unary logical function NOT, true if input is false, or a gate implementing that negation function. | |
You need a not there to conform with the negative logic of the memory chip. | |
6. contraction. (obsolete) Contraction of ne wot, wot not; know not; knows not. | |
So |
1. n. A Mon-Khmer-speaking people of Laos and Thailand. | |
2. conj. In order that. | |
Eat your broccoli so you can have dessert. | |
3. conj. With the result that; for that reason; therefore. | |
I was hungry so I asked if there was any more food. | |
He ate too much cake, so he fell ill. | |
He wanted a book, so he went to the library. | |
“I need to go to the bathroom.”―“So go!” | |
4. conj. (archaic) Provided that; on condition that, as long as. | |
5. adv. To the (explicitly stated) extent that. | |
It was so hot outside that all the plants died. He was so good, they hired him on the spot. | |
6. adv. (informal) To the (implied) extent. | |
I need a piece of cloth so long. = this long | |
7. adv. (informal) Very (positive clause). | |
He is so good! | |
8. adv. (informal) Very (negative clause). | |
It’s not so bad. i.e. it's acceptable | |
9. adv. (slang) Very much. | |
But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town! That is so not true! | |
10. adv. In a particular manner. | |
Place the napkin on the table just so. If that's what you mean, then say so; (or do so). | |
11. adv. In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; also. | |
Just as you have the right to your free speech, so I have the right to mine. Many people say she's the world's greatest athlete, but I don't think so. "I can count backwards from on | |
12. adv. (with as) To such an extent or degree; as. | |
so far as; so long as; so much as | |
13. adj. True, accurate. | |
That is so. You are responsible for this, is that not so? | |
14. adj. In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase. | |
15. adj. (dated, UK, slang) Homosexual. | |
Is he so? | |
16. interj. Used after a pause for thought to introduce a new topic, question or story. | |
So, let's go home. | |
So, what'll you have? | |
So, there was this squirrel stuck in the chimney... | |
17. interj. (Short for) so what. | |
"You park your car in front of my house every morning." — "So?". | |
18. interj. Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question. | |
So how does this story end? | |
So, everyone wants to know - did you win the contest or not? | |
19. interj. (archaic) Be as you are; stand still; (used especially to cows; also used by sailors.) | |
20. pron. abbreviation of someone | |
21. n. (music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale. | |
22. n. (foods) A type of dairy product made in Japan between the seventh and 10th centuries. | |
much |
1. det. A large amount of. | |
2. det. (now archaic, or nonstandard) A great number of; many (people). | |
3. det. (now Caribbean, African-American) Many ( + plural noun). | |
4. adj. (obsolete) Large, great. | |
5. adv. To a great extent. | |
I don't like fish much. | |
He is much fatter than I remember him. | |
He left her, much to the satisfaction of her other suitor. | |
6. adv. Often; frequently. | |
Does he get drunk much? | |
7. pron. A large amount or great extent. | |
From those to whom much has been given much is expected. | |
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 | |
Him |
1. pron. honoraltcaps, him | |
2. pron. A masculine pronoun; he as a grammatical object. | |
3. pron. With dative effect or as an indirect object. | |
4. pron. Following a preposition. | |
5. pron. With accusative effect or as a direct object. | |
6. pron. (now rare) Used reflexively: (to) himself. | |
7. pron. With nominative effect: he, especially as a predicate after be, or following a preposition. | |
8. pron. alternative case form of Him | |
9. n. (informal) A male person. | |
I think this bird is a him, but it may be a her. | |
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 | |
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. | |
constitutional |
1. adj. Relating to a legal or political constitution. | |
a constitutional right | |
constitutional reforms | |
Brexit has rocked the foundations and plunged everyone into a state of heightened constitutional anxiety. | |
Some in Westminster are already speculating that it would cause a constitutional crisis | |
2. adj. Conforming to a legal or political constitution. | |
The UK Government’s White Paper, ‘The United Kingdom’s exit from and new partnership with the European Union’ pledges ‘continued adherence to the constitutional framework, rights and institutio | |
Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements. Treaty on European Union. | |
3. adj. Belonging to, or inherent in, the constitution, or in the structure of body or mind. | |
a constitutional infirmity | |
constitutional ardour or dullness | |
4. adj. For the benefit of one's constitution or health. | |
a constitutional walk | |
5. n. (nominalized adjective) | |
6. n. A walk that is taken regularly for good health and wellbeing. | |
rights |
1. n. plural of right | |
2. v. third-person singular present indicative of right | |
right |
1. adj. (archaic) Straight, not bent. | |
a right line | |
2. adj. (geometry) Of an angle, having a size of 90 degrees, or one quarter of a complete rotation; the angle between two perpendicular lines. | |
The kitchen counter formed a right angle with the back wall. | |
3. adj. (geometry) Of a geometric figure, incorporating a right angle between edges, faces, axes, etc. | |
a right triangle, a right prism, a right cone | |
4. adj. Complying with justice, correctness or reason; correct, just, true. | |
I thought you'd made a mistake, but it seems you were right all along. | |
It's not right that one person gets all the credit for the group's work. | |
5. adj. Appropriate, perfectly suitable; fit for purpose. | |
Is this the right software for my computer? | |
6. adj. Healthy, sane, competent. | |
I'm afraid my father is no longer in his right mind. | |
7. adj. Real; veritable (used emphatically). | |
You've made a right mess of the kitchen! | |
8. adj. (Australia) All right; not requiring assistance. | |
9. adj. (dated) Most favourable or convenient; fortunate. | |
10. adj. Designating the side of the body which is positioned to the east if one is facing north. This arrow points to the right: → | |
After the accident, her right leg was slightly shorter than her left. | |
11. adj. Designed to be placed or worn outward. | |
the right side of a piece of cloth | |
12. adj. (politics) Pertaining to the political right; conservative. | |
13. adv. On the right side. | |
14. adv. Towards the right side. | |
15. adv. Exactly, precisely. | |
The arrow landed right in the middle of the target. | |
Luckily we arrived right at the start of the film. | |
16. adv. Immediately, directly. | |
Can't you see it? It's right beside you! | |
Tom was standing right in front of the TV, blocking everyone's view. | |
17. adv. (UK, US, dialect) Very, extremely, quite. | |
I made a right stupid mistake there, didn't I? | |
I stubbed my toe a week ago and it still hurts right much. | |
18. adv. According to fact or truth; actually; truly; really. | |
19. adv. In a correct manner. | |
Do it right or don't do it at all. | |
20. adv. (dated, still used in some titles) To a great extent or degree. | |
Sir, I am right glad to meet you … | |
Members of the Queen's Privy Council are styled The Right Honourable for life. | |
The Right Reverend Monsignor Guido Sarducci. | |
21. interj. Yes, that is correct; I agree. | |
22. interj. I agree with whatever you say; I have no opinion. | |
23. interj. Signpost word to change the subject in a discussion or discourse. | |
- After that interview, I don't think we should hire her.- Right — who wants lunch? | |
24. interj. Used to check agreement at the end of an utterance. | |
You're going, right? | |
25. interj. Used to add seriousness or decisiveness before a statement. | |
26. n. That which complies with justice, law or reason. | |
We're on the side of right in this contest. | |
27. n. A legal, just or moral entitlement. | |
You have no right to go through my personal diary. | |
see also in right of | |
28. n. The right side or direction. | |
The pharmacy is just on the right past the bookshop. | |
29. n. The right hand. | |
30. n. (politics) The ensemble of right-wing political parties; political conservatives as a group. | |
The political right holds too much power. | |
31. n. The outward or most finished surface, as of a piece of cloth, a carpet, etc. | |
32. v. To correct. | |
Righting all the wrongs of the war immediately will be impossible. | |
33. v. To set upright. | |
The tow-truck righted what was left of the automobile. | |
34. v. (intransitive) To return to normal upright position. | |
When the wind died down, the ship righted. | |
35. v. To do justice to; to relieve from wrong; to restore rights to; to assert or regain the rights of. | |
to right the oppressed | |
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. | |
Americans |
1. n. plural of American | |
to |
1. part. A particle used for marking the following verb as an infinitive. | |
I want to leave. | |
He asked me what to do. | |
I don’t know how to say it. | |
I have places to go and people to see. | |
2. part. As above, with the verb implied. | |
"Did you visit the museum?" "I wanted to, but it was closed.". | |
If he hasn't read it yet, he ought to. | |
3. part. A particle used to create phrasal verbs. | |
I have to do laundry today. | |
4. prep. Indicating destination: In the direction of, and arriving at. | |
We are walking to the shop. | |
5. prep. Used to indicate purpose. | |
He devoted himself to education. | |
They drank to his health. | |
6. prep. Used to indicate result of action. | |
His face was beaten to a pulp. | |
7. prep. Used after an adjective to indicate its application. | |
similar to ..., relevant to ..., pertinent to ..., I was nice to him, he was cruel to her, I am used to walking. | |
8. prep. (obsolete,) As a. | |
With God to friend (with God as a friend); with The Devil to fiend (with the Devil as a foe); lambs slaughtered to lake (lambs slaughtered as a sacrifice); t | |
9. prep. (arithmetic) Used to indicate a ratio or comparison. | |
one to one = 1:1 | |
ten to one = 10:1. | |
I have ten dollars to your four. | |
10. prep. (arithmetic) Used to indicate that the preceding term is to be raised to the power of the following value; indicates exponentiation. | |
Three squared or three to the second power is nine. | |
Three to the power of two is nine. | |
Three to the second is nine. | |
11. prep. Used to indicate the indirect object. | |
I gave the book to him. | |
12. prep. (time) Preceding. | |
ten to ten = 9:50; We're going to leave at ten to (the hour). | |
13. prep. Used to describe what something consists of or contains. | |
Anyone could do this job; there's nothing to it. | |
There's a lot of sense to what he says. | |
14. prep. (Canada, UK, Newfoundland, West Midlands) At. | |
Stay where you're to and I'll come find you, b'y. | |
15. adv. Toward a closed, touching or engaging position. | |
Please push the door to. | |
16. adv. (nautical) Into the wind. | |
17. adv. misspelling of too | |
have |
Additional archaic forms are second-person singular present tense hast, third-person singular present tense hath, present participle haveing, and second-person singular past tense hadst. | |
1. v. To possess, own, hold. | |
I have a house and a car. | |
Look what I have here — a frog I found on the street! | |
2. v. To be related in some way to (with the object identifying the relationship). | |
I have two sisters. | |
I have a lot of work to do. | |
3. v. To partake of a particular substance (especially a food or drink) or action. | |
I have breakfast at six o'clock. | |
Can I have a look at that? | |
I'm going to have some pizza and a beer right now. | |
4. v. To be scheduled to attend or participate in. | |
What class do you have right now? I have English. | |
Fred won't be able to come to the party; he has a meeting that day. | |
5. v. (auxiliary verb, taking a past participle) (Used in forming the perfect aspect and the past perfect aspect.) | |
I have already eaten today. | |
I had already eaten. | |
6. v. (auxiliary verb, taking a to-infinitive) See have to. | |
I have to go. | |
7. v. To give birth to. | |
The couple always wanted to have children. | |
My wife is having the baby right now! | |
My mother had me when she was 25. | |
8. v. To engage in sexual intercourse with. | |
He's always bragging about how many women he's had. | |
9. v. To accept as a romantic partner. | |
Despite my protestations of love, she would not have me. | |
10. v. (transitive with bare infinitive) To cause to, by a command, request or invitation. | |
They had me feed their dog while they were out of town. | |
11. v. (transitive with adjective or adjective-phrase complement) To cause to be. | |
He had him arrested for trespassing. | |
The lecture's ending had the entire audience in tears. | |
12. v. (transitive with bare infinitive) To be affected by an occurrence. (Used in supplying a topic that is not a verb argument.) | |
The hospital had several patients contract pneumonia last week. | |
I've had three people today tell me my hair looks nice. | |
13. v. (transitive with adjective or adjective-phrase complement) To depict as being. | |
Their stories differed; he said he'd been at work when the incident occurred, but her statement had him at home that entire evening. | |
14. v. (Used as interrogative auxiliary verb with a following pronoun to form tag questions. (For further discussion, see "Usage notes" below.)) | |
We haven't eaten dinner yet, have we? | |
Your wife hasn't been reading that nonsense, has she? | |
(UK usage) He has some money, hasn't he? | |
15. v. (UK, slang) To defeat in a fight; take. | |
I could have him! | |
I'm gonna have you! | |
16. v. (dated) To be able to speak a language. | |
I have no German. | |
17. v. To feel or be (especially painfully) aware of. | |
Dan certainly has arms today, probably from scraping paint off four columns the day before. | |
18. v. To be afflicted with, suffer from. | |
He had a cold last week. | |
19. v. To experience, go through, undergo. | |
We had a hard year last year, with the locust swarms and all that. | |
He had surgery on his hip yesterday. | |
I'm having the time of my life! | |
20. v. To trick, to deceive. | |
You had me alright! I never would have thought that was just a joke. | |
21. v. (transitive, often with present participle) To allow; to tolerate. | |
The child screamed incessantly for his mother to buy him a toy, but she wasn't having any of it. | |
I asked my dad if I could go to the concert this Thursday, but he wouldn't have it since it's a school night. | |
22. v. (transitive, often used in the negative) To believe, buy, be taken in by. | |
I made up an excuse as to why I was out so late, but my wife wasn't having any of it. | |
23. v. To host someone; to take in as a guest. | |
Thank you for having me! | |
24. v. To get a reading, measurement, or result from an instrument or calculation. | |
What do you have for problem two? | |
I have two contacts on my scope. | |
25. v. (transitive, of a jury) To consider a court proceeding that has been completed; to begin deliberations on a case. | |
We'll schedule closing arguments for Thursday, and the jury will have the case by that afternoon. | |
26. n. A wealthy or privileged person. | |
27. n. (uncommon) One who has some (contextually specified) thing. | |
28. n. (AU, NZ, informal) A fraud or deception; something misleading. | |
They advertise it as a great deal, but I think it's a bit of a have. | |
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 | |
Votes |
1. n. plural of Vote | |
2. n. plural of vote | |
3. v. third-person singular present indicative of vote | |
vote |
1. n. A formalized choice on matters of administration or other democratic activities. | |
The city council decided the matter should go to public vote. | |
Parliament will hold a vote of confidence regarding the minister. | |
2. n. An act or instance of participating in such a choice, e.g., by submitting a ballot. | |
The Supreme Court upheld the principle of one person, one vote. | |
3. n. (obsolete) An ardent wish or desire; a vow; a prayer. | |
4. v. (intransitive, transitive) To cast a vote; to assert a formalized choice in an election. | |
The depository may vote shares on behalf of investors who have not submitted instruction to the bank. | |
respected |
1. adj. Deserving of respect; due special honor or appreciation. | |
He was a respected jurist and his death will be a loss to the profession. | |
2. v. simple past tense and past participle of respect | |
respect |
1. n. an attitude of consideration or high regard | |
He is an intellectual giant, and I have great respect for him. | |
we do respect people for their dignity and worth. | |
2. n. good opinion, honor, or admiration | |
3. n. (always plural) Polite greetings, often offered as condolences after a death. | |
The mourners paid their last respects to the deceased poet. | |
4. n. a particular aspect, feature or detail of something | |
This year's model is superior to last year's in several respects. | |
5. n. Good will; favor | |
6. v. To have respect for. | |
She is an intellectual giant, and I respect her greatly. | |
7. v. To have regard for something, to observe a custom, practice, rule or right. | |
I respect your right to hold that belief, although I think it is nonsense. | |
8. v. To abide by an agreement. | |
They failed to respect the treaty they had signed, and invaded. | |
9. v. To take notice of; to regard as worthy of special consideration; to heed. | |
10. v. (transitive, dated except in "respecting") To relate to; to be concerned with. | |
11. v. (obsolete) To regard; to consider; to deem. | |
12. v. (obsolete) To look toward; to face. | |
13. interj. (Jamaica) hello, hi | |
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 | |
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 | |
government |
1. n. The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization. | |
2. n. (grammar, linguistics) The relationship between a word and its dependents | |
3. n. A group of people who hold a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in a given territory. | |
4. n. The state and its administration viewed as the ruling political power. | |
5. n. The management or control of a system. | |
6. n. The tenure of a chief of state. | |