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 | |
set |
1. v. To put (something) down, to rest. | |
Set the tray there. | |
2. v. To attach or affix (something) to something else, or in or upon a certain place. | |
I have set my heart on running the marathon. | |
3. v. To put in a specified condition or state; to cause to be. | |
4. v. (transitive, dated) To cause to stop or stick; to obstruct; to fasten to a spot. | |
to set a coach in the mud | |
5. v. To determine or settle. | |
to set the rent | |
6. v. To adjust. | |
I set the alarm at 6 a.m. | |
7. v. To punch (a nail) into wood so that its head is below the surface. | |
8. v. To arrange with dishes and cutlery, to set the table. | |
Please set the table for our guests. | |
9. v. To introduce or describe. | |
I’ll tell you what happened, but first let me set the scene. | |
10. v. To locate (a play, etc.); to assign a backdrop to. | |
He says he will set his next film in France. | |
11. v. To compile, to make (a puzzle or challenge). | |
This crossword was set by Araucaria. | |
12. v. To prepare (a stage or film set). | |
13. v. To fit (someone) up in a situation. | |
14. v. To arrange (type). | |
It was a complex page, but he set it quickly. | |
15. v. To devise and assign (work) to. | |
The teacher set her students the task of drawing a foot. | |
16. v. (transitive, volleyball) To direct (the ball) to a teammate for an attack. | |
17. v. (intransitive) To solidify. | |
The glue sets in four minutes. | |
18. v. To render stiff or solid; especially, to convert into curd; to curdle. | |
to set milk for cheese | |
19. v. (intransitive) Of a heavenly body, to disappear below the horizon of a planet, etc, as the latter rotates. | |
The moon sets at eight o'clock tonight. | |
20. v. (transitive, bridge) To defeat a contract. | |
21. v. (obsolete, now followed by "out", as in set out) To begin to move; to go forth. | |
22. v. (transitive, botany) To produce after pollination. | |
to set seed | |
23. v. (intransitive, of fruit) To be fixed for growth; to strike root; to begin to germinate or form. | |
24. v. (intransitive, Southern US, Midwestern US, dialects) To sit (be in a seated position). | |
He sets in that chair all day. | |
25. v. To hunt game with the aid of a setter. | |
26. v. (hunting, ambitransitive) Of a dog, to indicate the position of game. | |
The dog sets the bird. | |
Your dog sets well. | |
27. v. (obsolete) To apply oneself; to undertake earnestly; to set out. | |
28. v. To fit music to words. | |
29. v. To place plants or shoots in the ground; to plant. | |
to set pear trees in an orchard | |
30. v. To become fixed or rigid; to be fastened. | |
31. v. To have a certain direction of motion; to flow; to move on; to tend. | |
The current sets to the north; the tide sets to the windward. | |
32. v. To place or fix in a setting. | |
to set a precious stone in a border of metal | |
to set glass in a sash | |
33. v. To put in order in a particular manner; to prepare. | |
to set (that is, to hone) a razor | |
to set a saw | |
34. v. To extend and bring into position; to spread. | |
to set the sails of a ship | |
35. v. To give a pitch to, as a tune; to start by fixing the keynote. | |
to set a psalm | |
36. v. To reduce from a dislocated or fractured state. | |
to set a broken bone | |
37. v. (masonry) To lower into place and fix solidly, as the blocks of cut stone in a structure. | |
38. v. (obsolete) To wager in gambling; to risk. | |
39. v. To adorn with something infixed or affixed; to stud; to variegate with objects placed here and there. | |
40. v. (obsolete) To value; to rate; used with at. | |
41. v. To establish as a rule; to furnish; to prescribe; to assign. | |
to set a good example; to set lessons to be learned | |
42. v. (Scotland) To suit; to become. | |
It sets him ill. | |
43. n. A punch for setting nails in wood. | |
nail set | |
44. n. A device for receiving broadcast radio waves (or, more recently, broadcast data); a radio or television. | |
television set | |
45. n. (alt form, sett): a hole made and lived in by a badger. | |
46. n. (alt form, sett): pattern of threads and yarns. | |
47. n. (alt form, sett): piece of quarried stone. | |
48. n. (horticulture) A small tuber or bulb used instead of seed, particularly onion sets and potato sets. | |
49. n. The amount the teeth of a saw protrude to the side in order to create the kerf. | |
50. n. (obsolete, rare) That which is staked; a wager; hence, a gambling game. | |
51. n. (engineering) Permanent change of shape caused by excessive strain, as from compression, tension, bending, twisting, etc. | |
the set of a spring | |
52. n. (piledriving) A piece placed temporarily upon the head of a pile when the latter cannot otherwise be reached by the weight, or hammer. | |
53. n. (printing, dated) The width of the body of a type. | |
54. n. A young oyster when first attached. | |
55. n. Collectively, the crop of young oysters in any locality. | |
56. n. A series or group of something. (Note the similar meaning in Etymology 2, Noun) | |
57. n. (colloquial) The manner, state, or quality of setting or fitting; fit. | |
the set of a coat | |
58. n. The camber of a curved roofing tile. | |
59. adj. Fixed in position. | |
60. adj. Rigid, solidified. | |
61. adj. Ready, prepared. | |
on your marks, get set, go!; on your marks, set, go! | |
62. adj. Intent, determined (to do something). | |
set on getting to his destination | |
63. adj. Prearranged. | |
a set menu | |
64. adj. Fixed in one’s opinion. | |
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. | |
repayment |
1. n. The act of repaying. | |
2. n. The money or other resource that is repaid. | |
rate |
1. n. (obsolete) The worth of something; value. | |
2. n. The proportional relationship between one amount, value etc. and another. | |
At the height of his powers, he was producing pictures at the rate of four a year. | |
3. n. Speed. | |
The car was speeding down here at a hell of a rate. | |
4. n. The relative speed of change or progress. | |
The rate of production at the factory is skyrocketing. | |
5. n. The price of (an individual) thing; cost. | |
He asked quite a rate to take me to the airport. | |
6. n. A set price or charge for all examples of a given case, commodity, service etc. | |
Postal rates here are low. | |
7. n. A wage calculated in relation to a unit of time. | |
We pay an hourly rate of between $10 – $15 per hour depending on qualifications and experience. | |
8. n. Any of various taxes, especially those levied by a local authority. | |
I hardly have enough left every month to pay the rates. | |
9. n. (nautical) A class into which ships were assigned based on condition, size etc.; by extension, rank. | |
This textbook is first-rate. | |
10. n. (obsolete) Established portion or measure; fixed allowance; ration. | |
11. n. (obsolete) Order; arrangement. | |
12. n. (obsolete) Ratification; approval. | |
13. n. (horology) The gain or loss of a timepiece in a unit of time. | |
daily rate; hourly rate; etc. | |
14. v. To assign or be assigned a particular rank or level. | |
She is rated fourth in the country. | |
15. v. To evaluate or estimate the value of. | |
They rate his talents highly. | |
16. v. To consider or regard. | |
He rated this book brilliant. | |
17. v. To deserve; to be worth. | |
The view here hardly rates a mention in the travel guide. | |
18. v. To determine the limits of safe functioning for a machine or electrical device. | |
The transformer is rated at 10 watts. | |
19. v. (transitive, chiefly British) To evaluate a property's value for the purposes of local taxation. | |
20. v. (transitive, informal) To like; to think highly of. | |
The customers don't rate the new burgers. | |
21. v. (intransitive) To have position (in a certain class). | |
She rates among the most excellent chefs in the world. | |
He rates as the best cyclist in the country. | |
22. v. (intransitive) To have value or standing. | |
This last performance of hers didn't rate very high with the judges. | |
23. v. To ratify. | |
24. v. To ascertain the exact rate of the gain or loss of (a chronometer) as compared with true time. | |
25. v. To berate, scold. | |
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. | |
a |
1. art. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. | |
There was a man here looking for you yesterday. | |
2. art. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word. | |
I've seen it happen a hundred times. | |
3. art. One certain or particular; any single.Brown, Lesley, (2003) | |
We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London. | |
4. art. The same; one. | |
We are of a mind on matters of morals. | |
5. art. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope; also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.Lindberg, Christine A. (2007) | |
A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties. | |
He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head? | |
6. art. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc. | |
7. art. Someone or something like; similar to; Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it. | |
The center of the village was becoming a Times Square. | |
8. prep. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. | |
Stand a tiptoe. | |
9. prep. To do with separation; In, into. | |
Torn a pieces. | |
10. prep. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. | |
I brush my teeth twice a day. | |
11. prep. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. | |
12. prep. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. | |
A God’s name. | |
13. prep. To do with status; In. | |
King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18) | |
To set the people a worke. | |
14. prep. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. | |
1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’ | |
The times, they are a-changin'. | |
15. prep. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. | |
1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21 | |
Jacob, when he was a dying | |
16. prep. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. | |
17. v. (archaic, or slang) Have. | |
I'd a come, if you'd a asked. | |
18. pron. (obsolete, outside, England, and Scotland dialects) He. | |
19. interj. A meaningless syllable; ah. | |
20. prep. (archaic, slang) Of. | |
The name of John a Gaunt. | |
21. adv. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
22. adj. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
loan |
1. n. (banking, finance) A sum of money or other valuables or consideration that an individual, group or other legal entity borrows from another individual, group or legal entity (the latter often being a f | |
He got a loan of five thousand pounds. | |
All loans from the library, whether books or audio material, must be returned within two weeks. | |
2. n. The contract and array of legal or ethical obligations surrounding a loan. | |
He made a payment on his loan. | |
3. n. The permission to borrow any item. | |
Thank you for the loan of your lawn mower. | |
4. v. (usually double transitive, US, dated in UK, informal) To lend (something) to (someone). | |
5. n. (Scotland) A lonnen. | |
at |
1. prep. In, near, or in the general vicinity of a particular place. | |
Caesar was at Rome; at the corner of Fourth Street and Vine; at Jim’s house | |
2. prep. (indicating time) (Indicating occurrence in an instant of time or a period of time relatively short in context or from the speaker's perspective.) | |
at six o’clock; at closing time; at night. | |
3. prep. In the direction of (often in an unfocused or uncaring manner). | |
He threw the ball at me. He shouted at her. | |
4. prep. Denotes a price. | |
3 apples at 2¢ (each) The offer was at $30,000 before negotiations. | |
5. prep. Occupied in (activity). | |
men at work | |
6. prep. In a state of. | |
She is at sixes and sevens with him. They are at loggerheads over how best to tackle the fiscal cliff. The city was at the mercy of the occupying forces. | |
7. prep. Indicates a position on a scale or in a series. | |
Sell at 90. Tiger finished the round at tenth, seven strokes behind the leaders. I'm offering it—just to select customers—at cost. | |
8. prep. Because of. | |
to laugh at a joke mad at their comments | |
9. prep. Indicates a means, method, or manner. | |
10. prep. Holding a given speed or rate. | |
It is growing at the rate of 3% a year. Cruising along at fifty miles per hour. | |
11. prep. (used for skills (including in activities) or areas of knowledge) On the subject of; regarding. | |
The twins were both bad at chemistry. | |
He slipped at marksmanship over his extended vacation. | |
12. prep. (Ireland, stressed pronunciation) Bothering, irritating, causing discomfort to | |
13. n. The at sign (@). | |
14. n. (alt form, att) (Laos currency unit) | |
or |
1. conj. Connects at least two alternative words, phrases, clauses, sentences, etc. each of which could make a passage true. In English, this is the "inclusive or." The "exclusive or" is formed by "either(...) | |
In Ohio, anyone under the age of 18 who wants a tattoo or body piercing needs the consent of a parent or guardian. | |
He might get cancer, or be hit by a bus, or God knows what. | |
2. conj. (logic) An operator denoting the disjunction of two propositions or truth values. There are two forms, the inclusive or and the exclusive or. | |
3. conj. Counts the elements before and after as two possibilities. | |
4. conj. Otherwise (a consequence of the condition that the previous is false). | |
It's raining! Come inside or you'll catch a cold! | |
5. conj. Connects two equivalent names. | |
The country Myanmar, or Burma | |
6. n. (logic, electronics) alternative form of OR | |
7. n. (tincture) The gold or yellow tincture on a coat of arms. | |
8. adj. (tincture) Of gold or yellow tincture on a coat of arms. | |
9. adv. (obsolete) Early (on). | |
10. adv. (obsolete) Earlier, previously. | |
11. prep. (now archaic, or dialect) Before; ere. | |
below |
1. prep. Lower in spatial position than. | |
The treasure is buried two meters below the surface. | |
2. prep. Lower in value, price, rank or concentration than. | |
The temperature is below zero. | |
3. prep. Downstream of. | |
4. prep. South of. | |
5. prep. Unsuitable to the rank or dignity of; beneath. | |
Such petty behavior is below me. | |
6. prep. (stage directions) Downstage of. | |
7. adv. In a lower place. | |
8. adv. On a lower storey. | |
9. adv. Further down. | |
10. adv. (nautical) On a lower deck. | |
the landlubbers lying down below | |
11. adv. (of a temperature) Below zero. | |
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. | |
interest |
1. n. (finance) The price paid for obtaining, or price received for providing, money or goods in a credit transaction, calculated as a fraction of the amount or value of what was borrowed. | |
Our bank offers borrowers an annual interest of 5%. | |
2. n. A great attention and concern from someone or something; intellectual curiosity. | |
He has a lot of interest in vintage cars. | |
3. n. Attention that is given to or received from someone or something. | |
4. n. An involvement, claim, right, share, stake in or link with a financial, business, or other undertaking or endeavor. | |
When scientists and doctors write articles and when politicians run for office, they are required in many countries to declare any existing conflicts of interest. | |
I have business interests in South Africa. | |
5. n. Something or someone one is interested in. | |
Lexicography is one of my interests. | |
Victorian furniture is an interest of mine. | |
The main character's romantic interest will be played by a non-professional actor. | |
6. n. (obsolete, rare) Injury, or compensation for injury; damages. | |
7. n. (usually plural) The persons interested in any particular business or measure, taken collectively. | |
the iron interest; the cotton interest | |
8. v. To engage the attention of; to awaken interest in; to excite emotion or passion in, in behalf of a person or thing. | |
It might interest you to learn that others have already tried that approach. | |
Action films don't really interest me. | |
9. v. (obsolete, often impersonal) To be concerned with or engaged in; to affect; to concern; to excite. | |
10. v. (obsolete) To cause or permit to share. | |
rate |
1. n. (obsolete) The worth of something; value. | |
2. n. The proportional relationship between one amount, value etc. and another. | |
At the height of his powers, he was producing pictures at the rate of four a year. | |
3. n. Speed. | |
The car was speeding down here at a hell of a rate. | |
4. n. The relative speed of change or progress. | |
The rate of production at the factory is skyrocketing. | |
5. n. The price of (an individual) thing; cost. | |
He asked quite a rate to take me to the airport. | |
6. n. A set price or charge for all examples of a given case, commodity, service etc. | |
Postal rates here are low. | |
7. n. A wage calculated in relation to a unit of time. | |
We pay an hourly rate of between $10 – $15 per hour depending on qualifications and experience. | |
8. n. Any of various taxes, especially those levied by a local authority. | |
I hardly have enough left every month to pay the rates. | |
9. n. (nautical) A class into which ships were assigned based on condition, size etc.; by extension, rank. | |
This textbook is first-rate. | |
10. n. (obsolete) Established portion or measure; fixed allowance; ration. | |
11. n. (obsolete) Order; arrangement. | |
12. n. (obsolete) Ratification; approval. | |
13. n. (horology) The gain or loss of a timepiece in a unit of time. | |
daily rate; hourly rate; etc. | |
14. v. To assign or be assigned a particular rank or level. | |
She is rated fourth in the country. | |
15. v. To evaluate or estimate the value of. | |
They rate his talents highly. | |
16. v. To consider or regard. | |
He rated this book brilliant. | |
17. v. To deserve; to be worth. | |
The view here hardly rates a mention in the travel guide. | |
18. v. To determine the limits of safe functioning for a machine or electrical device. | |
The transformer is rated at 10 watts. | |
19. v. (transitive, chiefly British) To evaluate a property's value for the purposes of local taxation. | |
20. v. (transitive, informal) To like; to think highly of. | |
The customers don't rate the new burgers. | |
21. v. (intransitive) To have position (in a certain class). | |
She rates among the most excellent chefs in the world. | |
He rates as the best cyclist in the country. | |
22. v. (intransitive) To have value or standing. | |
This last performance of hers didn't rate very high with the judges. | |
23. v. To ratify. | |
24. v. To ascertain the exact rate of the gain or loss of (a chronometer) as compared with true time. | |
25. v. To berate, scold. | |
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. | |
low |
1. adj. Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty. | |
standing on low ground in a low valley, ringed by low hills a low wall a low shelf | |
2. adj. Pertaining to (or, especially of a language: spoken in) in an area which is at a lesser elevation, closer to sea level (especially near the sea), than | |
the low countries Low German | |
3. adj. (baseball, of a ball) Below the batter's knees. | |
the pitch (or: the ball) was low | |
4. adj. Of less than normal height; below the average or normal level from which elevation is measured. | |
a low bow a low tide the Mississippi is unusually low right now | |
5. adj. Not high in status, esteem or rank, dignity, or quality. (Compare vulgar). | |
low birth low rank the low officials of the bureaucracy low-quality fabric playing low tricks on them a person of low mind | |
Now that was low even for you! | |
6. adj. Humble, meek, not haughty. | |
7. adj. Disparaging; assigning little value or excellence. | |
She had a low opinion of cats. He took a low view of dogs. | |
8. adj. Being a nadir, a bottom. | |
the low point in her career | |
9. adj. Depressed in mood, dejected, sad. | |
low spirits | |
10. adj. Lacking health or vitality, strength or vivacity; feeble; weak. | |
a low pulse | |
made (or: laid) low by sickness | |
11. adj. Small, not high (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc). | |
My credit union charges a low interest rate. Jogging during a whiteout, with such low temperatures and low visibility, is dangerous. The store sold bread at low prices, and milk a | |
12. adj. Having a small or comparatively smaller concentration of (a substance, which is often but not always linked by "in" when predicative). | |
diets low in vitamin A made from low-carbon steel | |
13. adj. Depleted, or nearing deletion; lacking in supply. | |
running low on cash | |
14. adj. (especially in the field of biology) Simple in complexity or development; (in several set phrases) favoring simplicity; see e.g. low church, Low Tory. | |
low protozoan animals, low cryptogamic plants, and other low organisms | |
15. adj. (in several set phrases) Being near the equator. | |
the low northern latitudes | |
16. adj. (acoustics) Grave in pitch, due to being produced by relatively slow vibrations (wave oscillations); flat. | |
The note was too low for her to sing. | |
Generally, European men have lower voices than their Indian counterparts. | |
17. adj. Quiet; soft; not loud. | |
They spoke in low voices so I would not hear what they were saying. | |
Why would you want to play heavy metal at such a low volume? | |
18. adj. (phonetics) Made with a relatively large opening between the tongue and the palate; made with (part of) the tongue positioned low in the mouth, relative to the palate. | |
19. adj. (card games) Lesser in value than other cards, denominations, suits, etc. | |
a low card | |
20. adj. (archaic) Not rich, seasoned, or nourishing; plain, simple. | |
a low diet | |
21. adj. (of an, automobile, gear, etc) Designed for a slow (or the slowest) speed. | |
low gear | |
22. n. Something that is low; a low point. | |
You have achieved a new low in behavior, Frank. | |
Economic growth has hit a new low. | |
23. n. The minimum value attained by some quantity within a specified period. | |
Unemployment has reached a ten-year low. | |
24. n. A depressed mood or situation. | |
He is in a low right now | |
25. n. (meteorology) An area of low pressure; a depression. | |
A deep low is centred over the British Isles. | |
26. n. The lowest-speed gearing of a power-transmission system, especially of an automotive vehicle. | |
Shift out of low before the car gets to eight miles per hour. | |
27. n. (card games) The lowest trump, usually the deuce; the lowest trump dealt or drawn. | |
28. n. (slang) (usually accompanied by "the") a cheap, cost-efficient, or advantageous payment or expense. | |
He got the brand new Yankees jersey for the low. | |
29. adv. Close to the ground. | |
30. adv. Of a pitch, at a lower frequency. | |
31. adv. With a low voice or sound; not loudly; gently. | |
to speak low | |
32. adv. Under the usual price; at a moderate price; cheaply. | |
He sold his wheat low. | |
33. adv. In a low mean condition; humbly; meanly. | |
34. adv. In a time approaching our own. | |
35. adv. (astronomy) In a path near the equator, so that the declination is small, or near the horizon, so that the altitude is small; said of the heavenly bodies with reference to the diurnal revolution. | |
The moon runs low, i.e. comparatively near the horizon when on or near the meridian. | |
36. v. (obsolete, transitive) To depress; to lower. | |
37. v. (obsolete) simple past tense of laugh. | |
38. v. (intransitive) To moo. | |
The cattle were lowing. | |
39. n. (UK, Scotland, dialect) A flame; fire; blaze. | |
40. v. (Scotland) To burn; to blaze. | |
41. n. (archaic, or obsolete) Barrow, mound, tumulus. | |
42. n. (Scottish dialectal, archaic) A hill. | |
43. n. cln, en, basic words, three-letter words | |
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. | |
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. | |
principal |
1. adj. Primary; most important. | |
Smith is the principal architect of this design. | |
The principal cause of the failure was poor planning. | |
2. adj. (obsolete, Latinism) Of or relating to a prince; princely. | |
3. n. (finance) The money originally invested or loaned, on which basis interest and returns are calculated. | |
A portion of your mortgage payment goes to reduce the principal, and the rest covers interest. | |
4. n. (North America, Australia, New Zealand) The chief administrator of a school. | |
5. n. (Canada) The chief executive and chief academic officer of a university or college. | |
6. n. (legal) A legal person that authorizes another (the agent) to act on one′s behalf; or on whose behalf an agent or gestor in a negotiorum gestio acts. | |
When an attorney represents a client, the client is the principal who permits the attorney, the client′s agent, to act on the client′s behalf. | |
My principal sells metal shims. | |
7. n. (legal) The primary participant in a crime. | |
8. n. (North America) A partner or owner of a business. | |
9. n. (music) A diapason, a type of organ stop on a pipe organ. | |
10. n. (architecture, engineering) The construction that gives shape and strength to a roof, generally a truss of timber or iron; or, loosely, the most important member of a piece of framing. | |
11. n. The first two long feathers of a hawk's wing. | |
12. n. One of the turrets or pinnacles of waxwork and tapers with which the posts and centre of a funeral hearse were formerly crowned. | |
13. n. (obsolete) An essential point or rule; a principle. | |
14. n. A dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. | |
15. n. (computing) A security principal. | |
Will |
1. n. (American football) A weak-side linebacker. | |
2. v. (rare, transitive) To wish, desire (something). | |
Do what you will. | |
3. v. (rare, intransitive) To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that). | |
4. v. (auxiliary) To habitually do (a given action). | |
5. v. (auxiliary) To choose to (do something), used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive). | |
6. v. (auxiliary) Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall. | |
7. v. (auxiliary) To be able to, to have the capacity to. | |
Unfortunately, only one of these gloves will actually fit over my hand. | |
8. n. One's independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one's choice or intention. | |
Of course, man's will is often regulated by his reason. | |
9. n. One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands. | |
Eventually I submitted to my parents' will. | |
10. n. The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition. | |
Most creatures have a will to live. | |
11. n. (law) A formal declaration of one's intent concerning the disposal of one's property and holdings after death; the legal document stating such wishes. | |
12. n. (archaic) That which is desired; one's wish. | |
13. n. (archaic) Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.) | |
He felt a great will to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. | |
14. v. (archaic) To wish, desire. | |
15. v. (transitive, intransitive) To instruct (that something be done) in one's will. | |
16. v. To try to make (something) happen by using one's will (intention). | |
All the fans were willing their team to win the game. | |
17. v. To bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document). | |
He willed his stamp collection to the local museum. | |
never |
1. adv. At no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance. | |
I finally finished, and I never want to do that again. | |
I repeated the test a hundred times, and never saw a positive result. | |
I will never tell. | |
2. adv. Not at any other time; not on any other occasion; not previously. | |
3. adv. (colloquial) Negative particle (used to negate verbs in the simple past tense; also used absolutely). | |
The police say I stole the car, but I never did it. | |
You said you were going to mow the lawn today. – I never! | |
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? | |
repaid |
1. v. simple past tense and past participle of repay | |
repay |
1. v. To pay back. | |
I finally repaid my student loans, just before sending my kids to college. | |