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 | |
swell |
1. v. (intransitive) To become bigger, especially due to being engorged. | |
2. v. To cause to become bigger. | |
Rains and dissolving snow swell the rivers in spring. | |
3. v. (intransitive) To grow gradually in force or loudness. | |
The organ music swelled. | |
4. v. To raise to arrogance; to puff up; to inflate. | |
to be swelled with pride or haughtiness | |
5. v. (intransitive) To be raised to arrogance. | |
6. v. To be elated; to rise arrogantly. | |
7. v. To be turgid, bombastic, or extravagant. | |
swelling words; a swelling style | |
8. v. To protuberate; to bulge out. | |
A cask swells in the middle. | |
9. n. The act of swelling. | |
10. n. Increase of power in style, or of rhetorical force. | |
11. n. A long series of ocean waves, generally produced by wind, and lasting after the wind has ceased. | |
12. n. (music) A gradual crescendo followed by diminuendo. | |
13. n. (music) A device for controlling the volume of a pipe organ. | |
14. n. (music) A division in a pipe organ, usually the largest enclosed division. | |
15. n. A hillock or similar raised area of terrain. | |
16. n. (informal, dated) A person who dresses in a fancy or elegant manner. | |
17. n. (informal) A person of high social standing; an important person. | |
18. adj. (North America, informal) Excellent. | |
19. adv. (North America, informal) Very well. | |
well |
1. adv. (manner) Accurately, competently, satisfactorily. | |
He does his job well. | |
2. adv. (manner) Completely, fully. | |
a well done steak | |
We’re well beat now. | |
3. adv. (degree) To a significant degree. | |
That author is well known. | |
4. adv. (degree, British, slang) Very (as a general-purpose intensifier). | |
5. adv. In a desirable manner; so as one could wish; satisfactorily; favourably; advantageously. | |
6. adj. In good health. | |
I had been sick, but now I'm well. | |
7. adj. (hypercorrect) Good, content. | |
“How are you?” — “I'm well, thank you!” | |
8. adj. (archaic) Prudent; good; well-advised. | |
9. interj. Used to acknowledge a statement or situation. | |
“The car is broken.” “Well, we could walk to the movies instead.” | |
“I didn't like the music.” “Well, I thought it was good.” | |
“I forgot to pack the tent! Well, I guess we're sleeping under the stars tonight.” | |
10. interj. An exclamation of surprise, often doubled or tripled. | |
Well, well, well, what do we have here? | |
11. interj. An exclamation of indignance. | |
Well! There was no need to say that in front of my mother! | |
12. interj. Used in speech to express the overcoming of reluctance to say something. | |
It was a bit... well... too loud. | |
13. interj. Used in speech to fill gaps; filled pause. | |
“So what have you been doing?” “Well, we went for a picnic, and then it started raining so we came home early.” | |
14. interj. (Hiberno-English) Used as a greeting | |
Well lads. How's things? | |
15. n. A hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, oil, natural gas or other fluids. | |
16. n. A place where a liquid such as water surfaces naturally; a spring. | |
17. n. A small depression suitable for holding liquid or other objects. | |
Make a well in the dough mixture and pour in the milk. | |
18. n. (figurative) A source of supply. | |
19. n. (nautical) A vertical, cylindrical trunk in a ship, reaching down to the lowest part of the hull, through which the bilge pumps operate. | |
20. n. (nautical) The cockpit of a sailboat. | |
21. n. (nautical) A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes perforated in the bottom to let in water to keep fish alive while they are transported | |
22. n. (nautical) A vertical passage in the stern into which an auxiliary screw propeller may be drawn up out of the water. | |
23. n. (military) A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries. | |
24. n. (architecture) An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole. | |
25. n. The open space between the bench and the counsel tables in a courtroom. | |
26. n. (metalworking) The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal falls. | |
27. n. A well drink. | |
They're having a special tonight: $1 wells. | |
28. n. (video games) The playfield of Tetris and similar video games, into which the blocks fall. | |
29. n. (biology) In a microtiter plate, each of the small equal circular or square sections which serve as test tubes. | |
30. v. (intransitive) To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring. | |
31. v. (intransitive) To have something seep out of the surface. | |
Her eyes welled with tears. | |
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 | |
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. | |
point |
1. n. A discrete division of something. | |
2. n. An individual element in a larger whole; a particular detail, thought, or quality. | |
The Congress debated the finer points of the bill. | |
3. n. A particular moment in an event or occurrence; a juncture. | |
There comes a point in a marathon when some people give up. | |
At this point in the meeting, I'd like to propose a new item for the agenda. | |
4. n. (archaic) Condition, state. | |
She was not feeling in good point. | |
5. n. A topic of discussion or debate; a proposition. | |
I made the point that we all had an interest to protect. | |
6. n. A focus of conversation or consideration; the main idea. | |
The point is that we should stay together, whatever happens. | |
7. n. A purpose or objective, which makes something meaningful. | |
Since the decision has already been made, I see little point in further discussion. | |
8. n. (obsolete) The smallest quantity of something; a jot, a whit. | |
9. n. (obsolete) A tiny amount of time; a moment. | |
10. n. A specific location or place, seen as a spatial position. | |
We should meet at a pre-arranged point. | |
11. n. (mathematics, science) A zero-dimensional mathematical object representing a location in one or more dimensions; something considered to have position | |
12. n. A full stop or other terminal punctuation mark. | |
13. n. (music) A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time. In ancient music, it distinguished or characterized certain tones or styles (points of p | |
14. n. (by extension) A note; a tune. | |
15. n. A distinguishing quality or characteristic. | |
Logic isn't my strong point. | |
16. n. Something tiny, as a pinprick; a very small mark. | |
The stars showed as tiny points of yellow light. | |
17. n. (now only in phrases) A tenth; formerly also a twelfth. | |
Possession is nine points of the law. | |
18. n. Each of the marks or strokes written above letters, especially in Semitic languages, to indicate vowels, stress etc. | |
19. n. (sports) A unit of scoring in a game or competition. | |
The one with the most points will win the game | |
20. n. (mathematics) A decimal point (now especially when reading decimal fractions aloud). | |
10.5 ("ten point five"; = ten and a half) | |
21. n. (economics) A unit used to express differences in prices of stocks and shares. | |
22. n. (typography) a unit of measure equal to 1/12 of a pica, or approximately 1/72 of an inch (exactly 1/72 of an inch in the digital era). | |
23. n. (UK) An electric power socket. | |
24. n. (navigation, nautical) A unit of bearing equal to one thirty-second of a circle, i.e. 11.25°. | |
Ship ahoy, three points off the starboard bow! | |
25. n. (UK) A unit of measure for rain, equal to 0.254 mm or 0.01 of an inch. | |
26. n. A sharp extremity. | |
27. n. The sharp tip of an object. | |
Cut the skin with the point of the knife. | |
28. n. Any projecting extremity of an object. | |
29. n. An object which has a sharp or tapering tip. | |
His cowboy belt was studded with points. | |
30. n. (backgammon) Each of the twelve triangular positions in either table of a backgammon board, on which the stones are played. | |
31. n. A peninsula or promontory. | |
32. n. The position at the front or vanguard of an advancing force. | |
33. n. Each of the main directions on a compass, usually considered to be 32 in number; a direction. | |
34. n. (nautical) The difference between two points of the compass. | |
to fall off a point | |
35. n. Pointedness of speech or writing; a penetrating or decisive quality of expression. | |
36. n. (railroads, UK, in the plural) A railroad switch. | |
37. n. (usually in the plural) An area of contrasting colour on an animal, especially a dog; a marking. | |
The point color of that cat was a deep, rich sable. | |
38. n. A tine or snag of an antler. | |
39. n. (fencing) A movement executed with the sabre or foil. | |
tierce point | |
40. n. (heraldry) One of the several different parts of the escutcheon. | |
41. n. (nautical) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails. | |
42. n. (historical) A string or lace used to tie together certain garments. | |
43. n. Lace worked by the needle. | |
point de Venise; Brussels point | |
44. n. (US, slang) An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer. | |
45. n. The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game. | |
The dog came to a point. | |
46. n. (falconry) The perpendicular rising of a hawk over the place where its prey has gone into cover. | |
47. n. The act of pointing, as of the foot downward in certain dance positions. | |
48. n. The gesture of extending the index finger in a direction in order to indicate something. | |
49. n. (medicine, obsolete) A vaccine point. | |
50. n. In various sports, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player occupying that position. | |
51. n. (cricket) A fielding position square of the wicket on the off side, between gully and cover. | |
52. n. (lacrosse, ice hockey) The position of the player of each side who stands a short distance in front of the goalkeeper. | |
53. n. (baseball) The position of the pitcher and catcher. | |
54. n. (hunting) A spot to which a straight run is made; hence, a straight run from point to point; a cross-country run. | |
55. v. (intransitive) To extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it. | |
It's rude to point at other people. | |
56. v. (intransitive) To draw attention to something or indicate a direction. | |
The arrow of a compass points north | |
The skis were pointing uphill. | |
The arrow on the map points towards the entrance | |
57. v. (intransitive) To face in a particular direction. | |
58. v. To direct toward an object; to aim. | |
to point a gun at a wolf, or a cannon at a fort | |
59. v. To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end. | |
to point a dart, a pencil, or (figuratively) a moral | |
60. v. (intransitive) To indicate a probability of something. | |
61. v. (ambitransitive, masonry) To repair mortar. | |
62. v. (transitive, masonry) To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface. | |
63. v. (stone-cutting) To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool. | |
64. v. To direct or encourage (someone) in a particular direction. | |
If he asks for food, point him toward the refrigerator. | |
65. v. (transitive, mathematics) To separate an integer from a decimal with a decimal point. | |
66. v. To mark with diacritics. | |
67. v. (dated) To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate. | |
to point a composition | |
68. v. (transitive, computing) To direct the central processing unit to seek information at a certain location in memory. | |
69. v. (transitive, Internet) To direct requests sent to a domain name to the IP address corresponding to that domain name. | |
70. v. (intransitive, nautical) To sail close to the wind. | |
Bear off a little, we're pointing. | |
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. | |
bursting |
1. adj. Very eager (to do something). | |
I was bursting to tell him the secret. | |
2. adj. (often followed by "to go to...") Urgently needing to urinate. | |
Can you tell me where the toilets are? I'm bursting. | |
The kid is bursting to go to the toilet. | |
3. v. present participle of burst | |
4. n. The act by which something bursts. | |
the burstings of balloons | |
burst |
1. v. (intransitive) To break from internal pressure. | |
I blew the balloon up too much, and it burst. | |
2. v. To cause to break from internal pressure. | |
I burst the balloon when I blew it up too much. | |
3. v. (transitive, obsolete) To cause to break by any means. | |
4. v. To separate formfeed at perforation lines. | |
I printed the report on formfeed paper then burst the sheets. | |
5. v. (intransitive) To enter or exit hurriedly and unexpectedly. | |
6. v. (intransitive) To erupt; to change state suddenly as if bursting. | |
The flowers burst into bloom on the first day of spring. | |
7. v. To produce as an effect of bursting. | |
to burst a hole through the wall | |
8. n. An act or instance of bursting. | |
The bursts of the bombs could be heard miles away. | |
9. n. A sudden, often intense, expression, manifestation or display. | |
10. n. A series of shots fired from an automatic firearm. | |