most |
1. det. superlative degree of much. | |
The teams competed to see who could collect the most money. | |
2. det. superlative degree of many: the comparatively largest number of (ngd, construed with the definite article) | |
The team with the most points wins. | |
3. det. superlative degree of many: the majority of; more than half of (ngd, construed without the definite article) | |
Most bakers and dairy farmers have to get up early. | |
Winning was not important for most participants. | |
4. adv. Forms the superlative of many adjectives. | |
This is the most important example. | |
Correctness is most important. | |
5. adv. To a great extent or degree; highly; very. | |
This is a most unusual specimen. | |
6. adv. (informal, chiefly US) Almost. | |
7. adv. superlative form of many: most many | |
8. adv. superlative form of much: most much | |
9. pron. The greater part of a group, especially a group of people. | |
Most want the best for their children. | |
The peach was juicier and more flavourful than most. | |
10. n. The greatest amount. | |
The most I can offer for the house is $150,000. | |
11. n. The greater part. | |
Most of the penguins were friendly and curious. | |
Most of the rice was spoiled. | |
12. n. A record-setting amount. | |
common |
1. adj. Mutual; shared by more than one. | |
The two competitors have the common aim of winning the championship. | |
Winning the championship is an aim common to the two competitors. | |
2. adj. Occurring or happening regularly or frequently; usual. | |
It is common to find sharks off this coast. | |
3. adj. Found in large numbers or in a large quantity. | |
Sharks are common in these waters. | |
4. adj. Simple, ordinary or vulgar. | |
5. adj. (grammar) In some languages, particularly Germanic languages, of the gender originating from the coalescence of the masculine and feminine categories of nouns. | |
6. adj. (grammar) Of or pertaining to common nouns as opposed to proper nouns. | |
7. adj. Vernacular, referring to the name of a kind of plant or animal, i.e., common name vs. scientific name. | |
8. adj. (obsolete) Profane; polluted. | |
9. adj. (obsolete) Given to lewd habits; prostitute. | |
10. n. Mutual good, shared by more than one. | |
11. n. A tract of land in common ownership; common land. | |
12. n. The people; the community. | |
13. n. (legal) The right of taking a profit in the land of another, in common either with the owner or with other persons; so called from the community of interest which arises between the claimant of the ri | |
14. v. (obsolete) To communicate (something). | |
15. v. (obsolete) To converse, talk. | |
16. v. (obsolete) To have sex. | |
17. v. (obsolete) To participate. | |
18. v. (obsolete) To have a joint right with others in common ground. | |
19. v. (obsolete) To board together; to eat at a table in common. | |
British |
1. adj. Of Britain | |
2. adj. Of the United Kingdom. | |
3. adj. Of the Commonwealth of Nations, or the British Empire. | |
4. adj. (historical) Of the ancient inhabitants of the southern part of Britain; Brythonic. | |
5. adj. (historical) Of the British Isles. | |
6. adj. Of British English. | |
spelling |
1. v. present participle of spell | |
2. n. The act, practice, ability, or subject of forming words with letters, or of reading the letters of words; orthography. | |
3. n. The manner of spelling of words; correct spelling. | |
4. n. A specific spelling of a word. | |
5. n. (US, rare dated or un) A spelling test or spelling bee. | |
spell |
1. n. Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers. | |
He cast a spell to cure warts. | |
2. n. A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula. | |
under a spell | |
3. n. (obsolete) Speech, discourse. | |
4. v. To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm. | |
5. v. (obsolete) To speak, to declaim. | |
6. v. (obsolete) To tell; to relate; to teach. | |
7. v. (transitive, obsolete) To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort. | |
8. v. (transitive, sometimes with “out”) To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To be able to write or say the letters that form words. | |
I find it difficult to spell because I'm dyslexic. | |
10. v. Of letters: to compose (a word). | |
The letters “a”, “n” and “d” spell “and”. | |
11. v. (transitive, figuratively) To indicate that (some event) will occur. | |
This spells trouble. | |
12. v. (transitive figuratively, with “out”) To clarify; to explain in detail. | |
Please spell it out for me. | |
13. v. To constitute; to measure. | |
14. v. To work in place of (someone). | |
to spell the helmsman | |
15. v. To rest (someone or something), to give someone or something a rest or break. | |
They spelled the horses and rested in the shade of some trees near a brook. | |
16. v. (intransitive, colloquial) To rest from work for a time. | |
17. n. A shift (of work); (rare) a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour. | |
18. n. (informal) A definite period (of work or other activity). | |
19. n. (colloquial) An indefinite period of time (usually with a qualifier); (by extension,) a relatively short distance. | |
20. n. A period of rest; time off. | |
21. n. (colloquial, US) A period of illness, or sudden interval of bad spirits, disease etc. | |
22. n. (cricket) An uninterrupted series of alternate overs bowled by a single bowler. | |
23. n. (dialectal) A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk. | |
24. n. The wooden bat in the game of trap ball, or knurr and spell. | |
also |
1. adv. (conjunctive, focus) In addition; besides; as well; further; too. | |
They had porridge for breakfast, and also toast. | |
2. adv. (obsolete) To the same degree or extent; so, as. | |
sometimes |
1. adv. On certain occasions, or in certain circumstances, but not always. | |
Sometimes I sit and think, but mostly I just sit. | |
2. adv. (obsolete) On a certain occasion in the past; once. | |
3. adj. (obsolete) Former; sometime. | |
used |
1. v. simple past tense and past participle of use | |
You used me! | |
2. v. (intransitive, as an auxiliary verb, now only in past tense) to perform habitually; to be accustomed to doing something | |
He used to live here, but moved away last year. | |
3. adj. That is or has or have been used. | |
The ground was littered with used syringes left behind by drug abusers. | |
4. adj. That has or have previously been owned by someone else. | |
He bought a used car. | |
5. adj. Familiar through use; usual; accustomed. | |
I got used to this weather. | |
use |
1. n. The act of using. | |
the use of torture has been condemned by the United Nations; there is no use for your invention | |
2. n. (followed by "of") Usefulness, benefit. | |
What's the use of a law that nobody follows? | |
3. n. A function; a purpose for which something may be employed. | |
This tool has many uses. | |
4. n. Occasion or need to employ; necessity. | |
I have no further use for these textbooks. | |
5. n. (obsolete, rare) Interest for lent money; premium paid for the use of something; usury. | |
6. n. (archaic) Continued or repeated practice; usage; habit. | |
7. n. (obsolete) Common occurrence; ordinary experience. | |
8. n. (religion) The special form of ritual adopted for use in any diocese. | |
the Sarum, or Canterbury, use; the Hereford use; the York use; the Roman use; etc. | |
9. n. (forging) A slab of iron welded to the side of a forging, such as a shaft, near the end, and afterward drawn down, by hammering, so as to lengthen the forging. | |
10. v. To utilize or employ. | |
11. v. To employ; to apply; to utilize. | |
Use this knife to slice the bread. | |
We can use this mathematical formula to solve the problem. | |
12. v. (transitive, often with up) To expend; to consume by employing. | |
I used the money they allotted me. | |
We should use up most of the fuel. | |
She used all the time allotted to complete the test. | |
13. v. To exploit. | |
You never cared about me; you just used me! | |
14. v. To consume (alcohol, drugs, etc), especially regularly. | |
He uses cocaine. I have never used drugs. | |
15. v. (intransitive) To consume a previously specified substance, especially a drug to which one is addicted. | |
Richard began experimenting with cocaine last year; now he uses almost every day. | |
16. v. (transitive, with auxiliary "could") To benefit from; to be able to employ or stand. | |
I could use a drink. My car could use a new coat of paint. | |
17. v. To accustom; to habituate. (Now common only in participial form. Note: This usage uses the nounal pronunciation of the word rather than the typically verbal one.) | |
soldiers who are used to hardships and danger (still common) | |
to use the soldiers to hardships and danger (now rare) | |
18. v. (reflexive, obsolete, with "to") To become accustomed, to accustom oneself. | |
19. v. (intransitive, now rare, literary) To habitually do; to be wont to do. | |
20. v. (intransitive, now rare, literary) To habitually employ; to be wont to employ. | |
21. v. (intransitive, past tense with infinitive) To habitually do. See used to. | |
I used to get things done. | |
22. v. (dated) To behave toward; to act with regard to; to treat. | |
to use an animal cruelly | |
23. v. (reflexive, obsolete) To behave, act, comport oneself. | |
in |
1. prep. Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within spatial, temporal or other limits. | |
2. prep. Contained by. | |
The dog is in the kennel. | |
3. prep. Within. | |
4. prep. Surrounded by. | |
We are in the enemy camp. Her plane is in the air. | |
5. prep. Part of; a member of. | |
One in a million. She's in band and orchestra. | |
6. prep. Pertaining to; with regard to. | |
What grade did he get in English? | |
Military letters should be formal in tone, but not stilted. | |
7. prep. At the end of a period of time. | |
They said they would call us in a week. | |
8. prep. Within a certain elapsed time | |
Are you able to finish this in three hours? The massacre resulted in over 1000 deaths in three hours. | |
9. prep. During (said of periods of time). | |
in the first week of December; Easter falls in the fourth lunar month; The country reached a high level of prosperity in his fi | |
10. prep. (grammar, phonetics, of sounds and letters) Coming at the end of a word. | |
English nouns in -ce form their plurals in -s. | |
11. prep. Into. | |
Less water gets in your boots this way. | |
12. prep. Used to indicate limit, qualification, condition, or circumstance. | |
In replacing the faucet washers, he felt he was making his contribution to the environment. | |
13. prep. Indicating an order or arrangement. | |
My fat rolls around in folds. | |
14. prep. Denoting a state of the subject. | |
He stalked away in anger. John is in a coma. | |
15. prep. Indicates, connotatively, a place-like form of someone's (or something's) personality, as his, her or its psychic and physical characteristics. | |
You've got a friend in me. He's met his match in her. | |
16. prep. Wearing (an item of clothing). | |
I glanced over at the pretty girl in the red dress. | |
17. prep. Used to indicate means, medium, format, genre, or instrumentality. | |
18. prep. (of something offered or given in an exchange) In the form of, in the denomination of. | |
Please pay me in cash — preferably in tens and twenties. | |
The deposit can be in any legal tender, even in gold. | |
Her generosity was rewarded in the success of its recipients. | |
19. prep. Used to indicate a language, script, tone, etc. of a text, speech, etc. | |
Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" in C minor is among his most popular. | |
His speech was in French, but was simultaneously translated into eight languages. | |
When you write in cursive, it's illegible. | |
20. v. (obsolete, transitive) To enclose. | |
21. v. (obsolete, transitive) To take in; to harvest. | |
22. adv. (not comparable) Located indoors, especially at home or the office, or inside something. | |
Is Mr. Smith in? | |
23. adv. Moving to the interior of a defined space, such as a building or room. | |
Suddenly a strange man walked in. | |
24. adv. (sports) Still eligible to play, e.g. able to bat in cricket and baseball. | |
He went for the wild toss but wasn't able to stay in. | |
25. adv. (UK) Abbreviation of in aid of. | |
What's that in? | |
26. adv. After the beginning of something. | |
27. n. A position of power or a way to get it. | |
His parents got him an in with the company | |
28. n. (sport) The state of a batter/batsman who is currently batting – see innings | |
29. n. A re-entrant angle; a nook or corner. | |
30. adj. In fashion; popular. | |
Skirts are in this year. | |
31. adj. Incoming. | |
the in train | |
32. adj. (nautical, of the sails of a vessel) Furled or stowed. | |
33. adj. (legal) With privilege or possession; used to denote a holding, possession, or seisin. | |
in by descent; in by purchase; in of the seisin of her husband | |
34. adj. (cricket) Currently batting. | |
35. n. Inch. | |
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. | |
Us |
1. n. plural of U | |
2. pron. (personal) Me and at least one other person; the objective case of we. | |
3. pron. (colloquial) Me. | |
Give us a look at your paper. | |
Give us your wallet! | |
4. pron. (Northern England) Our. | |
We'll have to throw us food out. | |
5. det. The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person. | |
It's not good enough for us teachers. | |
6. n. plural of u | |
alternative |
1. adj. Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities | |
an alternative proposition | |
2. adj. Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground. | |
alternative medicine; alternative lifestyle; alternative rock | |
3. adj. Other; different from something else. | |
4. adj. alternate; reciprocal | |
5. n. A situation which allows a mutually exclusive choice between two or more possibilities; a choice between two or more possibilities. | |
6. n. One of several mutually exclusive things which can be chosen. | |
7. n. The remaining option; something available after other possibilities have been exhausted. | |
spelling |
1. v. present participle of spell | |
2. n. The act, practice, ability, or subject of forming words with letters, or of reading the letters of words; orthography. | |
3. n. The manner of spelling of words; correct spelling. | |
4. n. A specific spelling of a word. | |
5. n. (US, rare dated or un) A spelling test or spelling bee. | |
spell |
1. n. Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers. | |
He cast a spell to cure warts. | |
2. n. A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula. | |
under a spell | |
3. n. (obsolete) Speech, discourse. | |
4. v. To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm. | |
5. v. (obsolete) To speak, to declaim. | |
6. v. (obsolete) To tell; to relate; to teach. | |
7. v. (transitive, obsolete) To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort. | |
8. v. (transitive, sometimes with “out”) To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To be able to write or say the letters that form words. | |
I find it difficult to spell because I'm dyslexic. | |
10. v. Of letters: to compose (a word). | |
The letters “a”, “n” and “d” spell “and”. | |
11. v. (transitive, figuratively) To indicate that (some event) will occur. | |
This spells trouble. | |
12. v. (transitive figuratively, with “out”) To clarify; to explain in detail. | |
Please spell it out for me. | |
13. v. To constitute; to measure. | |
14. v. To work in place of (someone). | |
to spell the helmsman | |
15. v. To rest (someone or something), to give someone or something a rest or break. | |
They spelled the horses and rested in the shade of some trees near a brook. | |
16. v. (intransitive, colloquial) To rest from work for a time. | |
17. n. A shift (of work); (rare) a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour. | |
18. n. (informal) A definite period (of work or other activity). | |
19. n. (colloquial) An indefinite period of time (usually with a qualifier); (by extension,) a relatively short distance. | |
20. n. A period of rest; time off. | |
21. n. (colloquial, US) A period of illness, or sudden interval of bad spirits, disease etc. | |
22. n. (cricket) An uninterrupted series of alternate overs bowled by a single bowler. | |
23. n. (dialectal) A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk. | |
24. n. The wooden bat in the game of trap ball, or knurr and spell. | |
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. | |
acknowledgment |
1. n. The act of acknowledging | |
2. n. The act of recognizing in a particular character or relationship; recognition of existence, authority, truth, or genuineness. | |
3. n. A reward or other expression or token of gratitude. | |
4. n. An expression of gratitude for a benefit or an obligation. | |
the acknowledgment of a favor | |
5. n. A message from the addressee informing the originator that the originator's communication has been received and understood. | |
the acknowledgment of a wedding invitation | |
6. n. (telecommunications, computing, networking) A response (ACK) sent by a receiver to indicate successful receipt of a transmission (See Wikipedia article on transmission). | |
7. n. A recognition as genuine or valid; an avowing or admission in legal form. | |
acknowledgment of a deed | |
8. n. (legal) The act of a person admitting a child as their own. | |
9. n. (legal) A formal statement or document recognizing the fulfillment or execution of a legal requirement or procedure. | |