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. | |
small |
1. adj. Not large or big; insignificant; few in number. | |
A small serving of ice cream. | |
A small group. | |
He made us all feel small. | |
2. adj. (figuratively) Young, as a child. | |
Remember when the children were small? | |
3. adj. (writing, incomparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written letters. | |
4. adj. Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean. | |
5. adj. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short. | |
a small space of time | |
6. adj. topics, en, Size | |
7. adv. In a small fashion. | |
8. adv. In or into small pieces. | |
9. adv. (obsolete) To a small extent. | |
10. n. (rare) Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back. | |
11. v. (obsolete, transitive) To make little or less. | |
12. v. (intransitive) To become small; to dwindle. | |
usually |
1. adv. Most of the time; less than always, but more than occasionally. | |
Except for one or two days a year, he usually walks to work. | |
2. adv. Under normal conditions. | |
contrasting |
1. adj. Set in opposition; markedly different. | |
George W. Bush and John Kerry had contrasting debating styles. | |
2. v. present participle of contrast | |
contrast |
1. n. A difference in lightness, brightness and/or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable. | |
2. n. The degree of this difference. | |
The red and the orange don't have much contrast between them — I can hardly tell them apart. | |
3. n. A control on a television, etc, that adjusts the amount of contrast in the images being displayed. | |
4. n. A difference between two objects, people or concepts. | |
Israel is a country of many contrasts. | |
5. n. (rhetoric) Antithesis. | |
6. v. To set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between. | |
7. v. (intransitive) To form a contrast. | |
Foreground and background strongly contrast. | |
but |
1. prep. (obsolete, outside, Scotland) Outside of. | |
Away but the hoose and tell me whae's there. | |
2. prep. Apart from, except (for), excluding. | |
Everyone but Father left early. | |
I like everything but that. | |
Nobody answered the door when I knocked, so I had no choice but to leave. | |
3. adv. Merely, only, just. | |
4. adv. (Australian, conjunctive) Though, however. | |
I'll have to go home early but. | |
5. adv. Used as an intensifier. | |
Nobody, but nobody, crosses me and gets away with it. | |
6. conj. (following a negative clause or sentence) On the contrary, but rather (introducing a word or clause that contrasts with or contradicts the preceding clause or sentence without the negation). | |
I am not rich but (I am) poor; not John but Peter went there. | |
7. conj. However, although, nevertheless, on the other hand (implies that the following clause is contrary to prior belief or contrasts with or contradicts the preceding clause or sentence). | |
She is very old but still attractive. | |
You told me I could do that, but she said that I could not. | |
8. conj. Except that (introducing a subordinate clause which qualifies a negative statement); also, with omission of the subject of the subordinate clause, acting as a negative relative, "except one that", "ex | |
I cannot but feel offended. | |
9. conj. (archaic) Without its also being the case that; unless that (introducing a necessary concomitant). | |
It never rains but it pours. | |
10. conj. (obsolete) Except with; unless with; without. | |
11. conj. (obsolete) Only; solely; merely. | |
12. conj. (obsolete) Until. | |
13. n. An instance or example of using the word "but". | |
It has to be done – no ifs or buts. | |
14. n. (Scotland) The outer room of a small two-room cottage. | |
15. n. A limit; a boundary. | |
16. n. The end; especially the larger or thicker end, or the blunt, in distinction from the sharp, end; the butt. | |
17. v. (archaic) Use the word "but". | |
But me no buts. | |
always |
1. adv. At all times; throughout all time | |
God is always the same. | |
2. adv. Constantly during a certain period, or regularly at stated intervals (opposed to sometimes or occasionally). | |
In this street, the shops always close during lunchtime. | |
3. adv. (informal) In any event. | |
I thought I could always go back to work. | |
somehow |
1. adv. In one way or another; in a way not yet known or explained; by some means | |
This problem has to be tackled somehow. - | |
We don't know how he's still alive after the accident, but somehow he does. - | |
different |
1. adj. Not the same; exhibiting a difference. | |
2. adj. Various, assorted, diverse. | |
3. adj. Distinct, separate; used for emphasis after numbers and other determiners of quantity. | |
Several different scientists all reached this conclusion at about the same time. | |
4. adj. Unlike most others; unusual. | |
5. n. (mathematics) The different ideal. | |
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. | |
distinct |
1. adj. Capable of being perceived very clearly. | |
Her voice was distinct despite the heavy traffic. | |
2. adj. Different from one another (with the preferable adposition being "from"). | |
Horses are distinct from zebras. | |
3. adj. Noticeably different from others; distinctive. | |
Olga's voice is quite distinct because of her accent. | |
4. adj. Separate in place; not conjunct or united; with from. | |
5. adj. (obsolete) Distinguished; having the difference marked; separated by a visible sign; marked out; specified. | |
6. adj. (obsolete) Marked; variegated. | |
part |
1. n. A portion; a component. | |
2. n. A fraction of a whole. | |
Gaul is divided into three parts. | |
3. n. A distinct element of something larger. | |
The parts of a chainsaw include the chain, engine, and handle. | |
4. n. A group inside a larger group. | |
5. n. Share, especially of a profit. | |
I want my part of the bounty. | |
6. n. A unit of relative proportion in a mixture. | |
The mixture comprises one part sodium hydroxide and ten parts water. | |
7. n. 3.5 centiliters of one ingredient in a mixed drink. | |
8. n. A section of a document. | |
Please turn to Part I, Chapter 2. | |
9. n. A section of land; an area of a country or other territory; region. | |
10. n. (math, dated) A factor. | |
3 is a part of 12. | |
11. n. (US) A room in a public building, especially a courtroom. | |
12. n. Duty; responsibility. | |
to do one’s part | |
13. n. Position or role (especially in a play). | |
We all have a part to play. | |
14. n. (music) The melody played or sung by a particular instrument, voice, or group of instruments or voices, within a polyphonic piece. | |
The first violin part in this concerto is very challenging. | |
15. n. Each of two contrasting sides of an argument, debate etc.; "hand". | |
16. n. (US) The dividing line formed by combing the hair in different directions. | |
The part of his hair was slightly to the left. | |
17. n. (Judaism) In the Hebrew lunisolar calendar, a unit of time equivalent to 3⅓ seconds. | |
18. n. A constituent of character or capacity; quality; faculty; talent; usually in the plural with a collective sense. | |
19. v. (intransitive) To leave someone's company; (rare, poetic, literary) to go way; to die; to get rid of something, stop using it. | |
20. v. To cut hair with a parting; shed. | |
21. v. To divide in two. | |
to part the curtains | |
22. v. (intransitive) To be divided in two or separated; shed. | |
A rope parts. His hair parts in the middle. | |
23. v. (transitive, now rare) To divide up; to share. | |
24. v. (obsolete) To have a part or share; to partake. | |
25. v. To separate or disunite; to remove from contact or contiguity; to sunder. | |
26. v. (obsolete) To hold apart; to stand or intervene between. | |
27. v. To separate by a process of extraction, elimination, or secretion. | |
to part gold from silver | |
28. v. (transitive, archaic) To leave; to quit. | |
29. v. (transitive, internet) To leave (an IRC channel). | |
30. adj. Fractional; partial. | |
Fred was part owner of the car. | |
31. adv. Partly; partially; fractionally. | |
Part finished | |
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. | |
something |
1. pron. An uncertain or unspecified thing; one thing. | |
I must have forgotten to pack something, but I can't think what. | |
I have something for you in my bag. | |
I have a feeling something good is going to happen today. | |
2. pron. (colloquial, of someone or something) A quality to a moderate degree. | |
The performance was something of a disappointment. | |
That child is something of a genius. | |
3. pron. (colloquial, of a person) A talent or quality that is difficult to specify. | |
She has a certain something. | |
4. pron. (colloquial, often with really or quite) Somebody or something who is superlative in some way. | |
He's really something! I've never heard such a great voice. | |
She's quite something. I can't believe she would do such a mean thing. | |
5. adj. Having a characteristic that the speaker cannot specify. | |
6. adv. (degree) Somewhat; to a degree. | |
The baby looks something like his father. | |
7. adv. (degree, colloquial) To a high degree. | |
8. v. Applied to an action whose name is forgotten by, unknown or unimportant to the user, e.g. from words of a song. | |
9. n. An object whose nature is yet to be defined. | |
10. n. An object whose name is forgotten by, unknown or unimportant to the user, e.g., from words of a song. Also used to refer to an object earlier indefinitely referred to as 'something' (pronoun sense). | |
else |
1. adj. (postpositive, used only with indefinite or interrogative pronouns) Other; in addition to previously mentioned items. | |
The instructor is busy. Can anyone else help me? | |
2. adv. (follows interrogative adverbs) Otherwise, if not. | |
How else (=in what other way) can it be done? | |
I'm busy Friday; when else (=what other time) works for you? | |
3. conj. For otherwise; or else. | |
Then the Wronskian of f and g must be nonzero, else they could not be linearly independent. | |
4. conj. (computing, in many programming languages and pseudocode) but if the condition of the previous if clause is false, do the following. | |
location |
1. n. A particular point or place in physical space. | |
2. n. An act of locating. | |
3. n. (South Africa) An apartheid-era urban area populated by non-white people; township. | |
4. n. (legal) A leasing on rent. | |
5. n. (legal, Scotland) A contract for the use of a thing, or service of a person, for hire. | |
6. n. (legal, US) The marking out of the boundaries, or identifying the place or site of, a piece of land, according to the description given in an entry, plan, map, etc. | |
time |
1. n. The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present events into the past. | |
Time stops for nobody. the ebb and flow of time | |
2. n. (physics, usually) A dimension of spacetime with the opposite metric signature to space dimensions; the fourth dimension. | |
Both science-fiction writers and physicists have written about travel through time. | |
3. n. (physics) Change associated with the second law of thermodynamics; the physical and psychological result of increasing entropy. | |
Time slows down when you approach the speed of light. | |
4. n. (physics, reductionistic definition) The property of a system which allows it to have more than one distinct configuration. | |
An essential definition of time should entail neither speed nor direction, just change. | |
5. n. A duration of time. | |
6. n. A quantity of availability of duration. | |
More time is needed to complete the project. You had plenty of time, but you waited until the last minute. Are you finish | |
7. n. A measurement of a quantity of time; a numerical or general indication of a length of progression. | |
a long time; Record the individual times for the processes in each batch. Only your best time is compared with the other compet | |
8. n. (slang) The serving of a prison sentence. | |
The judge leniently granted a sentence with no hard time. He is not living at home because he is doing time. | |
9. n. An experience. | |
We had a wonderful time at the party. | |
10. n. An era; (with the, sometimes in plural) the current era, the current state of affairs. | |
Roman times; the time of the dinosaurs | |
11. n. (with possessive) A person's youth or young adulthood, as opposed to the present day. | |
In my time, we respected our elders. | |
12. n. (only in singular, sports) Time out; temporary, limited suspension of play. | |
13. n. An instant of time. | |
14. n. How much of a day has passed; the moment, as indicated by a clock or similar device. | |
Excuse me, have you got the time? What time is it, do you guess? Ten o’clock? A computer keeps time using a clock battery | |
15. n. A particular moment or hour; the appropriate moment or hour for something (especially with prepositional phrase or imperfect subjunctive). | |
it’s time for bed; it’s time to sleep; we must wait for the right time; it's time we were going | |
16. n. A numerical indication of a particular moment. | |
at what times do the trains arrive?; these times were erroneously converted between zones | |
17. n. An instance or occurrence. | |
When was the last time we went out? I don’t remember. | |
see you another time; that’s three times he’s made the same mistake | |
Okay, but this is the last time. No more after that! | |
18. n. (of pubs) Closing time. | |
Last call: it's almost time. | |
19. n. The hour of childbirth. | |
20. n. (as someone's time) The end of someone's life, conceived by the speaker as having been predestined. | |
It was his time. | |
21. n. The measurement under some system of region of day or moment. | |
Let's synchronize our watches so we're not on different time. | |
22. n. Ratio of comparison. | |
your car runs three times faster than mine; that is four times as heavy as this | |
23. n. (grammar, dated) Tense. | |
the time of a verb | |
24. n. (music) The measured duration of sounds; measure; tempo; rate of movement; rhythmical division. | |
common or triple time; the musician keeps good time. | |
25. v. To measure or record the time, duration, or rate of. | |
I used a stopwatch to time myself running around the block. | |
26. v. To choose when something begins or how long it lasts. | |
The President timed his speech badly, coinciding with the Super Bowl. | |
The bomb was timed to explode at 9:20 p.m. | |
27. v. (obsolete) To keep or beat time; to proceed or move in time. | |
28. v. (obsolete) To pass time; to delay. | |
29. v. To regulate as to time; to accompany, or agree with, in time of movement. | |
30. v. To measure, as in music or harmony. | |
31. interj. (tennis) Reminder by the umpire for the players to continue playing after their pause. | |
size |
1. n. (obsolete, outside, dialects) An assize. | |
2. n. (obsolete) A regulation determining the amount of money paid in fees, taxes etc. | |
3. n. (obsolete) A fixed standard for the magnitude, quality, quantity etc. of goods, especially food and drink. | |
4. n. The dimensions or magnitude of a thing; how big something is. | |
The size of the building seemed to have increased since I was last there. | |
5. n. (obsolete) A regulation, piece of ordinance. | |
6. n. A specific set of dimensions for a manufactured article, especially clothing. | |
I don't think we have the red one in your size. | |
7. n. (graph theory) A number of edges in a graph. | |
8. n. (figurative, dated) Degree of rank, ability, character, etc. | |
9. n. An instrument consisting of a number of perforated gauges fastened together at one end by a rivet, used for measuring the size of pearls. | |
10. v. To adjust the size of; to make a certain size. | |
11. v. To classify or arrange by size. | |
12. v. (military) To take the height of men, in order to place them in the ranks according to their stature. | |
13. v. (mining) To sift (pieces of ore or metal) in order to separate the finer from the coarser parts. | |
14. v. (transitive, colloquial) To approximate the dimensions, estimate the size of. | |
15. v. (intransitive) To take a greater size; to increase in size. | |
16. v. (Cambridge University) To order food or drink from the buttery; hence, to enter a score, as upon the buttery book. | |
17. v. (transitive, obsolete) To swell; to increase the bulk of. | |
18. n. A thin, weak glue used as primer for paper or canvas intended to be painted upon. | |
19. n. Wallpaper paste. | |
20. n. The thickened crust on coagulated blood. | |
21. n. Any viscous substance, such as gilder's varnish. | |
22. v. To apply glue or other primer to a surface which is to be painted. | |