after |
1. adv. Behind; later in time; following. | |
They lived happily ever after. | |
I left the room, and the dog bounded after. | |
2. prep. Subsequently to; following in time; later than. | |
We had a few beers after the game. | |
The time is quarter after eight. | |
The Cold War began shortly after the Second World War. | |
3. prep. Behind. | |
He will leave a trail of destruction after him. | |
4. prep. In pursuit of, seeking. | |
He's after a job; run after him; inquire after her health. | |
5. prep. In allusion to, in imitation of; following or referencing. | |
We named him after his grandfather; a painting after Leonardo da Vinci. | |
6. prep. Next in importance or rank. | |
The princess is next in line to the throne after the prince. | |
7. prep. As a result of. | |
After your bad behaviour, you will be punished. | |
8. prep. In spite of. | |
After all that has happened, he is still my friend. | |
I can't believe that, after all our advice against gambling, you walked into that casino! | |
9. prep. (Irish usually preceded by a form of be followed by an -ing form of a verb) Used to indicate recent completion of an activity | |
I was after finishing my dinner when there was a knock on the door. | |
10. prep. (dated) According to an author or text. | |
11. prep. Denoting the aim or object; concerning; in relation to. | |
to look after workmen; to enquire after a friend; to thirst after righteousness | |
12. prep. (obsolete) According to the direction and influence of; in proportion to; befitting. | |
13. conj. Signifies that the action of the clause it starts takes place before the action of the other clause. | |
I went home after we had decided to call it a day. | |
14. adj. (dated) Later; second (of two); next, following, subsequent | |
15. adj. (nautical, where the frame of reference is within the ship) At or towards the stern of a ship. | |
The after gun is mounted aft. | |
The after gun is abaft the forward gun. | |
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. | |
year |
1. n. A solar year, the time it takes the Earth to complete one revolution of the Sun (between 365.24 and 365.26 days depending on the point of reference). | |
we moved to this town a year ago; I quit smoking exactly one year ago | |
2. n. (by extension) The time it takes for any astronomical object (such as a planet, dwarf planet, small Solar System body, or comet) in direct orbit around a star (such as the Sun) to make one revolution | |
Mars goes around the sun once in a Martian year, or 1.88 Earth years. | |
3. n. A period between set dates that mark a year, from January 1 to December 31 by the Gregorian calendar, from Tishiri 1 to Elul 29 by the Jewish calendar, and from Muharram 1 to Dhu al-Hijjah 29 or 30 by | |
A normal year has 365 full days, but there are 366 days in a leap year. | |
I was born in the year 1950. | |
This Chinese year is the year of the Rooster. | |
4. n. A scheduled part of a calendar year spent in a specific activity. | |
During this school year I have to get up at 6:30 to catch the bus. | |
5. n. (sciences) A Julian year, exactly 365.25 days, represented by "a". | |
6. n. A level or grade in school or college. | |
Every second-year student must select an area of specialization. | |
The exams in year 12 at high school are the most difficult. | |
7. n. The proportion of a creature's lifespan equivalent to one year of an average human lifespan (see also dog year). | |
Geneticists have created baker's yeast that can live to 800 in yeast years. | |
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. | |
two |
1. num. (cardinal) A numerical value equal to 2; this many dots (••). Ordinal: second. | |
2. num. Describing a set or group with two elements. | |
3. n. The digit/figure 2. | |
The number 2202 contains three twos. | |
4. n. (US, informal) A two-dollar bill. | |
5. n. A child aged two. | |
This toy is suitable for the twos and threes. | |
6. n. The playing cards featuring two pips. | |
convalescence |
1. n. A gradual healing after illness or injury. | |
2. n. The period of time spent healing. | |
they'll |
1. contraction. they will | |
2. contraction. they shall | |
they |
1. pron. (the third-person plural) A group of people, animals, plants or objects previously mentioned. | |
Fred and Jane? They just arrived. Dogs may bark if they want to be fed. Plants wilt if they are not watered. | |
I have a car and a truck, but they are both broken. | |
2. pron. (the third-person singular, sometimes proscribed) A single person, previously mentioned, especially if of unknown or non-binary gender, but not if previously named and identified as male or female. | |
3. pron. (indefinite pronoun, vague meaning) People; some people; people in general; someone, excluding the speaker. | |
They say it’s a good place to live. | |
They didn’t have computers in the old days. | |
They should do something about this. | |
They have a lot of snow in winter. | |
4. det. (now Southern England dialect, or nonstandard) The, those. | |
5. det. (US dialects including AAVE) Their. | |
6. pron. (US dialectal) There (especially as an expletive subject of be). | |
will |
1. v. (rare, transitive) To wish, desire (something). | |
Do what you will. | |
2. v. (rare, intransitive) To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that). | |
3. v. (auxiliary) To habitually do (a given action). | |
4. v. (auxiliary) To choose to (do something), used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive). | |
5. v. (auxiliary) Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall. | |
6. v. (auxiliary) To be able to, to have the capacity to. | |
Unfortunately, only one of these gloves will actually fit over my hand. | |
7. 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. | |
8. n. One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands. | |
Eventually I submitted to my parents' will. | |
9. n. The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition. | |
Most creatures have a will to live. | |
10. 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. | |
11. n. (archaic) That which is desired; one's wish. | |
12. n. (archaic) Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.) | |
He felt a great will to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. | |
13. v. (archaic) To wish, desire. | |
14. v. (transitive, intransitive) To instruct (that something be done) in one's will. | |
15. v. To try to make (something) happen by using one's will (intention). | |
All the fans were willing their team to win the game. | |
16. v. To bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document). | |
He willed his stamp collection to the local museum. | |
come |
1. v. (intransitive) To move from further away to nearer to. | |
She’ll be coming ’round the mountain when she comes... | |
2. v. To move towards the speaker. | |
I called the dog, but she wouldn't come. | |
Stop dawdling and come here! | |
3. v. To move towards the listener. | |
Hold on, I'll come in a second. | |
You should ask the doctor to come to your house. | |
4. v. To move towards the object that is the focus of the sentence. | |
No-one can find Bertie Wooster when his aunts come to visit. | |
Hundreds of thousands of people come to Disneyland every year. | |
5. v. (in subordinate clauses and gerunds) To move towards the agent or subject of the main clause. | |
King Cnut couldn't stop the tide coming. | |
He threw the boomerang, which came right back to him. | |
6. v. To move towards an unstated agent. | |
The butler should come when called. | |
7. v. (intransitive) To arrive. | |
8. v. (intransitive) To appear, to manifest itself. | |
The pain in his leg comes and goes. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To take a position relative to something else in a sequence. | |
Which letter comes before Y? Winter comes after autumn. | |
10. v. (intransitive, vulgar, slang) To achieve orgasm; to cum; to ejaculate. | |
He came after a few minutes. | |
11. v. (copulative figuratively, with close) To approach a state of being or accomplishment. | |
They came very close to leaving on time. His test scores came close to perfect. | |
One of the screws came loose, and the skateboard fell apart. | |
12. v. (figuratively, with to) To take a particular approach or point of view in regard to something. | |
He came to SF literature a confirmed technophile, and nothing made him happier than to read a manuscript thick with imaginary gizmos and whatzits. | |
13. v. (copulative, archaic) To become, to turn out to be. | |
He was a dream come true. | |
14. v. (intransitive) To be supplied, or made available; to exist. | |
He's as tough as they come. Our milkshakes come in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours. | |
15. v. (slang) To carry through; to succeed in. | |
You can't come any tricks here. | |
16. v. (intransitive) Happen. | |
This kind of accident comes when you are careless. | |
17. v. (intransitive, with from or sometimes of) To have as an origin, originate. | |
18. v. To have a certain social background. | |
19. v. To be or have been a resident or native. | |
Where did you come from? | |
20. v. To have been brought up by or employed by. | |
She comes from a good family. | |
He comes from a disreputable legal firm. | |
21. v. To begin (at a certain location); to radiate or stem (from). | |
The river comes from Bear Lake. | |
Where does this road come from? | |
22. v. (intransitive, of grain) To germinate. | |
23. n. (obsolete) Coming, arrival; approach. | |
24. n. (vulgar, slang) Semen | |
25. n. (vulgar, slang) Female ejaculatory discharge. | |
26. prep. Used to indicate an event, period, or change in state occurring after a present time. | |
Leave it to settle for about three months and, come Christmas time, you'll have a delicious concoction to offer your guests. | |
Come retirement, their Social Security may turn out to be a lot less than they counted on. | |
27. interj. An exclamation to express annoyance. | |
Come come! Stop crying. Come now! You must eat it. | |
28. interj. An exclamation to express encouragement, or to precede a request. | |
Come come! You can do it. Come now! It won't bite you. | |
29. n. (typography) alternative form of comma in its medieval use as a middot ⟨·⟩ serving as a form of colon. | |
bouncing |
1. adj. healthy; vigorous. | |
a bouncing baby girl | |
2. adj. (obsolete, informal) excessively big; whopping | |
3. v. present participle of bounce | |
4. n. The act of something that bounces. | |
bounce |
1. v. (intransitive) To change the direction of motion after hitting an obstacle. | |
The tennis ball bounced off the wall before coming to rest in the ditch. | |
2. v. (intransitive) To move quickly up and then down, or vice versa, once or repeatedly. | |
He bounces nervously on his chair. | |
3. v. To cause to move quickly up and down, or back and forth, once or repeatedly. | |
He bounced the child on his knee. | |
The children were bouncing a ball against a wall. | |
4. v. (transitive, colloquial) To suggest or introduce (an idea, etc.) to (off or by) somebody, in order to gain feedback. | |
I'm meeting Bob later to bounce some ideas off him about the new product range. | |
5. v. (intransitive) To leap or spring suddenly or unceremoniously; to bound. | |
She bounced happily into the room. | |
6. v. To move rapidly (between). | |
7. v. (intransitive, informal, of a cheque/check) To be refused by a bank because it is drawn on insufficient funds. | |
We can’t accept further checks from you, as your last one bounced. | |
8. v. (transitive, informal) To fail to cover (have sufficient funds for) (a draft presented against one's account). | |
He tends to bounce a check or two toward the end of each month, before his payday. | |
9. v. (intransitive, slang) To leave. | |
Let’s wrap this up, I gotta bounce. | |
10. v. (US, slang) To eject violently, as from a room; to discharge unceremoniously, as from employment. | |
11. v. (intransitive, slang) (sometimes employing the preposition with) To have sexual intercourse. | |
12. v. (transitive, air combat) To attack unexpectedly. | |
The squadron was bounced north of the town. | |
13. v. (intransitive, electronics) To turn power off and back on; to reset | |
See if it helps to bounce the router. | |
14. v. (intransitive, Internet, of an e-mail message or address) To return undelivered. | |
What’s your new email address? The old one bounces. | |
The girl in the bar told me her address was thirsty@example.com, but my mail to that address bounced back to me. | |
15. v. (intransitive, aviation) To land hard and lift off again due to excess momentum. | |
The student pilot bounced several times during his landing. | |
16. v. (intransitive, skydiving) To land hard at unsurvivable velocity with fatal results. | |
After the mid-air collision, his rig failed and he bounced. BSBD. | |
17. v. (transitive, sound recording) To mix (two or more tracks of a multi-track audio tape recording) and record the result onto a single track, in order to free up tracks for further material to be added. | |
Bounce tracks two and three to track four, then record the cowbell on track two. | |
18. v. (slang) To bully; to scold. | |
19. v. (archaic) To strike or thump, so as to rebound, or to make a sudden noise; to knock loudly. | |
20. v. (archaic) To boast; to bluster. | |
21. n. A change of direction of motion after hitting the ground or an obstacle. | |
22. n. A movement up and then down (or vice versa), once or repeatedly. | |
23. n. An email return with any error. | |
24. n. The sack, licensing. | |
25. n. A bang, boom. | |
26. n. A drink based on brandyW. | |
27. n. A heavy, sudden, and often noisy, blow or thump. | |
28. n. Bluster; brag; untruthful boasting; audacious exaggeration; an impudent lie; a bouncer. | |
29. n. Scyllium catulus, a European dogfish. | |
30. n. A genre of New Orleans music. | |
31. n. (slang) Drugs. | |
32. n. (slang) Swagger. | |
33. n. (slang) A 'good' beat. | |
34. n. (slang) A talent for leaping. | |
Them pro-ballers got bounce! | |
back |
1. adj. (not comparable) Near the rear. | |
Go in the back door of the house. | |
2. adj. (not comparable) Not current. | |
I’d like to find a back issue of that magazine. | |
3. adj. (not comparable) Far from the main area. | |
They took a back road. | |
4. adj. (not comparable) In arrear; overdue. | |
They still owe three months' back rent. | |
5. adj. (not comparable) Moving or operating backward. | |
back action | |
6. adj. (comparable, phonetics) Pronounced with the highest part of the body of the tongue toward the back of the mouth, near the soft palate (most often describing a vowel). | |
The vowel of smallcaps - lot has a back vowel in most dialects of England. | |
7. adv. (not comparable) To or in a previous condition or place. | |
He gave back the money. He needs his money back. He was on vacation, but now he’s back. The office fell into chaos when you left, but now order is back. | |
8. adv. Away from the front or from an edge. | |
Sit all the way back in your chair. | |
Step back from the curb. | |
9. adv. In a manner that impedes. | |
Fear held him back. | |
10. adv. In a reciprocal manner. | |
If you hurt me, I'll hurt you back. | |
11. adv. Earlier, ago. | |
many years back | |
12. n. The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly. | |
Could you please scratch my back? | |
13. n. The spine and associated tissues. | |
I hurt my back lifting those crates. | |
14. n. (slang) Large and attractive buttocks. | |
15. n. (figurative) The part of a piece of clothing which covers the back. | |
I still need to finish the back of your dress. | |
16. n. The backrest, the part of a piece of furniture which receives the human back. | |
Can you fix the back of this chair? | |
17. n. (obsolete) That part of the body that bears clothing. (Now used only in the phrase clothes on one's back.) | |
18. n. That which is farthest away from the front. | |
He sat in the back of the room. | |
19. n. The side of any object which is opposite the front or useful side. | |
Turn the book over and look at the back. | |
20. n. # The edge of a book which is bound. | |
# The titles are printed on the backs of the books. | |
21. n. # (printing) The inside margin of a page. | |
22. n. # The side of a blade opposite the side used for cutting. | |
# Tap it with the back of your knife. | |
23. n. The reverse side; the side that is not normally seen. | |
I hung the clothes on the back of the door. | |
24. n. Area behind, such as the backyard of a house. | |
We'll meet out in the back of the library. | |
25. n. The part of something that goes last. | |
The car was near the back of the train. | |
26. n. (sports) In some team sports, a position behind most players on the team. | |
The backs were lined up in an I formation. | |
27. n. (figuratively) Upper part of a natural object which is considered to resemble an animal's back. | |
The small boat raced over the backs of the waves. | |
28. n. A support or resource in reserve. | |
29. n. (nautical) The keel and keelson of a ship. | |
The ship's back broke in the pounding surf. | |
30. n. (mining) The roof of a horizontal underground passage. | |
31. n. (slang) Effort, usually physical. | |
Put some back into it! | |
32. n. A non-alcoholic drink (often water or a soft drink), to go with hard liquor or a cocktail. | |
Could I get a martini with a water back? | |
33. n. Among leather dealers, one of the thickest and stoutest tanned hides. | |
34. v. (intransitive) To go in the reverse direction. | |
the train backed into the station; the horse refuses to back | |
35. v. To support. | |
I back you all the way; which horse are you backing in this race? | |
36. v. (nautical, of the wind) To change direction contrary to the normal pattern; that is, to shift anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere, or clockwise in the southern hemisphere. | |
37. v. (nautical, of a square sail) To brace the yards so that the wind presses on the front of the sail, to slow the ship. | |
38. v. (nautical, of an anchor) To lay out a second, smaller anchor to provide additional holding power. | |
39. v. (of a hunting dog) To stand still behind another dog which has pointed. | |
40. v. To push or force backwards. | |
to back oxen | |
The mugger backed her into a corner and demanded her wallet. | |
41. v. (transitive, obsolete) To get upon the back of; to mount. | |
42. v. (transitive, obsolete) To place or seat upon the back. | |
43. v. To make a back for; to furnish with a back. | |
to back books | |
44. v. To adjoin behind; to be at the back of. | |
45. v. To write upon the back of, possibly as an endorsement. | |
to back a letter; to back a note or legal document | |
46. v. (legal, of a justice of the peace) To sign or endorse (a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender). | |
47. v. To row backward with (oars). | |
to back the oars | |
48. n. A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc. | |
49. n. A ferryboat. | |
into |
1. prep. Going inside (of). | |
Mary danced into the house. | |
2. prep. Going to a geographic region. | |
We left the house and walked into the street. | |
The plane flew into the open air. | |
3. prep. Against, especially with force or violence. | |
The car crashed into the tree; I wasn't careful, and walked into a wall | |
4. prep. Producing, becoming; (indicates transition into another form or substance). | |
I carved the piece of driftwood into a sculpture of a whale. Right before our eyes, Jake turned into a wolf! | |
5. prep. After the start of. | |
About 20 minutes into the flight, the pilot reported a fire on board. | |
6. prep. (colloquial) Interested in or attracted to. | |
She's really into Shakespeare right now; I'm so into you! | |
7. prep. (mathematics) Taking distinct arguments to distinct values. | |
The exponential function maps the set of real numbers into itself. | |
8. prep. (UK, archaic, India, mathematics) Expressing the operation of multiplication.(R:OED Online) | |
Five into three is fifteen. | |
9. prep. (mathematics) Expressing the operation of division, with the denominator given first. Usually with "goes". | |
Three into two won't go. | |
24 goes into 48 how many times? | |
10. prep. Investigating the subject (of). | |
Call for research into pesticides blamed for vanishing bees. | |
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. | |
language |
1. n. A body of words, and set of methods of combining them (called a grammar), understood by a community and used as a form of communication. | |
The English language and the German language are related. | |
Deaf and mute people communicate using languages like ASL. | |
2. n. The ability to communicate using words. | |
the gift of language | |
3. n. The vocabulary and usage of a particular specialist field. | |
legal language; the language of chemistry | |
4. n. The expression of thought (the communication of meaning) in a specified way. | |
body language; the language of the eyes | |
5. n. A body of sounds, signs and/or signals by which animals communicate, and by which plants are sometimes also thought to communicate. | |
6. n. (computing) A computer language; a machine language. | |
7. n. Manner of expression. | |
8. n. The particular words used in a speech or a passage of text. | |
The language used in the law does not permit any other interpretation. | |
The language he used to talk to me was obscene. | |
9. n. Profanity. | |
10. v. (rare, now nonstandard, or technical) To communicate by language; to express in language. | |
11. n. A languet, a flat plate in or below the flue pipe of an organ. | |
and |
1. conj. As a coordinating conjunction; expressing two elements to be taken together or in addition to each other. | |
2. conj. Used simply to connect two noun phrases, adjectives or adverbs. | |
3. conj. Simply connecting two clauses or sentences. | |
4. conj. Introducing a clause or sentence which follows on in time or consequence from the first. | |
5. conj. (obsolete) Yet; but. | |
6. conj. Used to connect certain numbers: connecting units when they precede tens (not dated); connecting tens and units to hundreds, thousands etc. (now often | |
7. conj. (now colloquial, or literary) Used to connect more than two elements together in a chain, sometimes to stress the number of elements. | |
8. conj. Connecting two identical elements, with implications of continued or infinite repetition. | |
9. conj. Introducing a parenthetical or explanatory clause. | |
10. conj. Introducing the continuation of narration from a previous understood point; also used alone as a question: ‘and so what?’. | |
11. conj. (now regional or somewhat colloquial) Used to connect two verbs where the second is dependent on the first: ‘to’. Used especially after come, | |
12. conj. Introducing a qualitative difference between things having the same name; "as well as other". | |
13. conj. Used to combine numbers in addition; plus (with singular or plural verb). | |
14. conj. Expressing a condition.: | |
15. conj. (now US dialect) If; provided that. | |
16. conj. (obsolete) As if, as though. | |
17. n. (enm, music, often informal) In rhythm, the second half of a divided beat. | |
18. n. (UK dialectal) Breath. | |
19. n. (UK dialectal) Sea smoke; steam fog. | |
20. v. (UK dialectal, intransitive) To breathe; whisper; devise; imagine. | |
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? | |
greeted |
1. v. simple past tense and past participle of greet | |
greet |
1. v. To welcome in a friendly manner, either in person or through another means e.g. writing or over the phone/internet | |
2. v. To arrive at or reach, or meet (talking of something which brings joy) | |
3. v. To accost; to address. | |
4. v. (intransitive) To meet and give salutations. | |
5. v. To be perceived by (somebody). | |
A brilliant dawn greeted her as she looked out the window. | |
6. adj. (obsolete, outside, Scotland) Great. | |
7. v. (Scotland, Northern England) To weep; to cry. | |
As |
1. n. plural of A | |
She went from getting Cs and Ds to earning straight As. | |
2. adv. To such an extent or degree. | |
You’re not as tall as I am. | |
It's not as well made, but it's twice as expensive. | |
3. adv. In the manner or role specified. | |
The kidnappers released him as agreed. | |
The parties were seen as agreeing on a range of issues. | |
He was never seen as the boss, but rather as a friend. | |
4. adv. (dated) For example (compare such as). | |
5. conj. In the same way that; according to what. | |
Do as I say! | |
I'm under a lot of pressure, as you know. | |
As you wish, my lord! | |
6. conj. At the same instant that; when. | |
As I came in, she flew. | |
7. conj. At the same time that; while. | |
He sleeps as the rain falls. | |
8. conj. Varying through time in the same proportion that. | |
As my fear grew, so did my legs become heavy. | |
9. conj. Being that, considering that, because, since. | |
As it’s too late, I quit. | |
10. conj. Introducing a basis of comparison, after as, so, or a comparison of equality. | |
She's twice as strong as I was two years ago. | |
It's not so complicated as I expected. | |
11. conj. (dated) Introducing a comparison with a hypothetical state (+ subjunctive); ‘as though’, ‘as if’. | |
12. conj. Introducing a comparison with a hypothetical state with the verb elided; as if, as though. | |
13. conj. (now England, US, regional) Functioning as a relative conjunction; that. | |
14. conj. Expressing concession; though. | |
15. conj. (obsolete, rare) Than. | |
16. prep. Introducing a basis of comparison, with an object in the objective case. | |
You are not as tall as me. | |
They're big as houses. | |
17. prep. In the role of. | |
What is your opinion as a parent? | |
18. n. (unit of weight) A libra. | |
19. n. Any of several coins of Rome, coined in bronze or later copper; or the equivalent value. | |
20. n. plural of a | |
if |
1. conj. Supposing that, assuming that, in the circumstances that; used to introduce a condition or choice. | |
If it rains, I shall get wet. | |
2. conj. (computing) In the event that a statement is true (a programming statement that acts in a similar manner). | |
If A, then B, else C. | |
3. conj. Supposing that; used with past or past perfect subjunctive indicating that the condition is closed. | |
I would prefer it if you took your shoes off. | |
I would be unhappy if you had not talked with me yesterday. | |
If I were you, I wouldn't go there alone. | |
4. conj. Supposing that; given that; supposing it is the case that. | |
If that's true, we had better get moving! | |
5. conj. Although; used to introduce a concession. | |
He was a great friend, if a little stingy at the bar. | |
6. conj. (sometimes proscribed) Whether; used to introduce a noun clause, an indirect question, that functions as the direct object of certain verbs. | |
I don't know if I want to go or not. | |
7. conj. (usually hyperbolic) Even if; even in the circumstances that. | |
8. conj. Introducing a relevance conditional. | |
I have leftover cake if you want some. | |
9. n. (informal) An uncertainty, possibility, condition, doubt etc. | |
they |
1. pron. (the third-person plural) A group of people, animals, plants or objects previously mentioned. | |
Fred and Jane? They just arrived. Dogs may bark if they want to be fed. Plants wilt if they are not watered. | |
I have a car and a truck, but they are both broken. | |
2. pron. (the third-person singular, sometimes proscribed) A single person, previously mentioned, especially if of unknown or non-binary gender, but not if previously named and identified as male or female. | |
3. pron. (indefinite pronoun, vague meaning) People; some people; people in general; someone, excluding the speaker. | |
They say it’s a good place to live. | |
They didn’t have computers in the old days. | |
They should do something about this. | |
They have a lot of snow in winter. | |
4. det. (now Southern England dialect, or nonstandard) The, those. | |
5. det. (US dialects including AAVE) Their. | |
6. pron. (US dialectal) There (especially as an expletive subject of be). | |
were |
1. v. Second-person singular simple past tense indicative of be. | |
John, you were the only person to see him. | |
2. v. First-person plural simple past tense indicative of be. | |
We were about to leave. | |
3. v. Second-person plural simple past tense indicative of be. | |
Mary and John, you were right. | |
4. v. Third-person plural simple past tense indicative of be. | |
They were a fine group. | |
They were to be the best of friends from that day on. | |
5. v. Simple imperfect subjunctive in all persons of be. | |
I wish that it were Sunday. | |
I wish that I were with you. | |
* with "if" omitted, put first in an "if" clause: | |
*: Were it simply that she wore a hat, I would not be upset at all. (= If it were simply...) | |
*: Were father a king, we would have war. (= If father were a king,...) | |
6. v. (Northern England) was. | |
7. n. (obsolete) A fine for slaying a man; weregild. | |
8. n. (fandom) (The collective name for any kind of person that changes into another form under certain conditions, including the werewolf.) | |
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? | |
fresh |
1. adj. Newly produced or obtained. | |
He followed the fresh hoofprints to find the deer. | |
I seem to make fresh mistakes every time I start writing. | |
2. adj. Not cooked, dried, frozen, or spoiled. | |
After taking a beating in the boxing ring, the left side of his face looked like fresh meat. | |
I brought home from the market a nice bunch of fresh spinach leaves straight from the farm. | |
a glass of fresh milk | |
3. adj. (of plant material) Still green and not dried. | |
4. adj. Refreshing or cool. | |
What a nice fresh breeze. | |
5. adj. (of water) Without salt; not saline. | |
After a day at sea it was good to feel the fresh water of the stream. | |
6. adj. Rested; not tired or fatigued. | |
7. adj. In a raw or untried state; uncultured; unpracticed. | |
a fresh hand on a ship | |
8. adj. Youthful; florid. | |
9. adj. (slang) Good, fashionable. | |
a fresh pair of sneakers | |
10. adj. (figurative) Recent or new, sometimes to the point of causing extreme joy or extreme discomfort. | |
With his recent lottery prize fresh in his mind, Joe was too happy to contain himself. | |
With his recent breakup fresh in his mind, he was unable to concentrate on his task at work. | |
11. adv. recently; just recently; most recently | |
We are fresh out of milk. | |
12. n. A rush of water, along a river or onto the land; a flood. | |
13. n. A stream or spring of fresh water. | |
14. n. The mingling of fresh water with salt in rivers or bays, as by means of a flood of fresh water flowing toward or into the sea. | |
15. adj. Rude, cheeky, or inappropriate; presumptuous; disrespectful; forward. | |
No one liked his fresh comments. | |
16. adj. Sexually aggressive or forward; prone to caress too eagerly; overly flirtatious. | |
Hey, don't get fresh with me! | |
and |
1. conj. As a coordinating conjunction; expressing two elements to be taken together or in addition to each other. | |
2. conj. Used simply to connect two noun phrases, adjectives or adverbs. | |
3. conj. Simply connecting two clauses or sentences. | |
4. conj. Introducing a clause or sentence which follows on in time or consequence from the first. | |
5. conj. (obsolete) Yet; but. | |
6. conj. Used to connect certain numbers: connecting units when they precede tens (not dated); connecting tens and units to hundreds, thousands etc. (now often | |
7. conj. (now colloquial, or literary) Used to connect more than two elements together in a chain, sometimes to stress the number of elements. | |
8. conj. Connecting two identical elements, with implications of continued or infinite repetition. | |
9. conj. Introducing a parenthetical or explanatory clause. | |
10. conj. Introducing the continuation of narration from a previous understood point; also used alone as a question: ‘and so what?’. | |
11. conj. (now regional or somewhat colloquial) Used to connect two verbs where the second is dependent on the first: ‘to’. Used especially after come, | |
12. conj. Introducing a qualitative difference between things having the same name; "as well as other". | |
13. conj. Used to combine numbers in addition; plus (with singular or plural verb). | |
14. conj. Expressing a condition.: | |
15. conj. (now US dialect) If; provided that. | |
16. conj. (obsolete) As if, as though. | |
17. n. (enm, music, often informal) In rhythm, the second half of a divided beat. | |
18. n. (UK dialectal) Breath. | |
19. n. (UK dialectal) Sea smoke; steam fog. | |
20. v. (UK dialectal, intransitive) To breathe; whisper; devise; imagine. | |
piquant |
1. adj. Engaging; charming. | |
2. adj. Favorably stimulating to the palate; pleasantly spicy; stimulating. | |
3. adj. (archaic) Causing hurt feelings; scathing. | |