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. | |
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). | |
suspect |
1. v. To imagine or suppose (something) to be true, or to exist, without proof. | |
to suspect the presence of disease | |
2. v. To distrust or have doubts about (something or someone). | |
to suspect the truth of a story | |
3. v. To believe (someone) to be guilty. | |
I suspect him of being the thief. | |
4. v. (intransitive) To have suspicion. | |
5. v. (transitive, obsolete) To look up to; to respect. | |
6. n. A person who is suspected of something, in particular of committing a crime. | |
Round up the usual suspects. — Casablanca | |
7. adj. Viewed with suspicion; suspected. | |
8. adj. (nonstandard) Viewing with suspicion; suspecting. | |
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. | |
more |
1. det. comparative degree of many, : in greater number. (Used for a discrete quantity.) | |
More people are arriving. | |
There are more ways to do this than I can count. | |
2. det. comparative degree of much, : in greater quantity, amount, or proportion. (Used for a continuous quantity.) | |
I want more soup; I need more time | |
There's more caffeine in my coffee than in the coffee you get in most places. | |
3. adv. To a greater degree or extent. | |
He walks more in the morning these days. | |
4. adv. (now poetic) In negative constructions: any further, any longer; any more. | |
5. adv. Used alone to form the comparative form of adjectives and adverbs. | |
You're more beautiful than I ever imagined. | |
6. adv. (now dialectal, or humorous) Used in addition to an inflected comparative form. (Standard until the 18thc.) | |
I was more better at English than you. | |
7. adv. rather | |
He is more clever than wise. | |
8. n. An extra amount or extent. | |
9. n. (obsolete) a carrot; a parsnip. | |
10. n. (dialectal) a root; stock. | |
11. n. A plant. | |
12. v. To root up. | |
13. pron. a greater amount of people or things | |
prosaic |
1. adj. Pertaining to or having the characteristics of prose. | |
The tenor of Eliot's prosaic work differs greatly from that of his poetry. | |
2. adj. (of writing or speaking) Straightforward; matter-of-fact; lacking the feeling or elegance of poetry. | |
I was simply making the prosaic point that we are running late. | |
3. adj. (main usage, usually of writing or speaking but also figurative) Overly plain, simple or commonplace, to the point of being boring; humdrum; dull; unimaginative. | |
His account of the incident was so prosaic that I nodded off while reading it. | |
She lived a prosaic life. | |
explanation |
1. n. The act or process of explaining. | |
The explanation was long and drawn-out. | |
2. n. Something that explains, makes understandable. | |
An explanation for the UFO sightings was easily found. | |
3. n. A resolution of disputed points pursuant to discussion; a mutual clarification of disputed points; reconciliation. | |