either |
1. det. One of two. | |
You can have it in either colour. | |
2. det. Each of two; both. | |
There is a locomotive at either end of the train, one pulling and the other pushing. | |
3. pron. One or other of two people or things. | |
He made me two offers, but I did not accept either. | |
4. pron. (obsolete) Both, each of two or more. | |
5. adv. (conjunctive, after a negative) As well. | |
I don't like him, and I don't like her either. | |
6. conj. (Introduces the first of two (or occasionally more) options or possibilities, the second (or last) of which is introduced by "or"). | |
Either you eat your dinner or you go to your room. | |
You can have either potatoes or rice with that, but not both. | |
You'll be either early, late, or on time. | |
way |
1. n. To do with a place or places.: | |
2. n. A road, a direction, a (physical or conceptual) path from one place to another. | |
Do you know the way to the airport? Come this way and I'll show you a shortcut. It's a long way from here. | |
3. n. A means to enter or leave a place. | |
We got into the cinema through the back way. | |
4. n. A roughly-defined geographical area. | |
If you're ever 'round this way, come over and visit me. | |
5. n. A method or manner of doing something; a mannerism. | |
You're going about it the wrong way. He's known for his quirky ways. I don't like the way she looks at me. | |
6. n. A state or condition | |
When I returned home, I found my house and belongings in a most terrible way. | |
7. n. Personal interaction.: | |
8. n. Possibility (usually in the phrases 'any way' and 'no way'). | |
There's no way I'm going to clean up after you. | |
9. n. Determined course; resolved mode of action or conduct. | |
My little sister always whines until she gets her way. | |
10. n. (paganism) A tradition within the modern pagan faith of Heathenry, dedication to a specific deity or craft, Way of wyrd, Way of runes, Way of Thor etc. | |
11. n. (nautical) Speed, progress, momentum. | |
12. n. A degree, an amount, a sense. | |
In a large way, crocodiles and alligators are similar. | |
13. n. (US, As the head of an interjectory clause) Acknowledges that a task has been done well, chiefly in expressions of sarcastic congratulation. | |
Way to ruin the moment, guys. | |
14. n. (plural only) The timbers of shipyard stocks that slope into the water and along which a ship or large boat is launched. | |
15. n. (plural only) The longitudinal guiding surfaces on the bed of a planer, lathe, etc. along which a table or carriage moves. | |
16. interj. (only in reply to no way) It is true. | |
17. v. (obsolete) To travel. | |
18. adv. (informal, with comparative or modified adjective) Much. | |
I'm way too tired to do that. | |
I'm a way better singer than Emma. | |
19. adv. (slang) Very. | |
I'm way tired | |
String theory is way cool, except for the math. | |
20. adv. (informal) Far. | |
I used to live way over there. | |
The farmhouse is way down the bottom of the hill. | |
21. n. The letter for the w sound in Pitman shorthand. | |
you |
1. pron. (object pronoun) The people spoken, or written to, as an object. | |
2. pron. (reflexive pronoun, now US colloquial) (To) yourselves, (to) yourself. | |
3. pron. (object pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as an object. (Replacing thee; originally as a mark of respect.) | |
4. pron. (subject pronoun) The people spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Replacing ye.) | |
Both of you should get ready now. | |
You are all supposed to do as I tell you. | |
5. pron. (subject pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Originally as a mark of respect.) | |
6. pron. (indefinite personal pronoun) Anyone, one; an unspecified individual or group of individuals (as subject or object). | |
7. det. The individual or group spoken or written to. | |
Have you gentlemen come to see the lady who fell backwards off a bus? | |
8. det. Used before epithets for emphasis. | |
You idiot! | |
9. v. To address (a person) using the pronoun you, rather than thou, especially historically when you was more formal. | |
would |
1. v. As a past-tense form of will.: | |
2. v. (obsolete) Wished, desired (something). | |
3. v. (archaic) Wanted to ( + bare infinitive). | |
4. v. Used to; was or were habitually accustomed to ( + bare infinitive); indicating an action in the past that happened repeatedly or commonly. | |
5. v. Used with bare infinitive to form the "anterior future", indicating a futurity relative to a past time. | |
6. v. (archaic) Used with ellipsis of the infinitive verb, or postponement to a relative clause, in various senses. | |
7. v. Was determined to; loosely, could naturally have been expected to (given the tendencies of someone's character etc.). | |
8. v. As a modal verb, the subjunctive of will.: | |
9. v. Used to give a conditional or potential "softening" to the present; might, might wish. | |
10. v. Used as the auxiliary of the simple conditional modality (with a bare infinitive); indicating an action or state that is conditional on another. | |
11. v. (chiefly archaic) Might wish ( + verb in past subjunctive); often used in the first person (with or without that) in the sense of "if only". | |
12. v. Used to impart a sense of hesitancy or uncertainty to the present; might be inclined to. Now sometimes colloquially with ironic effect. | |
13. v. Used interrogatively to express a polite request; are (you) willing to …? | |
Would you pass the salt, please? | |
14. v. (chiefly archaic, transitive, or control verb) Might desire; wish (something). | |
15. n. Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality. | |
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. | |
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? | |
happy |
1. adj. Having a feeling arising from a consciousness of well-being or of enjoyment; enjoying good of any kind, such as comfort, peace, or tranquillity; blissful, contented, joyous. | |
Music makes me feel happy. | |
2. adj. Experiencing the effect of favourable fortune; favored by fortune or luck; fortunate, lucky, propitious. | |
3. adj. Content, satisfied (with or to do something); having no objection (to something). | |
Are you happy to pay me back by the end of the week? | |
Yes, I am happy with the decision. | |
4. adj. Of acts, speech, etc.: appropriate, apt, felicitous. | |
a happy coincidence | |
5. adj. (in combination) Favoring or inclined to use. | |
slaphappy, trigger-happy | |
6. adj. (rare) Of persons, especially when referring to their ability to express themselves (often followed by at or in): dexterous, ready, skilful. | |
7. n. preceded by the: happy people as a group. | |
8. n. (informal, rare) A happy event, thing, person, etc. | |
9. v. (intransitive) Often followed by up: to become happy; to brighten up, to cheer up. | |
10. v. Often followed by up: to make happy; to brighten, to cheer, to enliven. | |
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. | |
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. | |
result |
1. v. To proceed, spring up or rise, as a consequence, from facts, arguments, premises, combination of circumstances, consultation, thought or endeavor. | |
2. v. (intransitive, follwed by "in") To have as a consequence; to lead to; to bring about | |
This measure will result in good or in evil. | |
3. v. (legal) To return to the proprietor (or heirs) after a reversion. | |
4. v. (obsolete) To leap back; to rebound. | |
5. n. That which results; the conclusion or end to which any course or condition of things leads, or which is obtained by any process or operation; consequence or effect. | |
the result of a course of action; the result of a mathematical operation | |
6. n. The fruit, beneficial or tangible effect(s) achieved by effort. | |
7. n. The decision or determination of a council or deliberative assembly; a resolve; a decree. | |
8. n. (obsolete) A flying back; resilience. | |
9. n. (sports) The final score in a game. | |
10. n. (by extension) A positive or favourable outcome for someone. | |
11. interj. (UK) An exclamation of joy following a favorable outcome. | |
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? | |
not |
1. adv. Negates the meaning of the modified verb. | |
Did you take out the trash? No, I did not. | |
Not knowing any better, I went ahead. | |
2. adv. To no degree. | |
That is not red; it's orange. | |
3. conj. And not. | |
I wanted a plate of shrimp, not a bucket of chicken. | |
He painted the car blue and black, not solid purple. | |
4. interj. (slang) Used to indicate that the previous phrase was meant sarcastically or ironically. | |
I really like hanging out with my little brother watching Barney... not! | |
Sure, you're perfect the way you are... not! | |
5. n. Unary logical function NOT, true if input is false, or a gate implementing that negation function. | |
You need a not there to conform with the negative logic of the memory chip. | |
6. contraction. (obsolete) Contraction of ne wot, wot not; know not; knows not. | |
So |
1. n. A Mon-Khmer-speaking people of Laos and Thailand. | |
2. conj. In order that. | |
Eat your broccoli so you can have dessert. | |
3. conj. With the result that; for that reason; therefore. | |
I was hungry so I asked if there was any more food. | |
He ate too much cake, so he fell ill. | |
He wanted a book, so he went to the library. | |
“I need to go to the bathroom.”―“So go!” | |
4. conj. (archaic) Provided that; on condition that, as long as. | |
5. adv. To the (explicitly stated) extent that. | |
It was so hot outside that all the plants died. He was so good, they hired him on the spot. | |
6. adv. (informal) To the (implied) extent. | |
I need a piece of cloth so long. = this long | |
7. adv. (informal) Very (positive clause). | |
He is so good! | |
8. adv. (informal) Very (negative clause). | |
It’s not so bad. i.e. it's acceptable | |
9. adv. (slang) Very much. | |
But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town! That is so not true! | |
10. adv. In a particular manner. | |
Place the napkin on the table just so. If that's what you mean, then say so; (or do so). | |
11. adv. In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; also. | |
Just as you have the right to your free speech, so I have the right to mine. Many people say she's the world's greatest athlete, but I don't think so. "I can count backwards from on | |
12. adv. (with as) To such an extent or degree; as. | |
so far as; so long as; so much as | |
13. adj. True, accurate. | |
That is so. You are responsible for this, is that not so? | |
14. adj. In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase. | |
15. adj. (dated, UK, slang) Homosexual. | |
Is he so? | |
16. interj. Used after a pause for thought to introduce a new topic, question or story. | |
So, let's go home. | |
So, what'll you have? | |
So, there was this squirrel stuck in the chimney... | |
17. interj. (Short for) so what. | |
"You park your car in front of my house every morning." — "So?". | |
18. interj. Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question. | |
So how does this story end? | |
So, everyone wants to know - did you win the contest or not? | |
19. interj. (archaic) Be as you are; stand still; (used especially to cows; also used by sailors.) | |
20. pron. abbreviation of someone | |
21. n. (music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale. | |
22. n. (foods) A type of dairy product made in Japan between the seventh and 10th centuries. | |
trite |
1. adj. Often in reference to a word or phrase: used so many times that it is commonplace, or no longer interesting or effective; worn out, hackneyed. | |
2. adj. (legal) So well established as to be beyond debate: trite law. | |
3. n. A denomination of coinage in ancient Greece equivalent to one third of a stater. | |
4. n. , a genus of spiders, found in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, of the family Salticidae. | |