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. | |
man |
1. n. An adult male human. | |
The show is especially popular with middle-aged men. | |
2. n. (collective) All human males collectively: mankind. | |
3. n. A human, a person of either gender, usually an adult. (See usage notes.) | |
every man for himself | |
4. n. (collective) All humans collectively: mankind, humankind, humanity. (Sometimes capitalized as Man.) | |
5. n. (anthropology, archaeology, paleontology) A member of the genus Homo, especially of the species Homo sapiens. | |
6. n. (obsolete) A sentient being, whether human or supernatural. | |
7. n. An adult male who has, to an eminent degree, qualities considered masculine, such as strength, integrity, and devotion to family; a mensch. | |
8. n. (obsolete, uncommon) Manliness; the quality or state of being manly. | |
9. n. A husband. | |
10. n. A lover; a boyfriend. | |
11. n. A male enthusiast or devotee; a male who is very fond of or devoted to a specified kind of thing. (Used as the last element of a compound.) | |
Some people prefer apple pie, but me, I’m a cherry pie man. | |
12. n. A person, usually male, who has duties or skills associated with a specified thing. (Used as the last element of a compound.) | |
I wanted to be a guitar man on a road tour, but instead I’m a flag man on a road crew. | |
13. n. A person, usually male, who can fulfill one's requirements with regard to a specified matter. | |
14. n. A male who belongs to a particular group: an employee, a student or alumnus, a representative, etc. | |
15. n. An adult male servant. | |
16. n. (historical) A vassal. A subject. | |
Like master, like man. (old proverb) | |
all the king's men | |
17. n. A piece or token used in board games such as chess. | |
18. n. (Multicultural London English, slang) Used to refer to oneself or one's group: I, we; (non-gloss definition, construed in the third person). | |
19. n. A term of familiar address often implying on the part of the speaker some degree of authority, impatience, or haste. | |
Come on, man, we've got no time to lose! | |
20. n. A friendly term of address usually reserved for other adult males. | |
Hey, man, how's it goin'? | |
21. n. (sports) A player on whom another is playing, with the intent of limiting their attacking impact. | |
22. adj. only used in, man enough | |
23. interj. Used to place emphasis upon something or someone; sometimes, but not always, when actually addressing a man. | |
Man, that was a great catch! | |
24. v. To supply (something) with staff or crew (of either sex). | |
The ship was manned with a small crew. | |
25. v. To take up position in order to operate (something). | |
Man the machine guns! | |
26. v. (reflexive, possibly dated) To brace (oneself), to fortify or steel (oneself) in a manly way. (Compare man up.) | |
27. v. (transitive, obsolete) To wait on, attend to or escort. | |
28. v. (transitive, obsolete, chiefly falconry) To accustom (a raptor or other type of bird) to the presence of people. | |
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. | |
woman |
1. n. An adult female human. | |
2. n. (collective) All females collectively; womankind. | |
3. n. A wife (or sometimes a fiancée or girlfriend). | |
4. n. A female who is extremely fond of or devoted to a specified type of thing. (Used as the last element of a compound.) | |
5. n. A female attendant or servant. | |
6. v. To staff with female labor. | |
7. v. To make effeminate or womanish. | |
8. v. To furnish with, or unite to, a woman. | |
9. v. To call (a person) "woman" in a disrespectful fashion. | |
eating |
1. v. present participle of eat | |
2. adj. Suitable to be eaten without being cooked. | |
Wait! That's not an eating apple. | |
3. n. The act of ingesting food. | |
4. n. (informal, dialectal) Food; cooking, cuisine. | |
I remember when we visited Aunt Martha's house, we had some really good eating! | |
5. n. The act of corroding or consuming some substance. | |
eat |
1. v. To ingest; to be ingested. | |
2. v. To consume (something solid or semi-solid, usually food) by putting it into the mouth and swallowing it. | |
He’s eating an apple. / Don’t disturb me now; can't you see that I’m eating? | |
3. v. (intransitive) To consume a meal. | |
What time do we eat this evening? | |
4. v. (intransitive, ergative) To be eaten. | |
It's a soup that eats like a meal. | |
5. v. To use up. | |
6. v. To destroy, consume, or use up. | |
This project is eating up all the money. | |
7. v. (transitive, informal, of a device) To damage, destroy, or fail to eject a removable part or an inserted object. | |
The VHS recorder just ate the tape and won't spit it out. | |
John is late for the meeting because the photocopier ate his report. | |
8. v. (transitive, informal, of a vending machine or similar device) To consume money or (other instruents of value, such as a token) deposited or inserted b | |
The video game in the corner just ate my quarter. | |
9. v. (transitive, informal) To cause (someone) to worry. | |
What’s eating you? | |
10. v. (transitive, business) To take the loss in a transaction. | |
11. v. To corrode or erode. | |
The acid rain ate away the statue. The strong acid eats through the metal. | |
12. v. (transitive, informal) To perform oral sex. | |
13. v. (transitive, informal) To perform oral sex on someone. | |
Eat me! | |
14. v. (transitive, informal) To perform oral sex on a body part. | |
I ate his ass. | |
Yeah, eat that dick. | |
15. n. (colloquial) Something to be eaten; a meal; a food item. | |
here |
1. adv. (location) In, on, or at this place. | |
2. adv. (location) To this place; used in place of the more dated hither. | |
Please come here. | |
3. adv. (abstract) In this context. | |
Derivatives can refer to anything that is derived from something else, but here they refer specifically to functions that give the slope of the tangent line to a curve. | |
4. adv. At this point in the argument or narration. | |
Here endeth the lesson. | |
5. n. (abstract) This place; this location. | |
An Alzheimer patient's here may in his mind be anywhere he called home in the time he presently re-lives. | |
6. adj. Filler after a noun or demonstrative pronoun, solely for emphasis. | |
John here is a rascal. | |
7. adj. Filler after a demonstrative pronoun but before the noun it modifies, solely for emphasis. | |
This here orange is too sour. | |
8. interj. (slang) (non-gloss, Used semi-assertively to offer something to the listener.) | |
Here, now I'm giving it to you. | |
9. interj. (UK, slang) Used for emphasis at the beginning of a sentence when expressing an opinion or want. | |
Here, I'm tired and I want a drink. | |
flout |
1. v. To express contempt for (laws, rules, etc.) by word or action. | |
2. v. (transitive, archaic) To scorn. | |
3. n. The act by which something is flouted; violation of a law. | |
4. n. A mockery or insult. | |
myths |
1. n. plural of myth | |
myth |
1. n. A traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; a sacred narrative regarding a god | |
2. n. Such stories as a genre. | |
Myth was the product of man's emotion and imagination, acted upon by his surroundings. (E. Clodd, Myths & Dreams (1885), 7, cited after OED) | |
3. n. A commonly-held but false belief, a common misconception; a fictitious or imaginary person or thing; a popular conception about a real person or event which exaggerates or idealizes reality. | |
4. n. A person or thing held in excessive or quasi-religious awe or admiration based on popular legend | |
Father Flanagan was legendary, his institution an American myth. (Tucson (Arizona) Citizen, 20 September 1979, 5A/3, cited after OED) | |
5. n. A person or thing existing only in imagination, or whose actual existence is not verifiable. | |
that |
1. conj. Introducing a clause which is the subject or object of a verb (such as one involving reported speech), or which is a complement to a previous statement. | |
He told me that the book is a good read. | |
I believe that it is true. — She is convinced that he is British. | |
2. conj. Introducing a subordinate clause expressing a reason or cause: because, in that. | |
Be glad that you have enough to eat. | |
3. conj. (now uncommon) Introducing a subordinate clause that expresses an aim, purpose or goal ("final"), and usually contains the auxiliaries may, might or should: so, so that. | |
4. conj. Introducing — especially, but not exclusively, with an antecedent like so or such — a subordinate clause expressing a result, consequence or effect. | |
The noise was so loud that she woke up. | |
The problem was sufficiently important that it had to be addressed. | |
5. conj. (archaic, or poetic) Introducing a premise or supposition for consideration: seeing as; inasmuch as; given that; as would appear from the fact that. | |
6. conj. Introducing a subordinate clause modifying an adverb. | |
Was John there? — Not that I saw. | |
How often did she visit him? — Twice that I saw. | |
7. conj. Introducing an exclamation expressing a desire or wish. | |
8. conj. Introducing an exclamation expressing a strong emotion such as sadness or surprise. | |
9. det. The (thing, person, idea, etc) indicated or understood from context, especially if more remote physically, temporally or mentally than one designated as "this", or if expressing distinction. | |
That book is a good read. This one isn't. | |
That battle was in 1450. | |
That cat of yours is evil. | |
10. pron. (demonstrative) The thing, person, idea, quality, event, action or time indicated or understood from context, especially if more remote geographically, temporally or mentally than one designated as "t | |
He went home, and after that I never saw him again. | |
11. pron. The known (thing); (used to refer to something just said). | |
They're getting divorced. What do you think about that? | |
12. pron. (demonstrative) The aforementioned quality; used together with a verb and pronoun to emphatically repeat a previous statement. | |
The water is so cold! — That it is. | |
13. pron. (relative) (plural that) Which, who; (representing a subject, direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition). | |
The CPR course that she took really came in handy. | |
The house that he lived in was old and dilapidated. | |
14. pron. (colloquial) (Used in place of relative adverbs such as where or when; often omitted.) | |
the place that = where or to which I went last year | |
the last time that = when I went to Europe | |
15. adv. (degree) To a given extent or degree. | |
"The ribbon was that thin." "I disagree, I say it was not that thin, it was thicker... or maybe thinner...". | |
16. adv. (degree) To a great extent or degree; very, particularly (in negative constructions). | |
I'm just not that sick. | |
I did the run last year, and it wasn't that difficult. | |
17. adv. (obsolete, outside, dialects) To such an extent; so. (in positive constructions). | |
Ooh, I was that happy I nearly kissed her. | |
18. n. (philosophy) Something being indicated that is there; one of those. | |
some |
1. pron. A certain number, at least one. | |
Some enjoy spicy food, others prefer it milder. | |
2. pron. An indefinite quantity. | |
Can I have some of them? | |
3. pron. An indefinite amount, a part. | |
please give me some of the cake; everyone is wrong some of the time | |
4. det. A certain proportion of, at least one. | |
Some people like camping. | |
5. det. An unspecified quantity or number of. | |
Would you like some grapes? | |
6. det. An unspecified amount of (something un). | |
Would you like some water? | |
After some persuasion, he finally agreed. | |
7. det. A certain, an unspecified or unknown. | |
I've just met some guy who said he knew you. | |
The sequence S converges to zero for some initial value v. | |
8. det. A considerable quantity or number of; approximately. | |
He had edited the paper for some years. | |
9. det. (informal) A remarkable. | |
He is some acrobat! | |
10. adv. Of a measurement: approximately, roughly | |
I guess he must have weighed some 90 kilos. | |
Some 30,000 spectators witnessed the feat. | |
Some 4,000 acres of land were flooded. | |
Europeans |
1. n. plural of European | |
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? | |
keen |
1. adj. verb | |
2. adj. to keen is to be enthusiastic about | |
3. adj. Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an : showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested. | |
I’m keen about computers. | |
I’m keen on you. - I like you. | |
He is keen for help. | |
She’s keen to learn another language. | |
“Do you want to go on holiday with me?” / “Yes, I’m keen.” | |
4. adj. Fierce, intense, vehement. | |
This boy has a keen appetite. | |
5. adj. Having a fine edge or point; sharp. | |
6. adj. Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp. | |
7. adj. Acrimonious, bitter, piercing. | |
keen satire or sarcasm | |
8. adj. Of cold, wind, etc.: cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp. | |
a keen wind | |
the cold is very keen | |
9. adj. (Britain) Extremely low as to be competitive. | |
keen prices | |
10. adj. (US, informal dated) Marvelous. | |
I just got this peachy keen new dress. | |
11. adj. (obsolete) Brave, courageous; audacious, bold. | |
12. v. (transitive, rare) To make cold, to sharpen. | |
13. n. A prolonged wail for a deceased person. | |
14. v. (intransitive) To utter a keen. | |
15. v. To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry. | |
16. v. To mourn. | |
to |
1. part. A particle used for marking the following verb as an infinitive. | |
I want to leave. | |
He asked me what to do. | |
I don’t know how to say it. | |
I have places to go and people to see. | |
2. part. As above, with the verb implied. | |
"Did you visit the museum?" "I wanted to, but it was closed.". | |
If he hasn't read it yet, he ought to. | |
3. part. A particle used to create phrasal verbs. | |
I have to do laundry today. | |
4. prep. Indicating destination: In the direction of, and arriving at. | |
We are walking to the shop. | |
5. prep. Used to indicate purpose. | |
He devoted himself to education. | |
They drank to his health. | |
6. prep. Used to indicate result of action. | |
His face was beaten to a pulp. | |
7. prep. Used after an adjective to indicate its application. | |
similar to ..., relevant to ..., pertinent to ..., I was nice to him, he was cruel to her, I am used to walking. | |
8. prep. (obsolete,) As a. | |
With God to friend (with God as a friend); with The Devil to fiend (with the Devil as a foe); lambs slaughtered to lake (lambs slaughtered as a sacrifice); t | |
9. prep. (arithmetic) Used to indicate a ratio or comparison. | |
one to one = 1:1 | |
ten to one = 10:1. | |
I have ten dollars to your four. | |
10. prep. (arithmetic) Used to indicate that the preceding term is to be raised to the power of the following value; indicates exponentiation. | |
Three squared or three to the second power is nine. | |
Three to the power of two is nine. | |
Three to the second is nine. | |
11. prep. Used to indicate the indirect object. | |
I gave the book to him. | |
12. prep. (time) Preceding. | |
ten to ten = 9:50; We're going to leave at ten to (the hour). | |
13. prep. Used to describe what something consists of or contains. | |
Anyone could do this job; there's nothing to it. | |
There's a lot of sense to what he says. | |
14. prep. (Canada, UK, Newfoundland, West Midlands) At. | |
Stay where you're to and I'll come find you, b'y. | |
15. adv. Toward a closed, touching or engaging position. | |
Please push the door to. | |
16. adv. (nautical) Into the wind. | |
17. adv. misspelling of too | |
believe |
1. v. To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing) | |
If you believe the numbers, you'll agree we need change. | |
I believe there are faeries. | |
2. v. To accept that someone is telling the truth. | |
Why did I ever believe you? | |
3. v. (intransitive) To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth. | |
After that night in the church, I believed. | |
4. v. To consider likely | |
I believe it might rain tomorrow. (Here, the speaker merely accepts the accuracy of the conditional.) | |