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. | |
name |
1. n. Any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing. | |
I've never liked the name my parents gave me so I changed it at the age of twenty. | |
2. n. Reputation. | |
3. n. An abusive or insulting epithet. | |
Stop calling me names! | |
4. n. A person (or legal person). | |
5. n. Those of a certain name; a race; a family. | |
6. n. (computing) A unique identifier, generally a string of characters. | |
7. n. (finance) An investor in Lloyds of London bearing unlimited liability. | |
8. n. Authority. | |
Halt in the name of the law! | |
9. v. To give a name to. | |
One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting. | |
(audio One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting.ogg Audio (US)) | |
10. v. To mention, specify. | |
He named his demands. | |
You name it! | |
11. v. To identify as relevant or important | |
naming the problem | |
12. v. To publicly implicate. | |
The painter was named as an accomplice. | |
13. v. To designate for a role. | |
My neighbor was named to the steering committee. | |
14. v. (Westminster system politics) To initiate a process to temporarily remove a member of parliament who is breaking the rules of conduct. | |
15. n. Any of several types of true yam (Dioscorea) used in Caribbean Spanish cooking. | |
of |
1. prep. Expressing distance or motion. | |
2. prep. (now obsolete, or dialectal) From (of distance, direction), "off". | |
3. prep. (obsolete except in phrases) Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.). | |
4. prep. From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.). | |
There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage. | |
5. prep. (North America, Scotland, Ireland) Before (the hour); to. | |
What's the time? / Nearly a quarter of three. | |
6. prep. Expressing separation. | |
7. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object.) | |
Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband. | |
8. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with resulting state indicated by an adjective.) | |
He seemed devoid of human feelings. | |
9. prep. (obsolete) (Indicating removal, absence or separation, construed with an intransitive verb.) | |
10. prep. Expressing origin. | |
11. prep. (Indicating an ancestral source or origin of descent.) | |
The word is believed to be of Japanese origin. | |
12. prep. (Indicating a (non-physical) source of action or emotion; introducing a cause, instigation); from, out of, as an expression of. | |
The invention was born of necessity. | |
13. prep. (following an intransitive verb) (Indicates the source or cause of the verb.) | |
It is said that she died of a broken heart. | |
14. prep. (following an adjective) (Indicates the subject or cause of the adjective.) | |
I am tired of all this nonsense. | |
15. prep. Expressing agency. | |
16. prep. (following a passive verb) (Indicates the agent (for most verbs, now usually expressed with by).) | |
I am not particularly enamoured of this idea. | |
17. prep. (Used to introduce the "subjective genitive"; following a noun to form the head of a postmodifying noun phrase) (see also 'Possession' senses below). | |
The contract can be terminated at any time with the agreement of both parties. | |
18. prep. (following an adjective) (Used to indicate the agent of something described by the adjective.) | |
It was very brave of you to speak out like that. | |
19. prep. Expressing composition, substance. | |
20. prep. (after a verb expressing construction, making etc.) (Used to indicate the material or substance used.) | |
Many 'corks' are now actually made of plastic. | |
21. prep. (directly following a noun) (Used to indicate the material of the just-mentioned object.) | |
She wore a dress of silk. | |
22. prep. (Indicating the composition of a given collective or quantitative noun.) | |
What a lot of nonsense! | |
23. prep. (Used to link a given class of things with a specific example of that class.) | |
Welcome to the historic town of Harwich. | |
24. prep. (Links two nouns in near-apposition, with the first qualifying the second); "which is also". | |
I'm not driving this wreck of a car. | |
25. prep. Introducing subject matter. | |
26. prep. (Links an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb and its subject (especially verbs to do with thinking, feeling, expressing etc.), with its subject-ma | |
I'm always thinking of you. | |
27. prep. (following a noun (now chiefly nouns of knowledge, communication etc.)) (Introduces its subject matter); about, concerning. | |
He told us the story of his journey to India. | |
28. prep. (following an adjective) (Introduces its subject matter.) | |
This behaviour is typical of teenagers. | |
29. prep. Having partitive effect. | |
30. prep. (following a number or other quantitive word) (Introduces the whole for which is indicated only the specified part or segment); "from among". | |
Most of these apples are rotten. | |
31. prep. (following a noun) (Indicates a given part.) | |
32. prep. (now archaic, literary, with preceding partitive word assumed, or as a predicate after to be) Some, an amount of, one of. | |
On the whole, they seem to be of the decent sort. | |
33. prep. (Links to a genitive noun or possessive pronoun, with partitive effect (though now often merged with possessive senses, below).) | |
He is a friend of mine. | |
34. prep. Expressing possession. | |
35. prep. Belonging to, existing in, or taking place in a given location, place or time. Compare "origin" senses, above. | |
He was perhaps the most famous scientist of the twentieth century. | |
36. prep. Belonging to (a place) through having title, ownership or control over it. | |
The owner of the nightclub was arrested. | |
37. prep. Belonging to (someone or something) as something they possess or have as a characteristic; (the "possessive genitive". (With abstract nouns, this inter | |
Keep the handle of the saucepan away from the flames. | |
38. prep. Forming the "objective genitive". | |
39. prep. (Follows an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action.) | |
She had a profound distrust of the police. | |
40. prep. Expressing qualities or characteristics. | |
41. prep. (now archaic, or literary) (Links an adjective with a noun or noun phrase to form a quasi-adverbial qualifier); in respect to, as regards. | |
My companion seemed affable and easy of manner. | |
42. prep. (Indicates a quality or characteristic); "characterized by". | |
Pooh was said to be a bear of very little brain. | |
43. prep. (Indicates quantity, age, price, etc.) | |
We have been paying interest at a rate of 10%. | |
44. prep. (US, informal considered incorrect by some) (Used to link singular indefinite nouns (preceded by the indefinite article) and attributive adjectives mod | |
It's not that big of a deal. | |
45. prep. Expressing a point in time. | |
46. prep. (chiefly regional) During the course of (a set period of time, day of the week etc.), now specifically with implied repetition or regularity. | |
Of an evening, we would often go for a stroll along the river. | |
47. prep. (UK dialectal, chiefly in negative constructions) For (a given length of time). | |
I've not tekken her out of a goodly long while. | |
48. prep. (after a noun) (Indicates duration of a state, activity etc.) | |
After a delay of three hours, the plane finally took off. | |
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. | |
real |
1. adj. True, genuine, not merely nominal or apparent. | |
2. adj. Genuine, not artificial, counterfeit, or fake. | |
This is real leather. | |
3. adj. Genuine, unfeigned, sincere. | |
These are real tears! | |
4. adj. Actually being, existing, or occurring; not fictitious or imaginary. | |
a description of real life | |
5. adj. That has objective, physical existence. | |
No one has ever seen a real unicorn. | |
6. adj. (economics) Having been adjusted to remove the effects of inflation; measured in purchasing power (contrast nominal). | |
My dad calculated my family's real consumption per month. | |
What is the real GNP of this polity? | |
7. adj. (economics) Relating to the result of the actions of rational agents; relating to neoclassical economic models as opposed to Keynesian models. | |
8. adj. (mathematics, of a number) Being either a rational number, or the limit of a convergent infinite sequence of rational numbers: being one of a set of numbers with a one-to-one correspondence to the poi | |
9. adj. (legal) Relating to immovable tangible property. | |
real estate; real property | |
10. adj. Absolute, complete, utter. | |
This is a real problem. | |
11. adj. (slang) Signifying meritorious qualities or actions especially as regard the enjoyment of life, prowess at sports, or success wooing potential partners. | |
I'm keeping it real. | |
12. adv. (US, colloquial) Really, very. | |
13. n. A commodity; see realty. | |
14. n. (grammar) One of the three genders that the common gender can be separated into in the Scandinavian languages. | |
15. n. (mathematics) A real number. | |
16. n. (obsolete) A realist. | |
17. n. Former unit of currency of Spain and Spain's colonies. | |
18. n. A coin worth one real. | |
19. n. A unit of currency used in Portugal and its colonies from 1430 until 1911, and in Brazil from 1790 until 1942 | |
20. n. A coin worth one real. | |
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. | |
fictitious |
1. adj. invented; contrived. | |
St. Mary Mead is a fictitious village from the books of Agatha Christie. | |
person |
1. n. An individual; usually a human being. | |
Each person is unique, both mentally and physically. | |
2. n. A character or part, as in a play; a specific kind or manifestation of individual character, whether in real life, or in literary or dramatic represent | |
3. n. (Christianity) Any one of the three hypostases of the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. | |
4. n. (chiefly in science fiction) Any sentient or socially intelligent being. | |
5. n. (in a compound noun or noun phrase) Someone who likes or has an affinity for (a specified thing). | |
Jack's always been a dog person, but I prefer cats. | |
6. n. The physical body of a being seen as distinct from the mind, character, etc. | |
7. n. (law) Any individual or formal organization with standing before the courts. | |
At common law a corporation or a trust is legally a person. | |
8. n. (law) The human genitalia; specifically, the penis. | |
9. n. (grammar) A linguistic category used to distinguish between the speaker of an utterance and those to whom or about whom he is speaking. See grammatical person. | |
10. n. (biology) A shoot or bud of a plant; a polyp or zooid of the compound Hydrozoa, Anthozoa, etc.; also, an individual, in the narrowest sense, among the higher animals. | |
11. v. (obsolete, transitive) To represent as a person; to personify; to impersonate. | |
12. v. (transitive, gender-neutral) To man. | |
whose |
1. det. (interrogative) Of whom, belonging to whom. | |
Whose wallet is this? | |
2. det. (relative) Of whom, belonging to whom. | |
This is the man whose dog caused the accident. (=This man's dog caused the accident.) | |
3. det. (relative) Of which, belonging to which. | |
We saw several houses whose roofs are falling off. (=The roofs are falling off several houses that we saw.) | |
4. pron. (interrogative) Of whom, belonging to whom. | |
Whose is this book? | |
He does not know whose this is. | |
5. pron. (relative, rare) Of whom, belonging to whom. | |
name |
1. n. Any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing. | |
I've never liked the name my parents gave me so I changed it at the age of twenty. | |
2. n. Reputation. | |
3. n. An abusive or insulting epithet. | |
Stop calling me names! | |
4. n. A person (or legal person). | |
5. n. Those of a certain name; a race; a family. | |
6. n. (computing) A unique identifier, generally a string of characters. | |
7. n. (finance) An investor in Lloyds of London bearing unlimited liability. | |
8. n. Authority. | |
Halt in the name of the law! | |
9. v. To give a name to. | |
One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting. | |
(audio One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting.ogg Audio (US)) | |
10. v. To mention, specify. | |
He named his demands. | |
You name it! | |
11. v. To identify as relevant or important | |
naming the problem | |
12. v. To publicly implicate. | |
The painter was named as an accomplice. | |
13. v. To designate for a role. | |
My neighbor was named to the steering committee. | |
14. v. (Westminster system politics) To initiate a process to temporarily remove a member of parliament who is breaking the rules of conduct. | |
15. n. Any of several types of true yam (Dioscorea) used in Caribbean Spanish cooking. | |
has |
1. v. third-person singular present indicative of have | |
have |
Additional archaic forms are second-person singular present tense hast, third-person singular present tense hath, present participle haveing, and second-person singular past tense hadst. | |
1. v. To possess, own, hold. | |
I have a house and a car. | |
Look what I have here — a frog I found on the street! | |
2. v. To be related in some way to (with the object identifying the relationship). | |
I have two sisters. | |
I have a lot of work to do. | |
3. v. To partake of a particular substance (especially a food or drink) or action. | |
I have breakfast at six o'clock. | |
Can I have a look at that? | |
I'm going to have some pizza and a beer right now. | |
4. v. To be scheduled to attend or participate in. | |
What class do you have right now? I have English. | |
Fred won't be able to come to the party; he has a meeting that day. | |
5. v. (auxiliary verb, taking a past participle) (Used in forming the perfect aspect and the past perfect aspect.) | |
I have already eaten today. | |
I had already eaten. | |
6. v. (auxiliary verb, taking a to-infinitive) See have to. | |
I have to go. | |
7. v. To give birth to. | |
The couple always wanted to have children. | |
My wife is having the baby right now! | |
My mother had me when she was 25. | |
8. v. To engage in sexual intercourse with. | |
He's always bragging about how many women he's had. | |
9. v. To accept as a romantic partner. | |
Despite my protestations of love, she would not have me. | |
10. v. (transitive with bare infinitive) To cause to, by a command, request or invitation. | |
They had me feed their dog while they were out of town. | |
11. v. (transitive with adjective or adjective-phrase complement) To cause to be. | |
He had him arrested for trespassing. | |
The lecture's ending had the entire audience in tears. | |
12. v. (transitive with bare infinitive) To be affected by an occurrence. (Used in supplying a topic that is not a verb argument.) | |
The hospital had several patients contract pneumonia last week. | |
I've had three people today tell me my hair looks nice. | |
13. v. (transitive with adjective or adjective-phrase complement) To depict as being. | |
Their stories differed; he said he'd been at work when the incident occurred, but her statement had him at home that entire evening. | |
14. v. (Used as interrogative auxiliary verb with a following pronoun to form tag questions. (For further discussion, see "Usage notes" below.)) | |
We haven't eaten dinner yet, have we? | |
Your wife hasn't been reading that nonsense, has she? | |
(UK usage) He has some money, hasn't he? | |
15. v. (UK, slang) To defeat in a fight; take. | |
I could have him! | |
I'm gonna have you! | |
16. v. (dated) To be able to speak a language. | |
I have no German. | |
17. v. To feel or be (especially painfully) aware of. | |
Dan certainly has arms today, probably from scraping paint off four columns the day before. | |
18. v. To be afflicted with, suffer from. | |
He had a cold last week. | |
19. v. To experience, go through, undergo. | |
We had a hard year last year, with the locust swarms and all that. | |
He had surgery on his hip yesterday. | |
I'm having the time of my life! | |
20. v. To trick, to deceive. | |
You had me alright! I never would have thought that was just a joke. | |
21. v. (transitive, often with present participle) To allow; to tolerate. | |
The child screamed incessantly for his mother to buy him a toy, but she wasn't having any of it. | |
I asked my dad if I could go to the concert this Thursday, but he wouldn't have it since it's a school night. | |
22. v. (transitive, often used in the negative) To believe, buy, be taken in by. | |
I made up an excuse as to why I was out so late, but my wife wasn't having any of it. | |
23. v. To host someone; to take in as a guest. | |
Thank you for having me! | |
24. v. To get a reading, measurement, or result from an instrument or calculation. | |
What do you have for problem two? | |
I have two contacts on my scope. | |
25. v. (transitive, of a jury) To consider a court proceeding that has been completed; to begin deliberations on a case. | |
We'll schedule closing arguments for Thursday, and the jury will have the case by that afternoon. | |
26. n. A wealthy or privileged person. | |
27. n. (uncommon) One who has some (contextually specified) thing. | |
28. n. (AU, NZ, informal) A fraud or deception; something misleading. | |
They advertise it as a great deal, but I think it's a bit of a have. | |
given |
1. v. past participle of give | |
2. prep. Considering; taking into account. | |
Given the current situation, I don't think that's possible. | |
3. n. A condition that is assumed to be true without further evaluation. | |
When evaluating this math problem, don't forget to read the givens. | |
4. adj. Particular, specific. | |
No more than three people can be in that space at a given time. | |
5. adj. Assumed as fact or hypothesis. | |
Given that we will get the resources, what do we want to achieve? | |
6. adj. (with to) Prone, disposed. | |
He was given to taking a couple of glasses of port at his club. | |
give |
1. v. (ditransitive) To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere. | |
2. v. To transfer one's possession or holding of (something) to (someone). | |
I gave him my coat. | |
I gave my coat to the beggar. | |
When they asked, I gave my coat. | |
3. v. To make a present or gift of. | |
I'm going to give my wife a necklace for her birthday. | |
She gave a pair of shoes to her husband for their anniversary. | |
He gives of his energies to the organization. | |
4. v. To pledge. | |
I gave him my word that I'd protect his children. | |
5. v. To provide (something) to (someone), to allow or afford. | |
I gave them permission to miss tomorrow's class. | |
Please give me some more time. | |
6. v. To cause (a sensation or feeling) to exist in. | |
It gives me a lot of pleasure to be here tonight. | |
The fence gave me an electric shock. | |
My mother-in-law gives me nothing but grief. | |
7. v. To carry out (a physical interaction) with (something). | |
I want to give you a kiss. | |
She gave him a hug. | |
I'd like to give the tire a kick. | |
I gave the boy a push on the swing. | |
She gave me a wink afterwards, so I knew she was joking. | |
8. v. To pass (something) into (someone's) hand or the like. | |
Give me your hand. | |
On entering the house, he gave his coat to the doorman. | |
9. v. To cause (a disease or condition) in, or to transmit (a disease or condition) to. | |
My boyfriend gave me chlamydia. | |
He was convinced that it was his alcoholism that gave him cancer. | |
10. v. (ditransitive) To estimate or predict (a duration or probability) for (something). | |
I give it ten minutes before he gives up. | |
I give it a 95% chance of success. | |
I'll give their marriage six months. | |
11. v. (intransitive) To yield slightly when a force is applied. | |
12. v. (intransitive) To collapse under pressure or force. | |
One pillar gave, then more, and suddenly the whole floor pancaked onto the floor below. | |
13. v. To provide, as, a service or a broadcast. | |
They're giving my favorite show! | |
14. v. (intransitive) To lead (onto or into). | |
The master bedroom gives onto a spacious balcony. | |
15. v. (transitive, dated) To provide a view of. | |
His window gave the park. | |
16. v. To exhibit as a product or result; to produce; to yield. | |
The number of men, divided by the number of ships, gives four hundred to each ship. | |
17. v. To cause; to make; used with the infinitive. | |
18. v. To cause (someone) to have; produce in (someone); effectuate. | |
19. v. To allow or admit by way of supposition; to concede. | |
He can be bad-tempered, I'll give you that, but he's a hard worker. | |
20. v. To attribute; to assign; to adjudge. | |
21. v. To communicate or announce (advice, tidings, etc.); to pronounce or utter (an opinion, a judgment, a shout, etc.). | |
22. v. (dated) To grant power or permission to; to allow. | |
23. v. (reflexive) To devote or apply (oneself). | |
The soldiers give themselves to plunder. | |
That boy is given to fits of bad temper. | |
24. v. (obsolete) To become soft or moist. | |
25. v. (obsolete) To shed tears; to weep. | |
26. v. (obsolete) To have a misgiving. | |
27. v. To be going on, to be occurring | |
What gives? | |
28. n. The amount of bending that something undergoes when a force is applied to it; a tendency to yield under pressure; resilence. | |
This chair doesn't have much give. | |
There is no give in his dogmatic religious beliefs. | |
rise |
1. v. (intransitive) To move, or appear to move, physically upwards relative to the ground. | |
2. v. To move upwards. | |
We watched the balloon rise. | |
3. v. To grow upward; to attain a certain height. | |
This elm tree rises to a height of seventy feet. | |
4. v. To slope upward. | |
The path rises as you approach the foot of the hill. | |
5. v. (of a celestial body) To appear to move upwards from behind the horizon of a planet as a result of the planet's rotation. | |
The sun was rising in the East. | |
6. v. To become erect; to assume an upright position. | |
to rise from a chair or from a fall | |
7. v. To leave one's bed; to get up. | |
8. v. (figurative) To be resurrected. | |
he rose from the grave; he is risen! | |
9. v. (figurative) To terminate an official sitting; to adjourn. | |
The committee rose after agreeing to the report. | |
10. v. (intransitive) To increase in value or standing. | |
11. v. To attain a higher status. | |
12. v. Of a quantity, price, etc., to increase. | |
13. v. To become more and more dignified or forcible; to increase in interest or power; said of style, thought, or discourse. | |
to rise in force of expression; to rise in eloquence; a story rises in interest. | |
14. v. To ascend on a musical scale; to take a higher pitch. | |
to rise a tone or semitone | |
15. v. To begin; to develop. | |
16. v. To develop. | |
17. v. To swell or puff up in the process of fermentation; to become light. | |
Has that dough risen yet? | |
18. v. (of a river) To have its source (in a particular place). | |
19. v. To become perceptible to the senses, other than sight. | |
a noise rose on the air; odour rises from the flower | |
20. v. To become agitated, opposed, or hostile; to go to war; to take up arms; to rebel. | |
21. v. To come to mind; to be suggested; to occur. | |
22. v. To go up; to ascend; to climb. | |
to rise a hill | |
23. v. To cause to go up or ascend. | |
to rise a fish, or cause it to come to the surface of the water | |
to rise a ship, or bring it above the horizon by approaching it | |
24. v. (obsolete) To retire; to give up a siege. | |
25. v. To come; to offer itself. | |
26. v. (printing, dated) To be lifted, or capable of being lifted, from the imposing stone without dropping any of the type; said of a form. | |
27. n. The process of or an action or instance of moving upwards or becoming greater. | |
The rise of the tide. | |
There was a rise of nearly two degrees since yesterday. | |
Exercise is usually accompanied by a temporary rise in blood pressure. | |
28. n. The process of or an action or instance of coming to prominence. | |
The rise of the working class. | |
The rise of the printing press. | |
The rise of the feminists. | |
29. n. (chiefly UK) An increase (in a quantity, price, etc). | |
30. n. The amount of material extending from waist to crotch in a pair of trousers or shorts. | |
The rise of his pants was so low that his tailbone was exposed. | |
31. n. (Ireland) An increase in someone's pay rate; a raise (US). | |
The governor just gave me a rise of two pound six. | |
32. n. (Sussex) A small hill; used chiefly in place names. | |
33. n. An area of terrain that tends upward away from the viewer, such that it conceals the region behind it; a slope. | |
34. n. (informal) An angry reaction. | |
I knew that would get a rise out of him. | |
35. n. alternative form of rice (twig) | |
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 | |
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. | |
name |
1. n. Any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing. | |
I've never liked the name my parents gave me so I changed it at the age of twenty. | |
2. n. Reputation. | |
3. n. An abusive or insulting epithet. | |
Stop calling me names! | |
4. n. A person (or legal person). | |
5. n. Those of a certain name; a race; a family. | |
6. n. (computing) A unique identifier, generally a string of characters. | |
7. n. (finance) An investor in Lloyds of London bearing unlimited liability. | |
8. n. Authority. | |
Halt in the name of the law! | |
9. v. To give a name to. | |
One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting. | |
(audio One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting.ogg Audio (US)) | |
10. v. To mention, specify. | |
He named his demands. | |
You name it! | |
11. v. To identify as relevant or important | |
naming the problem | |
12. v. To publicly implicate. | |
The painter was named as an accomplice. | |
13. v. To designate for a role. | |
My neighbor was named to the steering committee. | |
14. v. (Westminster system politics) To initiate a process to temporarily remove a member of parliament who is breaking the rules of conduct. | |
15. n. Any of several types of true yam (Dioscorea) used in Caribbean Spanish cooking. | |
of |
1. prep. Expressing distance or motion. | |
2. prep. (now obsolete, or dialectal) From (of distance, direction), "off". | |
3. prep. (obsolete except in phrases) Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.). | |
4. prep. From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.). | |
There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage. | |
5. prep. (North America, Scotland, Ireland) Before (the hour); to. | |
What's the time? / Nearly a quarter of three. | |
6. prep. Expressing separation. | |
7. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object.) | |
Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband. | |
8. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with resulting state indicated by an adjective.) | |
He seemed devoid of human feelings. | |
9. prep. (obsolete) (Indicating removal, absence or separation, construed with an intransitive verb.) | |
10. prep. Expressing origin. | |
11. prep. (Indicating an ancestral source or origin of descent.) | |
The word is believed to be of Japanese origin. | |
12. prep. (Indicating a (non-physical) source of action or emotion; introducing a cause, instigation); from, out of, as an expression of. | |
The invention was born of necessity. | |
13. prep. (following an intransitive verb) (Indicates the source or cause of the verb.) | |
It is said that she died of a broken heart. | |
14. prep. (following an adjective) (Indicates the subject or cause of the adjective.) | |
I am tired of all this nonsense. | |
15. prep. Expressing agency. | |
16. prep. (following a passive verb) (Indicates the agent (for most verbs, now usually expressed with by).) | |
I am not particularly enamoured of this idea. | |
17. prep. (Used to introduce the "subjective genitive"; following a noun to form the head of a postmodifying noun phrase) (see also 'Possession' senses below). | |
The contract can be terminated at any time with the agreement of both parties. | |
18. prep. (following an adjective) (Used to indicate the agent of something described by the adjective.) | |
It was very brave of you to speak out like that. | |
19. prep. Expressing composition, substance. | |
20. prep. (after a verb expressing construction, making etc.) (Used to indicate the material or substance used.) | |
Many 'corks' are now actually made of plastic. | |
21. prep. (directly following a noun) (Used to indicate the material of the just-mentioned object.) | |
She wore a dress of silk. | |
22. prep. (Indicating the composition of a given collective or quantitative noun.) | |
What a lot of nonsense! | |
23. prep. (Used to link a given class of things with a specific example of that class.) | |
Welcome to the historic town of Harwich. | |
24. prep. (Links two nouns in near-apposition, with the first qualifying the second); "which is also". | |
I'm not driving this wreck of a car. | |
25. prep. Introducing subject matter. | |
26. prep. (Links an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb and its subject (especially verbs to do with thinking, feeling, expressing etc.), with its subject-ma | |
I'm always thinking of you. | |
27. prep. (following a noun (now chiefly nouns of knowledge, communication etc.)) (Introduces its subject matter); about, concerning. | |
He told us the story of his journey to India. | |
28. prep. (following an adjective) (Introduces its subject matter.) | |
This behaviour is typical of teenagers. | |
29. prep. Having partitive effect. | |
30. prep. (following a number or other quantitive word) (Introduces the whole for which is indicated only the specified part or segment); "from among". | |
Most of these apples are rotten. | |
31. prep. (following a noun) (Indicates a given part.) | |
32. prep. (now archaic, literary, with preceding partitive word assumed, or as a predicate after to be) Some, an amount of, one of. | |
On the whole, they seem to be of the decent sort. | |
33. prep. (Links to a genitive noun or possessive pronoun, with partitive effect (though now often merged with possessive senses, below).) | |
He is a friend of mine. | |
34. prep. Expressing possession. | |
35. prep. Belonging to, existing in, or taking place in a given location, place or time. Compare "origin" senses, above. | |
He was perhaps the most famous scientist of the twentieth century. | |
36. prep. Belonging to (a place) through having title, ownership or control over it. | |
The owner of the nightclub was arrested. | |
37. prep. Belonging to (someone or something) as something they possess or have as a characteristic; (the "possessive genitive". (With abstract nouns, this inter | |
Keep the handle of the saucepan away from the flames. | |
38. prep. Forming the "objective genitive". | |
39. prep. (Follows an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action.) | |
She had a profound distrust of the police. | |
40. prep. Expressing qualities or characteristics. | |
41. prep. (now archaic, or literary) (Links an adjective with a noun or noun phrase to form a quasi-adverbial qualifier); in respect to, as regards. | |
My companion seemed affable and easy of manner. | |
42. prep. (Indicates a quality or characteristic); "characterized by". | |
Pooh was said to be a bear of very little brain. | |
43. prep. (Indicates quantity, age, price, etc.) | |
We have been paying interest at a rate of 10%. | |
44. prep. (US, informal considered incorrect by some) (Used to link singular indefinite nouns (preceded by the indefinite article) and attributive adjectives mod | |
It's not that big of a deal. | |
45. prep. Expressing a point in time. | |
46. prep. (chiefly regional) During the course of (a set period of time, day of the week etc.), now specifically with implied repetition or regularity. | |
Of an evening, we would often go for a stroll along the river. | |
47. prep. (UK dialectal, chiefly in negative constructions) For (a given length of time). | |
I've not tekken her out of a goodly long while. | |
48. prep. (after a noun) (Indicates duration of a state, activity etc.) | |
After a delay of three hours, the plane finally took off. | |
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. | |
particular |
1. adj. (also non-comparable) | |
2. adj. (obsolete) Pertaining only to a part of something; partial. | |
3. adj. Specific; discrete; concrete. | |
I couldn't find the particular model you asked for, but I hope this one will do. | |
We knew it was named after John Smith, but nobody knows which particular John Smith. | |
4. adj. Specialised; characteristic of a specific person or thing. | |
I don't appreciate your particular brand of cynicism. | |
5. adj. (obsolete) Known only to an individual person or group; confidential. | |
6. adj. Distinguished in some way; special (often in negative constructions). | |
My five favorite places are, in no particular order, New York, Chicago, Paris, San Francisco and London. | |
I didn't have any particular interest in the book. | |
He brought no particular news. | |
She was the particular belle of the party. | |
7. adj. (comparable) Of a person, concerned with, or attentive to, details; minute; precise; fastidious. | |
He is very particular about his food and if it isn't cooked to perfection he will send it back. | |
Women are more particular about their appearance. | |
8. adj. Concerned with, or attentive to, details; minute; circumstantial; precise. | |
a full and particular account of an accident | |
9. adj. (legal) Containing a part only; limited. | |
a particular estate, or one precedent to an estate in remainder | |
10. adj. (legal) Holding a particular estate. | |
a particular tenant | |
11. adj. (logic) Forming a part of a genus; relatively limited in extension; affirmed or denied of a part of a subject. | |
a particular proposition, opposed to "universal", e.g. (particular affirmative) "Some men are wise"; (particular negative) "Some men are not wise". | |
12. n. A small individual part of something larger; a detail, a point. | |
13. n. (obsolete) A person's own individual case. | |
14. n. (now philosophy, chiefly in plural) A particular case; an individual thing as opposed to a whole class. (Opposed to generals, universals.) | |
item |
1. n. A distinct physical object. | |
Tweezers are great for manipulating small items. | |
2. n. , passage=The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters (...). But the priciest items in the market aren' | |
3. n. (by extension, video games) An object that can be picked up for later use. | |
4. n. A line of text having a legal or other meaning; a separate particular in an account. | |
the items in a bill | |
In response to the first item, we deny all wrongdoing. | |
5. n. (psychometrics) A question on a test, which may include its answers. | |
The exam has 100 items, each of which includes a correct response and three distractors. | |
6. n. A matter for discussion in an agenda. | |
The first item for discussion is the budget for next year's picnic. | |
7. n. (informal) Two people who are having a relationship with each other. | |
Jack and Jill are an item. | |
8. n. A short article in a newspaper. | |
an item concerning the weather | |
9. n. (obsolete) A hint; an innuendo. | |
10. v. To make a note of. | |
11. adv. likewise | |