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. | |
surface |
1. n. The overside or up-side of a flat object such as a table, or of a liquid. | |
2. n. The outside hull of a tangible object. | |
3. n. (figurative) Outward or external appearance. | |
On the surface, the spy looked like a typical businessman. | |
4. n. (mathematics, geometry) The locus of an equation (especially one with exactly two degrees of freedom) in a more-than-two-dimensional space. | |
5. n. (fortification) That part of the side which is terminated by the flank prolonged, and the angle of the nearest bastion. | |
6. v. To provide something with a surface. | |
7. v. To apply a surface to something. | |
8. v. (intransitive) To rise to the surface. | |
9. v. To bring to the surface. | |
10. v. (intransitive) To come out of hiding. | |
11. v. (intransitive) For information or facts to become known. | |
12. v. To make information or facts known. | |
13. v. (intransitive) To work a mine near the surface. | |
14. v. (intransitive) To appear or be found. | |
space |
1. n. Of time.: | |
2. n. (now rare, archaic) Free time; leisure, opportunity. | |
3. n. A specific (specified) period of time. | |
4. n. An undefined period of time (without qualifier, especially a short period); a while. | |
5. n. Unlimited or generalized physical extent.: | |
6. n. Distance between things. | |
7. n. Physical extent across two or three dimensions; area, volume (sometimes for or to do something). | |
8. n. Physical extent in all directions, seen as an attribute of the universe (now usually considered as a part of space-time), or a mathematical model of th | |
9. n. The near-vacuum in which planets, stars and other celestial objects are situated; the universe beyond the earth's atmosphere. | |
10. n. The physical and psychological area one needs within which to live or operate; personal freedom. | |
11. n. A bounded or specific physical extent.: | |
12. n. A (chiefly empty) area or volume with set limits or boundaries. | |
13. n. (music) A position on the staff or stave bounded by lines. | |
14. n. A gap in text between words, lines etc., or a digital character used to create such a gap. | |
15. n. (metal type) A piece of metal type used to separate words, cast lower than other type so as not to take ink, especially one that is narrower than one e | |
16. n. A gap; an empty place. | |
17. n. (geometry) A set of points, each of which is uniquely specified by a number (the dimensionality) of coordinates. | |
18. n. (mathematics) A generalized construct or set whose members have some property in common; typically there will be a geometric metaphor allowing these me | |
Functional analysis is best approached through a sound knowledge of Hilbert space theory. | |
19. n. (figuratively) A marketplace for goods or services. | |
innovation in the browser space | |
20. v. (obsolete, intransitive) To roam, walk, wander. | |
21. v. To set some distance apart. | |
Faye had spaced the pots at 8-inch intervals on the windowsill. | |
The cities are evenly spaced. | |
22. v. To insert or utilise spaces in a written text. | |
This paragraph seems badly spaced. | |
23. v. (transitive, science fiction) To eject into outer space, usually without a space suit. | |
The captain spaced the traitors. | |
24. v. (intransitive, science fiction) To travel into and through outer space. | |
occupied |
1. adj. Reserved, engaged. | |
The stall on the left is occupied. | |
2. adj. Busy, unavailable. | |
She is occupied at the moment. | |
3. adj. Subjugated, under the control of a foreign military presence. | |
My father travelled to occupied Japan in December 1945. | |
4. v. simple past tense and past participle of occupy | |
occupy |
1. v. To take or use time. | |
2. v. To fill time. | |
The film occupied three hours of my time. | |
3. v. To possess or use the time or capacity of; to engage the service of. | |
The film occupied me for three hours. | |
I occupy myself with gardening for a few hours every day. | |
4. v. To fill or hold (an official position or role). | |
I occupy the post of deputy cat catcher. | |
5. v. To hold the attention of. | |
I occupied her friend while he made his proposal. | |
6. v. To take or use space. | |
7. v. To fill space. | |
The historic mansion occupied two city blocks. | |
8. v. To live or reside in. | |
9. v. (military) To have, or to have taken, possession or control of (a territory). | |
10. v. (surveying) To place the theodolite or total station at (a point). | |
11. v. (transitive, obsolete) To have sexual intercourse with.Sidney J. Baker, The Australian Language, second edition, 1966. | |
12. v. (obsolete) To do business in; to busy oneself with. | |
13. v. (obsolete) To use; to expend; to make use of. | |
by |
1. prep. Near or next to. | |
The mailbox is by the bus stop. | |
2. prep. At some time before (the given time), or before the end of a given time interval. | |
Be back by ten o'clock! We will send it by the first week of July. | |
3. prep. Indicates the actor in a clause with its verb in the passive voice: Through the action or presence of. | |
The matter was decided by the chairman. The boat was swamped by the water. He was protected by his body armour. | |
4. prep. Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of. | |
There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare | |
5. prep. Indicates the cause of a condition or event: Through the action of, caused by, responsibility for; by dint of. | |
6. prep. Indicates a means: Involving/using the means of. | |
I avoided the guards by moving only when they weren't looking. | |
7. prep. Indicates a source of light used as illumination. | |
The electricity was cut off, so we had to read by candlelight. | |
8. prep. Indicates an authority, rule, or permission followed. | |
I sorted the items by category. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. | |
9. prep. Indicates the amount of some progression: With a change of. | |
Our stock is up by ten percent. | |
10. prep. In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another. | |
We went through the book page by page. We crawled forward by inches. | |
11. prep. Indicates a referenced source: According to. | |
He cheated by his own admission. | |
12. prep. Indicates an oath: With the authority of. | |
By Jove! I think she's got it! By all that is holy, I'll put an end to this. | |
13. prep. Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something. | |
It is easy to invert a 2-by-2 matrix. The room was about 4 foot by 6 foot. The bricks used to build the wall measured 10 by 20 by 30 cm. | |
14. prep. (horse breeding) Designates a horse's male parent (sire); cf. out of. | |
She's a lovely little filly, by Big Lad, out of Damsel in Distress. | |
15. adv. Along a path which runs by the speaker. | |
I watched as it passed by. | |
16. adv. In the vicinity, near. | |
There was a shepherd close by. | |
The shop is hard by the High Street. | |
17. adv. To or at a place, as a residence or place of business. | |
I'll stop by on my way home from work. | |
We're right near the lifeguard station. Come by before you leave. | |
18. adv. Aside, away. | |
The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring. | |
19. adj. Out of the way, subsidiary. | |
20. n. (card games) A pass | |
21. interj. alternative spelling of bye | |
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. | |
structure |
1. n. A cohesive whole built up of distinct parts. | |
The birds had built an amazing structure out of sticks and various discarded items. | |
2. n. The underlying shape of a solid. | |
He studied the structure of her face. | |
3. n. The overall form or organization of something. | |
The structure of a sentence. | |
The structure of the society was still a mystery. | |
4. n. A set of rules defining behaviour. | |
For some, the structure of school life was oppressive. | |
5. n. (computing) Several pieces of data treated as a unit. | |
This structure contains both date and timezone information. | |
6. n. (fishing) Underwater terrain or objects (such as a dead tree or a submerged car) that tend to attract fish | |
There's lots of structure to be fished along the west shore of the lake; the impoundment submerged a town there when it was built. | |
7. n. A body, such as a political party, with a cohesive purpose or outlook. | |
The South African leader went off to consult with the structures. | |
8. n. (logic) A set along with a collection of finitary functions and relations. | |
9. v. To give structure to; to arrange. | |
I'm trying to structure my time better so I'm not always late. | |
I've structured the deal to limit the amount of money we can lose. | |