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they
     1. pron. (the third-person plural) A group of people, animals, plants or objects previously mentioned.
           Fred and Jane? They just arrived.   Dogs may bark if they want to be fed.   Plants wilt if they are not watered.
           I have a car and a truck, but they are both broken.
     2. pron. (the third-person singular, sometimes proscribed) A single person, previously mentioned, especially if of unknown or non-binary gender, but not if previously named and identified as male or female.
     3. pron. (indefinite pronoun, vague meaning) People; some people; people in general; someone, excluding the speaker.
           They say it’s a good place to live.
           They didn’t have computers in the old days.
           They should do something about this.
           They have a lot of snow in winter.
     4. det. (now Southern England dialect, or nonstandard) The, those.
     5. det. (US dialects including AAVE) Their.
     6. pron. (US dialectal) There (especially as an expletive subject of be).
are
     1. v. second-person singular present of be
           Mary, where are you going?
     2. v. first-person plural present of be
           We are not coming.
     3. v. second-person plural present of be
           Mary and John, are you listening?
     4. v. third-person plural present of be
           They are here somewhere.
     5. v. (East Yorkshire, Midlands) present of be
     6. n. (dialectal, or obsolete) grace, mercy
           To bid God's are.
           God's are is what children of God seech and seek.
     7. n. (obsolete) honour, dignity
     8. n. (rare) an accepted (but deprecated and rarely used) SI unit of area equal to 100 square metres, or a former unit of approximately the same extent. Symbol: a
     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?
mercifully
     1. adv. In a merciful manner.
     2. adv. thankfully
few
     1. det. (preceded by another determiner) An indefinite, but usually small, number of.
           I was expecting lots of people at the party, but very few (=almost none) turned up.   Quite a few of them (=many of them) were pleasantly surprised.   I don't know how
     2. det. (used alone) Not many; a small (in comparison with another number stated or implied) but somewhat indefinite number of.
           There are few people who understand quantum theory.   Many are called, but few are chosen.
     3. det. (meteorology of clouds) (US?) Obscuring one eighth to two eighths of the sky.
           Tonight: A few clouds. Increasing cloudiness overnight.
           NOAA definition of the term "few clouds": An official sky cover classification for aviation weather observations, descriptive of a sky cover of 1/8 to 2/8. This is applied only when obscuring p
     4. det. (meteorology of rainfall with regard to a location) (US?) Having a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch); used interchangeably with isolated.
     5. pron. Few people, few things.
           Many are called, but few are chosen.
but
     1. prep. (obsolete, outside, Scotland) Outside of.
           Away but the hoose and tell me whae's there.
     2. prep. Apart from, except (for), excluding.
           Everyone but Father left early.
           I like everything but that.
           Nobody answered the door when I knocked, so I had no choice but to leave.
     3. adv. Merely, only, just.
     4. adv. (Australian, conjunctive) Though, however.
           I'll have to go home early but.
     5. adv. Used as an intensifier.
           Nobody, but nobody, crosses me and gets away with it.
     6. conj. (following a negative clause or sentence) On the contrary, but rather (introducing a word or clause that contrasts with or contradicts the preceding clause or sentence without the negation).
           I am not rich but (I am) poor;  not John but Peter went there.
     7. conj. However, although, nevertheless, on the other hand (implies that the following clause is contrary to prior belief or contrasts with or contradicts the preceding clause or sentence).
           She is very old but still attractive.
           You told me I could do that, but she said that I could not.
     8. conj. Except that (introducing a subordinate clause which qualifies a negative statement); also, with omission of the subject of the subordinate clause, acting as a negative relative, "except one that", "ex
           I cannot but feel offended.
     9. conj. (archaic) Without its also being the case that; unless that (introducing a necessary concomitant).
           It never rains but it pours.
     10. conj. (obsolete) Except with; unless with; without.
     11. conj. (obsolete) Only; solely; merely.
     12. conj. (obsolete) Until.
     13. n. An instance or example of using the word "but".
           It has to be done – no ifs or buts.
     14. n. (Scotland) The outer room of a small two-room cottage.
     15. n. A limit; a boundary.
     16. n. The end; especially the larger or thicker end, or the blunt, in distinction from the sharp, end; the butt.
     17. v. (archaic) Use the word "but".
           But me no buts.
they
     1. pron. (the third-person plural) A group of people, animals, plants or objects previously mentioned.
           Fred and Jane? They just arrived.   Dogs may bark if they want to be fed.   Plants wilt if they are not watered.
           I have a car and a truck, but they are both broken.
     2. pron. (the third-person singular, sometimes proscribed) A single person, previously mentioned, especially if of unknown or non-binary gender, but not if previously named and identified as male or female.
     3. pron. (indefinite pronoun, vague meaning) People; some people; people in general; someone, excluding the speaker.
           They say it’s a good place to live.
           They didn’t have computers in the old days.
           They should do something about this.
           They have a lot of snow in winter.
     4. det. (now Southern England dialect, or nonstandard) The, those.
     5. det. (US dialects including AAVE) Their.
     6. pron. (US dialectal) There (especially as an expletive subject of be).
exist
     1. v. to be; have existence; have being or reality
Dictionary entries from Wiktionary