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 | |
break |
1. v. (transitive, intransitive) To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly. | |
If the vase falls to the floor, it might break. | |
In order to tend to the accident victim, he will break the window of the car. | |
2. v. (transitive, intransitive) To crack or fracture (bone) under a physical strain. | |
His ribs broke under the weight of the rocks piled on his chest. | |
She broke her neck. | |
He slipped on the ice and broke his leg. | |
3. v. To divide (something, often money) into smaller units. | |
Can you break a hundred-dollar bill for me? | |
The wholesaler broke the container loads into palettes and boxes for local retailers. | |
4. v. To cause (a person or animal) to lose spirit or will; to crush the spirits of. | |
Her child's death broke Angela. | |
Interrogators have used many forms of torture to break prisoners of war. | |
The interrogator hoped to break her to get her testimony against her accomplices. | |
5. v. To turn an animal into a beast of burden. | |
You have to break an elephant before you can use it as an animal of burden. | |
6. v. (intransitive) To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief. | |
My heart is breaking. | |
7. v. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate. | |
I've got to break this habit I have of biting my nails. | |
to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's journey | |
I had won four games in a row, but now you've broken my streak of luck. | |
8. v. To ruin financially. | |
The recession broke some small businesses. | |
9. v. To violate, to not adhere to. | |
When you go to Vancouver, promise me you won't break the law. | |
He broke his vows by cheating on his wife. | |
break one's word | |
Time travel would break the laws of physics. | |
10. v. (intransitive, of a fever) To pass the most dangerous part of the illness; to go down, in terms of temperature. | |
Susan's fever broke at about 3 AM, and the doctor said the worst was over. | |
11. v. (intransitive, of a spell of settled weather) To end. | |
The forecast says the hot weather will break by midweek. | |
12. v. (intransitive, of a storm) To begin; to end. | |
We ran to find shelter before the storm broke. | |
Around midday the storm broke, and the afternoon was calm and sunny. | |
13. v. (intransitive, of morning, dawn, day etc.) To arrive. | |
Morning has broken. | |
The day broke crisp and clear. | |
14. v. (transitive, gaming slang) To render (a game) unchallenging by altering its rules or exploiting loopholes or weaknesses in them in a way that gives a player an unfair advantage. | |
Changing the rules to let white have three extra queens would break chess. | |
I broke the RPG by training every member of my party to cast fireballs as well as use swords. | |
15. v. (transitive, intransitive) To stop, or to cause to stop, functioning properly or altogether. | |
On the hottest day of the year the refrigerator broke. | |
Did you two break the trolley by racing with it? | |
16. v. (specifically, in programming) To cause (some feature of a program or piece of software) to stop functioning properly; to cause a regression. | |
Adding 64-bit support broke backward compatibility with earlier versions. | |
17. v. To cause (a barrier) to no longer bar. | |
break a seal | |
18. v. (specifically) To cause the shell of (an egg) to crack, so that the inside (yolk) is accessible. | |
19. v. (specifically) To open (a safe) without using the correct key, combination or the like. | |
20. v. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce. | |
The cavalry were not able to break the British squares. | |
21. v. (intransitive) To burst forth; to make its way; to come into view. | |
22. v. (intransitive) To interrupt or cease one's work or occupation temporarily. | |
Let's break for lunch. | |
23. v. To interrupt (a fall) by inserting something so that the falling object does not (immediately) hit something else beneath. | |
He survived the jump out the window because the bushes below broke his fall. | |
24. v. (transitive, ergative) To disclose or make known an item of news, etc. | |
The newsman wanted to break a big story, something that would make him famous. | |
I don't know how to break this to you, but your cat is not coming back. | |
In the latest breaking news... | |
When news of their divorce broke, ... | |
25. v. (intransitive, of a sound) To become audible suddenly. | |
26. v. To change a steady state abruptly. | |
His coughing broke the silence. | |
His turning on the lights broke the enchantment. | |
With the mood broken, what we had been doing seemed pretty silly. | |
27. v. (copulative, informal) To suddenly become. | |
Things began breaking bad for him when his parents died. | |
The arrest was standard, when suddenly the suspect broke ugly. | |
28. v. (intransitive) Of a male voice, to become deeper at puberty. | |
29. v. (intransitive) Of a voice, to alter in type due to emotion or strain: in men generally to go up, in women sometimes to go down; to crack. | |
His voice breaks when he gets emotional. | |
30. v. To surpass or do better than (a specific number), to do better than (a record), setting a new record. | |
He broke the men's 100-meter record. | |
I can't believe she broke 3 under par! | |
The policeman broke sixty on a residential street in his hurry to catch the thief. | |
31. v. (sports): | |
32. v. (transitive, tennis) To win a game (against one's opponent) as receiver. | |
He needs to break serve to win the match. | |
33. v. (intransitive, billiards, snooker, pool) To make the first shot; to scatter the balls from the initial neat arrangement. | |
Is it your or my turn to break? | |
34. v. (transitive, backgammon) To remove one of the two men on (a point). | |
35. v. (transitive military, most often in the passive tense) To demote, to reduce the military rank of. | |
36. v. To end (a connection), to disconnect. | |
The referee ordered the boxers to break the clinch. | |
The referee broke the boxers' clinch. | |
I couldn't hear a thing he was saying, so I broke the connection and called him back. | |
37. v. (intransitive, of an emulsion) To demulsify. | |
38. v. (intransitive, sports) To counter-attack | |
39. v. (transitive, obsolete) To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate. | |
40. v. (intransitive) To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength. | |
41. v. (intransitive, obsolete) To fail in business; to become bankrupt. | |
42. v. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of. | |
to break flax | |
43. v. To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss. | |
44. v. (intransitive) To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait. | |
to break into a run or gallop | |
45. v. (intransitive, archaic) To fall out; to terminate friendship. | |
down |
1. n. (especially southern England) A hill, especially a chalk hill; rolling grassland | |
We went for a walk over the downs. | |
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England. | |
2. n. (usually plural) A field, especially one used for horse racing. | |
3. n. (mostly) A tract of poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep. | |
4. n. (American football) Any of the four chances for a team to successfully move the ball for the yards needed to keep possession of the ball. | |
first down, second down, etc. | |
5. adv. (comparable) From a higher position to a lower one; downwards. | |
The cat jumped down from the table. | |
6. adv. (comparable) At a lower and/or further along or away place or position along a set path. | |
His place is farther down the road. | |
The company was well down the path to bankruptcy. | |
7. adv. South (as south is at the bottom of typical maps). | |
I went down to Miami for a conference. | |
8. adv. (Ireland) Away from the city (even if the location is to the North). | |
He went down to Cavan. | |
down on the farm | |
down country | |
9. adv. (sport) Towards the opponent's side (in ball-sports). | |
10. adv. Into a state of non-operation. | |
The computer has been shut down. | |
They closed the shop down. | |
11. adv. To a subordinate or less prestigious position or rank. | |
Smith was sent down to the minors to work on his batting. | |
After the incident, Kelly went down to Second Lieutenant. | |
12. adv. (anchor, Adv_rail)(rail transport) In the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero. | |
13. adv. (sentence substitute, imperative) Get down. | |
Down, boy! (such as to direct a dog to stand on four legs from two, or to sit from standing on four legs.) | |
14. adv. (academia) Away from Oxford or Cambridge. | |
He's gone back down to Newcastle for Christmas. | |
15. adv. From a remoter or higher antiquity. | |
16. adv. From a greater to a less bulk, or from a thinner to a thicker consistence. | |
17. adv. From less to greater detail. | |
18. adv. (intensifier) Used with verbs to add emphasis to the action of the verb. | |
They tamped (down) the asphalt to get a better bond. | |
19. adv. Used with verbs to indicate that the action of the verb was carried to some state of completion, rather than being of indefinite duration. | |
He boiled the mixture./He boiled down the mixture. | |
He sat waiting./He sat down and waited. | |
20. prep. From the higher end to the lower of. | |
The ball rolled down the hill. | |
21. prep. From one end to another of. | |
The bus went down the street. | |
They walked down the beach holding hands. | |
22. adj. (informal) sad, unhappy, Depressed, feeling low. | |
23. adj. Sick or ill. | |
He is down with the flu. | |
24. adj. At a lower level than before. | |
The stock market is down. | |
Prices are down. | |
25. adj. Having a lower score than an opponent. | |
They are down by 3-0 with just 5 minutes to play. | |
He was down by a bishop and a pawn after 15 moves. | |
At 5-1 down, she produced a great comeback to win the set on a tiebreak. | |
26. adj. (baseball, colloquial, following the noun modified) Out. | |
Two down and one to go in the bottom of the ninth. | |
27. adj. (colloquial) With "on", negative about, hostile to | |
Ever since Nixon, I've been down on Republicans. | |
28. adj. (not comparable, North America, slang) Comfortable with, accepting of. | |
He's chill enough; he'd probably be totally down with it. | |
Are you down to hang out at the mall, Jamal? | |
As long as you're down with helping me pick a phone, Tyrone. | |
29. adj. (not comparable) Inoperable; out of order; out of service. | |
The system is down. | |
30. adj. Finished (of a task); defeated or dealt with (of an opponent or obstacle); elapsed (of time). Often coupled with to go (remaining). | |
Two down and three to go. (Two tasks completed and three more still to be done.) | |
Ten minutes down and nothing's happened yet. | |
31. adj. (not comparable military, police slang) Wounded and unable to move normally; killed. | |
We have an officer down outside the suspect's house. | |
There are three soldiers down and one walking wounded. | |
32. adj. (not comparable military, aviation slang) Mechanically failed, collided, shot down, or otherwise suddenly unable to fly. | |
We have a chopper down near the river. | |
33. adj. Thoroughly practiced, learned or memorised; mastered. (Compare down pat.) | |
It's two weeks until opening night and our lines are still not down yet. | |
34. adj. (obsolete) Downright; absolute; positive. | |
35. v. To drink or swallow, especially without stopping before the vessel containing the liquid is empty. | |
He downed an ale and ordered another. | |
36. v. To cause to come down; to knock down or subdue. | |
The storm downed several old trees along the highway. | |
37. v. (transitive, pocket billiards) To put a ball in a pocket; to pot a ball. | |
He downed two balls on the break. | |
38. v. (transitive, American football) To bring a play to an end by touching the ball to the ground or while it is on the ground. | |
He downed it at the seven-yard line. | |
39. v. To write off; to make fun of. | |
40. v. (obsolete, intransitive) To go down; to descend. | |
41. n. A negative aspect; a downer. | |
I love almost everything about my job. The only down is that I can't take Saturdays off. | |
42. n. (dated) A grudge (on someone). | |
43. n. An act of swallowing an entire drink at once. | |
44. n. (American football) A single play, from the time the ball is snapped (the start) to the time the whistle is blown (the end) when the ball is down, or is downed. | |
I bet after the third down, the kicker will replace the quarterback on the field. | |
45. n. (crosswords) A clue whose solution runs vertically in the grid. | |
I haven't solved 12 or 13 across, but I've got most of the downs. | |
46. n. A downstairs room of a two-story house. | |
She lives in a two-up two-down. | |
47. n. Down payment. | |
48. n. Soft, fluffy immature feathers which grow on young birds. Used as insulating material in duvets, sleeping bags and jackets. | |
49. n. (botany) The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, such as the thistle. | |
50. n. The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear. | |
51. n. That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down. | |
52. v. To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down. | |
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. | |
rocks |
1. n. plural of rock | |
2. n. (slang) Money. | |
3. n. (vulgar, slang) Testicles. | |
4. n. (slang) Crack cocaine. | |
5. v. third-person singular present indicative of rock | |
She rocks the cradle. | |
The cradle gently rocks. | |
Baseball rocks! | |
rock |
1. n. A formation of minerals, specifically: | |
2. n. The naturally occurring aggregate of solid mineral matter that constitutes a significant part of the earth's crust. | |
The face of the cliff is solid rock. | |
3. n. A mass of stone projecting out of the ground or water. | |
The ship crashed on the rocks. | |
4. n. (UK) A boulder or large stone; or (US, Canada) a smaller stone; a pebble. | |
Some fool has thrown a rock through my window. | |
5. n. (geology) Any natural material with a distinctive composition of minerals. | |
6. n. (slang) A precious stone or gem, especially a diamond. | |
Look at the size of that rock on her finger! | |
7. n. A large hill or island having no vegetation. | |
Pearl Rock near Cape Cod is so named because the morning sun makes it gleam like a pearl. | |
8. n. (figuratively) Something that is strong, stable, and dependable; a person who provides security or support to another. | |
9. n. A lump or cube of ice. | |
I'll have a whisky on the rocks, please. | |
10. n. (British) A type of confectionery made from sugar in the shape of a stick, traditionally having some text running through its length. | |
While we're in Brighton, let's get a stick of rock! | |
11. n. (US, slang) A crystallized lump of crack cocaine. | |
12. n. (US, slang) An unintelligent person, especially one who repeats mistakes. | |
13. n. (South Africa, slang) An Afrikaner. | |
14. n. (US poker slang) An extremely conservative player who is willing to play only the very strongest hands. | |
15. n. Any of several fish: | |
16. n. The striped bass. | |
17. n. The huss or rock salmon. | |
We ordered rock and chips to take away. | |
18. n. (US, basketball slang) A basketball. | |
Yo homie, pass the rock! | |
19. n. (rock paper scissors) A closed hand (a handshape resembling a rock), that beats scissors and loses to paper. It beats lizard and loses to Spock in rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock. | |
20. v. (transitive, and intransitive) To move gently back and forth. | |
Rock the baby to sleep. | |
The empty swing rocked back and forth in the wind. | |
21. v. To cause to shake or sway violently. | |
Don't rock the boat. | |
22. v. (intransitive) To sway or tilt violently back and forth. | |
The boat rocked at anchor. | |
23. v. (transitive, and intransitive, of ore etc.) To be washed and panned in a cradle or in a rocker. | |
The ores had been rocked and laid out for inspection. | |
24. v. To disturb the emotional equilibrium of; to distress; to greatly impact (most often positively). | |
Downing Street has been rocked by yet another sex scandal. | |
She rocked my world. | |
25. v. (intransitive) To do well or to be operating at high efficiency. | |
26. v. (euphemistic) to make love to or have sex with someone. | |
Yarbrough & Peoples, "Don't Stop the Music": I just wanna rock you, all night long. | |
Andy Kim, "Rock Me Gently": Rock me gently, rock me slowly, take it easy, don't you know, that I have never been loved like this before. | |
George_McCrae, "Rock Your Baby": Open up your heart / And let the loving start / Oh, woman, take me in your arms / Rock your baby. | |
27. n. An act of rocking; a rocking motion; a sway. | |
28. n. A style of music characterized by basic drum-beat, generally 4/4 riffs, based on (usually electric) guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals. | |
29. v. (intransitive) To play, perform, or enjoy rock music, especially with a lot of skill or energy. | |
Let’s rock! | |
30. v. (intransitive, slang) To be very favourable or skilful; excel; be fantastic. | |
Chocolate rocks. | |
My holidays in Ibiza rocked! I can't wait to go back. | |
31. v. to thrill or excite, especially with rock music | |
Let's rock this joint! | |
32. v. to do something with excitement yet skillfully | |
I need to rock a piss. | |
33. v. To wear (a piece of clothing, outfit etc.) successfully or with style; to carry off (a particular look, style). | |
34. n. Distaff. | |
35. n. The flax or wool on a distaff. | |
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. | |
other |
1. adj. See other (determiner) below | |
2. adj. second. | |
I get paid every other week. | |
3. adj. Alien. | |
4. adj. Different. | |
5. adj. (obsolete) Left, as opposed to right. | |
6. n. An other one, more often rendered as another. | |
I'm afraid little Robbie does not always play well with others. | |
7. n. The other one; the second of two. | |
One boat is not better than the other. | |
8. det. Not the one or ones previously referred to. | |
Other people would do it differently. | |
9. adv. Apart from; in the phrase "other than". | |
Other than that, I'm fine. | |
10. adv. (obsolete) Otherwise. | |
It shall none other be. — Chaucer. | |
If you think other. — Shakespeare. | |
11. v. To regard, label or treat as an "other", as not part of the same group; to view as different and alien. | |
12. v. To treat as different or separate; segregate; ostracise. | |
materials |
1. n. plural of material | |
2. v. third-person singular present indicative of material | |
material |
1. adj. Having to do with matter; consisting of matter. | |
This compound has a number of interesting material properties. | |
2. adj. Worldly, as opposed to spiritual. | |
Don't let material concerns get in the way of living a happy life. | |
3. adj. (law, accounting) Significant. | |
You've made several material contributions to this project. | |
This is the most material fact in this lawsuit. | |
4. n. Matter which may be shaped or manipulated, particularly in making something. | |
Asphalt, composed of oil and sand, is a widely used material for roads. | |
5. n. Text written for a specific purpose. | |
We were a warm-up act at the time; we didn't have enough original material to headline. | |
6. n. A sample or specimens for study. | |
7. n. Cloth to be made into a garment. Fabric. | |
You'll need about a yard of material to make this. | |
8. n. The people collectively who are qualified for a certain position or activity. | |
John Doe is a great governor, and I also believe he is presidential material. | |
He is not the only one. I believe we have lots of presidential material in various public offices. | |
9. n. Related data of various kinds, especially if collected as the basis for a document or book. | |
10. n. The substance that something is made or composed of. | |
11. v. (obsolete, transitive) To form from matter; to materialize. | |
under |
1. prep. In or at a lower level than. | |
2. prep. As a subject of; subordinate to. | |
He served in World War II under General Omar Bradley. | |
3. prep. Less than. | |
4. prep. Below the surface of. | |
5. prep. (figuratively) In the face of; in response to (some attacking force). | |
to collapse under stress; to give in under interrogation | |
6. prep. As, in the character of. | |
he writes books under the name John Smith | |
7. adv. In a way lower or less than. | |
8. adv. In a way inferior to. | |
9. adv. (informal) In an unconscious state. | |
It took the hypnotist several minutes to make his subject go under. | |
10. adj. Being lower; being beneath something. | |
11. adj. (medicine, colloquial) Under anesthesia, especially general anesthesia; sedated. | |
Ensure the patient is sufficiently under. | |
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. | |
effects |
1. n. plural of effect | |
2. v. third-person singular present indicative of effect | |
effect |
1. n. The result or outcome of a cause. See usage notes below. | |
The effect of the hurricane was a devastated landscape. | |
2. n. Impression left on the mind; sensation produced. | |
3. n. Execution; performance; realization; operation. | |
4. n. The state of being binding and enforceable, as in a rule, policy, or law. | |
The new law will come into effect on the first day of next year. | |
5. n. (filmology) An illusion produced by technical means (as in "special effect") | |
The effect of flying was most convincing. | |
6. n. (sound engineering) An alteration, or device for producing an alteration, in sound after it has been produced by an instrument. | |
I use an echo effect here to make the sound more mysterious. | |
I just bought a couple of great effects. | |
7. n. (physics, psychology, etc.) A scientific phenomenon, usually named after its discoverer. | |
Doppler effect | |
8. n. (usually plural) Belongings, usually as personal effects. | |
9. n. Consequence intended; purpose; meaning; general intent; with to. | |
10. n. (obsolete) Reality; actual meaning; fact, as distinguished from mere appearance. | |
11. n. (obsolete) Manifestation; expression; sign. | |
12. v. To make or bring about; to implement. | |
The best way to effect change is to work with existing stakeholders. | |
13. v. misspelling of affect | |
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. | |
exposure |
1. n. The condition of being exposed, uncovered, or unprotected. | |
Limit your exposure to harsh chemicals. Get as much exposure to a new language as you can. | |
2. n. Lack of protection from weather or the elements. | |
3. n. The act of exposing something, such as a scandal. | |
4. n. That part which is facing or exposed to something, e.g. the sun, weather, sky, or a view. | |
They rented a cabin with a beautiful southern exposure. | |
5. n. (photography) An instance of taking a photograph. | |
6. n. (photography) The piece of film exposed to light. | |
7. n. (photography) Details of the time and f-number used. | |
8. n. (gardening) The amount of sun, wind etc. experienced by a particular site. | |
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 | |
rain |
1. n. Condensed water falling from a cloud. | |
We've been having a lot of rain lately. | |
The rains came late that year. | |
2. n. (figuratively) Any matter moving or falling, usually through air, and especially if liquid or otherwise figuratively identifiable with raindrops. | |
3. n. (figuratively) An instance of particles or larger pieces of matter moving or falling through air. | |
A rain of mortar fire fell on our trenches. | |
4. v. (impersonal) To have rain fall from the sky. | |
It will rain today. | |
5. v. (intransitive) To fall as or like rain. | |
It will rain fire and brimstone at the end of days. | |
Tears rained from her eyes. | |
Leaves rained from the tree. | |
Bombs rained from the sky. | |
6. v. To issue (something) in large quantities. | |
The boxer rained punches on his opponent's head. | |
7. v. (obsolete) To reign. | |
sunlight |
1. n. All the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, especially that in the visible spectrum that bathes the Earth. | |
Sunlight on the skin gives you vitamin D. | |
2. n. (figuratively) Brightness, hope; a positive outlook. | |
3. n. synonym of sunrise | |
4. v. To work on the side (at a secondary job) during the daytime. | |
temperature |
1. n. (obsolete) The state or condition of being tempered or moderated. | |
2. n. (now rare, archaic) The balance of humours in the body, or one's character or outlook as considered determined from this; temperament. | |
3. n. A measure of cold or heat, often measurable with a thermometer. | |
The boiling temperature of pure water is 100 degrees Celsius. | |
4. n. An elevated body temperature, as present in fever and many illnesses. | |
You have a temperature; I think you should stay home today. You’re sick. | |
5. n. (when not used in relation with something) The temperature(1) of the immediate environment. | |
The temperature dropped nearly 20 degrees; it went from hot to cold. | |
6. n. (thermodynamics) A property of macroscopic amounts of matter that serves to gauge the average intensity of the random actual motions of the individually mobile particulate constituents. | |
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. | |
air |
1. n. (meteorology) The substance constituting earth's atmosphere, particularly: | |
I'm going outside to get some air. | |
2. n. (historical, philosophy, alchemy) understood as one of the four elements of the ancient Greeks and Romans. | |
3. n. (historical, medical) understood as a particular local substance with supposed effects on human health. | |
There was a tension in the air which made me suspect an approaching storm. | |
4. n. (physics) understood as a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various trace gases. | |
5. n. (usually with the) The apparently open space above the ground which this substance fills, (historical) formerly thought to be limited by the firmament but (meteorology) now considered surrounded by th | |
The flock of birds took to the air. | |
6. n. A breeze; a gentle wind. | |
7. n. A feeling or sense. | |
to give it an air of artistry and sophistication | |
8. n. A sense of poise, graciousness, or quality. | |
9. n. (usually plural) Pretension; snobbishness; pretence that one is better than others. | |
putting on airs | |
10. n. (music) A song, especially a solo; an aria. | |
11. n. (informal) Nothing; absence of anything. | |
12. n. An air conditioner or the processed air it produces. Can be a mass noun or a count noun depending on context; similar to hair. | |
Could you turn on the air? | |
Hey, did you mean to leave the airs on all week while you were on vacation? | |
13. n. (obsolete, chemistry) Any specific gas. | |
14. n. (snowboarding, skateboarding, motor sports) A jump in which one becomes airborne. | |
15. n. A television or radio signal. | |
16. v. To bring (something) into contact with the air, so as to freshen or dry it. | |
17. v. To let fresh air into a room or a building, to ventilate. | |
It's getting quite stuffy in this room: let's open the windows and air it. | |
18. v. To discuss varying viewpoints on a given topic. | |
19. v. To broadcast, as with a television show. | |
20. v. (UK, MLE, slang) to ignore | |