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 | |
deceive |
1. v. To trick or mislead. | |
someone |
1. pron. Some person. | |
Can someone help me, please? | |
2. n. A partially specified but unnamed person. | |
Do you need a gift for that special someone? | |
3. n. an important person | |
He thinks he has become someone. | |
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 | |
making |
1. n. The act of forming, causing, or constituting; workmanship; construction. | |
2. n. Process of growth or development. | |
As a child he didn’t seem like a genius in the making. | |
3. v. present participle of make | |
make |
1. v. To create. | |
2. v. To build, construct, or produce. | |
We made a bird feeder for our yard. | |
I'll make a man out of him yet. | |
3. v. To write or compose. | |
I made a poem for her wedding. | |
He made a will. | |
4. v. To bring about; to effect or produce by means of some action. | |
make war | |
They were just a bunch of ne'er-do-wells who went around making trouble for honest men. | |
5. v. (religious) To create (the universe), especially (in Christianity) from nothing. | |
God made earth and heaven. | |
6. v. (intransitive, now mostly colloquial) To behave, to act. | |
To make like a deer caught in the headlights. | |
They made nice together, as if their fight never happened. | |
He made as if to punch him, but they both laughed and shook hands. | |
7. v. (intransitive) To tend; to contribute; to have effect; with for or against. | |
8. v. To constitute. | |
They make a cute couple. | |
This makes the third infraction. | |
One swallow does not a summer make. | |
9. v. 1995, Harriette Simpson Arnow: Critical Essays on Her Work, p.46: | |
10. v. To add up to, have a sum of. | |
Two and four make six. | |
11. v. (intransitive, construed with of typically interrogative) To interpret. | |
I don’t know what to make of it. | |
12. v. (transitive, usually stressed) To bring into success. | |
This company is what made you. | |
She married into wealth and so has it made. | |
13. v. (ditransitive, second object is an adjective or participle) To cause to be. | |
The citizens made their objections clear. | |
This might make you a bit woozy. | |
Did I make myself heard? | |
Scotch will make you a man. | |
14. v. To cause to appear to be; to represent as. | |
15. v. (ditransitive, second object is a verb) To cause (to do something); to compel (to do something). | |
You're making her cry. | |
I was made to feel like a criminal. | |
16. v. (ditransitive, second object is a verb, can be stressed for emphasis or clarity) To force to do. | |
The teacher made the student study. | |
Don’t let them make you suffer. | |
17. v. (ditransitive, of a fact) To indicate or suggest to be. | |
His past mistakes don’t make him a bad person. | |
18. v. (transitive, of a bed) To cover neatly with bedclothes. | |
19. v. (transitive, US slang) To recognise, identify. | |
20. v. (transitive, colloquial) To arrive at a destination, usually at or by a certain time. | |
We should make Cincinnati by 7 tonight. | |
21. v. (intransitive, colloquial) To proceed (in a direction). | |
They made westward over the snowy mountains. | |
Make for the hills! It's a wildfire! | |
They made away from the fire toward the river. | |
22. v. To cover (a given distance) by travelling. | |
23. v. To move at (a speed). | |
The ship could make 20 knots an hour in calm seas. | |
This baby can make 220 miles an hour. | |
24. v. To appoint; to name. | |
25. v. (transitive, slang) To induct into the Mafia or a similar organization (as a made man). | |
26. v. (intransitive, colloquial, euphemistic) To defecate or urinate. | |
27. v. To earn, to gain (money, points, membership or status). | |
They hope to make a bigger profit. | |
He didn't make the choir after his voice changed. | |
She made ten points in that game. | |
28. v. To pay, to cover (an expense); chiefly used after expressions of inability. | |
29. v. (obsolete, intransitive) To compose verses; to write poetry; to versify. | |
30. v. To enact; to establish. | |
31. v. To develop into; to prove to be. | |
She'll make a fine president. | |
32. v. To form or formulate in the mind. | |
make plans | |
made a questionable decision | |
33. v. To perform a feat. | |
make a leap | |
make a pass | |
make a u-turn | |
34. v. (obsolete) To act in a certain manner; to have to do; to manage; to interfere; to be active; often in the phrase to meddle or make. | |
35. v. (obsolete) To increase; to augment; to accrue. | |
36. v. (obsolete) To be engaged or concerned in. | |
37. v. (now archaic) To cause to be (in a specified place), used after a subjective what. | |
38. v. (transitive, euphemism) To take the virginity of. | |
39. v. To have sexual intercourse with. | |
40. n. (often of a car) Brand or kind; often paired with model. | |
What make of car do you drive? | |
41. n. How a thing is made; construction. | |
42. n. Origin of a manufactured article; manufacture. | |
The camera was of German make. | |
43. n. Quantity produced, especially of materials. | |
44. n. (dated) The act or process of making something, especially in industrial manufacturing. | |
45. n. A person's character or disposition. | |
46. n. (bridge) The declaration of the trump for a hand. | |
47. n. (physics) The closing of an electrical circuit. | |
48. n. (computing) A software utility for automatically building large applications, or an implementation of this utility. | |
49. n. (slang) Recognition or identification, especially from police records or evidence. | |
50. n. (slang) Past or future target of seduction (usually female). | |
51. n. (slang) A promotion. | |
52. n. A home-made project | |
53. n. (basketball) A made basket. | |
54. n. (dialectal) Mate; a spouse or companion. | |
55. n. (Scotland, Ireland, Northern England, now rare) A halfpenny. | |
them |
1. pron. Objective case of they: third personal plural pronoun used after a preposition or as the object of a verb. | |
Give it to them. (after preposition) | |
She wrote them a letter. (indirect object) | |
She treated them for a cold. (direct object) | |
2. pron. Objective case of they: third-person singular pronoun used after a preposition or as the object of a verb. | |
If someone comes and asks for the ticket, just give it to them. (after preposition) | |
If one of my patients calls, please bring them their dinner. (indirect object) | |
If a student has an inappropriate question, whatever you do, do not berate them. (direct object) | |
3. det. (dialectal) Those. | |
Them kids need to grow up. | |
believe |
1. v. To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing) | |
If you believe the numbers, you'll agree we need change. | |
I believe there are faeries. | |
2. v. To accept that someone is telling the truth. | |
Why did I ever believe you? | |
3. v. (intransitive) To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth. | |
After that night in the church, I believed. | |
4. v. To consider likely | |
I believe it might rain tomorrow. (Here, the speaker merely accepts the accuracy of the conditional.) | |
something |
1. pron. An uncertain or unspecified thing; one thing. | |
I must have forgotten to pack something, but I can't think what. | |
I have something for you in my bag. | |
I have a feeling something good is going to happen today. | |
2. pron. (colloquial, of someone or something) A quality to a moderate degree. | |
The performance was something of a disappointment. | |
That child is something of a genius. | |
3. pron. (colloquial, of a person) A talent or quality that is difficult to specify. | |
She has a certain something. | |
4. pron. (colloquial, often with really or quite) Somebody or something who is superlative in some way. | |
He's really something! I've never heard such a great voice. | |
She's quite something. I can't believe she would do such a mean thing. | |
5. adj. Having a characteristic that the speaker cannot specify. | |
6. adv. (degree) Somewhat; to a degree. | |
The baby looks something like his father. | |
7. adv. (degree, colloquial) To a high degree. | |
8. v. Applied to an action whose name is forgotten by, unknown or unimportant to the user, e.g. from words of a song. | |
9. n. An object whose nature is yet to be defined. | |
10. n. An object whose name is forgotten by, unknown or unimportant to the user, e.g., from words of a song. Also used to refer to an object earlier indefinitely referred to as 'something' (pronoun sense). | |
that |
1. conj. Introducing a clause which is the subject or object of a verb (such as one involving reported speech), or which is a complement to a previous statement. | |
He told me that the book is a good read. | |
I believe that it is true. — She is convinced that he is British. | |
2. conj. Introducing a subordinate clause expressing a reason or cause: because, in that. | |
Be glad that you have enough to eat. | |
3. conj. (now uncommon) Introducing a subordinate clause that expresses an aim, purpose or goal ("final"), and usually contains the auxiliaries may, might or should: so, so that. | |
4. conj. Introducing — especially, but not exclusively, with an antecedent like so or such — a subordinate clause expressing a result, consequence or effect. | |
The noise was so loud that she woke up. | |
The problem was sufficiently important that it had to be addressed. | |
5. conj. (archaic, or poetic) Introducing a premise or supposition for consideration: seeing as; inasmuch as; given that; as would appear from the fact that. | |
6. conj. Introducing a subordinate clause modifying an adverb. | |
Was John there? — Not that I saw. | |
How often did she visit him? — Twice that I saw. | |
7. conj. Introducing an exclamation expressing a desire or wish. | |
8. conj. Introducing an exclamation expressing a strong emotion such as sadness or surprise. | |
9. det. The (thing, person, idea, etc) indicated or understood from context, especially if more remote physically, temporally or mentally than one designated as "this", or if expressing distinction. | |
That book is a good read. This one isn't. | |
That battle was in 1450. | |
That cat of yours is evil. | |
10. pron. (demonstrative) The thing, person, idea, quality, event, action or time indicated or understood from context, especially if more remote geographically, temporally or mentally than one designated as "t | |
He went home, and after that I never saw him again. | |
11. pron. The known (thing); (used to refer to something just said). | |
They're getting divorced. What do you think about that? | |
12. pron. (demonstrative) The aforementioned quality; used together with a verb and pronoun to emphatically repeat a previous statement. | |
The water is so cold! — That it is. | |
13. pron. (relative) (plural that) Which, who; (representing a subject, direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition). | |
The CPR course that she took really came in handy. | |
The house that he lived in was old and dilapidated. | |
14. pron. (colloquial) (Used in place of relative adverbs such as where or when; often omitted.) | |
the place that = where or to which I went last year | |
the last time that = when I went to Europe | |
15. adv. (degree) To a given extent or degree. | |
"The ribbon was that thin." "I disagree, I say it was not that thin, it was thicker... or maybe thinner...". | |
16. adv. (degree) To a great extent or degree; very, particularly (in negative constructions). | |
I'm just not that sick. | |
I did the run last year, and it wasn't that difficult. | |
17. adv. (obsolete, outside, dialects) To such an extent; so. (in positive constructions). | |
Ooh, I was that happy I nearly kissed her. | |
18. n. (philosophy) Something being indicated that is there; one of those. | |
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. | |
been |
1. v. past participle of be | |
2. v. (obsolete) plural present of be | |
3. v. (Southern US) of be | |
4. n. (UK dialectal) plural of bee | |
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? | |
maliciously |
1. adv. in a malicious manner, or for malicious reasons | |
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. | |
mischievously |
1. adv. In a mischievous manner. | |
fabricated |
1. v. simple past tense and past participle of fabricate | |
2. adj. constructed or assembled | |
3. adj. false in the sense of made-up, constructed | |
fabricate |
1. v. To form into a whole by uniting its parts; to construct; to build. | |
to fabricate a bridge or ship | |
2. v. To form by art and labor; to manufacture; to produce. | |
to fabricate computer chips | |
3. v. To invent and form; to forge; to devise falsely. | |
to fabricate a lie or story | |
4. v. (transitive, cooking) To cut up an animal as preparation for cooking, particularly used in reference to fowl. | |