| way |
| 1. n. To do with a place or places.: | |
| 2. n. A road, a direction, a (physical or conceptual) path from one place to another. | |
| Do you know the way to the airport? Come this way and I'll show you a shortcut. It's a long way from here. | |
| 3. n. A means to enter or leave a place. | |
| We got into the cinema through the back way. | |
| 4. n. A roughly-defined geographical area. | |
| If you're ever 'round this way, come over and visit me. | |
| 5. n. A method or manner of doing something; a mannerism. | |
| You're going about it the wrong way. He's known for his quirky ways. I don't like the way she looks at me. | |
| 6. n. A state or condition | |
| When I returned home, I found my house and belongings in a most terrible way. | |
| 7. n. Personal interaction.: | |
| 8. n. Possibility (usually in the phrases 'any way' and 'no way'). | |
| There's no way I'm going to clean up after you. | |
| 9. n. Determined course; resolved mode of action or conduct. | |
| My little sister always whines until she gets her way. | |
| 10. n. (paganism) A tradition within the modern pagan faith of Heathenry, dedication to a specific deity or craft, Way of wyrd, Way of runes, Way of Thor etc. | |
| 11. n. (nautical) Speed, progress, momentum. | |
| 12. n. A degree, an amount, a sense. | |
| In a large way, crocodiles and alligators are similar. | |
| 13. n. (US, As the head of an interjectory clause) Acknowledges that a task has been done well, chiefly in expressions of sarcastic congratulation. | |
| Way to ruin the moment, guys. | |
| 14. n. (plural only) The timbers of shipyard stocks that slope into the water and along which a ship or large boat is launched. | |
| 15. n. (plural only) The longitudinal guiding surfaces on the bed of a planer, lathe, etc. along which a table or carriage moves. | |
| 16. interj. (only in reply to no way) It is true. | |
| 17. v. (obsolete) To travel. | |
| 18. adv. (informal, with comparative or modified adjective) Much. | |
| I'm way too tired to do that. | |
| I'm a way better singer than Emma. | |
| 19. adv. (slang) Very. | |
| I'm way tired | |
| String theory is way cool, except for the math. | |
| 20. adv. (informal) Far. | |
| I used to live way over there. | |
| The farmhouse is way down the bottom of the hill. | |
| 21. n. The letter for the w sound in Pitman shorthand. | |
| 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. | |
| stepping |
| 1. v. present participle of step | |
| 2. n. The act of taking a step. | |
| step |
| 1. n. An advance or movement made from one foot to the other; a pace. | |
| 2. n. A rest, or one of a set of rests, for the foot in ascending or descending, as a stair, or a rung of a ladder. | |
| 3. n. A distinct part of a process; stage; phase. | |
| He improved step by step, or by steps. | |
| The first step is to find a job. | |
| 4. n. A running board where passengers step to get on and off the bus. | |
| The driver must have a clear view of the step in order to prevent accidents. | |
| 5. n. The space passed over by one movement of the foot in walking or running. | |
| One step is generally about three feet, but may be more or less. | |
| 6. n. A small space or distance. | |
| It is but a step. | |
| 7. n. A print of the foot; a footstep; a footprint; track. | |
| 8. n. A gait; manner of walking. | |
| The approach of a man is often known by his step. | |
| 9. n. Proceeding; measure; action; act. | |
| 10. n. (plural) A walk; passage. | |
| 11. n. (plural) A portable framework of stairs, much used indoors in reaching to a high position. | |
| 12. n. (nautical) A framing in wood or iron which is intended to receive an upright shaft; specif., a block of wood, or a solid platform upon the keelson, supporting the heel of the mast. | |
| 13. n. (machines) One of a series of offsets, or parts, resembling the steps of stairs, as one of the series of parts of a cone pulley on which the belt runs. | |
| 14. n. (machines) A bearing in which the lower extremity of a spindle or a vertical shaft revolves. | |
| 15. n. (music) The interval between two contiguous degrees of the scale. | |
| Usage note: The word tone is often used as the name of this interval; but there is evident incongruity in using tone for indicating the interval between tones. As the word scale is derived from | |
| 16. n. (kinematics) A change of position effected by a motion of translation. | |
| 17. n. (programming) A constant difference between consecutive values in a series. | |
| Printing from 0 to 9 with a step of 3 will display 0, 3, 6 and 9. | |
| 18. n. (slang) A stepsibling. | |
| 19. v. (intransitive) To move the foot in walking; to advance or recede by raising and moving one of the feet to another resting place, or by moving both feet in succession. | |
| 20. v. (intransitive) To walk; to go on foot; especially, to walk a little distance. | |
| to step to one of the neighbors | |
| 21. v. (intransitive) To walk slowly, gravely, or resolutely. | |
| 22. v. (intransitive, figuratively) To move mentally; to go in imagination. | |
| 23. v. To set, as the foot. | |
| 24. v. (transitive, nautical) To fix the foot of (a mast) in its step; to erect. | |
