we |
1. pron. (personal) The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person (not the person being addressed). (This is the exclusive we.) | |
2. pron. (personal) The speaker(s)/writer(s) and the person(s) being addressed. (This is the inclusive we.) | |
3. pron. (personal) The speaker/writer alone. (This use of we is the editorial we, used by writers and others, including royalty—the royal we—as a less personal substitute for I. The reflexive case of this sen | |
4. pron. (personal) The plural form of you, including everyone being addressed. | |
How are we all tonight? | |
5. pron. (personal, generally considered patronising) A second- or third-person pronoun for a person in the speaker's care. | |
How are we feeling this morning? | |
6. det. The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person. | |
We Canadians like to think of ourselves as different. | |
knew |
1. v. simple past tense of know | |
know |
1. v. To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of or that. | |
I know that I’m right and you’re wrong. | |
He knew something terrible was going to happen. | |
2. v. To be aware of; to be cognizant of. | |
Did you know Michelle and Jack were getting divorced? ― Yes, I knew. | |
She knows where I live. | |
I knew he was upset, but I didn't understand why. | |
3. v. To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered. | |
I know your mother, but I’ve never met your father. | |
4. v. To experience. | |
Their relationship knew ups and downs. | |
5. v. To distinguish, to discern, particularly by contrast or comparison; to recognize the nature of. | |
to know a person's face or figure | |
to know right from wrong | |
I wouldn't know one from the other. | |
6. v. To recognize as the same (as someone or something previously encountered) after an absence or change. | |
7. v. To understand or have a grasp of through experience or study. | |
Let me do it. I know how it works. | |
She knows how to swim. | |
His mother tongue is Italian, but he also knows French and English. | |
She knows chemistry better than anybody else. | |
Know your enemy and know yourself. | |
8. v. (transitive, archaic, Biblical) To have sexual relations with. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To have knowledge; to have information, be informed. | |
It is vital that he not know. | |
She knew of our plan. | |
He knows about 19th century politics. | |
10. v. (intransitive) To be or become aware or cognizant. | |
Did you know Michelle and Jack were getting divorced? ― Yes, I knew. | |
11. v. (intransitive, obsolete) To be acquainted (with another person). | |
12. v. To be able to play or perform (a song or other piece of music). | |
Do you know "Blueberry Hill"? | |
13. n. (rare) Knowledge; the state of knowing. | |
it |
1. pron. The third-person singular personal pronoun that is normally used to refer to an inanimate object or abstract entity, also often used to refer to animals. | |
Put it over there. | |
Take each day as it comes. | |
I heard the sound of the school bus - it was early today. | |
2. pron. A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to a child, especially of unknown gender. | |
She took the baby and held it in her arms. | |
3. pron. Used to refer to someone being identified, often on the phone, but not limited to this situation. | |
It's me. John. | |
Is it her? | |
4. pron. The impersonal pronoun, used without referent as the subject of an impersonal verb or statement. (known as the dummy pronoun or weather it) | |
It is nearly 10 o’clock. | |
It’s 10:45 read ten-forty-five. | |
It’s very cold today. | |
It’s lonely without you. | |
5. pron. The impersonal pronoun, used without referent in various short idioms. | |
stick it out | |
live it up | |
rough it | |
6. pron. The impersonal pronoun, used as a placeholder for a delayed subject, or less commonly, object; known as the dummy pronoun or, more formally in linguistics, a syntactic expletive. The delayed subject i | |
It is easy to see how she would think that. (with the infinitive clause headed by to see) | |
I find it odd that you would say that. (with the noun clause introduced by that) | |
It is hard seeing you so sick. (with the gerund seeing) | |
He saw to it that everyone would vote for him. (with the noun clause introduced by that) | |
It is not clear if the report was true. (with the noun clause introduced by if) | |
7. pron. All or the end; something after which there is no more. | |
Are there more students in this class, or is this it? | |
That's it—I'm not going to any more candy stores with you. | |
8. pron. (chiefly pejorative, offensive) A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to an animate referent who is transgender or is neither female nor male. | |
9. pron. (obsolete) (Followed by an omitted and understood relative pronoun): That which; what. | |
10. det. (obsolete) its | |
11. n. One who is neither a he nor a she; a creature; a dehumanized being. | |
12. n. The person who chases and tries to catch the other players in the playground game of tag. | |
In the next game, Adam and Tom will be it… | |
13. n. (British) The game of tag. | |
Let's play it at breaktime. | |
14. n. Sex appeal, especially that which goes beyond beauty. | |
15. n. (euphemism) Sexual activity. | |
caught them doing it | |
16. adj. (colloquial) Most fashionable. | |
was |
1. v. first-person singular past of be. | |
2. v. third-person singular past of be. | |
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? | |
named |
1. adj. Having a name. | |
2. v. simple past tense and past participle of name | |
name |
1. n. Any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing. | |
I've never liked the name my parents gave me so I changed it at the age of twenty. | |
2. n. Reputation. | |
3. n. An abusive or insulting epithet. | |
Stop calling me names! | |
4. n. A person (or legal person). | |
5. n. Those of a certain name; a race; a family. | |
6. n. (computing) A unique identifier, generally a string of characters. | |
7. n. (finance) An investor in Lloyds of London bearing unlimited liability. | |
8. n. Authority. | |
Halt in the name of the law! | |
9. v. To give a name to. | |
One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting. | |
(audio One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting.ogg Audio (US)) | |
10. v. To mention, specify. | |
He named his demands. | |
You name it! | |
11. v. To identify as relevant or important | |
naming the problem | |
12. v. To publicly implicate. | |
The painter was named as an accomplice. | |
13. v. To designate for a role. | |
My neighbor was named to the steering committee. | |
14. v. (Westminster system politics) To initiate a process to temporarily remove a member of parliament who is breaking the rules of conduct. | |
15. n. Any of several types of true yam (Dioscorea) used in Caribbean Spanish cooking. | |
after |
1. adv. Behind; later in time; following. | |
They lived happily ever after. | |
I left the room, and the dog bounded after. | |
2. prep. Subsequently to; following in time; later than. | |
We had a few beers after the game. | |
The time is quarter after eight. | |
The Cold War began shortly after the Second World War. | |
3. prep. Behind. | |
He will leave a trail of destruction after him. | |
4. prep. In pursuit of, seeking. | |
He's after a job; run after him; inquire after her health. | |
5. prep. In allusion to, in imitation of; following or referencing. | |
We named him after his grandfather; a painting after Leonardo da Vinci. | |
6. prep. Next in importance or rank. | |
The princess is next in line to the throne after the prince. | |
7. prep. As a result of. | |
After your bad behaviour, you will be punished. | |
8. prep. In spite of. | |
After all that has happened, he is still my friend. | |
I can't believe that, after all our advice against gambling, you walked into that casino! | |
9. prep. (Irish usually preceded by a form of be followed by an -ing form of a verb) Used to indicate recent completion of an activity | |
I was after finishing my dinner when there was a knock on the door. | |
10. prep. (dated) According to an author or text. | |
11. prep. Denoting the aim or object; concerning; in relation to. | |
to look after workmen; to enquire after a friend; to thirst after righteousness | |
12. prep. (obsolete) According to the direction and influence of; in proportion to; befitting. | |
13. conj. Signifies that the action of the clause it starts takes place before the action of the other clause. | |
I went home after we had decided to call it a day. | |
14. adj. (dated) Later; second (of two); next, following, subsequent | |
15. adj. (nautical, where the frame of reference is within the ship) At or towards the stern of a ship. | |
The after gun is mounted aft. | |
The after gun is abaft the forward gun. | |
John |
1. n. (US) alternative capitalization of john: a toilet, lavatory, outhouse, or chamber pot. | |
2. n. (slang) A prostitute's client. | |
3. n. (slang, US) A device or place to urinate and defecate: now usually a toilet or lavatory, but also(dated) a chamber pot or outhouse. | |
4. n. (slang) A generic term for Western men while traveling in East Asia. | |
5. n. A male mule. | |
smith |
1. n. A craftsperson who works metal into desired forms using a hammer and other tools, sometimes heating the metal to make it more workable, especially a blacksmith. | |
2. n. (by extension) One who makes anything. | |
3. n. (archaic) An artist. | |
4. v. To forge, to form, usually on an anvil; by heating and pounding. | |
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. | |
nobody |
1. pron. Not any person; the logical negation of somebody. | |
I asked several people, but nobody knew how. | |
Nobody called or visited that day. | |
2. n. Someone who is not important or well-known. | |
Whether you're a nobody or a player, everyone in Tinseltown wants to be King of Hollywood! - | |
knows |
1. v. third-person singular present indicative of know | |
2. v. (nonstandard) All persons, singular and plural, present form of know. | |
I knows just what they knows. | |
3. n. plural of know | |
know |
1. v. To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of or that. | |
I know that I’m right and you’re wrong. | |
He knew something terrible was going to happen. | |
2. v. To be aware of; to be cognizant of. | |
Did you know Michelle and Jack were getting divorced? ― Yes, I knew. | |
She knows where I live. | |
I knew he was upset, but I didn't understand why. | |
3. v. To be acquainted or familiar with; to have encountered. | |
I know your mother, but I’ve never met your father. | |
4. v. To experience. | |
Their relationship knew ups and downs. | |
5. v. To distinguish, to discern, particularly by contrast or comparison; to recognize the nature of. | |
to know a person's face or figure | |
to know right from wrong | |
I wouldn't know one from the other. | |
6. v. To recognize as the same (as someone or something previously encountered) after an absence or change. | |
7. v. To understand or have a grasp of through experience or study. | |
Let me do it. I know how it works. | |
She knows how to swim. | |
His mother tongue is Italian, but he also knows French and English. | |
She knows chemistry better than anybody else. | |
Know your enemy and know yourself. | |
8. v. (transitive, archaic, Biblical) To have sexual relations with. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To have knowledge; to have information, be informed. | |
It is vital that he not know. | |
She knew of our plan. | |
He knows about 19th century politics. | |
10. v. (intransitive) To be or become aware or cognizant. | |
Did you know Michelle and Jack were getting divorced? ― Yes, I knew. | |
11. v. (intransitive, obsolete) To be acquainted (with another person). | |
12. v. To be able to play or perform (a song or other piece of music). | |
Do you know "Blueberry Hill"? | |
13. n. (rare) Knowledge; the state of knowing. | |
which |
1. det. (interrogative) What, of those mentioned or implied. | |
Which song made the charts? | |
2. det. (relative) The one or ones that. | |
Show me which one is bigger. | |
They couldn't decide which song to play. | |
3. det. (relative) The one or ones mentioned. | |
He once owned a painting of the house, which painting would later be stolen. | |
For several seconds he sat in silence, during which time the tea and sandwiches arrived. | |
I'm thinking of getting a new car, in which case I'd get a red one. | |
4. pron. (interrogative) What one or ones (of those mentioned or implied). | |
Which is bigger?; Which is which? | |
5. pron. (relative) Who; whom; what (of those mentioned or implied). | |
He walked by a door with a sign, which read: PRIVATE OFFICE. | |
We've met some problems which are very difficult to handle. | |
He had to leave, which was very difficult. | |
No art can be properly understood apart from the culture of which it is a part. | |
6. pron. (relative, archaic) Used of people (now generally who, whom or that). | |
7. n. An occurrence of the word which. | |
particular |
1. adj. (also non-comparable) | |
2. adj. (obsolete) Pertaining only to a part of something; partial. | |
3. adj. Specific; discrete; concrete. | |
I couldn't find the particular model you asked for, but I hope this one will do. | |
We knew it was named after John Smith, but nobody knows which particular John Smith. | |
4. adj. Specialised; characteristic of a specific person or thing. | |
I don't appreciate your particular brand of cynicism. | |
5. adj. (obsolete) Known only to an individual person or group; confidential. | |
6. adj. Distinguished in some way; special (often in negative constructions). | |
My five favorite places are, in no particular order, New York, Chicago, Paris, San Francisco and London. | |
I didn't have any particular interest in the book. | |
He brought no particular news. | |
She was the particular belle of the party. | |
7. adj. (comparable) Of a person, concerned with, or attentive to, details; minute; precise; fastidious. | |
He is very particular about his food and if it isn't cooked to perfection he will send it back. | |
Women are more particular about their appearance. | |
8. adj. Concerned with, or attentive to, details; minute; circumstantial; precise. | |
a full and particular account of an accident | |
9. adj. (legal) Containing a part only; limited. | |
a particular estate, or one precedent to an estate in remainder | |
10. adj. (legal) Holding a particular estate. | |
a particular tenant | |
11. adj. (logic) Forming a part of a genus; relatively limited in extension; affirmed or denied of a part of a subject. | |
a particular proposition, opposed to "universal", e.g. (particular affirmative) "Some men are wise"; (particular negative) "Some men are not wise". | |
12. n. A small individual part of something larger; a detail, a point. | |
13. n. (obsolete) A person's own individual case. | |
14. n. (now philosophy, chiefly in plural) A particular case; an individual thing as opposed to a whole class. (Opposed to generals, universals.) | |
John |
1. n. (US) alternative capitalization of john: a toilet, lavatory, outhouse, or chamber pot. | |
2. n. (slang) A prostitute's client. | |
3. n. (slang, US) A device or place to urinate and defecate: now usually a toilet or lavatory, but also(dated) a chamber pot or outhouse. | |
4. n. (slang) A generic term for Western men while traveling in East Asia. | |
5. n. A male mule. | |
smith |
1. n. A craftsperson who works metal into desired forms using a hammer and other tools, sometimes heating the metal to make it more workable, especially a blacksmith. | |
2. n. (by extension) One who makes anything. | |
3. n. (archaic) An artist. | |
4. v. To forge, to form, usually on an anvil; by heating and pounding. | |