a |
1. art. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. | |
There was a man here looking for you yesterday. | |
2. art. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word. | |
I've seen it happen a hundred times. | |
3. art. One certain or particular; any single.Brown, Lesley, (2003) | |
We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London. | |
4. art. The same; one. | |
We are of a mind on matters of morals. | |
5. art. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope; also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.Lindberg, Christine A. (2007) | |
A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties. | |
He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head? | |
6. art. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc. | |
7. art. Someone or something like; similar to; Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it. | |
The center of the village was becoming a Times Square. | |
8. prep. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. | |
Stand a tiptoe. | |
9. prep. To do with separation; In, into. | |
Torn a pieces. | |
10. prep. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. | |
I brush my teeth twice a day. | |
11. prep. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. | |
12. prep. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. | |
A God’s name. | |
13. prep. To do with status; In. | |
King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18) | |
To set the people a worke. | |
14. prep. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. | |
1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’ | |
The times, they are a-changin'. | |
15. prep. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. | |
1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21 | |
Jacob, when he was a dying | |
16. prep. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. | |
17. v. (archaic, or slang) Have. | |
I'd a come, if you'd a asked. | |
18. pron. (obsolete, outside, England, and Scotland dialects) He. | |
19. interj. A meaningless syllable; ah. | |
20. prep. (archaic, slang) Of. | |
The name of John a Gaunt. | |
21. adv. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
22. adj. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
strip |
1. n. Long, thin piece of land, or of any material. | |
You use strips of paper in papier mache. He welded together some pieces of strip. | |
2. n. A comic strip. | |
3. n. A landing strip. | |
4. n. A strip steak. | |
5. n. A street with multiple shopping or entertainment possibilities. | |
6. n. (fencing) The fencing area, roughly 14 meters by 2 meters. | |
7. n. (UK football) the uniform of a football team, or the same worn by supporters. | |
8. n. Striptease. | |
9. n. (mining) A trough for washing ore. | |
10. n. The issuing of a projectile from a rifled gun without acquiring the spiral motion. | |
11. v. To remove or take away. | |
Norm will strip the old varnish before painting the chair. | |
12. v. (usually intransitive) To take off clothing. | |
13. v. (intransitive) To perform a striptease. | |
14. v. To take away something from (someone or something); to plunder; to divest. | |
15. v. To remove cargo from (a container). | |
16. v. To remove (the thread or teeth) from a screw, nut, or gear. | |
The thread is stripped. | |
The screw is stripped. | |
17. v. (intransitive) To fail in the thread; to lose the thread, as a bolt, screw, or nut. | |
18. v. To remove color from hair, cloth, etc. to prepare it to receive new color. | |
19. v. (transitive, bridge) To remove all cards of a particular suit from another player. (See also, strip-squeeze.) | |
20. v. To empty (tubing) by applying pressure to the outside of (the tubing) and moving that pressure along (the tubing). | |
21. v. To milk a cow, especially by stroking and compressing the teats to draw out the last of the milk. | |
22. v. (television, transitive) To run a television series at the same time daily (or at least on Mondays to Fridays), so that it appears as a strip straight across the weekly schedule. | |
23. v. (transitive, agriculture) To pare off the surface of (land) in strips. | |
24. v. (transitive, obsolete) To pass; to get clear of; to outstrip. | |
25. v. To remove the metal coating from (a plated article), as by acids or electrolytic action. | |
26. v. To remove fibre, flock, or lint from; said of the teeth of a card when it becomes partly clogged. | |
27. v. To pick the cured leaves from the stalks of (tobacco) and tie them into "hands". | |
28. v. To remove the midrib from (tobacco leaves). | |
29. adj. (of games) Involving the removal of clothes. | |
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. | |
leather |
1. n. A tough material produced from the skin of animals, by tanning or similar process, used e.g. for clothing. | |
2. n. A piece of the above used for polishing. | |
3. n. (colloquial) A cricket ball or football. | |
4. n. (plural: leathers) clothing made from the skin of animals, often worn by motorcycle riders. | |
5. n. (baseball) A good defensive play | |
Jones showed good leather to snare that liner. | |
6. n. (dated, humorous) The skin. | |
7. adj. Made of leather. | |
8. adj. Referring to one who wears leather clothing (motorcycle jacket, chaps over 501 jeans, boots), especially as a sign of sadomasochistic homosexuality. | |
9. v. To cover with leather. | |
10. v. To strike forcefully. | |
He leathered the ball all the way down the street. | |
11. v. To beat with a leather belt or strap. | |
used |
1. v. simple past tense and past participle of use | |
You used me! | |
2. v. (intransitive, as an auxiliary verb, now only in past tense) to perform habitually; to be accustomed to doing something | |
He used to live here, but moved away last year. | |
3. adj. That is or has or have been used. | |
The ground was littered with used syringes left behind by drug abusers. | |
4. adj. That has or have previously been owned by someone else. | |
He bought a used car. | |
5. adj. Familiar through use; usual; accustomed. | |
I got used to this weather. | |
use |
1. n. The act of using. | |
the use of torture has been condemned by the United Nations; there is no use for your invention | |
2. n. (followed by "of") Usefulness, benefit. | |
What's the use of a law that nobody follows? | |
3. n. A function; a purpose for which something may be employed. | |
This tool has many uses. | |
4. n. Occasion or need to employ; necessity. | |
I have no further use for these textbooks. | |
5. n. (obsolete, rare) Interest for lent money; premium paid for the use of something; usury. | |
6. n. (archaic) Continued or repeated practice; usage; habit. | |
7. n. (obsolete) Common occurrence; ordinary experience. | |
8. n. (religion) The special form of ritual adopted for use in any diocese. | |
the Sarum, or Canterbury, use; the Hereford use; the York use; the Roman use; etc. | |
9. n. (forging) A slab of iron welded to the side of a forging, such as a shaft, near the end, and afterward drawn down, by hammering, so as to lengthen the forging. | |
10. v. To utilize or employ. | |
11. v. To employ; to apply; to utilize. | |
Use this knife to slice the bread. | |
We can use this mathematical formula to solve the problem. | |
12. v. (transitive, often with up) To expend; to consume by employing. | |
I used the money they allotted me. | |
We should use up most of the fuel. | |
She used all the time allotted to complete the test. | |
13. v. To exploit. | |
You never cared about me; you just used me! | |
14. v. To consume (alcohol, drugs, etc), especially regularly. | |
He uses cocaine. I have never used drugs. | |
15. v. (intransitive) To consume a previously specified substance, especially a drug to which one is addicted. | |
Richard began experimenting with cocaine last year; now he uses almost every day. | |
16. v. (transitive, with auxiliary "could") To benefit from; to be able to employ or stand. | |
I could use a drink. My car could use a new coat of paint. | |
17. v. To accustom; to habituate. (Now common only in participial form. Note: This usage uses the nounal pronunciation of the word rather than the typically verbal one.) | |
soldiers who are used to hardships and danger (still common) | |
to use the soldiers to hardships and danger (now rare) | |
18. v. (reflexive, obsolete, with "to") To become accustomed, to accustom oneself. | |
19. v. (intransitive, now rare, literary) To habitually do; to be wont to do. | |
20. v. (intransitive, now rare, literary) To habitually employ; to be wont to employ. | |
21. v. (intransitive, past tense with infinitive) To habitually do. See used to. | |
I used to get things done. | |
22. v. (dated) To behave toward; to act with regard to; to treat. | |
to use an animal cruelly | |
23. v. (reflexive, obsolete) To behave, act, comport oneself. | |
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 | |
fit |
1. adj. Suitable, proper. | |
You have nothing to say about it. I'll do exactly as I see fit. | |
2. adj. Adapted to a purpose or environment. | |
survival of the fittest | |
3. adj. In good shape; physically well. | |
You don't have to be a good climber for Kilimanjaro, but you do have to be fit. | |
4. adj. (UK, slang) Good looking, fanciable, attractive, beautiful. | |
I think the girl working in the office is fit. | |
5. adj. Prepared; ready. | |
6. v. To be suitable for. | |
It fits the purpose. | |
7. v. To conform to in size and shape. | |
The small shirt doesn't fit me, so I'll buy the medium size. | |
If I lose a few kilos, the gorgeous wedding dress might fit me. | |
8. v. (intransitive) To be of the right size and shape | |
I wanted to borrow my little sister's jeans, but they didn't fit. | |
This plug doesn't fit into the socket. | |
9. v. (transitive, with to) To make conform in size and shape. | |
I want to fit the drapes to the windows. | |
10. v. To tailor; to change to the appropriate size. | |
I had a suit fitted by the tailor. | |
11. v. To be in agreement with. | |
These definitions fit most of the usage. | |
12. v. To adjust. | |
The regression program fit a line to the data. | |
13. v. To attach, especially when requiring exact positioning or sizing. | |
14. v. To equip or supply. | |
The chandler will fit us with provisions for a month. | |
15. v. To make ready. | |
I'm fitting the ship for a summer sail home. | |
16. v. (intransitive, archaic) To be seemly. | |
17. v. To be proper or becoming. | |
18. v. (intransitive) To be in harmony. | |
The paint, the fabrics, the rugs all fit. | |
19. n. The degree to which something fits. | |
This shirt is a bad fit. | |
Since he put on weight, his jeans have been a tight fit. | |
20. n. Conformity of elements one to another. | |
It's hard to get a good fit using second-hand parts. | |
21. n. The part of an object upon which anything fits tightly. | |
22. n. (advertising) How well a particular commercial execution captures the character or values of a brand. | |
The Wonder Bread advertising research results showed the “White Picket Fence” commercial had strong fit ratings. | |
23. n. (statistics) Goodness of fit. | |
24. n. (bridge) The quality of a partnership's combined holding of cards in a suit, particularly of trump. | |
25. n. (archaic) A section of a poem or ballad. | |
26. n. A seizure or convulsion. | |
My grandfather died after having a fit. | |
27. n. (medicine) A sudden and vigorous appearance of a symptom over a short period of time. | |
28. n. A sudden outburst of emotion. | |
He had a laughing fit which lasted more than ten minutes. | |
She had a fit and threw all of his clothes out through the window. | |
He threw a fit when his car broke down. | |
29. n. A sudden burst (of an activity). | |
30. v. (intransitive, medicine) To suffer a fit. | |
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. | |
heels |
1. n. plural of heel | |
2. n. High-heeled shoes. | |
She wore a short skirt and heels. | |
heel |
1. n. (anatomy) The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg. | |
2. n. The part of a shoe's sole which supports the foot's heel. | |
3. n. The rear part of a sock or similar covering for the foot. | |
4. n. The part of the palm of a hand closest to the wrist. | |
He drove the heel of his hand into the man's nose. | |
5. n. (usually plural) A woman's high-heeled shoe. | |
6. n. (firearms) The back, upper part of the stock. | |
7. n. The last or lowest part of anything. | |
the heel of a mast | |
the heel of a vessel | |
8. n. (US, Ireland) A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread. | |
9. n. (US) The base of a bun sliced in half lengthwise. | |
10. n. A contemptible, inconsiderate or thoughtless person. | |
11. n. (slang) A headlining wrestler regarded as a "bad guy," whose ring persona embodies villainous or reprehensible traits and demonstrates characteristics of a braggart and a bully. | |
12. n. (card games) The cards set aside for later use in a patience or solitaire game. | |
13. n. Anything resembling a human heel in shape; a protuberance; a knob. | |
14. n. (architecture) The lower end of a timber in a frame, as a post or rafter. | |
15. n. (specifically, US) The obtuse angle of the lower end of a rafter set sloping. | |
16. n. (architecture, workman slang) A cyma reversa. | |
17. n. (carpentry) The short side of an angled cut. | |
18. n. (golf) The part of a club head's face nearest the shaft. | |
19. n. In a carding machine, the part of a flat nearest the cylinder. | |
20. v. To follow at somebody's heels; to chase closely. | |
She called to her dog to heel. | |
21. v. To add a heel to, or increase the size of the heel of (a shoe or boot). | |
22. v. To kick with the heel. | |
23. v. To perform by the use of the heels, as in dancing, running, etc. | |
24. v. To arm with a gaff, as a cock for fighting. | |
25. v. (golf, transitive) To hit (the ball) with the heel of the club. | |
26. v. (American football, transitive) To make (a fair catch) standing with one foot forward, the heel on the ground and the toe up. | |
27. v. (intransitive, especially of ships) To incline to one side; to tilt. | |
28. n. The act of inclining or canting from a vertical position; a cant. | |
The ship gave a heel to port. | |
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. | |
a |
1. art. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. | |
There was a man here looking for you yesterday. | |
2. art. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word. | |
I've seen it happen a hundred times. | |
3. art. One certain or particular; any single.Brown, Lesley, (2003) | |
We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London. | |
4. art. The same; one. | |
We are of a mind on matters of morals. | |
5. art. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope; also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.Lindberg, Christine A. (2007) | |
A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties. | |
He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head? | |
6. art. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc. | |
7. art. Someone or something like; similar to; Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it. | |
The center of the village was becoming a Times Square. | |
8. prep. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. | |
Stand a tiptoe. | |
9. prep. To do with separation; In, into. | |
Torn a pieces. | |
10. prep. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. | |
I brush my teeth twice a day. | |
11. prep. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. | |
12. prep. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. | |
A God’s name. | |
13. prep. To do with status; In. | |
King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18) | |
To set the people a worke. | |
14. prep. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. | |
1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’ | |
The times, they are a-changin'. | |
15. prep. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. | |
1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21 | |
Jacob, when he was a dying | |
16. prep. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. | |
17. v. (archaic, or slang) Have. | |
I'd a come, if you'd a asked. | |
18. pron. (obsolete, outside, England, and Scotland dialects) He. | |
19. interj. A meaningless syllable; ah. | |
20. prep. (archaic, slang) Of. | |
The name of John a Gaunt. | |
21. adv. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
22. adj. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
shoe |
1. n. A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of leather or synthetic material. Shoes generall | |
Get your shoes on now, or you'll be late for school. | |
2. n. A piece of metal designed to be attached to a horse's foot as a means of protection; a horseshoe. | |
Throw the shoe from behind the line, and try to get it to land circling (a ringer) or touching the far stake. | |
3. n. (card games) A device for holding multiple decks of playing cards, allowing more games to be played by reducing the time between shuffles. | |
4. n. Something resembling a shoe in form, position, or function, such as a brake shoe. | |
Remember to turn the rotors when replacing the brake shoes, or they will wear out unevenly. | |
5. n. A band of iron or steel, or a ship of wood, fastened to the bottom of the runner of a sleigh, or any vehicle which slides on the snow. | |
6. n. A drag, or sliding piece of wood or iron, placed under the wheel of a loaded vehicle, to retard its motion in going down a hill. | |
7. n. The part of a railroad car brake which presses upon the wheel to retard its motion. | |
8. n. (architecture) A trough-shaped or spout-shaped member, put at the bottom of the water leader coming from the eaves gutter, so as to throw the water off | |
9. n. A trough or spout for conveying grain from the hopper to the eye of the millstone. | |
10. n. An inclined trough in an ore-crushing mill. | |
11. n. An iron socket or plate to take the thrust of a strut or rafter. | |
12. n. An iron socket to protect the point of a wooden pile. | |
13. n. (engineering) A plate, or notched piece, interposed between a moving part and the stationary part on which it bears, to take the wear and afford means | |
14. n. Part of a current collector on electric trains which provides contact either with a live rail or an overhead wire (fitted to a pantograph in the latter | |
15. n. The outer cover or tread of a pneumatic tire, especially for an automobile. | |
16. v. To put shoes on one's feet. | |
17. v. To put horseshoes on a horse. | |
18. v. To equip an object with a protection against wear. | |
The billiard cue stick was shod in silver. | |