superlative |
1. n. The highest extent or degree of something. | |
2. n. (grammar) The form of an adjective that expresses which of several items has the highest degree of the quality expressed by the adjective; in English, formed by appending "-est" to the end of the adje | |
The superlative of "big" is "biggest". | |
3. n. (informal) An adjective used to praise something exceptional. | |
Daniel is amazing, wonderful, fantastic, and many other superlatives I can’t think of right now! | |
4. adj. Exceptionally good; of the highest quality; superb. | |
5. adj. (grammar) Of or relating to a superlative. | |
form |
1. n. To do with shape.: | |
2. n. The shape or visible structure of a thing or person. | |
3. n. A thing that gives shape to other things as in a mold. | |
4. n. (dated) A long bench with no back. | |
5. n. (fine arts) The boundary line of a material object. In painting, more generally, the human body. | |
6. n. (crystallography) The combination of planes included under a general crystallographic symbol. It is not necessarily a closed solid. | |
7. n. (social) To do with structure or procedure. | |
8. n. An order of doing things, as in religious ritual. | |
9. n. Established method of expression or practice; fixed way of proceeding; conventional or stated scheme; formula. | |
10. n. Constitution; mode of construction, organization, etc.; system. | |
a republican form of government | |
11. n. Show without substance; empty, outside appearance; vain, trivial, or conventional ceremony; conventionality; formality. | |
a matter of mere form | |
12. n. (archaic) A class or rank in society. | |
13. n. (UK) A criminal record; loosely, past history (in a given area). | |
14. n. (education) A class or year of school pupils (often preceded by an ordinal number to specify the year, as in sixth form). | |
15. n. A blank document or template to be filled in by the user. | |
To apply for the position, complete the application form. | |
16. n. Level of performance. | |
The team's form has been poor this year. | |
The orchestra was on top form this evening. | |
17. n. (grammar) A grouping of words which maintain grammatical context in different usages; the particular shape or structure of a word or part of speech. | |
participial forms; verb forms | |
18. n. The den or home of a hare. | |
19. n. (computing, programming) A window or dialogue box. | |
20. n. (taxonomy) An infraspecific rank. | |
21. n. (printing, dated) The type or other matter from which an impression is to be taken, arranged and secured in a chase. | |
22. n. (geometry) A quantic. | |
23. n. (sports) A specific way of performing a movement. | |
24. v. To assume (a certain shape or visible structure). | |
When you kids form a straight line I'll hand out the lollies. | |
25. v. To give (a shape or visible structure) to a thing or person. | |
Roll out the dough to form a thin sheet. | |
26. v. (intransitive) To take shape. | |
When icicles start to form on the eaves you know the roads will be icy. | |
27. v. To put together or bring into being; assemble. | |
The socialists did not have enough MPs to form a government. | |
Paul McCartney and John Lennon formed The Beatles in Liverpool in 1960. | |
28. v. (transitive, linguistics) To create (a word) by inflection or derivation. | |
By adding "-ness", you can form a noun from an adjective. | |
29. v. To constitute, to compose, to make up. | |
Teenagers form the bulk of extreme traffic offenders. | |
30. v. To mould or model by instruction or discipline. | |
Singing in a choir helps to form a child's sociality. | |
31. v. To provide (a hare) with a form. | |
32. v. (electrical, historical, transitive) To treat (plates) to prepare them for introduction into a storage battery, causing one plate to be composed more or less of spongy lead, and the other of lead pero | |
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. | |
wide |
1. adj. Having a large physical extent from side to side. | |
We walked down a wide corridor. | |
2. adj. Large in scope. | |
The inquiry had a wide remit. | |
3. adj. (sports) Operating at the side of the playing area. | |
That team needs a decent wide player. | |
4. adj. On one side or the other of the mark; too far sideways from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc. | |
Too bad! That was a great passing-shot, but it's wide. | |
5. adj. (phonetics, dated) Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the organs in the mouth. | |
6. adj. (Scotland, Northern England, now rare) Vast, great in extent, extensive. | |
The wide, lifeless expanse. | |
7. adj. Remote; distant; far. | |
The hut was not wide from the sea. | |
The cabin is not wide from the lake. | |
8. adj. (obsolete) Far from truth, propriety, necessity, etc. | |
9. adj. (computing) Of or supporting a greater range of text characters than can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation. | |
a wide character; a wide stream | |
10. adv. extensively | |
He travelled far and wide. | |
11. adv. completely | |
He was wide awake. | |
12. adv. away from a given goal | |
The arrow fell wide of the mark. | |
13. adv. So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening. | |
14. n. (cricket) A ball that passes so far from the batsman that the umpire deems it unplayable; the arm signal used by an umpire to signal a wide; the extra run added to the batting side's score | |
most |
1. det. superlative degree of much. | |
The teams competed to see who could collect the most money. | |
2. det. superlative degree of many: the comparatively largest number of (ngd, construed with the definite article) | |
The team with the most points wins. | |
3. det. superlative degree of many: the majority of; more than half of (ngd, construed without the definite article) | |
Most bakers and dairy farmers have to get up early. | |
Winning was not important for most participants. | |
4. adv. Forms the superlative of many adjectives. | |
This is the most important example. | |
Correctness is most important. | |
5. adv. To a great extent or degree; highly; very. | |
This is a most unusual specimen. | |
6. adv. (informal, chiefly US) Almost. | |
7. adv. superlative form of many: most many | |
8. adv. superlative form of much: most much | |
9. pron. The greater part of a group, especially a group of people. | |
Most want the best for their children. | |
The peach was juicier and more flavourful than most. | |
10. n. The greatest amount. | |
The most I can offer for the house is $150,000. | |
11. n. The greater part. | |
Most of the penguins were friendly and curious. | |
Most of the rice was spoiled. | |
12. n. A record-setting amount. | |
wide |
1. adj. Having a large physical extent from side to side. | |
We walked down a wide corridor. | |
2. adj. Large in scope. | |
The inquiry had a wide remit. | |
3. adj. (sports) Operating at the side of the playing area. | |
That team needs a decent wide player. | |
4. adj. On one side or the other of the mark; too far sideways from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc. | |
Too bad! That was a great passing-shot, but it's wide. | |
5. adj. (phonetics, dated) Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the organs in the mouth. | |
6. adj. (Scotland, Northern England, now rare) Vast, great in extent, extensive. | |
The wide, lifeless expanse. | |
7. adj. Remote; distant; far. | |
The hut was not wide from the sea. | |
The cabin is not wide from the lake. | |
8. adj. (obsolete) Far from truth, propriety, necessity, etc. | |
9. adj. (computing) Of or supporting a greater range of text characters than can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation. | |
a wide character; a wide stream | |
10. adv. extensively | |
He travelled far and wide. | |
11. adv. completely | |
He was wide awake. | |
12. adv. away from a given goal | |
The arrow fell wide of the mark. | |
13. adv. So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening. | |
14. n. (cricket) A ball that passes so far from the batsman that the umpire deems it unplayable; the arm signal used by an umpire to signal a wide; the extra run added to the batting side's score | |