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. | |
few |
1. det. (preceded by another determiner) An indefinite, but usually small, number of. | |
I was expecting lots of people at the party, but very few (=almost none) turned up. Quite a few of them (=many of them) were pleasantly surprised. I don't know how | |
2. det. (used alone) Not many; a small (in comparison with another number stated or implied) but somewhat indefinite number of. | |
There are few people who understand quantum theory. Many are called, but few are chosen. | |
3. det. (meteorology of clouds) (US?) Obscuring one eighth to two eighths of the sky. | |
Tonight: A few clouds. Increasing cloudiness overnight. | |
NOAA definition of the term "few clouds": An official sky cover classification for aviation weather observations, descriptive of a sky cover of 1/8 to 2/8. This is applied only when obscuring p | |
4. det. (meteorology of rainfall with regard to a location) (US?) Having a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch); used interchangeably with isolated. | |
5. pron. Few people, few things. | |
Many are called, but few are chosen. | |
seconds |
1. n. plural of second | |
There are sixty seconds in a minute. | |
2. n. A second helping, second serving of food for one person; refill of coffee or other drink. | |
There is plenty of pie left, if you have room for seconds. | |
3. n. An item of clothing that has failed quality control and is sold at a discount | |
It was marked as seconds, but I can't find anything wrong with it. | |
4. n. Any article of merchandise of a grade inferior to the best; especially, a coarse or inferior kind of flour. | |
5. v. third-person singular present indicative of second | |
second |
1. adj. Number-two; following after the first one with nothing between them. The ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number two. | |
He lives on Second Street. | |
The second volume in "The Lord of the Rings" series is called "The Two Towers". | |
You take the first one, and I'll have the second. | |
2. adj. Next to the first in value, power, excellence, dignity, or rank; secondary; subordinate; inferior. | |
3. adj. Being of the same kind as one that has preceded; another. | |
4. adv. (with superlative) After the first; at the second rank. | |
Saturn is the second largest planet. | |
5. adv. After the first occurrence but before the third. | |
He is batting second today. | |
6. n. One that is number two in a series. | |
7. n. One that is next in rank, quality, precedence, position, status, or authority. | |
8. n. The place that is next below or after first in a race or contest. | |
9. n. (usually in the plural) A manufactured item that, though still usable, fails to meet quality control standards. | |
They were discounted because they contained blemishes, nicks or were otherwise factory seconds. | |
10. n. (usually in the plural) An additional helping of food. | |
That was good barbecue. I hope I can get seconds. | |
11. n. A chance or attempt to achieve what should have been done the first time, usually indicating success this time around. (See second-guess.) | |
12. n. (music) The interval between two adjacent notes in a diatonic scale (either or both of them may be raised or lowered from the basic scale via any type of accidental). | |
13. n. The second gear of an engine. | |
14. n. (baseball) Second base. | |
15. n. The agent of a party to an honour dispute whose role was to try to resolve the dispute or to make the necessary arrangements for a duel.https://www.theguardian.com/law/2016/oct/31/appeal-court-upholds | |
16. n. A Cub Scout appointed to assist the sixer. | |
17. v. To agree as a second person to (a proposal), usually to reach a necessary quorum of two. (See under #Etymology 3 for translations.) | |
I second the motion. | |
18. v. To follow in the next place; to succeed. | |
19. v. (climbing) To climb after a lead climber. | |
20. n. One-sixtieth of a minute; the SI unit of time, defined as the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of caesium-133 in a ground sta | |
21. n. A unit of angle equal to one-sixtieth of a minute of arc or one part in 3600 of a degree. | |
22. n. (informal) A short, indeterminate amount of time. | |
I'll be there in a second. | |
23. v. (transitive, UK) To transfer temporarily to alternative employment. | |
24. v. To assist or support; to back. | |
25. v. To agree as a second person to (a proposal), usually to reach a necessary quorum of two. (This may come from the English adjective above.) | |
I second the motion. | |
26. n. One who supports another in a contest or combat, such as a dueller's assistant. | |
27. n. One who supports or seconds a motion, or the act itself, as required in certain meetings to pass judgement etc. | |
If we want the motion to pass, we will need a second. | |
28. n. (obsolete) Aid; assistance; help. | |
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. | |
conspicuous |
1. adj. Obvious or easy to notice. | |
He was conspicuous by his absence. | |
2. adj. Noticeable or attracting attention, especially if unattractive. | |
He had a conspicuous lump on his forehead. | |
silence |
1. n. The lack of any sound. | |
When the motor stopped, the silence was almost deafening. | |
2. n. The act of refraining from speaking. | |
"You have the right to silence," said the police officer. | |
3. n. Form of meditative worship practiced by the Society of Friends (Quakers); meeting for worship. | |
During silence a message came to me that there was that of God in every person. | |
4. v. To make (someone or something) silent. | |
Can you silence the crowd, so we can start the show? | |
5. v. To repress the expression of something. | |
Women, as well as children, have their thoughts or emotions routinely silenced. | |
6. v. To suppress criticism, etc. | |
Silence the critics. | |
Silence the doubters. | |
7. v. (molecular biology) To block gene expression. | |
8. v. (euphemistic) murder | |
9. interj. (imperative) Be silent. | |
Silence! Enough of your insolence! | |
go |
1. v. To move: | |
2. v. (intransitive) To move through space (especially to or through a place). (May be used of tangible things like people or cars, or intangible things like | |
Why don’t you go with us? This train goes through Cincinnati on its way to Chicago. Chris, where are you going? &nbs | |
3. v. (intransitive) To move or travel through time (either literally—in a fictional or hypothetical situation in which time travel is possible—or in one's m | |
Yesterday was the second-wettest day on record; you have to go all the way back to 1896 to find a day when more rain fell. | |
Fans want to see the Twelfth Doctor go to the 51st century to visit River in the library. | |
4. v. (intransitive) To navigate (to a file or folder on a computer, a site on the internet, a memory, etc). | |
5. v. To move (a particular distance, or in a particular fashion). | |
We've only gone twenty miles today. This car can go circles around that one. | |
6. v. (intransitive) To move or travel in order to do something, or to do something while moving. | |
We went swimming. Let's go shopping. | |
7. v. (intransitive) To leave; to move away. | |
Please don't go! I really must be going. Workmen were coming and going at all hours of the night. | |
8. v. (obsolete, intransitive) To walk; to travel on one's feet. | |
9. v. (intransitive, chiefly of a, machine) To work or function (properly); to move or perform (as required). | |
The engine just won't go anymore. | |
10. v. (intransitive) To start; to begin (an action or process). | |
Get ready, get set, go! On your marks, get set, go! On your marks, set, go! | |
Here goes nothing. Let's go and hunt. | |
11. v. (intransitive) To take a turn, especially in a game. | |
It’s your turn; go. | |
12. v. (intransitive) To attend. | |
I go to school at the schoolhouse. She went to Yale. They only go to church on Christmas. | |
13. v. To proceed: | |
14. v. (intransitive) To proceed (often in a specified manner, indicating the perceived quality of an event or state). | |
That went well. "How are things going?" "Not bad, thanks.". | |
15. v. (intransitive, colloquial, with another verb, sometimes linked by and) To proceed (especially to do something foolish). | |
Why'd you have to go and do that? | |
Why'd you have to go do that? | |
He just went and punched the guy. | |
16. v. To follow or travel along (a path): | |
17. v. To follow or proceed according to (a course or path). | |
Let's go this way for a while. | |
She was going that way anyway, so she offered to show him where it was. | |
18. v. To travel or pass along. | |
19. v. (intransitive) To extend (from one point in time or space to another). | |
This property goes all the way to the state line. | |
20. v. (intransitive) To lead (to a place); to give access to. | |
Does this road go to Fort Smith? | |
21. v. (copula) To become. (The adjective that follows usually describes a negative state.) | |
You'll go blind. I went crazy / went mad. After failing as a criminal, he decided to go straight. | |
22. v. To assume the obligation or function of; to be, to serve as. | |
23. v. (intransitive) To continuously or habitually be in a state. | |
I don't want my children to go hungry. We went barefoot in the summer. | |
24. v. To come to (a certain condition or state). | |
they went into debt, she goes to sleep around 10 o'clock, the local shop wants to go digital, and eventually go global | |
25. v. (intransitive) To change (from one value to another) in the meaning of wend. | |
The traffic light went straight from green to red. | |
26. v. To turn out, to result; to come to (a certain result). | |
How did your meeting with Smith go? | |
27. v. (intransitive) To tend (toward a result). | |
Well, that goes to show you. These experiences go to make us stronger. | |
28. v. To contribute to a (specified) end product or result. | |
qualities that go to make a lady / lip-reader / sharpshooter | |
29. v. To pass, to be used up: | |
30. v. (intransitive, of time) To elapse, to pass; to slip away. (Compare go by.) | |
The time went slowly. | |
31. v. (intransitive) To end or disappear. (Compare go away.) | |
After three days, my headache finally went. | |
32. v. (intransitive) To be spent or used up. | |
His money went on drink. | |
33. v. (intransitive) To die. | |
34. v. (intransitive) To be discarded. | |
This chair has got to go. | |
35. v. (intransitive, cricket) To be lost or out: | |
36. v. (intransitive, cricket, of a wicket) To be lost. | |
37. v. (intransitive, cricket, of a batsman) To be out. | |
38. v. To break down or apart: | |
39. v. (intransitive) To collapse or give way, to break apart. | |
40. v. (intransitive) To break down or decay. | |
This meat is starting to go off. My mind is going. She's 83; her eyesight is starting to go. | |
41. v. (intransitive) To be sold. | |
Everything must go. The car went for five thousand dollars. | |
42. v. (intransitive) To be given, especially to be assigned or allotted. | |
The property shall go to my wife. The award went to Steven Spielberg. | |
43. v. (transitive, intransitive) To survive or get by; to last or persist for a stated length of time. | |
How long can you go without water? We've gone without your help for a while now. I've gone ten days now without a cigarette. Can you two go twenty minutes wi | |
44. v. (transitive, sports) To have a certain record. | |
They've gone one for three in this series. The team is going five in a row. | |
45. v. To be authoritative, accepted, or valid: | |
46. v. (intransitive) To have (final) authority; to be authoritative. | |
Whatever the boss says goes, do you understand? | |
47. v. (intransitive) To be accepted. | |
Anything goes around here. | |
48. v. (intransitive) To be valid. | |
49. v. To say (something), to make a sound: | |
50. v. (transitive, slang) To say (something, aloud or to oneself). (Often used in present tense.) | |
I go, "As if!" And she was all like, "Whatever!". | |
As soon as I did it, I went "that was stupid.". | |
51. v. To make the (specified) sound. | |
Cats go "meow". Motorcycles go "vroom". | |
52. v. (intransitive) To sound; to make a noise. | |
I woke up just before the clock went. | |
53. v. To be expressed or composed (a certain way). | |
The tune goes like this. As the story goes, he got the idea for the song while sitting in traffic. | |
54. v. (intransitive) To resort (to). | |
I'll go to court if I have to. | |
55. v. To apply or subject oneself to: | |
56. v. To apply oneself; to undertake; to have as one's goal or intention. (Compare be going to.) | |
I'm going to join a sports team. I wish you'd go and get a job. He went to pick it up, but it rolled out of reach. | |
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 | |