| 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. | |
| better |
| 1. adj. comparative form of good: more good | |
| 2. adj. comparative form of well: more well | |
| 3. adj. Greater in amount or quantity | |
| 4. adv. comparative form of well: more well | |
| 5. adv. More, in reference to value, distance, time, etc. | |
| ten miles and better | |
| 6. n. An entity, usually animate, deemed superior to another; one who has a claim to precedence; a superior. | |
| He quickly found Ali his better in the ring. | |
| 7. v. To improve. | |
| 8. v. (intransitive) To become better; to improve. | |
| 9. v. To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel. | |
| 10. v. To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of. | |
| 11. v. (colloquial) Had better. | |
| You better do that if you know what's good for you. | |
| 12. n. alternative spelling of bettor | |
| late |
| 1. adj. Near the end of a period of time. | |
| It was late in the evening when we finally arrived. | |
| 2. adj. Specifically, near the end of the day. | |
| It was getting late and I was tired. | |
| 3. adj. (usually not used comparatively) Associated with the end of a period. | |
| Late Latin is less fully inflected than classical Latin. | |
| 4. adj. Not arriving until after an expected time. | |
| Even though we drove as fast as we could, we were still late. | |
| Panos was so late that he arrived at the meeting after Antonio, who had the excuse of being in hospital for most of the night. | |
| 5. adj. Not having had an expected menstrual period. | |
| I'm late, honey. Could you buy a test? | |
| 6. adj. (anchor, deceased)(not comparable, euphemistic) Deceased, dead: used particularly when speaking of the dead person's actions while alive. (Often used with "the"; see usage notes.) | |
| Her late husband had left her well provided for. | |
| The piece was composed by the late Igor Stravinsky. | |
| 7. adj. Existing or holding some position not long ago, but not now; departed, or gone out of office. | |
| the late bishop of London | |
| the late administration | |
| 8. adj. Recent — relative to the noun it modifies. | |
| 9. n. (informal) A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place late in the day or at night. | |
| 10. adv. After a deadline has passed, past a designated time. | |
| We drove as fast as we could, but we still arrived late. | |
| 11. adv. formerly, especially in the context of service in a military unit. | |
| Colonel Easterwood, late of the 34th Carbines, was a guest at the dinner party. | |
| The Hendersons will all be there / Late of Pablo Fanque's Fair / What a scene! — "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!", The Beatles | |
| than |
| 1. conj. (obsolete, outside, dialects, usually used with for) Because; for. | |
| 2. conj. Used in comparisons, to introduce the basis of comparison. | |
| she's taller than I am; she found his advice more witty than helpful; we have less work today than we had yesterday; it's bigger than I thought it was | |
| 3. prep. introduces a comparison, and is associated with comparatives, and with words such as more, less, and fewer. Typically, it seeks to measure the force of an adjective or similar description between two | |
| Patients diagnosed more recently are probably surviving an average of longer than two years. | |
| 4. adv. (now chiefly dialectal) At that time; then. | |
| never |
| 1. adv. At no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance. | |
| I finally finished, and I never want to do that again. | |
| I repeated the test a hundred times, and never saw a positive result. | |
| I will never tell. | |
| 2. adv. Not at any other time; not on any other occasion; not previously. | |
| 3. adv. (colloquial) Negative particle (used to negate verbs in the simple past tense; also used absolutely). | |
| The police say I stole the car, but I never did it. | |
| You said you were going to mow the lawn today. – I never! | |
