check |
1. n. (chess) A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece. | |
2. n. An inspection or examination. | |
I don't know if she will be there, but it's worth a check. | |
3. n. A control; a limit or stop. | |
checks and balances | |
The castle moat should hold the enemy in check. | |
4. n. (US) A mark (especially a checkmark: sc=Latinx, ✓) used as an indicator, equivalent to a tick (UK). | |
Place a check by the things you have done. | |
5. n. (US) An order to a bank to pay money to a named person or entity; a cheque (UK, Canada). | |
I was not carrying cash, so I wrote a check for the amount. | |
6. n. (US) A bill, particularly in a restaurant. | |
I summoned the waiter, paid the check, and hurried to leave. | |
7. n. (contact sports) A maneuver performed by a player to take another player out of the play. | |
The hockey player gave a good hard check to obtain the puck. | |
8. n. A token used instead of cash in gaming machines. | |
9. n. A lengthwise separation through the growth rings in wood. | |
10. n. A mark, certificate, or token, by which, errors may be prevented, or a thing or person may be identified. | |
a check given for baggage; a return check on a railroad | |
11. n. (falconry) The forsaking by a hawk of its proper game to follow other birds. | |
12. n. A small chink or crack. | |
13. v. To inspect; to examine. | |
Check the oil in your car once a month. | |
Check whether this page has a watermark. | |
14. v. To verify the accuracy of a text or translation, usually making some corrections (proofread) or many (copyedit). | |
15. v. (US, often used with "off") To mark items on a list (with a checkmark or by crossing them out) that have been chosen for keeping or removal or that have been dealt with (for example, completed or veri | |
Check the items on the list that interest you. | |
Check off the items that you've checked (inspected). | |
Check the correct answer to each question. | |
16. v. To control, limit, or halt. | |
Check your enthusiasm during a negotiation. | |
17. v. To verify or compare with a source of information. | |
Check your data against known values. | |
18. v. To leave in safekeeping. | |
Check your hat and coat at the door. | |
19. v. To leave with a shipping agent for shipping. | |
Check your bags at the ticket counter before the flight. | |
20. v. (street basketball) To pass or bounce the ball to an opponent from behind the three-point line and have the opponent pass or bounce it back to start play. | |
He checked the ball and then proceeded to perform a perfect layup. | |
That basket doesn't count—you forgot to check! | |
21. v. (contact sports) To hit another player with one's body. | |
The hockey player checked the defenceman to obtain the puck. | |
22. v. (poker) To remain in a hand without betting. Only legal if no one has yet bet. | |
Tom didn't think he could win, so he checked. | |
23. v. (chess) To make a move which puts an adversary's piece, especially the king, in check; to put in check. | |
24. v. To chide, rebuke, or reprove. | |
25. v. (nautical) To slack or ease off, as a brace which is too stiffly extended. | |
26. v. To crack or gape open, as wood in drying; or to crack in small checks, as varnish, paint, etc. | |
27. v. To make checks or chinks in; to cause to crack. | |
The sun checks timber. | |
28. v. To make a stop; to pause; with at. | |
29. v. (obsolete) To clash or interfere. | |
30. v. To act as a curb or restraint. | |
31. v. (falconry) To turn, when in pursuit of proper game, and fly after other birds. | |
32. n. (textiles usually pluralized) A pattern made up of a grid of squares of alternating colors; a checkered pattern. | |
The tablecloth had red and white checks. | |
out |
See also individual phrasal verbs such as come out, go out, put out, take out, pull out, and so on. | |
1. adv. Away from the inside or the centre. | |
The magician pulled the rabbit out of the hat. | |
2. adv. Away from home or one's usual place. | |
Let's eat out tonight | |
3. adv. Outside; not indoors. | |
Last night we slept out under the stars. | |
4. adv. Away from; at a distance. | |
Keep out! | |
5. adv. Into a state of non-operation; into non-existence. | |
Switch the lights out. | |
Put the fire out. | |
6. adv. To the end; completely. | |
I hadn't finished. Hear me out. | |
7. adv. Used to intensify or emphasize. | |
The place was all decked out for the holidays. | |
8. adv. (of the sun, moon, stars, etc.) So as to be visible in the sky, and not covered by clouds, fog, etc. | |
The sun came out after the rain, and we saw a rainbow. | |
9. adv. (cricket, baseball) Of a player, so as to be disqualified from playing further by some action of a member of the opposing team (such as being stumped in cricket). | |
Wilson was bowled out for five runs. | |
10. prep. (nonstandard, contraction of out of) Away from the inside. | |
He threw it out the door. | |
11. prep. (colloquial) Outside. | |
It's raining out. | |
It's cold out. | |
12. n. A means of exit, escape, reprieve, etc. | |
They wrote the law to give those organizations an out. | |
13. n. (baseball) A state in which a member of the batting team is removed from play due to the application of various rules of the game such as striking out, hitting a fly ball which is caught by the fieldi | |
14. n. (cricket) A dismissal; a state in which a member of the batting team finishes his turn at bat, due to the application of various rules of the game, such as the bowler knocking over the batsman's wicke | |
15. n. (poker) A card which can make a hand a winner. | |
16. n. (dated) A trip out; an outing. | |
17. n. (mostly, in plural) One who, or that which, is out; especially, one who is out of office. | |
18. n. A place or space outside of something; a nook or corner; an angle projecting outward; an open space. | |
19. n. (printing, dated) A word or words omitted by the compositor in setting up copy; an omission. | |
20. v. To eject; to expel. | |
21. v. To reveal (a person) to be gay, bisexual, or transgender. | |
22. v. To reveal (a person or organization) as having a certain secret, such as a being a secret agent or undercover detective. | |
23. v. To reveal (a secret). | |
A Brazilian company outed the new mobile phone design. | |
24. v. (intransitive, archaic) To come or go out; to get out or away; to become public. | |
25. v. To become apparent. | |
26. adj. Not at home; not at one's office or place of employment. | |
I'm sorry, Mr Smith is out at the moment. | |
27. adj. Released, available for purchase, download or other use. | |
Did you hear? Their newest CD is out! | |
28. adj. (in various games; used especially of a batsman or batter in cricket or baseball) Dismissed from play under the rules of the game. | |
He bowls, Johnson pokes at it ... and ... Johnson is out! Caught behind by Ponsonby! | |
29. adj. Openly acknowledging that one is gay or transgender. | |
It's no big deal to be out in the entertainment business. | |
30. adj. (of flowers) In bloom. | |
The garden looks beautiful now that the roses are out. | |
31. adj. (of the sun, moon or stars) Visible in the sky; not obscured by clouds. | |
The sun is out, and it's a lovely day. | |
32. adj. (of lamps, fires etc.) Not shining or burning. | |
I called round to the house but all the lights were out and no one was home. | |
33. adj. (of ideas, plans, etc.) Discarded; no longer a possibility. | |
Right, so that idea's out. Let's move on to the next one. | |
34. adj. No longer popular or in fashion. | |
Black is out this season. The new black is white. | |
35. adj. Without; no longer in possession of; not having more | |
Do you have any bread? Sorry, we're out. | |
36. adj. (of calculations or measurements) Containing errors or discrepancies; in error by a stated amount. | |
Nothing adds up in this report. All these figures are out. | |
The measurement was out by three millimetres. | |
37. adj. (obsolete) Of a young lady: having entered society and available to be courted. | |
38. interj. (procedure word, especially, military) A radio procedure word meaning that the station is finished with its transmission and does not expect a response. | |
Destruction. Two T-72s destroyed. Three foot mobiles down. Out. | |
what |
1. pron. (interrogative) Which thing, event, circumstance, etc.: (used interrogatively in asking for the specification of an identity, quantity, quality, etc.) | |
2. pron. (relative, nonstandard) That; which; who. | |
3. pron. That which; those that; the thing that. | |
He knows what he wants. | |
What goes up must come down. | |
Keep up with what your friends are doing. | |
4. pron. Whatever. | |
I will do what I can to help you. | |
5. adv. (usually followed by "with") In some manner or degree; in part; partly. See also what with | |
What with singing and joking, the time passed quickly. | |
6. adv. Such. | |
What a pity. | |
What a beautiful day! | |
7. adv. (obsolete) Why? | |
8. adv. (now rare) Used to introduce each of two coordinate phrases or concepts; both…and. | |
9. adv. (Singlish) (alt form, wat) (used to contradict an assumption) | |
10. interj. An expression of surprise or disbelief. | |
What! That’s amazing. | |
11. interj. Response that enquires what the asker desires (usually said unhappily). | |
12. interj. (UK, colloquial, dated) (clipping of what do you say)? | |
It’s a nice day, what? | |
13. interj. What did you say? I beg your pardon? | |
14. det. Which; which kind of. | |
What shirt are you going to wear? | |
What time is it? | |
What kind of car is that? | |
15. det. How much; how great (used in an exclamation). | |
What talent he has! | |
What a talent! | |
16. det. (relative) Whatever | |
Write down what things come into your mind. | |
17. n. (obsolete) Something; thing; stuff. | |
18. n. The identity of a thing, as an answer to a question of what. | |
19. n. Something that is addressed by , as opposed to a person, addressed by who. | |
they |
1. pron. (the third-person plural) A group of people, animals, plants or objects previously mentioned. | |
Fred and Jane? They just arrived. Dogs may bark if they want to be fed. Plants wilt if they are not watered. | |
I have a car and a truck, but they are both broken. | |
2. pron. (the third-person singular, sometimes proscribed) A single person, previously mentioned, especially if of unknown or non-binary gender, but not if previously named and identified as male or female. | |
3. pron. (indefinite pronoun, vague meaning) People; some people; people in general; someone, excluding the speaker. | |
They say it’s a good place to live. | |
They didn’t have computers in the old days. | |
They should do something about this. | |
They have a lot of snow in winter. | |
4. det. (now Southern England dialect, or nonstandard) The, those. | |
5. det. (US dialects including AAVE) Their. | |
6. pron. (US dialectal) There (especially as an expletive subject of be). | |
are |
1. v. second-person singular present of be | |
Mary, where are you going? | |
2. v. first-person plural present of be | |
We are not coming. | |
3. v. second-person plural present of be | |
Mary and John, are you listening? | |
4. v. third-person plural present of be | |
They are here somewhere. | |
5. v. (East Yorkshire, Midlands) present of be | |
6. n. (dialectal, or obsolete) grace, mercy | |
To bid God's are. | |
God's are is what children of God seech and seek. | |
7. n. (obsolete) honour, dignity | |
8. n. (rare) an accepted (but deprecated and rarely used) SI unit of area equal to 100 square metres, or a former unit of approximately the same extent. Symbol: a | |
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? | |
doing |
1. n. A deed or action, especially when somebody is held responsible for it. | |
This is his doing. (= "He did it.") | |
2. v. present participle of do | |
3. interj. The sound made by an elastic object when struck by or striking a hard object. | |
do |
1. v. (auxiliary) A syntactic marker | |
2. v. (auxiliary) A syntactic marker in a question whose main verb is not another auxiliary verb or be. | |
Do you go there often? | |
3. v. (auxiliary) A syntactic marker in negations with the indicative and imperative moods. | |
I do not go there often. | |
Do not listen to him. | |
4. v. (auxiliary) A syntactic marker for emphasis with the indicative, imperative, and subjunctive moods. | |
But I do go sometimes. | |
Do tell us. | |
It is important that he do come see me. | |
5. v. (pro-verb) A syntactic marker that refers back to an earlier verb and allows the speaker to avoid repeating the verb; not generally used with auxiliari | |
I play tennis; she does too. | |
# They don't think it be like it is, but it do. | |
6. v. To perform; to execute. | |
All you ever do is surf the Internet. What will you do this afternoon? | |
7. v. (obsolete) To cause, make (someone) (do something). | |
8. v. (intransitive, transitive) To suffice. | |
it’s not the best broom, but it will have to do; this will do me, thanks. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To be reasonable or acceptable. | |
It simply will not do to have dozens of children running around such a quiet event. | |
10. v. To have (as an effect). | |
The fresh air did him some good. | |
11. v. (intransitive) To fare, perform (well or poorly). | |
Our relationship isn't doing very well; how do you do? | |
12. v. (transitive, chiefly in questions) To have as one's job. | |
What does Bob do? — He's a plumber. | |
13. v. To perform the tasks or actions associated with (something) | |
"Don't forget to do your report" means something quite different depending on whether you're a student or a programmer. | |
14. v. To cook. | |
I'll just do some eggs. | |
15. v. To travel in, to tour, to make a circuit of. | |
Let’s do New York also. | |
16. v. To treat in a certain way. | |
17. v. To work for or on, by way of caring for, looking after, preparing, cleaning, keeping in order, etc. | |
18. v. (intransitive, obsolete) To act or behave in a certain manner; to conduct oneself. | |
19. v. (see also do time) To spend (time) in jail. | |
I did five years for armed robbery. | |
20. v. To impersonate or depict. | |
They really laughed when he did Clinton, with a perfect accent and a leer. | |
21. v. (transitive, slang) To kill. | |
22. v. (transitive, slang) To deal with for good and all; to finish up; to undo; to ruin; to do for. | |
23. v. (informal) To punish for a misdemeanor. | |
He got done for speeding. | |
Teacher'll do you for that! | |
24. v. (transitive, slang) To have sex with. (See also do it) | |
25. v. To cheat or swindle. | |
That guy just did me out of two hundred bucks! | |
26. v. To convert into a certain form; especially, to translate. | |
the novel has just been done into English; I'm going to do this play into a movie | |
27. v. (transitive, intransitive) To finish. | |
Aren't you done yet? | |
28. v. (dated) To work as a domestic servant (with for). | |
29. v. (archaic, dialectal, transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the present progressive of verbs. | |
30. v. (stock exchange) To cash or to advance money for, as a bill or note. | |
31. v. (informal, transitive) To make or provide. | |
Do they do haircuts there? | |
Could you do me a burger with mayonnaise instead of ketchup? | |
32. v. (informal, transitive) To injure (one's own body part). | |
33. v. To take drugs. | |
I do cocaine. | |
34. v. (transitive, in the form be doing somewhere) To exist with a purpose or for a reason. | |
What's that car doing in our swimming pool? - | |
35. n. (colloquial) A party, celebration, social function. | |
We’re having a bit of a do on Saturday to celebrate my birthday. | |
36. n. (informal) A hairdo. | |
Nice do! | |
37. n. Something that can or should be done (usually in the phrase dos and don'ts). | |
38. n. (obsolete) A deed; an act. | |
39. n. (archaic) Ado; bustle; stir; to-do; A period of confusion or argument. | |
40. n. (obsolete, UK, slang) A cheat; a swindler. | |
41. n. (obsolete, UK, slang) An act of swindling; a fraud or deception. | |
42. n. (music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the first and eighth tonic of a major scale. | |
43. adv. (rare) (abbreviation of ditto) | |
and |
1. conj. As a coordinating conjunction; expressing two elements to be taken together or in addition to each other. | |
2. conj. Used simply to connect two noun phrases, adjectives or adverbs. | |
3. conj. Simply connecting two clauses or sentences. | |
4. conj. Introducing a clause or sentence which follows on in time or consequence from the first. | |
5. conj. (obsolete) Yet; but. | |
6. conj. Used to connect certain numbers: connecting units when they precede tens (not dated); connecting tens and units to hundreds, thousands etc. (now often | |
7. conj. (now colloquial, or literary) Used to connect more than two elements together in a chain, sometimes to stress the number of elements. | |
8. conj. Connecting two identical elements, with implications of continued or infinite repetition. | |
9. conj. Introducing a parenthetical or explanatory clause. | |
10. conj. Introducing the continuation of narration from a previous understood point; also used alone as a question: ‘and so what?’. | |
11. conj. (now regional or somewhat colloquial) Used to connect two verbs where the second is dependent on the first: ‘to’. Used especially after come, | |
12. conj. Introducing a qualitative difference between things having the same name; "as well as other". | |
13. conj. Used to combine numbers in addition; plus (with singular or plural verb). | |
14. conj. Expressing a condition.: | |
15. conj. (now US dialect) If; provided that. | |
16. conj. (obsolete) As if, as though. | |
17. n. (enm, music, often informal) In rhythm, the second half of a divided beat. | |
18. n. (UK dialectal) Breath. | |
19. n. (UK dialectal) Sea smoke; steam fog. | |
20. v. (UK dialectal, intransitive) To breathe; whisper; devise; imagine. | |
try |
1. v. To attempt; to endeavour. Followed by infinitive. | |
I tried to rollerblade, but I couldn’t. | |
I'll come to dinner soon. I'm trying to beat this level first. | |
2. v. (obsolete) To divide; to separate. | |
3. v. To separate (precious metal etc.) from the ore by melting; to purify, refine. | |
4. v. (one sort from another) To winnow; to sift; to pick out; frequently followed by out. | |
to try out the wild corn from the good | |
5. v. (nautical) To extract oil from blubber or fat; to melt down blubber to obtain oil | |
6. v. To extract wax from a honeycomb | |
7. v. To test, to work out. | |
8. v. To make an experiment. Usually followed by a present participle. | |
I tried mixing more white paint to get a lighter shade. | |
9. v. To put to test. | |
I shall try my skills on this. | |
10. v. (specifically) To test someone's patience. | |
You are trying my patience. | |
Don't fucking try me. | |
11. v. To taste, sample, etc. | |
Try this—you’ll love it. | |
12. v. To prove by experiment; to apply a test to, for the purpose of determining the quality; to examine; to prove; to test. | |
to try weights or measures by a standard; to try a person's opinions | |
13. v. (legal) To put on trial. | |
He was tried and executed. | |
14. v. To experiment, to strive. | |
15. v. To have or gain knowledge of by experience. | |
16. v. To work on something. | |
You are trying too hard. | |
17. v. (obsolete) To do; to fare. | |
How do you try! (i.e., how do you do?) | |
18. v. To settle; to decide; to determine; specifically, to decide by an appeal to arms. | |
to try rival claims by a duel; to try conclusions | |
19. v. (euphemism, of a couple) To attempt to conceive a child. | |
20. v. (nautical) To lie to in heavy weather under just sufficient sail to head into the wind. | |
21. v. To strain; to subject to excessive tests. | |
The light tries his eyes. | |
Repeated failures try one's patience. | |
22. v. (slang) To want | |
I am really not trying to hear you talk about my mama like that. | |
23. n. An attempt. | |
I gave unicycling a try but I couldn’t do it. | |
24. n. An act of tasting or sampling. | |
I gave sushi a try but I didn’t like it. | |
25. n. (rugby) A score in rugby, analogous to a touchdown in American football. | |
Today I scored my first try. | |
26. n. (dialect) A screen, or sieve, for grain. | |
27. n. (American football) a field goal or extra point | |
28. adj. (obsolete) Fine, excellent. | |
grading |
1. v. present participle of grade | |
2. n. A rank or grade. | |
3. n. (math) Gradation. | |
grade |
1. n. A rating. | |
I gave him a good grade for effort. | |
2. n. The performance of an individual or group on an examination or test, expressed by a number, letter, or other symbol; a score. | |
He got a good grade on the test. | |
This fine-grade coin from 1837 is worth a good amount. | |
3. n. A degree or level of something; a position within a scale; a degree of quality. | |
4. n. A slope (up or down) of a roadway or other passage | |
The grade of this hill is more than 5 percent. | |
5. n. (North America, education) A level of primary and secondary education. | |
Clancy is entering the fifth grade this year. | |
Clancy starts grade five this year. | |
6. n. (Canada, education) A student of a particular grade (used with the grade level). | |
The grade fives are on a field trip. | |
7. n. An area that has been flattened by a grader (construction machine). | |
8. n. The level of the ground. | |
This material absorbs moisture and is probably not a good choice for use below grade. | |
9. n. (mathematics) A gradian. | |
10. n. (geometry) In a linear system of divisors on an n-dimensional variety, the number of free intersection points of n generic divisors. | |
11. n. A harsh scraping or cutting; a grating. | |
12. n. (systematics) A taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity that is not a clade. | |
13. n. (medicine) The degree of malignity of a tumor expressed on a scale. | |
14. v. To assign scores to the components of an academic test. | |
15. v. To assign a score to overall academic performance. | |
16. v. To flatten, level, or smooth a large surface. | |
17. v. (sewing) To remove or trim part of a seam allowance from a finished seam so as to reduce bulk and make the finished piece more even when turned right side out. | |
18. v. (intransitive) To pass imperceptibly from one grade into another. | |
them |
1. pron. Objective case of they: third personal plural pronoun used after a preposition or as the object of a verb. | |
Give it to them. (after preposition) | |
She wrote them a letter. (indirect object) | |
She treated them for a cold. (direct object) | |
2. pron. Objective case of they: third-person singular pronoun used after a preposition or as the object of a verb. | |
If someone comes and asks for the ticket, just give it to them. (after preposition) | |
If one of my patients calls, please bring them their dinner. (indirect object) | |
If a student has an inappropriate question, whatever you do, do not berate them. (direct object) | |
3. det. (dialectal) Those. | |
Them kids need to grow up. | |
Yourself |
1. pron. honoraltcaps, yourself | |
2. pron. (reflexive pronoun) Your own self (singular). | |
Be careful with that fire or you'll burn yourself. | |
3. pron. You (singular); used emphatically, especially to indicate exclusiveness of the referent's participation in the predicate, i.e., that no one else is involved. | |
You yourself know that what you wrote was wrong. | |
After a good night's sleep you'll feel like yourself again. | |