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. | |
sounds |
1. n. plural of sound | |
2. v. third-person singular present indicative of sound | |
sound |
1. adj. Healthy. | |
He was safe and sound. | |
In horse management a sound horse is one with no health problems that might affect its suitability for its intended work. | |
2. adj. Complete, solid, or secure. | |
Fred assured me the floorboards were sound. | |
3. adj. (mathematics, logic) Having the property of soundness. | |
4. adj. (UK, slang) Good; acceptable; decent. | |
"How are you?" - "I'm sound.". | |
That's a sound track you're playing. | |
See that man over there? He's sound. You should get to know him. | |
5. adj. (of sleep) Quiet and deep. Sound asleep means sleeping peacefully, often deeply. | |
Her sleep was sound. | |
6. adj. Heavy; laid on with force. | |
a sound beating | |
7. adj. Founded in law; legal; valid; not defective. | |
a sound title to land | |
8. adv. Soundly. | |
9. interj. (UK, slang) Yes; used to show agreement or understanding, generally without much enthusiasm. | |
- I found my jacket.- Sound. | |
10. n. A sensation perceived by the ear caused by the vibration of air or some other medium. | |
He turned when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Nobody made a sound. | |
11. n. A vibration capable of causing such sensations. | |
12. n. (music) A distinctive style and sonority of a particular musician, orchestra etc | |
13. n. Noise without meaning; empty noise. | |
14. n. earshot, Earshot, distance within which a certain noise may be heard. | |
Stay within the sound of my voice. | |
15. v. (intransitive) To produce a sound. | |
When the horn sounds, take cover. | |
16. v. (copulative) To convey an impression by one's sound. | |
He sounded good when we last spoke. | |
That story sounds like a pack of lies! | |
17. v. (intransitive) To be conveyed in sound; to be spread or published; to convey intelligence by sound. | |
18. v. (intransitive, obsolete) To resound. | |
19. v. (intransitive, legal, often, with in) To arise or to be recognizable as arising in or from a particular area of law. | |
20. v. To cause to produce a sound. | |
Sound the alarm! | |
He sounds the instrument. | |
21. v. (transitive, phonetics, of a vowel or consonant) To pronounce. | |
The "e" in "house" isn't sounded. | |
22. n. (geography) A long narrow inlet, or a strait between the mainland and an island; also, a strait connecting two seas, or connecting a sea or lake with the ocean. | |
Puget Sound; Owen Sound | |
23. n. The air bladder of a fish. | |
Cod sounds are an esteemed article of food. | |
24. n. A cuttlefish. | |
25. v. (intransitive) Dive downwards, used of a whale. | |
The whale sounded and eight hundred feet of heavy line streaked out of the line tub before he ended his dive. | |
26. v. To ascertain, or try to ascertain, the thoughts, motives, and purposes of (a person); to examine; to try; to test; to probe. | |
When I sounded him, he appeared to favor the proposed deal. | |
27. v. Test; ascertain the depth of water with a sounding line or other device. | |
Mariners on sailing ships would sound the depth of the water with a weighted rope. | |
28. v. (medicine) To examine with the instrument called a sound or sonde, or by auscultation or percussion. | |
to sound a patient, or the bladder or urethra | |
29. n. (medicine) An instrument for probing or dilating; a sonde. | |
30. n. A long, thin probe for sounding body cavities or canals such as the urethra. | |
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. | |
gunfire |
1. n. Shots from a gun or guns, typically creating loud report. | |
Let's hide in the trees to avoid the gunfire. | |
Sergeant, direct your gunfire toward that copse of trees. | |
2. n. (chiefly military) The use of gunpowder-type weapons, mainly cannon, as opposed to swords or bayonets. | |
Killing people became much easier and faster once armies started using gunfire. | |
3. n. (military) The time of firing of the morning gun or the evening gun. | |
4. n. (army slang) Tea, a cup of tea, especially one served early in the morning before first parade. | |
slowly |
1. adv. (manner) At a slow pace. | |
fade |
1. adj. (archaic) Weak; insipid; tasteless. | |
2. n. (golf) A golf shot that (for the right-handed player) curves intentionally to the right. See slice, hook, draw. | |
3. n. A haircut where the hair is short or shaved on the sides of the head and longer on top. See also high-top fade and low fade. | |
4. n. (slang) A fight. | |
5. n. (music, cinematography) A gradual decrease in the brightness of a shot or the volume of sound or music (as a means of cutting to a new scene or starting a new song). | |
6. v. (intransitive) To become faded; to grow weak; to lose strength; to decay; to perish gradually; to wither, as a plant. | |
7. v. (intransitive) To lose freshness, color, or brightness; to become faint in hue or tint; hence, to be wanting in color. | |
8. v. (intransitive) To sink away; to disappear gradually; to grow dim; to vanish. | |
The milkman's whistling faded into the distance. | |
9. v. To cause to fade. | |
10. v. (transitive, gambling) To bet against. | |
11. adj. (archaic) Strong; bold; doughty. | |
away |
1. adv. From a place, hence. | |
He went away on vacation. | |
2. adv. Aside; off; in another direction. | |
3. adv. From a state or condition of being; out of existence. | |
4. adv. (as imperative, by ellipsis) Come away; go away; take away. | |
5. adv. On; in continuance; without intermission or delay. | |
sing away | |
6. adv. Without restraint. | |
You've got questions? Ask away! | |
7. adv. Being so engaged for the entire time. | |
That's where tourists go to hear great Cuban bands and dance the night away. | |
8. adv. At a distance in time or space. | |
Christmas is only two weeks away. | |
9. interj. (Northern England) come on!; go on! | |
10. adj. Not here, gone, absent, unavailable, traveling; on vacation. | |
The master is away from home. | |
Would you pick up my mail while I'm away. | |
11. adj. (following the noun modified) At a specified distance in space, time, or figuratively. | |
He's miles away by now. | |
Spring is still a month away. | |
12. adj. (chiefly sports) Not on one's home territory. | |
Entrance for away supporters. | |
Next, they are playing away in Dallas. | |
13. adj. (baseball, following the noun modified) Out. | |
Two men away in the bottom of the ninth. | |
14. adj. misspelling of aweigh | |