why |
1. adv. For what cause, reason, or purpose (interrogative adverb). | |
2. adv. Introducing a complete question. | |
Why is the sky blue? | |
Why did you do that? | |
I don’t know why he did that | |
Tell me why the moon changes phase. | |
3. adv. Introducing a verb phrase (bare infinitive clause). | |
Why spend money on something you already get for free? | |
Why not tell him how you feel? | |
4. adv. Introducing a noun or other phrase. | |
Why him? Why not someone taller? | |
5. adv. For which cause, reason, or purpose (relative adverb). | |
That's the reason why I did that. | |
6. n. reason | |
A good article will cover the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and the how. | |
7. interj. An exclamation used to express indignation, mild surprise, or impatience. | |
8. n. (dialect) A young heifer. | |
don't |
1. v. do not (negative auxiliaryArnold M. Zwicky and Geoffrey K. Pullum, , Language 59 (3), 1983, pp. 502-513) | |
2. v. (nonstandard) does not | |
3. v. (African American Vernacular English) Used before an emphatic negative subject. | |
Don’t nobody care. | |
4. interj. Stop!, Don't touch that! | |
5. n. Something that must not be done (1=usually in the phrase dos and don'ts). | |
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) | |
not |
1. adv. Negates the meaning of the modified verb. | |
Did you take out the trash? No, I did not. | |
Not knowing any better, I went ahead. | |
2. adv. To no degree. | |
That is not red; it's orange. | |
3. conj. And not. | |
I wanted a plate of shrimp, not a bucket of chicken. | |
He painted the car blue and black, not solid purple. | |
4. interj. (slang) Used to indicate that the previous phrase was meant sarcastically or ironically. | |
I really like hanging out with my little brother watching Barney... not! | |
Sure, you're perfect the way you are... not! | |
5. n. Unary logical function NOT, true if input is false, or a gate implementing that negation function. | |
You need a not there to conform with the negative logic of the memory chip. | |
6. contraction. (obsolete) Contraction of ne wot, wot not; know not; knows not. | |
you |
1. pron. (object pronoun) The people spoken, or written to, as an object. | |
2. pron. (reflexive pronoun, now US colloquial) (To) yourselves, (to) yourself. | |
3. pron. (object pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as an object. (Replacing thee; originally as a mark of respect.) | |
4. pron. (subject pronoun) The people spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Replacing ye.) | |
Both of you should get ready now. | |
You are all supposed to do as I tell you. | |
5. pron. (subject pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Originally as a mark of respect.) | |
6. pron. (indefinite personal pronoun) Anyone, one; an unspecified individual or group of individuals (as subject or object). | |
7. det. The individual or group spoken or written to. | |
Have you gentlemen come to see the lady who fell backwards off a bus? | |
8. det. Used before epithets for emphasis. | |
You idiot! | |
9. v. To address (a person) using the pronoun you, rather than thou, especially historically when you was more formal. | |
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. | |
ahead |
1. adv. In or to the front; in advance; onward. | |
The island was directly ahead. | |
2. adv. In the direction one is facing or moving. | |
Just ahead you can see the cliffs. | |
3. adv. In or for the future. | |
There may be tough times ahead. | |
You've got to think ahead so as not to be unprepared. | |
4. adv. At an earlier time. | |
He paid his rent ahead. | |
5. adv. Having progressed more. | |
In all of his classes Jack was ahead. | |
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. | |
tell |
1. v. To count, reckon, or enumerate. | |
All told, there were over a dozen. Can you tell time on a clock? He had untold wealth. | |
2. v. To narrate. | |
I want to tell a story; I want to tell you a story. | |
3. v. To convey by speech; to say. | |
Finally, someone told him the truth. He seems to like to tell lies. | |
4. v. To instruct or inform. | |
Please tell me how to do it. | |
5. v. To order; to direct, to say to someone. | |
Tell him to go away. | |
6. v. (intransitive) To discern, notice, identify or distinguish. | |
Can you tell whether those flowers are real or silk, from this distance? No, there's no way to tell. | |
7. v. To reveal. | |
Time will tell what became of him. | |
8. v. (intransitive) To be revealed. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To have an effect, especially a noticeable one; to be apparent, to be demonstrated. | |
Sir Gerald was moving slower; his wounds were beginning to tell. | |
10. v. To use beads or similar objects as an aid to prayer. | |
11. v. (intransitive, childish) To inform someone in authority about a wrongdoing. | |
I saw you steal those sweets! I'm going to tell! | |
12. v. (authorship) To reveal information in prose through outright expository statement -- contrasted with show | |
Maria rewrote the section of her novel that talked about Meg and Sage's friendship to have less telling and more showing. | |
13. n. A reflexive, often habitual behavior, especially one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogatio | |
14. n. (archaic) That which is told; a tale or account. | |
15. n. (internet) A private message to an individual in a chat room; a whisper. | |
16. n. (archaeology) A hill or mound, originally and especially in the Middle East, over or consisting of the ruins of ancient settlements. | |
Me |
1. n. en-abbr | |
2. n. (chemistry) (abbreviation of methyl) | |
3. pron. alternative case form of me often used when speaking as God or another important figure who is understood from context. | |
4. pron. As the direct object of a verb. | |
Can you hear me? | |
5. pron. (obsolete) Myself; as a reflexive direct object of a verb. | |
6. pron. As the object of a preposition. | |
Come with me. | |
7. pron. As the indirect object of a verb. | |
He gave me this. | |
8. pron. (US, colloquial) Myself; as a reflexive indirect object of a verb; the ethical dative. | |
9. pron. (colloquial) As the complement of the copula (“be” or “is”). | |
It wasn't me. | |
10. pron. (Australia, British, New Zealand, colloquial) My; preceding a noun, marking ownership. | |
11. pron. (colloquial, with "and") As the subject of a verb. | |
Me and my friends played a game. | |
12. pron. (nonstandard, not with "and") As the subject of a verb. | |
13. det. (UK regional, Ireland) alternative form of my | |
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. | |
facts |
1. n. plural of fact | |
fact |
1. n. (archaic) Action; the realm of action. | |
2. n. (legal, obsolete except in set phrases) A wrongful or criminal deed. | |
He had become an accessory after the fact. | |
3. n. (obsolete) A feat or meritorious deed. | |
4. n. An honest observation. | |
5. n. Something actual as opposed to invented. | |
In this story, the Gettysburg Address is a fact, but the rest is fiction. | |
6. n. Something which is real. | |
Gravity is a fact, not a theory. | |
7. n. Something which has become real. | |
The promise of television became a fact in the 1920s. | |
8. n. Something concrete used as a basis for further interpretation. | |
Let's look at the facts of the case before deciding. | |
9. n. An objective consensus on a fundamental reality that has been agreed upon by a substantial number of experts. | |
There is no doubting the fact that the Earth orbits the Sun. | |
10. n. Information about a particular subject, especially actual conditions and/or circumstances. | |
The facts about space travel. | |
11. interj. Used before making a statement to introduce it as a trustworthy one. | |
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. | |
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. | |
Case |
1. n. (grammar) abstract feature of a noun phrase that determines its function in a sentence, such as a grammatical case and a position. | |
2. n. An actual event, situation, or fact. | |
For a change, in this case, he was telling the truth. | |
It is not the case that every unfamiliar phrase is an idiom. | |
In case of fire, break glass. sign on fire extinguisher holder in public space | |
3. n. (now rare) A given condition or state. | |
4. n. A piece of work, specifically defined within a profession. | |
It was one of the detective's easiest cases. Social workers should work on a maximum of forty active cases. The doctor told us of an interesting case he had treated that morning. | |
5. n. (academia) An instance or event as a topic of study. | |
The teaching consists of theory lessons and case studies. | |
6. n. (legal) A legal proceeding, lawsuit. | |
7. n. (grammar) A specific inflection of a word depending on its function in the sentence. | |
The accusative case canonically indicates a direct object. Latin has six cases, and remnants of a seventh. | |
8. n. (grammar) Grammatical cases and their meanings taken either as a topic in general or within a specific language. | |
Jane has been studying case in Caucasian languages. Latin is a language that employs case. | |
9. n. (medicine) An instance of a specific condition or set of symptoms. | |
There were another five cases reported overnight. | |
10. n. (programming) A section of code representing one of the actions of a conditional switch. | |
11. v. (obsolete) To propose hypothetical cases. | |
12. n. A box that contains or can contain a number of identical items of manufacture. | |
13. n. A box, sheath, or covering generally. | |
a case for spectacles; the case of a watch | |
14. n. A piece of luggage that can be used to transport an apparatus such as a sewing machine. | |
15. n. An enclosing frame or casing. | |
a door case; a window case | |
16. n. A suitcase. | |
17. n. A piece of furniture, constructed partially of transparent glass or plastic, within which items can be displayed. | |
18. n. The outer covering or framework of a piece of apparatus such as a computer. | |
19. n. (printing, historical) A shallow tray divided into compartments or "boxes" for holding type, traditionally arranged in sets of two, the "upper case" (containing capitals, small capitals, accented) and | |
20. n. (typography, by extension) The nature of a piece of alphabetic type, whether a “capital” (upper case) or “small” (lower case) letter. | |
21. n. (poker slang) Four of a kind. | |
22. n. (US) A unit of liquid measure used to measure sales in the beverage industry, equivalent to 192 fluid ounces. | |
23. n. (mining) A small fissure which admits water into the workings. | |
24. n. A thin layer of harder metal on the surface of an object whose deeper metal is allowed to remain soft. | |
25. adj. (poker slang) The last remaining card of a particular rank. | |
He drew the case eight! | |
26. v. To place (an item or items of manufacture) into a box, as in preparation for shipment. | |
27. v. To cover or protect with, or as if with, a case; to enclose. | |
28. v. (transitive, informal) To survey (a building or other location) surreptitiously, as in preparation for a robbery. | |
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. | |
then |
1. adv. (temporal location) At that time. | |
He was happy then. | |
2. adv. (temporal location) Soon afterward. | |
He fixed it, then left. | |
Turn left, then right, then right again, then keep going until you reach the service station. | |
3. adv. (sequence) Next in order; in addition. | |
There are three green ones, then a blue one. | |
4. adv. (conjunctive) In that case. | |
If it’s locked, then we’ll need the key. | |
Is it 12 o'clock already? Then it's time for me to leave. | |
You don't like potatoes? What do you want me to cook, then? | |
5. adv. (sequence) At the same time; on the other hand. | |
That’s a nice shirt, but then, so is the other one. | |
6. adv. (dialect) Used to contradict an assertion. | |
7. adj. Being so at that time. | |
8. n. That time | |
It will be finished before then. | |
we'll |
1. contraction. we will | |
2. contraction. we shall | |
we |
1. pron. (personal) The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person (not the person being addressed). (This is the exclusive we.) | |
2. pron. (personal) The speaker(s)/writer(s) and the person(s) being addressed. (This is the inclusive we.) | |
3. pron. (personal) The speaker/writer alone. (This use of we is the editorial we, used by writers and others, including royalty—the royal we—as a less personal substitute for I. The reflexive case of this sen | |
4. pron. (personal) The plural form of you, including everyone being addressed. | |
How are we all tonight? | |
5. pron. (personal, generally considered patronising) A second- or third-person pronoun for a person in the speaker's care. | |
How are we feeling this morning? | |
6. det. The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person. | |
We Canadians like to think of ourselves as different. | |
will |
1. v. (rare, transitive) To wish, desire (something). | |
Do what you will. | |
2. v. (rare, intransitive) To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that). | |
3. v. (auxiliary) To habitually do (a given action). | |
4. v. (auxiliary) To choose to (do something), used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive). | |
5. v. (auxiliary) Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall. | |
6. v. (auxiliary) To be able to, to have the capacity to. | |
Unfortunately, only one of these gloves will actually fit over my hand. | |
7. n. One's independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one's choice or intention. | |
Of course, man's will is often regulated by his reason. | |
8. n. One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands. | |
Eventually I submitted to my parents' will. | |
9. n. The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition. | |
Most creatures have a will to live. | |
10. n. (law) A formal declaration of one's intent concerning the disposal of one's property and holdings after death; the legal document stating such wishes. | |
11. n. (archaic) That which is desired; one's wish. | |
12. n. (archaic) Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.) | |
He felt a great will to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. | |
13. v. (archaic) To wish, desire. | |
14. v. (transitive, intransitive) To instruct (that something be done) in one's will. | |
15. v. To try to make (something) happen by using one's will (intention). | |
All the fans were willing their team to win the game. | |
16. v. To bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document). | |
He willed his stamp collection to the local museum. | |
decide |
1. v. To resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle. | |
The election will be decided on foreign policies. | |
We must decide our next move. | |
Her last-minute goal decided the game. | |
2. v. (intransitive) To make a judgment, especially after deliberation. | |
You must decide between good and evil. | |
I have decided that it is healthier to walk to work. | |
3. v. To cause someone to come to a decision. | |
4. v. (obsolete) To cut off; to separate. | |
on |
1. adj. In the state of being active, functioning or operating. | |
2. adj. Performing according to schedule. | |
Are we still on for tonight? | |
Is the show still on? | |
3. adj. (chiefly UK, informal, usually negative) Acceptable, appropriate. | |
You can't do that; it's just not on. | |
4. adj. (informal) Destined, normally in the context of a challenge being accepted; involved, doomed. | |
"Five bucks says the Cavs win tonight." ―"You're on!". | |
Mike just threw coffee onto Paul's lap. It's on now. | |
5. adj. (baseball, informal) Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter. | |
6. adj. (euphemistic) Menstruating. | |
7. adv. To an operating state. | |
turn the television on | |
8. adv. Along, forwards (continuing an action). | |
drive on, rock on | |
9. adv. In continuation, at length. | |
and so on. | |
He rambled on and on. | |
10. adv. (not US) Later. | |
Ten years on, nothing had changed in the village. | |
11. prep. Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above. | |
on the table; on the couch | |
The parrot was sitting on Jim's shoulder. | |
12. prep. At or near; adjacent to. | |
Soon we'll pass a statue on the left. | |
The fleet is on the American coast. | |
Croton-on-Hudson, Rostov-on-Don, Southend-on-Sea | |
13. prep. Covering. | |
He wore old shoes on his feet. | |
14. prep. At the date of. | |
Born on the 4th of July. | |
15. prep. Some time during the day of. | |
I'll see you on Monday. The bus leaves on Friday. Can I see you on a different day? On Sunday I'm busy. | |
16. prep. Dealing with the subject of, about, or concerning something. | |
A book on history. The World Summit on the Information Society. | |
17. prep. Touching; hanging from. | |
The fruit ripened on the trees. The painting hangs on the wall. | |
18. prep. (informal) In the possession of. | |
I haven't got any money on me. | |
19. prep. Because of, or due to. | |
To arrest someone on suspicion of bribery. To contact someone on a hunch. | |
20. prep. Upon; at the time of (and often because of). | |
On Jack's entry, William got up to leave. | |
On the addition of ammonia, a chemical reaction begins. | |
21. prep. Paid for by. | |
The drinks are on me tonight, boys. The meal is on the house. I paid for the airfare and meals for my family, but the hotel room was on the company. | |
22. prep. Used to indicate a means or medium. | |
I saw it on television. Can't you see I'm on the phone? | |
23. prep. Indicating a means of subsistence. | |
They lived on ten dollars a week. The dog survived three weeks on rainwater. | |
24. prep. Away or occupied with (e.g. a scheduled activity). | |
He's on his lunch break. on vacation; on holiday | |
25. prep. Denoting performance or action by contact with the surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by means of; with. | |
to play on a violin or piano | |
Her words made a lasting impression on my mind. | |
26. prep. Regularly taking (a drug). | |
You've been on these antidepressants far too long. He's acting so strangely, I think he must be on something. | |
27. prep. Under the influence of (a drug). | |
He's acting crazy because he's on crack right now. | |
28. prep. (mathematics) Having identical domain and codomain. | |
a function on | |
29. prep. (mathematics) HavingV^n as domain and V as codomain, for some set V and integer n. | |
an operator on | |
30. prep. (mathematics) Generated by. | |
the free group on four letters | |
31. prep. Supported by (the specified part of itself). | |
A table can't stand on two legs. After resting on his elbows, he stood on his toes, then walked on his heels. | |
32. prep. At a given time after the start of something; at. | |
33. prep. In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series. | |
heaps on heaps of food | |
mischief on mischief; loss on loss | |
34. prep. (obsolete, regional) of | |
35. prep. Indicating dependence or reliance; with confidence in. | |
I depended on them for assistance. | |
He will promise on certain conditions. | |
Do you ever bet on horses? | |
36. prep. Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion. | |
Have pity or compassion on him. | |
37. prep. (obsolete) At the peril of, or for the safety of. | |
38. prep. In the service of; connected with; of the number of. | |
He is on a newspaper; I am on the committee. | |
39. prep. By virtue of; with the pledge of. | |
He affirmed or promised on his word, or on his honour. | |
40. prep. To the account or detriment of; denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon. | |
On us be all the blame. | |
A curse on him! | |
Please don't tell on her and get her in trouble. | |
He turned on her and has been her enemy ever since. | |
He went all honest on me, making me listen to his confession. | |
41. v. (transitive, Singapore, Philippines) to switch on | |
Can you on the light? | |
42. prep. (UK dialectal, Scotland) Without. | |
43. n. In the Japanese language, a pronunciation, or reading, of a kanji character that was originally based on the character's pronunciation in Chinese, contrasted with kun. | |
Most kanji have two kinds of reading, called "on" and "kun". | |
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. | |
best |
1. adj. superlative form of good: most good. | |
I can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. | |
2. adj. Most; largest. | |
Unpacking took the best part of a week. | |
3. adv. superlative form of well: most well | |
4. adv. To the most advantage; with the most success, cause, profit, benefit, or propriety. | |
5. n. The supreme effort one can make, or has made. | |
I did my best. | |
My personal best in that race is eighteen minutes, four seconds. | |
6. n. One's best behavior. | |
I was somewhat distant lately, and my lady promised me head every Tuesday of the week when I'm nice to her, so I better be on my best. | |
7. n. The person (or persons; or thing or things) that is (are) most excellent. | |
8. v. To surpass in skill or achievement. | |
9. v. To beat in a contest | |
possible |
1. adj. (usually not comparable) Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible. | |
Rain tomorrow is possible, but I wouldn't bet on it. | |
It's not just possible, it's probable. | |
2. adj. (comparable) Capable of being done or achieved; feasible. | |
It's possible for anyone to learn to pay the bagpipes. | |
3. adj. Being considered, e.g. for a position. | |
Jones and Smith are both possible for the opening in sales. | |
4. adj. Apparently valid, likely, plausible. | |
5. n. A possible one. | |
6. n. (colloquial, rare) A possible choice, notably someone being considered for a position. | |
Jones is a possible for the new opening in sales. | |
7. n. (rare) A particular event that may happen. | |
representation |
1. n. That which represents something else. | |
The Venus of Willendorf was an early representation of the female body. | |
2. n. The act of representing or exhibiting. | |
3. n. (legal) The lawyers and staff who argue on behalf of another in court. | |
People who cannot afford representation are eligible for government assistance. | |
4. n. (politics) The ability to elect a representative to speak on one's behalf in government; the role of this representative in government. | |
The lack of representation in the British parliament was one of the main factors behind the American Revolution. | |
5. n. (mathematics) An object that describes an abstract group in terms of linear transformations of vector spaces; (more formally) a homomorphism from a group on a vector space to the general linear group | |
6. n. A figure, image or idea that substitutes reality. | |
7. n. A theatrical performance. | |
for |
1. conj. (dated) Because. | |
2. prep. Towards. | |
The astronauts headed for the moon. | |
3. prep. Directed at, intended to belong to. | |
I have something for you. | |
4. prep. In honor of, or directed towards the celebration or event of. | |
We're having a birthday party for Janet. | |
The cake is for Tom and Helen's anniversary. | |
The mayor gave a speech for the charity gala. | |
5. prep. Supporting. | |
All those for the motion raise your hands. | |
6. prep. Because of. | |
He wouldn't apologize; and just for that, she refused to help him. | |
(UK usage) He looks better for having lost weight. | |
She was the worse for drink. | |
7. prep. Over a period of time. | |
I've lived here for three years. | |
They fought for days over a silly pencil. | |
8. prep. Throughout an extent of space. | |
9. prep. On behalf of. | |
I will stand in for him. | |
10. prep. Instead of, or in place of. | |
11. prep. In order to obtain or acquire. | |
I am aiming for completion by the end of business Thursday. | |
He's going for his doctorate. | |
Do you want to go for coffee? | |
People all over Greece looked to Delphi for answers. | |
Can you go to the store for some eggs? | |
I'm saving up for a car. | |
Don't wait for an answer. | |
What did he ask you for? | |
12. prep. In the direction of: marks a point one is going toward. | |
Run for the hills! | |
He was headed for the door when he remembered. | |
13. prep. By the standards of, usually with the implication of those standards being lower than one might otherwise expect. | |
Fair for its day. | |
She's spry for an old lady. | |
14. prep. Despite, in spite of. | |
15. prep. Used to indicate the subject of a to-infinitive. | |
For that to happen now is incredibly unlikely. (=It is incredibly unlikely that that will happen now.) | |
All I want is for you to be happy. (=All I want is that you be happy.) | |
16. prep. (chiefly US) Out of; used to indicate a fraction, a ratio | |
In term of base hits, Jones was three for four on the day | |
17. prep. (cricket) Used as part of a score to indicate the number of wickets that have fallen. | |
At close of play, England were 305 for 3. | |
18. prep. To be, or as being. | |
19. prep. (obsolete) (Indicating that in prevention of which, or through fear of which, anything is done.) | |
20. prep. Used to construe various verbs (see the entries for individual phrasal verbs). | |
you |
1. pron. (object pronoun) The people spoken, or written to, as an object. | |
2. pron. (reflexive pronoun, now US colloquial) (To) yourselves, (to) yourself. | |
3. pron. (object pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as an object. (Replacing thee; originally as a mark of respect.) | |
4. pron. (subject pronoun) The people spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Replacing ye.) | |
Both of you should get ready now. | |
You are all supposed to do as I tell you. | |
5. pron. (subject pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Originally as a mark of respect.) | |
6. pron. (indefinite personal pronoun) Anyone, one; an unspecified individual or group of individuals (as subject or object). | |
7. det. The individual or group spoken or written to. | |
Have you gentlemen come to see the lady who fell backwards off a bus? | |
8. det. Used before epithets for emphasis. | |
You idiot! | |
9. v. To address (a person) using the pronoun you, rather than thou, especially historically when you was more formal. | |