out

Polly opened the door and went out.

If something using electricity is out, it is turned off or the electricity is not flowing..

Turn the light out before you leave.

The power's out so nothing's working.

I'm trying to find which light went out.

Oh, no! The fire's gone out again.

Something that moves out moves from the inside to a place that is not inside.

He took the pen out of his pocket.

Please, close the door as you go out.

If you walk out that door, you can't come back.

The car stopped and out came two men.

We live out in the country.

He's about half an hour out of Toronto.

If someone is out, they are not in the place where someone is looking for them.

You can't see the doctor now. He is out.

We'll give out the books after everyone has arrived.

Don't throw that out. I'm still using it.

If something is out, you can look at or see it.

the sun is out

the flowers are out

If something comes out of something, it comes from it.

If something is out, it is available for sale.

If something is out, it is not in fashion.

If someone is out, they are not conscious.

If a you are out of something, you had it before but you've used or sold all of it.

If x is made out of y, y is the material that x is made of.


out

out (canonical)
outs (third-person singular)
outed (past)
outed (past participle)
outing (present participle)

If you out somebody, you make public something they don't want others to know, especially that they are homosexual.

The media recently outed a conservative politician.


out

If someone is prevented from scoring in baseball, they make an out.

There were two men on base and two outs.


cushion

A cushion is a pillow; a soft item that people can sit on or put their head on when they lie down.

Here's a bed with sheets, a cushion and a blanket.

Here's a soft chair with two cushions to make it even softer.


cushion

cushion (canonical)
cushions (third-person singular)
cushioned (past)
cushioned (past participle)
cushioning (present participle)

To stop one item from making hard contact with another item.

Mats were laid down to cushion the gymnast's fall.


attach

attach (canonical)
attaches (third-person singular)
attached (past)
attached (past participle)
attaching (present participle)

If you attach x to y, you put x on y so that they will not come apart.

Warnings and instruction should be firmly attached to the container.

Attach the wire to the speaker with the red clip.

Look for spaces where the tire attaches to the rim.

If you are attached to an office, department, location, etc. you work for that part of the organisation.

If a quality such as importance is attached to something, people think the thing has that quality.

There was a great deal of importance attached to being well dressed.

If something is attached to something else, there is a strong connection between them.

The promise of more money for the school is attached to better results from the students?

There is also something called ground rent, which is attached to these apartments.


hope

hope (canonical)
hopes (third-person singular)
hoped (past)
hoped (past participle)
hoping (present participle)

When someone hopes that something will happen, it means that they want it to happen and they think it may happen.

We hope that more women will decide to join the course.

It was hoped that the job would be filled by a local person.


hope

A hope is the idea in someone's mind when they're hoping for something.

All of my hopes came true!


twenty

I was in university when I was twenty years old.


twenty

I'd like my $50 as 1 twenty, 2 tens and 2 fives.

"Twenty" is short for 10-20, meaning location.

Jason, what's your twenty?


discrimination

discrimination (singular)
discriminations (plural)

Discrimination is the act of treating someone unfairly just because of their skin colour, religion, sex, etc.

Even in 2007, there's still too much sex discrimination at the higher levels of big business.

Discrimination is the ability to notice differences.

At this small size, discrimination is very difficult.

Discrimination is the ability to recognise high levels of quality.

The clothes were chosen by someone with discrimination.


minimum

minimum (singular)
minimums or minima (plural)

The minimum is the lowest number, size, amount, etc. that exists, that is allowed, or that is possible.

Try to keep drinking to a minimum at school.

A minimum of three workers is needed to do the job.


minus

You use x minus y to show that y is taken away from x.

Five minus three is two. (5-3=2)

The TV is $299 minus a 10% discount.

The margin of error is plus or minus one per cent.


minus

A minus sign, negative sign, or minus is the symbol "－". It is used in more than one situation:

before a number, to indicate that it is a negative number.

in a math problem 3-1=2 to indicate subtraction.

A minus is a problem or some negative aspect.

He's nice, but the way he dresses is a real minus.


come

come (canonical)
comes (third-person singular)
came (past)
come (past participle)
coming (present participle)

To move towards a place or into a place; to move to the place where the person who is talking is.

Come to my house and I will give you something to eat.

Come here to me.

Twenty people came to the party.

He came here, but he went away again before you came here.


come

We'll talk again come January.


come

(also spelled cum)


heat

Heat is a kind of energy. It is the quality things have when they are warm or hot.

This is a good coat. It keeps the heat in.

The heat from the sun is making me feel hot and tired.


heat

heat (canonical)
heats (third-person singular)
heated (past)
heated (past participle)
heating (present participle)

I just need to heat up the food and then we can eat.


root

A root is a part of a tree or plant that is under the ground.

The tree was supported by strong roots.

A root is the important part or the beginning part of something.

hatred is the root of all evil.

I've lived here so long that I have roots here.

The root of the word "being" is "be".


root

root (canonical)
roots (third-person singular)
rooted (past)
rooted (past participle)
rooting (present participle)

To root is to give or enable to something to develop roots; to fix or implant by or as if by roots

To root is to remove altogether by or as if by pulling out by the roots – usually used with out

The school authorities will root out the troublemakers.

dandelions took root in my flowerbeds.

The love of money has its roots in greed.


cover

cover (canonical)
covers (third-person singular)
covered (past)
covered (past participle)
covering (present participle)

Something that is covering another thing is on top of (or over) the other thing in a way that stops people from seeing it.

I cover myself in two blankets at night to stay warm.

Remember to cover the pot with a lid while you're cooking something.


cover

A cover is something that usually covers something else.

The cover of the book has a picture on it under the name of the book.


simulation

simulation (singular)
simulations (plural)

A simulation of an event is when people make something that looks like the event happening, but it isn't real.

Before we watched them land on the moon, we watched a simulation so we would know what it would look like.

Doctors sometimes learn surgery in a simulation of a real operation.

To make movies you have to set up a lot of simulations.


fight

fight (canonical)
fights (third-person singular)
fought (past)
fought (past participle)
fighting (present participle)

When two people fight against each other, they hit each other and try to hurt each other.

Two children were fighting over a toy, and one child got hurt and started to cry.

When two people fight against each other, they want different things and they try to get what they want. They might yell, or they might just try hard.

When that husband and wife fight with each other, they don't hit. They just yell at each other.

I'm fighting to get more money for the work I do.


fight

There was a fight in the bar last night and three people had to go to the hospital.


rigid

rigid (positive)
more rigid (comparative)
most rigid (superlative)

It's possible to use flexible materials to form a rigid structure.


fall

fall (canonical)
falls (third-person singular)
fell (past)
fallen (past participle)
falling (present participle)

When something or someone falls, it moves down quickly down through the air because nothing is holding it. It moves to a lower position because of gravity.

The apple fell from the tree.

The bridge is falling down.

He tripped on a banana peel and fell down, hurting his leg.

When someone falls, they can mean coming down to the ground on purpose, lying with the face down.

He fell to the floor and begged for mercy.

Falling is when someone or something has been defeated.

The Romans fell to the Goths in 410 AD.


fall

Fall is the name for autumn used only in North America, named after the falling of leaves during the season. It is the season when the weather is getting colder, after summer and before winter.

These plants are growing big and they will be ready to eat in the fall.

A fall or falls or waterfall is a part of a river where water is falling.

We went to the falls to eat lunch outside and watch the water falling.

A fall is when people suffered a loss of greatness or status, such as the fall of Rome.


harbour

A harbour is some water in a curve of land where it's safe for boats because there are no big waves.

A ship in the harbour is safe -- but that is not what ships are for.


harbour

harbour (canonical)
harbours (third-person singular)
harboured (past)
harboured (past participle)
harbouring (present participle)

To provide a harbour or safe place for something or someone.

The old docks once harboured all kinds of ships, but they have been closed for years now.

The ships harbour in the bay during the winter months.

Sam has harboured resentment against Joe since Joe got the job they both applied for.


fish

A fish is an animal that lives in the water and has scales and gills.

When I went fishing, I only caught two fish.

White wine goes well with fish.


fish

fish (canonical)
fishes (third-person singular)
fished (past)
fished (past participle)
fishing (present participle)

To fish means to catch fish, or to get other things that are in the water.

He fished the ball out of the river.


fold

fold (canonical)
folds (third-person singular)
folded (past)
folded (past participle)
folding (present participle)

If you fold something thin such as paper, you bend it so it touches itself.

A type of art where paper is folded to make different models is called origami.

She folded the letter and put it into the envelope to mail it.

In poker, if you fold, you stop betting and withdraw.

After three people folded, there were only two people left in the game, betting against each other.

If you fold on ingredient into another, you stir it gently and carefully with a folding action.

Fold the egg whites into the batter.


fold

There was a fold down the middle of the paper.

A fold is a small place with a fence around it where people keep sheep.

After the sheep eat grass all day in the fields, they come home to the fold where it's safe for the night.


distance

The distance between two things is how far apart they are. A short distance means they're close to each other, and a long distance means they're far apart.

The distance from the Earth to the Sun is 93 million miles.

The distance from my house to the store is 2 kilometres.

The two girls were sitting a short distance apart, so they could hear each other whisper.


distance

distance (canonical)
distances (third-person singular)
distanced (past)
distanced (past participle)
distancing (present participle)

If you distance yourself from someone, you move away from something or someone.


side

A square has four sides.

A side is the left part or the right part of something.

This car has only one door on each side.

A side is an area next to or near something else.

The statue is on the east side of the school.

A side is one surface of a sheet of paper.

Please write on both sides of the paper.

A side is one possible way of looking at or thinking about a concept (usually positive or negative).

On the plus side, my car is fixed.

Try not to look at the down side of things.

A side is one team of players in a game.

Which side is winning?

A side is country or a group of countries fighting together in a war.

In the second world war, the Italians were on the side of the Germans.

(US) A side is a side dish of food that is not the main dish.

Do you want a side of french fries with your hamburger?


side

side (canonical)
sides (third-person singular)
sided (past)
sided (past participle)
siding (present participle)

(usually with "with") To side with someone is to be in an alliance with them.

Who will you side with, Bob or Rachel?


revenue

Revenue is the money that a business receives for doing business, and government receives from taxes.

Higher oil prices should raise government revenue by 13%.

Individual taxpayers today provide a bigger share of our tax revenues than they did before.

The company earned 20% of its revenues from services such as consulting, software and management.

The City is happy because a new source of revenue has been located.

(UK): rev‧en‧ue; (US): rev‧e‧nue; rev‧enue


wealth

Wealth is when one has a lot of money. Wealth is a lot of money or a lot of things of high value like land, houses, factories, jewelry, etc.

His wealth is so great that he wears new shoes every day.


record

A record is something in writing to tell what happened.

Keep a record of the date and what you said every time you talk to that person.

A record is a big round black plastic thing with music or other sounds on it.

Now people don't use records any more -- they use cassettes or CDs.


record

record (canonical)
records (third-person singular)
recorded (past)
recorded (past participle)
recording (present participle)

To make a written record about something.

She recorded everything she did in a little book.

To put music or other sounds onto a machine.

The singer recorded some songs on CDs to sell them.


present

A present is a gift; something that someone gives to someone else.

Here's a birthday present for you. I hope you like it.

The present is the time now at this moment.

yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, and today is the present.


present

Someone is present if the person is here, or the person is at the place someone is talking about.

Five men and two women were present when the meeting started.


present

present (canonical)
presents (third-person singular)
presented (past)
presented (past participle)
presenting (present participle)

When you present something, you show it or give it to someone.


history

China has many old books about its history.

The restaurant is close to the city's history and art museums.

History is the study of what happened in the past.

He is a professor of history.

If somebody or something makes history, they do something very important that will not be forgotten.

She made history by becoming Africa's first elected female president.

If somebody or something goes down in history, they are remembered by people because they were very important or well known.

She'll go down in history as one of our greatest writers.

A history is a book recording things that have happened.

He was reading a history of Ancient Rome.

If somebody or something has a history of something, it's very common for them.

She has a history of cheating on tests.

If you say something is history, you mean it's finished, over, dead, or not important any more.

OK, that game's history.

If you say the rest is history, you mean you don't have to tell about because everyone already knows.

They just happened to run into each other at the right time, and the rest is history.


overseas

If something is overseas, it is in a different country, usually across the ocean.

After university she went overseas to teach.

The overseas markets, students, etc. are in or from a different country, usually across an ocean.

Wang is an overseas student from China.

Canada needs to do more for overseas development, especially in Africa.

With the college taking in more overseas students, more attention is being put on language issues.

/ˌəʊvəˈsiːz/


garden

A garden is a place where flowers and other plants grow where people want them to. Frequently it is a small place with a wall around it, near a house. It may have rocks and other things in it to look beautiful.

She spends a lot of time taking care of the flowers in her garden.


garden

garden (canonical)
gardens (third-person singular)
gardened (past)
gardened (past participle)
gardening (present participle)

If you garden, you work in a garden, especially your own garden around your house.

He joined his mother when she gardened and talked to her flowers.


living

live (canonical)
lives (third-person singular)
lived (past)
lived (past participle)
living (present participle)


living

What do you do for a living?


living

A living thing is a person, animal or plant that is not dead—it is still able to function and grow.

Living things grow and make more living things like themselves.


awful

awful (positive)
more awful (comparative)
most awful (superlative)

Very bad. So bad that people don't want to think about it.

When all the children were crying, it was just awful.


sacrifice

sacrifice (singular)
sacrifices (plural)

A sacrifice is something that a person gives up in order to help him or somebody else. A person who makes a sacrifice for a friend will do something that he might not want to do in order to help his friend.

A sacrifice is an offer given as a gift to a god.

People in the Old Testament offered a lamb as a sacrifice to God for forgiveness.


sacrifice

sacrifice (canonical)
sacrifices (third-person singular)
sacrificed (past)
sacrificed (past participle)
sacrificing (present participle)

If you sacrifice someone or something, you give them up for other things.


dear

dear (positive)
dearer (comparative)
dearest (superlative)

Dear is something that is precious or greatly valued to someone. They love the thing or the person.

My large stamp collection is very dear to me.

Dear George, Thank you for your letter of August 1.

Dear is something very expensive. It has a higher price; costs a lot of money.

That diamond ring is too dear -- we can't buy it.


dear

My cousin is my dear because she gives me flowers very often.


fifth

The fifth thing is something that is number five (5) in order.


fifth

A fifth of something is one of five equal parts of that thing.

Three is one fifth of fifteen.

A fifth of an alcoholic drink is a bottle of it.

They drank a fifth of vodka last night.


initiative

initiative (singular)
initiatives (plural)

If you have or take the initiative, you are in control and can decide what to do next.

It's good to see someone take the initiative and start doing something about this problem.

It appears that the army was acting on its own initiative and not on orders from the president.

If you have initiative, you do things without needing to be told to do them.

We're looking to hire somebody with initiative because I won't be able to supervise them much.

An initiative is an effort to start doing something to solve a problem.

The town has no new initiatives to deal with garbage.


seed

A seed is a small round thing that can grow to be a plant, a flower or a tree.

She put the seeds into the ground in the garden so that food and flowers would grow.


seed

seed (canonical)
seeds (third-person singular)
seeded (past)
seeded (past participle)
seeding (present participle)

I'm going to seed the garden so vegetables grow there.

If a man seeds in a woman, he ejaculates inside her during sexual intercourse.


parcel

A package; a box wrapped in paper; a thing bigger than a letter that is sent in the mail.

On my birthday, I got a parcel in the mail.

A parcel of land is a piece of land that was part of a larger piece.


parcel

parcelled (past)
parcelled (past participle)
parcelling (present participle)
parcel (canonical)
parcels (third-person singular)
parceled (past)
parceled (past participle)
parceling (present participle)

If you parcel something out, you divide it into small parts to give to different people.

The set of books was parcelled out among the people who were there.

If you parcel something off, you divide it into small parts to be sold to different people.

If you parcel something up, you make it into a parcel by wrapping it up.


exchange

exchange (canonical)
exchanges (third-person singular)
exchanged (past)
exchanged (past participle)
exchanging (present participle)

An exchange is when a person or a group of people trade an item or service with another person or group of people.

The children can exchange toys so that each child has a new toy to play with.


exchange

I did well in that exchange. Now I have three good new books, and I only paid a little money.


conflict

A conflict is when two or more people or ideas don't agree.

People have tried to end the conflict, which has caused more than 100 deaths since February, but it hasn't worked.

Conflicts may occur in families when the parents have different values.

The two stories examine the conflict between good and evil.

There may be a conflict between wanting to give students a broad education and needing to teach the basics.

Sometimes a girl is in conflict with her culture or religion in how she wants to dress.

A conflict is when two things are trying to use the same resources at the same time.

I'm sorry I can't meet then. I've got a conflict with another meeting.


conflict

conflict (canonical)
conflicts (third-person singular)
conflicted (past)
conflicted (past participle)
conflicting (present participle)

If two goals, plans, meetings, etc. conflict, they both cannot be achieved, work or be true.

The goal of hiring more workers conflicts with the plan to cut costs.

Sorry, the meeting conflicts with my prior plans.


curve

A curve is a line that is not straight. It is like part of a circle. It starts in one direction and turns.

The edge of the flower petal is a beautiful curve.


curve

curve (canonical)
curves (third-person singular)
curved (past)
curved (past participle)
curving (present participle)

The car curved around the corner.

This piece of wood is not good. It is curved.


high

high (positive)
higher (comparative)
highest (superlative)

If something is high, it is a long way up.

The airplane flew very high.

If something is high, its top is a long way up.

That is the highest mountain near here.

If something is high, it is very good. It might be better or more important than other things. This can often means someone has more power.

The Supreme Court is the highest court in America.

Brian Boru was called the high king of Ireland.

Meeting my girlfriend was the high point of my year.

If someone is high, that person's mind is affected by drugs.

John was high from marijuana last night.


insurance

insurance (singular)
insurances (plural)

Insurance is an agreement where someone pays a small amount of money, and if something bad happens, they get money to help them.

I have fire insurance for my house.


company

A company is an organization for doing work for money.

He works for a big company.

I own this company, so it's a problem for me if people don't buy what we make.

Company is people who are visiting other people; people who are in other peoples' house so that they can talk to the other people, or people who are walking with other people or being somewhere with other people.

I can't talk to you on the phone right now, because I have company. (people in the house.)

When someone keeps someone else company, they stay with the person.

Will you keep me company while I go to mail this letter?

A company' is a unit of an army, it usually consists of two or three platoons to form a battalion.


domain

A domain is a field or area of knowledge or skill, or of where a rule is in force.

The question of whether there is a god or not is not within the domain of science.

The copyright is expired and the book is now in the public domain.

A domain is a large area owned by a person or controlled by a government.

The Royal Domain of Drottningholm stands on an island in Lake Mälar in a suburb of Stockholm.

A domain (name) is a group of internet addresses or URLs that share the same last section (e.g., http://simple.wiktionary.org/wiki/domain is in the wiktionary.org domain.)

If you want to set up a web site, the first step is probably to register a domain name such as amazon.com or google.com.


definite

definite (positive)
more definite (comparative)
most definite (superlative)

Someone is definite if they are sure. They have no doubt about what they're saying.

She was definite that this is the right place.

Something is definite if it has defined limits.


lead

A lead is a wire or strap attached to something.

The dog can't go far because it's on a short lead.

Attach this lead to one end of the battery.

Lead is a very heavy gray metal. It's a chemical symbol is Pb.

This box is so heavy, it feels as if it's full of lead.


lead

lead (canonical)
leads (third-person singular)
led (past)
led (past participle)
leading (present participle)

Someone is leading other people if the person is going first and the other people are following or coming after.

Please lead us to the house, because you know how to go there.

Showing or telling other people what to do.

He moves that little stick in the air to lead the people making music.


flexibility

flexibility (singular)
flexibilities (plural)

Flexibility is the quality of being flexible.

Current technology allows for greater flexibility in how we do our jobs.


tonight

Tonight is the night that comes between today and tomorrow.

Tonight is when the party is scheduled.

We will talk tonight.


disgust

A strong dislike someone feels for something. Disgust is an emotion. People feel it, for example, when they find something dirty or not fit to eat.

With an air of disgust, she stormed out of the room.

When she saw the meat that was ten days old, she felt a strong disgust.


disgust

disgust (canonical)
disgusts (third-person singular)
disgusted (past)
disgusted (past participle)
disgusting (present participle)

To cause a strong dislike for something.

It disgusts me, to see her chew with her mouth open.


save

save (canonical)
saves (third-person singular)
saved (past)
saved (past participle)
saving (present participle)

If you save something, you keep it; you do not give it or toss it away.

Please save that book for me.

If you save someone, you keep them safe or help them survive.

You saved my life.

If you save information, you put it on a disk or into some kind of long-term memory.

He saved the resumé on the floppy disk.


save

A save is when something was saved. This term is used in sports.

Due to a great save at the end, the game ended 0:0.


save

All of x save y describes only that part of x that is not y.

The night air was still and silent save for the voice of a female dispatcher over his police radio.

All my cats are white, save one.

We know little of her background, save that she was born in Mississauga.


point

A point is a position with no size, or a small dot.

These two lines meet at this point.

A point is the sharp end of a knife or other sharp thing.

He used the point of the knife to make a hole in the can.

The point of something is the reason or purpose for it.

The whole point of coming here was to plant this tree, so let's not go home without doing it.

A point is a dot between two numbers. To the dot's right, you find a decimal.

You need a point between the one and the zero.


point

point (canonical)
points (third-person singular)
pointed (past)
pointed (past participle)
pointing (present participle)

To point at something is to hold one finger (or a stick, arrow or other long, thin thing) in the direction of the thing so that people will look at the thing.

He pointed her toward the gate.


point

You use point to introduce decimals in a number that is not an integer.

The price has gone up by two point five percent (2.5%).


limit

The limit is the edge of how far something can go. It can go up to the limit but no farther.

This fence is at the limit of my property.

The heater sets a limit to how cold it can be in the house; it can't get colder than that.

There is no limit to what we can do.


limit

limit (canonical)
limits (third-person singular)
limited (past)
limited (past participle)
limiting (present participle)

The fence limits the cows from going out of the field.

If you limit someone, you reduce or take away their freedom.


crucial

crucial (positive)
more crucial (comparative)
most crucial (superlative)

When something is crucial, it is very important. It will make a big difference. You cannot succeed without it.

To write a great book, it's crucial to have the person in the book change and develop.

It was a crucial time in the battle when the king dropped his sword.

The development of this company is at a crossroads, and we need to make some crucial decisions.

Iron plays a crucial role in moving oxygen around the body.

The new doctor was crucial to the success of the operation.


holy war

A holy war is a war fought for religious reasons. Examples include jihad and crusades.


reveal

reveal (canonical)
reveals (third-person singular)
revealed (past)
revealed (past participle)
revealing (present participle)

If you reveal something, it was hidden and you show it or make it known.

A new study reveals that car makers have made little or no gains in fuel economy.

It was revealed yesterday that the president has decided to step down.


copper

Copper is a metal that is a red-brown colour. Sometimes coins of small value are made from copper. The symbol for copper is Cu with an atomic number of 29.

Water comes into our house through copper pipes.

A copper is a penny, a coin of small value made of copper.

Could you give me a copper? I have almost enough money to buy that thing.

The copper arrested him for stealing.


copper

The copper statue has turned green.

Having the reddish-brown colour/color of copper

The copper couch will look really nice with that wallpaper.


frequent

frequent (positive)
more frequent (comparative)
most frequent (superlative)

An event is frequent if it happens many times in a short time.

Broken toys is the most frequent reason children ask for help here.

Seeing a lion is not a frequent event around here.


frequent

frequent (canonical)
frequents (third-person singular)
frequented (past)
frequented (past participle)
frequenting (present participle)

Someone frequents a place if they go there regularly.

I frequent some of the restaurants on this street.


harbor

A harbor is some water in a curve of land where it's safe for boats because there are no big waves.

A ship in the harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are for.


harbor

harbor (canonical)
harbors (third-person singular)
harbored (past)
harbored (past participle)
harboring (present participle)

To provide a harbor or safe place for something or someone.

The old docks once harbored all kinds of ships, but they have been closed for years now.

The ships harbor in the bay during the winter months.

Sam has harbored resentment against Joe since Joe got the job they both applied for.


allocation

allocation (singular)
allocations (plural)

An allocation is the amount that is given out or shared.

Our department's allocation of computer time is too small.

We need to increase the allocation of funds to fix the roads problem.

Allocation is the act of giving out or sharing something.

The budget allocations are becoming less and less frequent.

With the new focus on the environment, governments are rethinking their resource allocation plans.

The broad allocation of contracts means that we don't depend on any one company.

/æləˈkeɪʃən/


detail

A detail is a small part of something that is not as important as the whole thing.

I've written a book, but I still need to change some details in it.

Writing your name at the top of the page is a small detail, but it's important.

This is a very clear picture. You can see every detail.

He's on floor-cleaning detail today.


detail

detail (canonical)
details (third-person singular)
detailed (past)
detailed (past participle)
detailing (present participle)

When someone details something, they tell all the details about it, or record the details.

Would you please detail this project for me?


form

Form is the shape or structure of a person or a thing.

A thing that makes shapes to other things, as in a mold.

A form is a blank document which is to be filled in by a person.

To join with the club, please fill in this application form.


form

form (canonical)
forms (third-person singular)
formed (past)
formed (past participle)
forming (present participle)

If you form something, you give it shape or structure.


floor

The floor is the flat part at the bottom of a room. People stand on the floor.

Don't drop your milk on the floor.

The children are sitting on the floor to play.

To get to room 302 you have to go up three floors.


floor

floor (canonical)
floors (third-person singular)
floored (past)
floored (past participle)
flooring (present participle)

:
 This short section needs someone to add to it.


total

A total is the final amount of something. It is a term used in math.


total

totaled (past)
totaled (past participle)
totaling (present participle)
total (canonical)
totals (third-person singular)
totalled (past)
totalled (past participle)
totalling (present participle)

If you total something, you add them up.

If something totals something, it adds up to that; it amounts to.

The total of your purchase comes to $53.

If you total something, you destroy it; you wreck it.


total

If something is total, it is complete; it is finished.

He is a total failure

The total book was very bad.


voluntary

voluntary (positive)
more voluntary (comparative)
most voluntary (superlative)

Acting of one's own free will. Something that somebody does is voluntary if the person is doing it because they want to do it, not because someone orders them to do it.

Helping to wash the dishes is voluntary.

I have a voluntary position helping children learn to read.


bond

A bond is a connection between two people because of love or friendship.

War can often build strong bonds between people who suffered or fought together.

A bond is a connection between two or more things, for example using glue.

The heat created a bond between the plastic and the metal.

A bond is a financial document promising to pay a certain amount of money. These are often bought and sold.

The new benchmark ten-year government bond yielded 6.3%.

Most large international banks have issued floating rate bonds as a source of medium-term funding.

It took her many years to break free of the bonds of guilt.

A bond is the force that holds atoms together.


bond

bond (canonical)
bonds (third-person singular)
bonded (past)
bonded (past participle)
bonding (present participle)

If you bond two things, you connect them, for example using glue.

The melting wax bonded to the table.

He bonded the wood to the plastic to make it look more natural.

The individual carbon atoms in a diamond are bonded together extremely strongly.

If you bond with someone, you form a special relationship.

Breastfeeding helps the baby bond with its mother.


dependent

dependent (positive)
more dependent (comparative)
most dependent (superlative)

If you are dependent on something, you need it or rely on it.

Ocean divers are dependent on their oxygen masks for air.


dependent

dependent (singular)
dependents (plural)

A dependent is a person who relies on another person for support.

With two children and an ailing mother, she had three dependents in all ... (In British English, this meaning is spelt dependant.)

A dependent is an element in a phrase or clause that is not the head.


flag

A flag is a piece of cloth, usually marked with a colourful symbol or sign.

A flag flown by a ship is to show the presence on board of the admiral (the leader of a group of ships); the admiral himself; or his flagship.

The use of a flag, especially to show the start of a race or other event.

Be ready to start running immediately at the flag.

On a computer, a flag is a variable or place in the computer's memory that keeps a true-or-false, yes-or-no value, usually either recording the fact that a certain event has happened or asking for a certain action to happen if it's an action that doesn't always happen.

In a command line interface (a place on a computer screen for people to type commands for a computer to do), a sign telling the computer to do something it does only sometimes, or a sign changing in some other way the action of the command being typed.


flag

flag (canonical)
flags (third-person singular)
flagged (past)
flagged (past participle)
flagging (present participle)

If you mark with a flag, it shows the importance of something.

(often with down) To signal to, especially to stop a car that's driving past, etc.

Please flag a taxi down for me.

When a person flags, the person becomes weak, tired or feeble.

His strength flagged toward the end of the race.

To signal or mark something that happened.

The compiler flagged three errors.

To set the value of a variable in a computer program to true.

Flag the debug option before running the program.


fan

A fan is a thing that moves air to help people stay cool; either a small paper thing a person holds in their hand, or a machine with a part that turns fast to push the air.

She held the fan in front of her face so people wouldn't see her smile.

Turn on the fan! It's hot here!

A fan is a person who supports another person or team.

John is a fan of that soccer club.

When he kicked the ball into the goal, all his fans cheered loudly.


fan

fan (canonical)
fans (third-person singular)
fanned (past)
fanned (past participle)
fanning (present participle)

To blow air on something, often with a fan.

We had to fan ourselves with our programs because it was so hot and crowded in the auditorium.

We enjoyed standing at the edge of the cliff, being fanned by the wind.

usually to fan out) To move or spread in many directions from one point, similar to the shape of a hand-held fan.


massacre

A massacre is when many people are killed. This is especially true when those killed appear to be innocent civilians not linked to the war in progress. Very often, the term is also applied if the killings were done in a brutal way.

Many people were killed in the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War.


massacre

massacre (canonical)
massacres (third-person singular)
massacred (past)
massacred (past participle)
massacring (present participle)

To kill many innocent people without much resistance; to slaughter people.


last

Happening or coming after all other similar things or people.

I was the last person to go there: when I went, the others were all already there.

My house is the last house at the end of the street.

At last, after twenty hours on the boat, they arrived at their destination.


last

last (canonical)
lasts (third-person singular)
lasted (past)
lasted (past participle)
lasting (present participle)

Summer seems to last longer each year.

To hold out, continue undefeated or entire.

I don't know how much longer we can last without reinforcements.


last

Last week, month, year, etc. is the one that comes before this one.

I didn't see you last week.

I haven't seen him since the summer before last.


hearing

hear (canonical)
hears (third-person singular)
heard (past)
heard (past participle)
hearing (present participle)

If you hear something, you use your ears to get a sound from it.

Are you hearing the music clearly enough, or must I make it louder?


hearing

The act of hearing or the quality of being able to hear.

I'm worried about my son's hearing -- maybe his ears were hurt by music that was too loud.

Hearing is necessary to be a sign language interpreter.

A trial in a court of law or another kind of event where a group listens to people and makes a formal decision.

Next week I have an immigration hearing to decide whether I can stay in this country.


force

A force is the act of a thing pushing on another thing, or how strongly it pushes.

The force of the hammer hitting the nail pushes the nail into the wood.

In science, energy is force times distance.

He pushed his shoulder against the door with great force, but was not able to open the locked door.

A group that aims to attack, control, or constrain.

police force


force

force (canonical)
forces (third-person singular)
forced (past)
forced (past participle)
forcing (present participle)

Someone forces something to happen when they make it happen.

He forced his way into the room.

The large size of our family forced me to buy a bigger house.


prime

If something is prime, it is best, most important, most suitable, or in some way number one.

Canada is a prime example of a multicultural country.

He was the prime suspect in the murder investigation.


prime

The prime is the best part of something.

He was killed at the prime of his life.

A prime is a number that can be evenly divided only by one and itself.

The first six primes are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and 13.

A prime is something that primes something else.


prime

prime (canonical)
primes (third-person singular)
primed (past)
primed (past participle)
priming (present participle)

If you prime something, you get it ready to do something.

The coach has primed them for the game.

to manipulate, in a subtle manner, people's decision-making by use of symbols, location, etc.


forthcoming

forthcoming (positive)
more forthcoming (comparative)
most forthcoming (superlative)

An event that is forthcoming is something that will happen soon. It's coming in a short time.

The forthcoming publication of her book will help her get status and respect.

A person who is forthcoming is someone who tells what they're thinking.

I asked him what his plans are for next year but he wasn't very forthcoming.

/fɔːθˈkʌmɪŋ/

/fɔrθˈkʌmɪŋ/


military

military (positive)
more military (comparative)
most military (superlative)

If something is military, it is a characteristic of people in the armed forces.

Sick soldiers go to the military hospital.

If something is military, it is about armed forces such as the army, marines, navy, or air force.

If something is military, it has to do with war.

If something is military, it has to do with armies and ground troops.


military

military (singular)
militaries or military (plural)

The military is the United States armed forces in general.

It's not the job of the military to make policy.


degree

We measure an angle using degrees. All the way around a circle is 360 degrees. Often, ° is written instead of "degrees".

A right-angled triangle has an angle of 90 degrees.

We measure how hot or how cold it is (temperature) using degrees on a scale, such as Celsius or Fahrenheit.

It's going to be 35 degrees Celsius today.

The amount that an object has of a certain quality.

To what degree do the two accounts of the accident agree?

Any units used to measure specific gravity, bitterness, darkness, etc. in manufacturing commodities.

An award (usually better than a diploma but not as good as a doctorate) given by a university or, in some countries, a college

After four years at university, she got her degree.

The number of edges that a vertex is part of.

The corner of a cube is of degree 3, but the corners of an eight-sided solid have degree 4.


gender

A living thing's gender is its sex: male (man, boy), female (woman, girl), both, or neither.

There are gender differences in everything from physical size to play style.

The effects vary considerably according to such factors as class, race and gender.

Gender is a way of grouping nouns in some languages, for example: masculine, feminine & neuter.

In French, the gender affects everything from the choice of le or la to the adjective endings.

Someone's gender is whether they behave like a boy or girl. This is called masculine or feminine, and not the same as male or female.

His gender was not traditional, he was a very feminine boy.

The gender of a cord, cable, or plug tells how it connects. If it has a hole (a socket) that can be plugged into, it is female. If it plugs into a hole, it is male.

The microphone was the wrong gender for the computer's sound card.


interest

When someone wants to know more about something or likes to do something, we say the person has an interest in it.

She has a strong interest in art. She is going to go to an art school.

What are your interests?

When something is important to a person, or if good things happening to the thing are good for the person, we say that the person has an interest in the thing.

Because I own a house on this street, I have an interest in keeping the street clean.

I'm doing this to look after my own interests.

When someone borrows money, they have to give back more money than they borrowed. The extra money they have to pay is called interest.

The bank gives me two percent interest per year on the money in my account.


interest

interest (canonical)
interests (third-person singular)
interested (past)
interested (past participle)
interesting (present participle)

If someone is interested, they are curious and want to find out about something.

I am interested in researching flowers.

Does maths interest you?


integrity

Integrity is the quality of being honest and of doing only good things.

I liked the integrity she showed when she wouldn't let someone from the other company pay for her lunch.

Integrity is the quality of being whole, not broken.

We need to test the integrity of the bridge.


niece

A niece is the female child of someone's sister or brother and is a part of their extended family.

My brother has a daughter. She is my niece.


guide

a document or book that offers information or instruction; guidebook.

any marking or object that catches a person's attention for quick reference.

a device that guides part of a machine, or guides motion or action.

a spirit thought to speak through a medium.

a member of a group marching in formation who sets the pattern of movement for the rest.


guide

guide (canonical)
guides (third-person singular)
guided (past)
guided (past participle)
guiding (present participle)

to serve as a guide for someone or something.

to use control or influence over someone or something.


display

A display is an exhibition, an arrangement, or a show.

Mom thought the department store's display of lingerie was indecent.

Little Jimmie toppled the display of model airplanes.

The ceramic, wood, and fabric art displays are very attractive.

Too many displays will confuse our customers.

The output is visible on the display.


display

display (canonical)
displays (third-person singular)
displayed (past)
displayed (past participle)
displaying (present participle)

If you display something, you arrange it so that people can see it. Display means to exhibit, or to show.

The players will display their best skills at tonight's game.


power

strength, energy, force, control. A quality that can make things happen.

His muscles have a lot of power.

The prime minister has power over the country.

Fight the power! (Meaning, "Fight authority!")

The city had no lights that night because there was no power.

Power is how fast something uses energy. That is, how much work it does in a certain time.

x to the power of y is equal to x multiplied by itself y times.

Two to the power of three is eight (2³=8).

A special ability that someone might have.

In comic books many heroes have amazing powers.

television often shows witches as having magical powers.

A person or group of people with authority; that is a people who control things.

The mayor and the sheriff are the major powers in this town.

China and the United States are two of the main world powers.

I like the idea, but the powers that be will not allow it.


power

power (canonical)
powers (third-person singular)
powered (past)
powered (past participle)
powering (present participle)

To provide power for or give power to (a mechanical or electronic device).

This CD player is powered by batteries.


flame

We saw the flames burning the house.

The firefighter's hat is as bright as a flame.

A flame is a lover that only lasts for a short time.

He brought his flame to yesterday's party.

A flame is a strong comment on the internet to insult (hurt) someone else, making them angry.

Today, someone in our forum started posting very mean flames.

I posted that someone's idea was a bad idea, and I got a lot of flames for that.


flame

flame (canonical)
flames (third-person singular)
flamed (past)
flamed (past participle)
flaming (present participle)

The pot in the kitchen started to flame when it was left to cook for too long.

To write an insulting (hurtful) message on the internet to make people angry.

My school peer started flaming in my email.

Everybody in the newsgroup flamed me for saying that.


aggregate

aggregate (singular)
aggregates (plural)

The aggregate is the number or amount when everything is put together.

Although demand was up in certain areas, aggregate demand was down.

When each day's time is put together, he's been running for an aggregate of over 762 hours.

Aggregate is the small stones that are used to make concrete.


aggregate

aggregate (canonical)
aggregates (third-person singular)
aggregated (past)
aggregated (past participle)
aggregating (present participle)

If you aggregate something, you put or bring it together.

You shouldn't aggregate the various costs. Look at them individually.

The students' income should be aggregated with the parents'.


colleague

colleague (singular)
colleagues (plural)

A colleague is a person who works together with another person or who does the same kind of work.

I like to talk about the science with my colleagues from the other university.


division

Division is the act of dividing a whole thing into parts.

The division of the pie by the children happened with very little fighting.

Division is the process or calculation of dividing a number by another number.

I've got ten divisions to do for my homework.

Divisions are the parts of something after division.

There are four divisions (or sections) in a classical pas de deux.

A division is a large military unit (group of soldiers)

A division is a section of a large company.

This division of GenericTech specializes in the manufacturing of routers.

When scientists are grouping kinds of animals, a division is a kind of group (Latin divisio) below kingdom and above class.

Magnolias belong to the division Magnoliophyta.

A division is a difference of viewpoint between two sides of an argument.

There is a division in the Senate between politicians who support abortions and politicians who do not.

A division is a piece of music (melody), played with musical instruments, in the 17th and 18th centuries based on another piece.

A division is a set of pipes in a pipe organ.

A division is a concept where a common group of debtors (people who owe money) are only responsible for part of the total debt.


general

general (positive)
more general (comparative)
most general (superlative)

Usual; about most things. An idea is a general idea if it's about many things or about most things, not just about one specific thing.

First I will talk about general problems of farming, and then I will talk about the specific problems of wheat farming.

In general, I enjoy pizza.

General is approximate, not exact; maybe a little different; close but maybe not the same.

/ˈd͡ʒɛnərəl/


general

The president told the general to bring the army home.

/ˈd͡ʒɛnərəl/


coat

An outer piece of clothing that covers the upper part of the body and the arms.

The woman wore a fur coat.

It's cold today, so you need to wear a coat when you go outside.

He applied a thin coat of paint to the wood.

The bear's coat was thick for the winter.

Around the mast or bowsprit of a ship, some canvas painted with thick tar to keep water from running down the sides into the hold (now made of rubber).


coat

coat (canonical)
coats (third-person singular)
coated (past)
coated (past participle)
coating (present participle)

To cover with a coat (2) of some material

A person can buy coated frying pans, which are much easier to wash up than normal ones.

Thick paint coated the wall.


intervention

intervention (singular)
interventions (plural)

An intervention is an activity designed to change or stop a situation.

To prevent government intervention, the companies agreed to stop advertising cigarettes.

The teachers planned a reading intervention for the students who were having trouble.


author

An author is the creator of a work; a writer.

I am the author of this article. I was the one who wrote it.


author

author (canonical)
authors (third-person singular)
authored (past)
authored (past participle)
authoring (present participle)

If you author something, you create a work as its author.

Did you read that article that John authored? It was poorly written.


trace

A trace of something is a very small amount, almost too small to find.

We've found traces of an earlier painting underneath this one.

No trace of the original material remains.

The last trace of cloud had disappeared from the sky.

He said it without a trace of sadness.

The fact that each coin has different trace elements provides clear evidence that they were made at different places.

A trace is a line on a paper drawn by a machine that shows the ups and downs of something.

The trace shows a very irregular heartbeat.

A trace is a path that tells you where something came from.

We've got a trace on the call.

The fox was able to follow the trace the rabbit left on the ground.


trace

trace (canonical)
traces (third-person singular)
traced (past)
traced (past participle)
tracing (present participle)

If you trace something, you follow information to find where it came from or where it went.

Also, both the church and the farm can trace their origins back to the 1500s.

The police soon traced the couple's movements and found they had made a number of telephone calls to Paris.

The disease has been traced back to some bad eggs.

He traced a line in the sand.

If you trace a picture or a shape, you draw it by putting a piece of paper over it and drawing what you see underneath.

She traced the Chinese characters carefully, the way you do before you learn to read.


drain

A drain is a hole, sometimes in the bottom of a basin, to let water flow out, and a pipe attached to the hole.

After you wash, you should drain the water from the bath.


drain

drain (canonical)
drains (third-person singular)
drained (past)
drained (past participle)
draining (present participle)

Someone drains something when they take the water or other liquid out of it.

She drained her cup in one gulp.

The workers drained the wet land to make it a dry place to build houses.


fixed

fix (canonical)
fixes (third-person singular)
fixed (past)
fixed (past participle)
fixing (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of fix.

The mechanic fixed my car.

The mother fixed the broken toy.

The meeting of Congress is fixed on January 3.

The mechanic has fixed all of the problems.

Something is fixed if it didn't work before, but now it works or has been repaired.

Is your car fixed yet?

If an animal has been fixed, it had an operation to stop it from having babies.

After a male cat is fixed, it doesn't fight with other cats as much.

If a game, contest, or election is fixed, somebody unfairly controls what will happen before it is over.

Don't go to that casino, the roulette wheel is fixed.

When we find out who squealed on our roulette wheel, they're going to get fixed.

Don't go into my room, or I'll fix you!

Don't worry about it, we're fixed with the cops.


fixed

Not changing, not able to be changed, staying the same.

fixed assets

fixed cost


today

Today is the current day, the day that is happening now, the day between yesterday and tomorrow.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

I have classes today.

Today's meeting should be short.

Today is modern times; the present in general.

Today we don't have many of the old problems but we have many new ones.


have

have (canonical)
has (third-person singular)
had (past)
had (past participle)
having (present participle)

Someone has something if the thing is in their hands. The person is holding or gripping it.

Do you have a spoon, or do you need me to give you one so you can eat the soup?

If you have to do something, you must do it.

I have to go.

John had to pay a fine.

Someone has something if the thing is that person's thing: the person owns it; it belongs to the person.

The rich family has a big house.

If you have you hold something in the mind.

I have a doubt about him.

We have lunch at 13:00.

You use have to say that you suffer from something or to tell the experience.

I have a defective vision. (I don't see well.)

He had a wonderful time with his friends.


have

have (canonical)
have (present)
has (third-person singular)
had (past)
having (present participle)
haven't (present negative)
hasn't (third-person singular negative)
hadn't (past negative)

I have closed the window. (Also: I've closed the window.)

I had already eaten before. (Also: I'd already eaten before.)


condition

condition (singular)
conditions (plural)

A condition is a logical clause or phrase that a conditional statement uses. The phrase can either be true or false.

The doctor will check my condition.

A problem, especially a medical problem.

I told the doctor about my heart condition. My heart is very weak.

The state of something, meaning how much wear it has.

The tires were flat, the windows were broken, and the paint was peeling. The car was in poor condition.

A condition is something that must be true, happen, or exist before something else can.


condition

condition (canonical)
conditions (third-person singular)
conditioned (past)
conditioned (past participle)
conditioning (present participle)

To become accustomed to changes in the environment.

I became conditioned to the weather in San Diego.

To subject to different conditions, especially as an exercise.

They were conditioning their shins in their karate class.


collapse

collapse (canonical)
collapses (third-person singular)
collapsed (past)
collapsed (past participle)
collapsing (present participle)

Something collapses when all its parts fall down loosely. A building or a bridge collapses when it breaks and all its parts fall down. A person collapses when they are tired and they fall into a chair or onto a bed and are too tired to get up.

He was so tired, he just collapsed onto that chair.

The bridge collapsed, but no one was hurt.


collapse

The collapse of the bridge means we can't go over the river any longer.


exceed

exceed (canonical)
exceeds (third-person singular)
exceeded (past)
exceeded (past participle)
exceeding (present participle)

If x exceeds y, x is or becomes larger or better than y.

The company's 2005 revenue exceeds that of 2004.

The quality of her essay exceeded my expectation.

If you exceed something, you go beyond (farther than) the limits, beyond the regular level or beyond what is allowed.

Your user name may not exceed eight characters.

The length of the soldier's hair exceeds the allowed length.


development

development (singular)
developments (plural)

The development of this story has been slow.

The organism has reached an important part in its development.

Our news team brings you the latest developments.

Our development department has created three new adhesives this year.

The active placement of the pieces, or the process of doing it

White's development is good, but black's has been hampered by the pawn on e5.


index

index (singular)
indexes or indices (plural)

An index is an alphabetical (A to Z) list, usually at the back of a book, where you can find the pages in a book that talk about particular things or words.

Look in the index to see where they talk about Chomsky.

An index shows the level of prices, wages, etc. so you can compare them with those of an earlier date.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones index closed 10 points up at 2,731.23.


index

index (canonical)
indexes (third-person singular)
indexed (past)
indexed (past participle)
indexing (present participle)

If you index something, you make an index (guide) for it.

If you index something to a certain price level, you make it go up or down with that level.


foul

Something that goes against the rules in a sport.

After a bad foul, a soccer player has to leave the game


foul

foul (positive)
fouler (comparative)
foulest (superlative)

We left the meat too many days, and now it is foul and we can't eat it.

There's a foul smell in the bathroom.


thirty

I had my first child when I was thirty years old.


thirty

three tens is thirty.


assembly

A group of people who came together for an event.

She stood in front of the assembly and started to talk.

The act of people or things coming together.

It took a few minutes for the assembly of everything she needed to bring with her.

The act of making something by putting parts together.

We bought a desk, but we didn't know it needed assembly at home.


frame

The parts of a building that are strong and that hold the other parts up.

Now that the frame is done, we can start on the walls.

The strong parts (bones) of a person's body.

His starved flesh hung on his frame.

Something, often made of wood, around the outside of a picture.

The painting was in a beautifully carved frame.

The outer part of a stamp's image, usually decorated.

A part of a strip of photographic film, the size of one image.

A film projector shows many frames in a single second.

A way of understanding, a point of view.

In this frame, it's easy to ask the question that the investigators missed.

A game of snooker, from break-off until all the balls have been potted.

A chunk of data sent over the wires of a network.

In bowling, a set of balls whose results are added for scoring.

A division of time on a multimedia timeline, such as 1/30th of a second.


frame

frame (canonical)
frames (third-person singular)
framed (past)
framed (past participle)
framing (present participle)

People frame a building when they put together the strong parts while they're building or constructing it.

Once we finish framing the house, we'll hang tin on the roof.

Someone frames a picture such as a painting or photograph when they add a decorative border.

Someone who is taking a picture with a camera frames something when they carefully put it inside the edges of the picture in a nice way.

The director frames the fishing scene very well.

To put together words to make a point of view (way of thinking) for understanding or interpretation.

How would you frame your accomplishments?

The way the opposition has framed the argument makes it hard for us to win.

Someone frames someone else of a crime such as murder that they didn't do when they make things seem as if the person did the crime.

He put the gun in her car to try to frame her.


straightforward

straightforward (positive)
more straightforward (comparative)
most straightforward (superlative)

If something is straightforward, it is simple. It is easy to understand and easy to know how to do it.

The instructions for how to put this desk together are straightforward.

What we need to do now is straightforward.

Making tea is pretty straightforward.


duration

The time something takes, or how much time it takes.

In the duration of his speech, ten more people came into the room

The duration of this event will be three hours.

For the duration of the work painting the rooms, you'll have to sleep in a different room.


release

release (canonical)
releases (third-person singular)
released (past)
released (past participle)
releasing (present participle)

If someone releases something, they let go of it; they stop holding it and set it free (let it be free).

He released his grasp on the lever.

He was released after two years in prison.

Someone releases something when they put it out into the world (discharge it).

They released thousands of gallons of water into the river each month.

A company releases something when they let the public start using it.

They released the new product later than they wanted to.

To lease again; to agree to a new lease of; to let back, sublet or rent again.

I leased the house from the owner, and released it for a year to another person.


release

In software, a version of something that is put up for sale or that the public can use.

The video store advertised that it had all the latest "releases".

That which is released, untied or let go.

They marked the occasion with a release of butterflies.


inclination

inclination (singular)
inclinations (plural)

Someone has an inclination to do something if the person wants to do it or often does it.

I have an inclination to eat some ice cream right now.

He has an inclination to forget his umbrella at other peoples' houses.

Something has an inclination if it's on a slant or angle.

The inclination of the road was just enough to make the car roll by itself.


fear

Fear is a bad feeling usually caused by a danger or a worry that something bad might happen.

He was struck with fear when he thought he saw a ghost.

She has a fear of spiders.

Fear is the chance that something might happen.

There's no fear of her being on time. She's always late.

Fear is a feeling of very high respect, usually towards a god.

Christians who worship in churches have a fear of God.


fear

fear (canonical)
fears (third-person singular)
feared (past)
feared (past participle)
fearing (present participle)

If you fear something, you are afraid of it.

I fear the worst will happen.

She feared for his safety.

You say you fear something when you're giving someone bad news.

I fear that she has left already.

If you fear something, usually a god, you show great respect towards it.

Christians in churches fear God.


ordinal

If something is ordinal, it tells the order.

"fifth" is an ordinal number.


ordinal

An ordinal number such as first, second and third.


whereby

This hammer is the tool whereby I hammered in that nail.

Learning is the method whereby we improve our minds.


cent

A small coin of little value, also called a penny; 100 cents make a dollar.

This gum only costs five cents.


need

need (canonical)
needs (third-person singular)
needed (past)
needed (past participle)
needing (present participle)

If you need something, you want it and must have it.

Everyone needs food and water.

If you need to do something, it is very important that you do it.

Sir, you need to leave now.


need

need (present)
needed (past)
needn't (negative)

If you need do something, you have to do it.

Need you do that all the time?

You needn't keep telling me. I heard you the first time.


need

If you have a need for something, you must have it; something necessary or required.

I've always tried to have few needs beyond food, clothing and shelter.


intrinsic

intrinsic (positive)
more intrinsic (comparative)
most intrinsic (superlative)

x is intrinsic to y if x is an important part of y. y must always have x as a part.

Being able to think is intrinsic to being human.

Finding a way to stop being angry is intrinsic to the problem of making your life better.

food has intrinsic value, while gold only has value because other people want it.


levy

levy (canonical)
levies (third-person singular)
levied (past)
levied (past participle)
levying (present participle)

If you levy a charge or a tax, you legally make people pay it.

The government levies a tax on all wood entering the country.


levy

A levy is an extra charge on top of the basic price, usually a tax.

The levy on fuel went up this year.

Someone drafted or conscripted into military service.


motto

A motto is a favorite phrase or saying, often telling a principle or belief. individuals and groups can have mottos.

"Early to bed and early to rise" is a motto.


adjacent

If x has adjacent y, there is no other thing between x and y.

The house has an adjacent garage.

It's a lovely room, complete with adjacent shower and rest area.

In the word "house", the letters "h" and "o" are adjacent.


adjacent

If x is adjacent to y, there is no other thing between x and y.

The cinema was immediately adjacent to our house, so that every night we could hear the film.


enormous

enormous (positive)
more enormous (comparative)
most enormous (superlative)

That's the most enormous watermelon I've ever seen.

elephants are enormous animals.


inherent

inherent (positive)
more inherent (comparative)
most inherent (superlative)

A part of something that is natural and cannot be separated from it.

There may be problems inherent in hiring part-time staff.

Everybody understands the inherent value of education.


cruel

crueller (comparative)
cruellest (superlative)
cruel (positive)
crueler (comparative)
cruelest (superlative)

Someone who is cruel is mean. They hurt other people and don't care, or they like hurting other people.

The cruel guard pushed the prisoners so hard that some of them fell down.

An action is cruel if only cruel people would do it.

It's cruel to make children work 10 hours a day.


user

A user is someone with an account and username that lets them log in to a computer and do things on the computer.


arrogance

arrogance (singular)
arrogances (plural)

Arrogance is an attitude that someone may have that he/she is better than other people.

He treats us so badly because he is full of arrogance.


protocol

A protocol is a rule, guideline, or document about how certain activities are done.

I don't know the protocol for talking to the President.

A protocol is a set of rules that describes how data is transmitted.

To get the domain name from the domain name server, the other computer has to send the right protocol.


controversy

controversy (singular)
controversies (plural)

When there is a controversy about something, people don't agree about it and there is a lot of talking about it.

There's a controversy about whether cars should be allowed to drive in this part of the city.

Newspapers love to write about controversies.


interval

There is a ten-minute interval between classes.

In music, an interval is the difference in pitch between two notes.

In mathematics, an interval is a connected section of the real line.

In the game of cricket, either of the two breaks, at lunch and tea, between the three sessions of a day's play.


brief

brief (positive)
briefer (comparative)
briefest (superlative)

If something is brief, it is for a short time.

Today there will be brief periods of rain.

Today's meeting should be very brief.

The ceremony included a brief speech by the president.

She arrived when she was 13 months old and, except for one brief period, she never left.

During the brief interview I was asked why I wanted to work for UPS.

If a piece of clothing such as shorts or a skirt is brief, it is short.

One of them was naked, the other wore only a pair of brief shorts.


brief

A brief is a short piece of writing or a short talk.

They've been asked to file briefs, stating why they think the case should not be heard.

My father was at work, reading through a pile of legal briefs.

Could you tell whether he was wearing briefs or boxers under his trousers?

You use in brief to show that you will speak or write in a short way.

In brief, the results suggest that coffee is not harmful in small amounts.


brief

brief (canonical)
briefs (third-person singular)
briefed (past)
briefed (past participle)
briefing (present participle)

If you brief someone, you tell them the most important information about something.

Army General David Petraeus briefed the president on the progress of the plan.


eventually

If something will happen eventually, it will happen but it will be in the future, not soon. Some day it will happen.

I'll clean out my closet eventually.

Eventually we'll find a better way to do this.


away

When something moves away from something else, the distance between them gets bigger. They are no longer near or close.

Go away! You're bothering me.

Keep the machine away from water.

The store is far away from my house.


class

The history class is interesting.

Class today will be about whole numbers.

The number of students attending class is increasing.

I'd better go. I've got a class to teach.

They are my best class because they are always here on time.

Class sizes are usually larger in high school.

You could tell by here clothes that she was a woman of class.

A class is a group of members with similar characteristics.

A class is a group of people in a society with similar jobs, education, history, and money.

They were both from the upper class and both knew the queen personally.

We treat everyone the same regardless of race, class, sex, or age.

The British class system doesn't work in Canada.

She bought a first-class ticket because she wanted to have the best quality.

An organism's class is its group: mammals, reptiles, insects, arachnids, etc.

A word's class is its syntactic group: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.

Shall belongs to the class of words called "modal auxiliary verbs".


class

class (canonical)
classes (third-person singular)
classed (past)
classed (past participle)
classing (present participle)

If something is classed as a member of a group, it belongs to that group because of some characteristics shared by the group's members.

Although it looks like a motorcycle, it is officially classed as a car.


class

Most high school coaches are class individuals, and they should get our thanks.


afternoon

afternoon (singular)
afternoons (plural)

The time after 12:00 (after noon, after lunch) and before the evening meal.

I didn't finish that work in the morning, so I had to do it in the afternoon.


attain

attain (canonical)
attains (third-person singular)
attained (past)
attained (past participle)
attaining (present participle)

Someone attains a status if they reach it and start to have that status.

My brother attained first place in the race.

After 4 years at university, she attained her degree.


partisan

A partisan is a person who is a supporter of a political party, or of an idea. He or she may also be militant, ready to use force to fight for his or her cause.


arrogant

arrogant (positive)
more arrogant (comparative)
most arrogant (superlative)

If Dan is arrogant, he thinks he is better or more important than other people.

He is arrogant and that is why he is rude.

When you walked past her without talking to her, she thought you were being arrogant.


deaf

deaf (positive)
deafer (comparative)
deafest (superlative)

Somebody who is deaf, cannot hear or cannot hear well.

She did not hear what I was saying because she's deaf.


publication

publication (singular)
publications (plural)

Publication is the act of making a book or other thing publicly known or available where the public can use it.

The Report itself and the debate that followed its publication have been useful.

This letter is personal and not for publication.

A publication is a book, magazine, paper, song, etc. that has been or will be published.

Women's Strategies from Around the World, is a new publication from the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).


savoury

savoury (positive)
more savoury (comparative)
most savoury (superlative)

Savoury means "not sweet". Food that is savoury does not taste sweet. The savoury course of a meal may have meat or fish and vegetables. This may be followed by a sweet course (called "pudding" or "dessert").

"Savour" can also mean the characteristic taste of something. It can also mean to enjoy something: "He savoured every moment of it".


finite

finite (positive)
more finite (comparative)
most finite (superlative)

If something is finite, it has a limit. It doesn't keep going forever.

This problem has a finite number of correct answers.

There is a finite amount of energy in the universe.


sphere

A sphere is a shape that is round in all directions, like a ball. Every point on a sphere is the same distance from the centre (a point in the middle) of the sphere.

The Earth is almost exactly a sphere.

A drop of water can be a sphere while it's falling.


scope

The scope of a book, a law, a duty, etc. is how much is included or how far it can go.

The small budget has limited the scope of the research.

There are plans to expand the scope of the department's activities.

This kind of art allows the greatest scope for individual expression.

It is not within the scope of this book to talk about them all.

A scope is an instrument for looking at things, e.g., a telescope or a microscope.


scope

scope (canonical)
scopes (third-person singular)
scoped (past)
scoped (past participle)
scoping (present participle)

If you scope something (out), you look at it carefully.

I scoped out the place last week. It seems nice.


visible

visible (positive)
more visible (comparative)
most visible (superlative)

If something is visible, it can be seen.

The car had no visible signs of damage.

Many stars that are not visible in the city are still visible from the countryside.

Mount Fuji is clearly visible from Tokyo after a rain storm.

Italy has an active and highly visible environmental movement.


deafness

Someone with deafness cannot hear or cannot hear well.

My mother's deafness keeps her from hearing me.

Getting sick with the measles can cause deafness.


seconds

The plural form of second; more than one (kind of) second.

The clock shows the seconds.

A second serving of food for one person.

I'm so hungry that I'm going back for seconds.

This tastes so good. I hope there's enough for us to have seconds.


seconds

second (canonical)
seconds (third-person singular)
seconded (past)
seconded (past participle)
seconding (present participle)

Seconds is the present third person singular of second.

If Bill seconds the motion, I'll vote for it.


knives

The plural form of knife; more than one (kind of) knife.

I keep all my knives in the kitchen.

Which of these knives should I use to chop the onions?


route

A route is the way someone goes from one place to another place.

Could you tell me a route to the store from here?

The road was rough. I should have taken a different route.


route

route (canonical)
routes (third-person singular)
routed (past)
routed (past participle)
routing (present participle)

To send something or someone on a specific route.

While the road was being fixed, the workers routed the cars along a different road.

This computer routes email to the main computer.


agree

agree (canonical)
agrees (third-person singular)
agreed (past)
agreed (past participle)
agreeing (present participle)

When two people agree about something, they have the same ideas. They both think the same things are true.

We agree that it will probably rain this afternoon.

When two people agree to do some things, they say something like "if you do this, then I will do that." After they agree, then they must do the things they said.

We agreed to pay him $100 to paint the walls.


background

background (singular)
backgrounds (plural)

The background is what can be seen or heard behind other things that are closer or louder.

I was talking to Mary, but I heard the phone ringing in the background.

The play was good, and I especially liked the backgrounds that were used.

The background of a person is his/her history.

The police checked his background to see if he had been in jail.


background

background (canonical)
backgrounds (third-person singular)
backgrounded (past)
backgrounded (past participle)
backgrounding (present participle)


abstract

abstract (positive)
more abstract (comparative)
most abstract (superlative)

If something is abstract, you cannot touch it, and it is difficult to imagine or think about.

A lot of abstract painting uses harsh shapes and most people do not like it.

More abstract ideas like "democracy" are not possible for animals.

Houses and books are things you can touch. Honesty, patience and courage are abstract.

If something is abstract, it is general.

If something is abstract, it is thought of as apart from any other use with an object; it is removed from it; it is separate or abstracted.

If something is abstract, it is not practical or realistic; it is not concrete; it is theoretical; it is vague.

If something is abstract, it does not have all of the facts; it is not factual.


abstract

An abstract is a short text that tells you the main ideas of a longer text, especially of scientific papers; it is a summary of something longer.

The abstract of Isaac Newton's laws of gravity may be no more than 150 words.

An abstract is an abstraction; it is an abstract word.

An abstract is a piece of art that is made in the abstract fashion of art.

An abstract is a powdered solid extract of a vegetable that is then mixed with the sugar of milk.


abstract

abstract (canonical)
abstracts (third-person singular)
abstracted (past)
abstracted (past participle)
abstracting (present participle)

If you abstract something, you summarize it; you abridge it.

If you abstract something, you separate it; you remove it.

If you abstract something, you withdraw it.

If you abstract something, you make abstractions of it in art.

If you abstract something, you take it away from someone without permission; you steal it.

If you abstract something, you think about it separate from everything else; you consider it abstractly.

If you abstract something, you go through the process or abstraction.


clumsiness

clumsiness (singular)
clumsinesses (plural)

Clumsiness is a lack of coordination; it is the condition of being clumsy.


purge

purge (canonical)
purges (third-person singular)
purged (past)
purged (past participle)
purging (present participle)

To purge an organization or an object means to clean it up of something bad.

His attempt to purge our country of minorities was met with international criticism.


purge

When a purge occurs, an organization or an object is cleaned up of something bad.

His purge of our country's minorities was met with international criticism.


clear

clear (positive)
clearer (comparative)
clearest (superlative)

A clear idea is an idea that is easy to understand.

OK, so you need the key. I see. That's clear now.

Now it's clear as a bell to me why you want to stay here.

If it is clear that something is a certain way, there can be no mistake about it.

The women made it clear that they were doing this only because they wanted to.

It soon became perfectly clear that he was not going to get better.

It's clear from looking at you that you couldn't lift it; you're too small.

This is a clear example of an idea that works.

If you are clear about something, you understand it well.

Mike, I want to be clear about what you said, so can you tell me again.

I'm sorry, but I'm not clear about what I'm supposed to do.

If you are clear about something, you make it easy for people to understand you.

The coach had been very clear about what he wanted them to do.

They haven't been so clear about how much water is in there.

If your head or your thinking is clear, then you can think well.

After his coffee and a quick walk, his head felt clear.

On Monday, he looked confused and didn't say much, but the next day, his thinking seemed more clear.

If something is clear, people can see through it.

The window is made of clear glass.

The water wasn't clear enough to see the bottom.

If something is clear, it has nothing that gets in your way.

I try to drive to work only when the roads are clear.

It's supposed to be clear and sunny today.

That table's not clear yet. Can you get the stuff off it?

The skies were clear of clouds.

If something is clear, it is easy to see or hear.

The picture wasn't clear enough to see whose face it was.

At first, the radio was noisy, but we moved and then we got clear, rich sound.

If your skin is clear, it has no spots on it.

Her deep honey skin was clear except for the small mark on her left cheek.

If your eyes are clear, they are healthy, bright, and lively.

His eyes were sharp and clear, and full of fun.

These are priced so high that the manufacturers pocket $8,000 clear profit per $30,000 unit.

If you have a clear conscience or your conscience is clear, you do not feel guilty.

I sleep perfectly at night. I have a clear conscience. I don't have blood on my hands.


clear

clear (canonical)
clears (third-person singular)
cleared (past)
cleared (past participle)
clearing (present participle)

If you clear something, you move or remove things that you don't want there.

You clear the table and I'll get coffee ready.

We'll have to clear out the garage to make room for the new car.

My grandparents cleared this land so that we could live and farm here.

I worked for ten minutes to clear a path in the snow from the door to the road.

About 13 million hectares of forest were cleared each year.

After the fire, it took some time for the air to clear.

Above her, the black sky cleared, until she could see the thousands of stars all across it.

The window fogged and cleared as she breathed on it.

If something clears, it goes away, leaving the place it was clear.

After the fire, it took some time for the smoke to clear.

He couldn't see well as car drove up the dirt road, but after the dust had cleared, he could see it was his father.

If you clear your throat, you cough lightly to make speaking easier.

Tears filled her eyes again, and she cleared her throat. "As soon as I can, I'll get on a plane and meet you."

If you clear the air, or if the air clears, you talk about a problem so that nobody has doubts or bad feelings.

I think it's important for me to tell you what has happened and clear the air about this matter.

If you clear somebody to do something, you give them permission.

His personal plane had been cleared to land at the airport.

If your head, mind, thinking, etc. clears then you become able to think well.

The coffee helped to clear her head, and she sat down to think.

If you clear something, you get over it without touching it or without a problem.

The bike got air and cleared the water by a meter.

If you clear somebody of something bad you show that they did not do it.

After clearing him of any wrongdoing, the police set him free.

If you clear a hurdle, you solve one of a number of problems.

The case has many more hurdles to clear before it can go to trial.

The winner had to clear plenty of hurdles before beating Clement.

After the dust clears is some time later, when there is no more trouble or confusion.

It took a few weeks, but after the dust had cleared, and everybody had gone home, he realized he had enjoyed it.

If a cheque clears, then the money is ready to be used.

If you clear a certain amount of money, you make that as profit (after expenses).

If you clear the ball or puck, you move it away from your own goal.


clear

Out of, away from, especially too far away to be noticed or caught.

After a short walk, we were clear of the town.

The fish was so heavy that he couldn't get it clear of the water.

After their fight, he steered clear of her for a week.

It was so crowded that they had to fight their way out and clear of the people.

So far, the company has stayed clear of trouble.

Two more wins would put them clear of the Giants.

Just clear of the school yard, students were smoking.


clear

You could see clear across the water, all the way to the church 60 km away on the other side.


close

close (canonical)
closes (third-person singular)
closed (past)
closed (past participle)
closing (present participle)

If you close something, you change it from being open to not open.

She watched TV for a while, and then closed her eyes.

He left the room and softly closed the door behind him.

He opened his mouth and closed it again without saying anything.

If something closes, it goes out of business for a short time or permanently.

The supermarket closes at 5 o'clock on Saturday.

Sadly, we have decided to close the shop.

If the distance or time between two different things closes, they get closer together.

The government will use the $15 million to close a budget gap.

With only three games left in the season, Milan is closing in on Hamburg.

The storm was closing in, and she wanted to get home.

The book closes with the man alone in the house where he started.

I'd like to close this talk by asking for your help.

If a stock, bond, or currency closes at a certain price, it is at the price at the end of the trading day.

The EAP Emerging Growth Fund lost half a dollar, closing at just over $38.

Again today, cigarette company stocks closed up.

If you close a deal/sale/contract, both people make a final agreement.

It took five months, many phone calls, and an extra $89,000 to close the deal.

If you close up, you stop talking about something.

Every time I asked about the cost everybody would close right up.


close

When two things are close, they are near each other; the distance or time between them is small.

The bank is close to the store.

I walk to my university because it is very close.

It's close to nine o'clock.

Closer to the end, I'll come and get you.

Put it close to the door.

She left an hour ago, and he was very close behind.

I like to keep my phone close at hand so I can get it quickly.

They stood close together.


close

close (positive)
closer (comparative)
closest (superlative)

If two people are close, they have a good relationship, like friends, family or lovers.

She was quite close to her dad before he died.

If a game or contest is close, you can't easily see which side is better.

The race has been very close up until now.

If two things are close, they are similar.

This is the closest thing I could find to that colour.

Close range/contact/ties etc. is near, not far.

They tell us the gun was fired at close range.

Most Norwegians live in close contact with the wilderness, the sea, the mountains, or the forests.

A close look, watch, or eye means careful attention.

Keep a close eye on the money.

In a close game/race/competition, etc., the difference between the scores/times/abilities, etc is small.

One or two points can win or lose a close race .

The winner earned 13.8 percent of the vote, but she was a close second (13.5 percent).

If something was close, something bad/dangerous/embarrassing, etc. almost happened.

Wow, that was close. She almost saw us.

Thirty years ago this week, our country had a very close call.


close

I will be surprised if the company is still running by close of business tomorrow.

The book was written around the close of the 14th century.

As our first week came to a close, we were getting very tired.


khaki

A dull yellowish-brown color, the color of dust.

A strong cloth that is made of wool or cotton; khaki is often used for making military uniforms.


khaki

khaki (positive)
more khaki (comparative)
most khaki (superlative)


overlap

overlap (canonical)
overlaps (third-person singular)
overlapped (past)
overlapped (past participle)
overlapping (present participle)

Something overlaps on another thing if part of it is on top of, or at the same time as, the other thing.

The shingles of a roof need to overlap to keep rain out.

The shifts of the two workers (periods of time when they're working) need to overlap so that one worker can tell the other one what is happening.


overlap

The act of overlapping. The amount that two things overlap on each other.

More overlap keeps the rain out better, but needs more shingles to cover the roof.


so-called

When someone uses the word "so-called" to talk about something, they mean that other people talk about the thing that way, but they don't agree.

When are we going to leave this so-called party? (The person saying this thinks it should not be called a party. Probably they think the party is not fun.)


likewise

When someone does something likewise, they do it the same way someone else did it. Sometimes people say likewise to mean that they're saying the same thing someone else just said.

I used one of the little spoons to eat my soup, and my friend did likewise.

"I'm happy to see you!" "Likewise!"


brilliant

brilliant (positive)
more brilliant (comparative)
most brilliant (superlative)

If something is brilliant, it gives off a lot of light.

It was evening with the brilliant colors of sunset shining through the trees.

The sun's light was so brilliant that I needed to close my eyes.

The sky was a brilliant blue that day, and the air was cold.

He noticed a brilliant star in the sky.

If something is brilliant, it is very good.

Truly brilliant ideas can sound crazy at first.

She wrote a book about her brilliant career in television.

If a person is brilliant, they are very intelligent.

He was a brilliant teacher.


blank

blank (canonical)
blanks (third-person singular)
blanked (past)
blanked (past participle)
blanking (present participle)

If you blank something, you make it empty.


blank

blank (positive)
blanker (comparative)
blankest (superlative)

If a piece of paper or something else is blank, it has nothing written on it.

I asked Bill for a blank piece of paper, but he gave me one with writing on it.

I thought he would sign the check, but he left it blank.

The computer screen was completely blank because the computer was off.


blank

A blank is a space or line on a piece of paper or somewhere else where a word or phrase is supposed to be.

Fill in the blanks on the legal form.

A blank is a cartridge that contains gunpowder but does not have a bullet. It used usually used for training or as a signal.


large

large (positive)
larger (comparative)
largest (superlative)

Big; of great size; broad, tall, wide, long, or fat.

I would like a large glass of milk.

I need a larger piece of paper to fit all these pictures onto it.


disposal

Disposal is the act of getting rid of or throwing out something.

There is no long-term plan for nuclear waste disposal.

After a strange package was found, bomb disposal workers were called in.

If you have something at your disposal, it is available for you to use.

Some of the students seem to have a lot of money at their disposal.

[dɪsˈpəʊzəɫ]


disturbance

disturbance (singular)
disturbances (plural)

To disturb means to stop someone or something by interrupting them.


invoke

invoke (canonical)
invokes (third-person singular)
invoked (past)
invoked (past participle)
invoking (present participle)

When someone invokes a rule, they use the rule in a specific situation.

For the government to do that legally, they would have to invoke the "notwithstanding" clause of the constitution.


etc


thesis

A thesis is a long paper that university students at the masters or doctoral level write.

I finished my coursework and have been working on my thesis for about a year now.

She's writing her thesis on the effects of TV on children.

A thesis is a main idea or argument that is developed or explained.

This book has three major theses.

If you're going to write about this, you're going to have trouble supporting your thesis.


big

big (positive)
bigger (comparative)
biggest (superlative)

If something is big, it is large in size; tall, wide, long, or fat.

He's bigger than me.

I would like a big glass of milk.

The tree was so big that you could see it over the top of the house.

That's a big problem!

Someone's big brother or a big sister is one who is older than the person.

I have a big brother who's stronger than you!


via

You use via to mean the path that something takes when it goes somewhere (the places it goes through before it gets there).

We can send video, audio and data from any point in the UK, via satellite.

This became part of our route from Liverpool to Manchester via Runcorn.

John sent the message to Yoko via Hamid.

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-via.wav


invoked

The past tense and past participle of invoke.

When a rule is invoked, it is being used in a specific situation.

That rule was not invoked during that meeting.


patriarchy

patriarchy (singular)
patriarchies (plural)

A patriarchy is a society where the oldest male is considered to be the leader of the household.


somewhat

What happens in the classroom can be somewhat different from the lesson plan.

She was somewhat surprised to find her name in the morning paper.

His guitar playing has changed somewhat since the band's first CD.

That's somewhat of a problem.


et cetera

Et cetera means "and more of the same kind of thing". It is often written etc.

There are pens, pencils, paper, etc., in the bag.

1, 2, 3, et cetera.

/ˌɛt ˈsɛtərə/


solely

You use solely to say that somebody or something is the only one like that or that did it.

It is not good for a country to rely solely on one energy source.

You are solely responsible for this problem.


notwithstanding

If something is true notwithstanding something else, it is true in spite of that other thing.

We're going ahead with the event as planned, notwithstanding the heavy rain and wind.

He's really a terrible man, his excellent work notwithstanding.

Notwithstanding, the problem is a significant one.

You live an eternal life notwithstanding that your seat of consciousness is currently physical.

/ˌnɑːtwɪθˈstændɪŋ/


ongoing

ongoing (positive)
more ongoing (comparative)
most ongoing (superlative)

Something is ongoing if it's continuing to happen without stopping in one long period of time.

The growth of bones is still ongoing at age 12.

The development of the new way of doing this is ongoing.


registry

A registry is an official list of names.


italic

Italics are a style of letters written slanted. In English, they are usually used for stressing a word in a sentence or for foreign words.

The sentences written in italics have been added or changed.


assertive

assertive (positive)
more assertive (comparative)
most assertive (superlative)

self-confident; having a habit of talking strongly about, and asking for what one wants, needs, deserves etc.

Very confident; the person who is assertive is clear and direct.


confidence

confidence (singular)
confidences (plural)

Confidence is the state of trusting something, and being sure that something is going to happen.

I know you're trying to gain confidence in what you're doing.


compile

compile (canonical)
compiles (third-person singular)
compiled (past)
compiled (past participle)
compiling (present participle)

Someone compiles some things or ideas when they bring them together into one place.

I need to compile a list of reasons not to go ahead with the project.

She compiled a good set of books to read about the history of that place.