Questions tagged [meaning]
This tag is for questions about the meaning of a word, which a dictionary cannot answer. If the question is about the meaning of a word that can't be understood outside its phrase or sentence, the "meaning-in-context" tag should be also used; for the meaning of a phrase, use the "phrase-meaning" tag instead. Your question should normally include the dictionary definition of the word, and explain how the dictionary does not answer your question.
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Do native speakers still use the word “seldom” nowadays?
Do native speakers (American & British speakers) still use the word “seldom” nowadays on daily conversations/writing?
I usually see the word “seldom” on my grammar book or school textbook, but ...
-1
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1
answer
48
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"Both our houses are big"
"Both our houses are big " whether it mean 1.They each have one house.
2.Collectively they are co-owner of two houses
3.They both have two houses/four in total
–i think only number 2 is ...
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What does "either" refer to?
Before persuading Neo to discover the truth, Bugs reveals a rabbit
tattoo on her shoulder. They then enter a portal leading to the
interior of a moving train in Tokyo:
Here is the youtube clip from ...
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What does it mean: " Don’t shop-order. "
On a caregiver forum, people are talking about their experiences and how to make life easier when they give caregiving to the elderly. One of those advices is like this:
Don’t shop-order.
Amazon lets ...
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2
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62
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What does "at the run" mean?
Here is the sentence from Germinal by zola:
Once they had thrown his and Catherine’s clothes over his shoulders, he set off at the run, holding his burden up with one hand and carrying their two ...
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What does "buck" mean here?
What does buck mean in the following quote from Axios.com on Twitter? Which sense of buck in online Merriam Webster dictionary applies here?
What troubles Trump's advisers most: He knew that with ...
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3
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Why is there a "just" in this sentence? | I did message her back and just say is this normal
On TV, a woman is talking about how she bought a medicine online from someone and was rushed to the hospital. She says:
"I did message her back and just say is this normal?"
ITV - I almost ...
- 8,085
2
votes
2
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80
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What does "smudge one's clock face" mean?
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4873807-trump-harris-debate-reaction-podhoretz/ says:
Former President Reagan speechwriter, John Podhoretz, said former
President Trump caused problems for ...
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2
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Is it correct to say "Do all your friends tuck in like that?"?
My daughter's school uniform includes a school shirt and a school skirt. A schoolboy's uniform includes a school shirt and a pair of school shorts (the design of the shirt and shorts are different ...
- 24.8k
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861
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The meaning of "sharp" in "sharp sweetness"
Go for gold in the kitchen with our Olympic Games inspired menu! Tuck
into this Creamy Chicken à la Normande whilst you're watching Paris
2024 for a winning dinnertime. Cooking "à la Normande&...
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What does "Jealousy of someone" mean?
"Jealousy of someone". Does it mean?
"Someone's jealousy towards you" or
"You are jealous of them"
I have two sentence. "We should understand the jealousy of God&...
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1
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What does equitable mean here? [closed]
https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/equality-vs-equity-difference
when opening up a print dictionary, regardless of how thick it is, you’ll have equal access to the pages and the definitions will ...
- 4,189
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2
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65
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Is "Thank you" means "Yes" here?
Here is the conversation between Nettie and Reta in Killers Of The Flower Moon (2023):
Reta: Nettie?
Nettie: Yes.
Reta: Can you get my sister some toast, please?
Nettie: Of course. And a bit more ...
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2
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75
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"See how I feel"?
What I’d like to do is get a couple of fights and rent a nice house. You want to go to the gym sometime? Maybe we could work out again, see how I feel. I was in bad shape last time.
Does this mean &...
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"The same hated one"?
"And so Tully, relating the story of his marriage, crawled through the afternoon, separating nuts from clods until all nuts were the same hated one thrown forever into the bucket."
Does it ...
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3
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61
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Meaning of “Put itself in the wrong”
I would like to ask for help with understanding of “Put itself in the wrong”.
The whole sentence is “With propensity to put itself in the wrong, he only informed us very brifely.
What is the meaning ...
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Should I say (plants are grown) or(plants grow ) and what is the difference between blood donating and blood donation in meqning [closed]
I don't understand the difference between grow and are grown in the mentioned question, I mean I do not kno
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28
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have something over someone
a) What do you have over Tom?
Could that mean
In what way are you better than Tom.
I think I can beat Tom tomorrow.
Really? What do you have over Tom? As far as I can see, he's better than you in ...
- 3,049
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3
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35
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Is this place called passage or hallway or corridor or pathway?
Mary is just 6 and I need to show her where her class is in a school.
After Mary goes through the school gate, she has to go through a place (as shown in the picture below), then turn right to another ...
- 24.8k
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2
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53
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Why can we say "Where is THERE?" but not "Where is HERE?" to find out about a place?
On TV, a woman who thinks she is sent from outer space is talking about how she exchanged souls with something from the space. Here is a part from the conversation:
Presenter: Where did your soul go ...
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1
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Are games where you pretend to be something called by the name of the venue/building?
On TV, I heard when children are thinking of what game they should play, one of them said:
We will play hospitals.
From this sentence, I think that maybe the names of games in english -in which you ...
- 8,085
2
votes
3
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123
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She's beautiful. She's gone to the market. How to differentiate "She is" and "She has"?
The contraction she's is defined as:
Ref. Cambridge dictionary
she's.
short form of she is:
She's a writer.
short form of she has:
She's been to Japan twice.
Though the dictionary cites two ...
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1
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Though able enough? Compatible?
He was trying to be compatible. Though able enough, he felt he was a lover more from duty than from inclination. With his wife he had not had to try. From her he had met with reprimands for ...
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1
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49
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get yourself set up
On TV, someone is warning how to avoid scammers in buying concert tickets. She says:
"....but for this weekend get yourself set up, only buy from the registered official sites, and do not get ...
- 8,085
0
votes
1
answer
34
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young animal vs. baby animal
The word 'kid' to me means a goat that has not yet attained adulthood, and is not fully mature.
But does 'young goat' mean the same or could it mean a young fully mature goat?
And would 'baby goat' ...
- 3,049
0
votes
1
answer
33
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What does "make" in the phrase "make + verb-ing" mean?
I found the following sentence in Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary:
a formal promise to be loyal to the US, which Americans make standing
in front of the flag with their right hand on their heart....
- 299
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1
answer
49
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When talking about the date of an event, what does 'net' mean in an expression like 'net September'
a wiki article gives a date in the form of 'NET September', what does 'net' mean?
- 189
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2
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46
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'healthy' to mean 'working properly'
Is there an adjective in English which describes a device that works properly?
As opposed to 'broken: damaged not or working properly'.
Is it correct to use the adjective 'healthy'? As in
Is the ...
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1
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40
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" did" or "do"?
"What did you want to do that for?”
“You can count on me right down the line,” he said.
“You want to knock your brains out?”
“You can count on me. Don’t you believe me?"
"I get along ...
- 65
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25
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Do you say "I will look/watch out for my friend that needs to be protected" or "I will look/watch out for the one that might hurt my friend"?
What is the meaning of the preposition "for" in "watch out for" and "watch out for"?
This are examples from dictionaries
You should look out for pickpockets. (in this ...
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votes
1
answer
42
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do we use "judgmental" for things that are not people?
The verb "judge" means "[intransitive, transitive] to form an opinion about somebody/something, based on the information you have" (the first meaning).
So, we use "judge" ...
- 24.8k
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votes
1
answer
55
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What do the double negative and multiple uses of otherwise here mean?
"I quite agree with you," said the Duchess, "and the moral of that is
— 'Be what you would seem to be'— or, if you’d like it put more
simply—'Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise ...
- 4,189
0
votes
1
answer
39
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Does Nancy know the information that FAA wants to know?
From SpaceX launch of Polaris Dawn mission delayed again, indefinitely on hold 0:05
On the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Polaris Dawn may be waiting
for much longer. WESH 2's Nancy Alvarez ...
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2
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39
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Mine are a bit tight from when I did them this morning
A group of children on TV are playing with their shoelaces, learning how to tie etc. In a scene, they are trying to undo shoelaces quickly, and one of them says:
Mine are a bit tight from when I did ...
- 8,085
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1
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154
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What's the meaning of "he can score" here?
From the the novel "Fat City":
“That’s right, sure, they won’t go for just anybody.”
“If the right guy comes along he can score.”
“Everybody’s got a mate somewhere.”
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1
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Does "a crew" mean 'a group of crew members' of "a crew member"?
From SpaceX to host first civilian spacewalk 1:07
Geoscience professor and astronaut Dr. Diane Proctor is the first and
only African American woman in space. As a mission pilot, I was the
mission ...
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1
vote
1
answer
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surprisingly vs surprising
Over its long history, the Supreme Court has ruled on many contentious legal issues: slavery and racial segregation, free speech and religious freedom, abortion and marriage equality. Perhaps it is ...
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Can I use "historically" to mean "for a long time" in "Historically, the Japanese were almost vegetarian"?
Historically, the Japanese were almost vegetarian.
The Japanese were almost vegetarian for a long time.
Is it possible to use (1) to mean (2)?
I do not know whether "historically" can mean ...
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votes
2
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55
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What's the difference between `Hello` and `Hello there`?
What's the meaning of there of Hello there?
I often see it used
Hello there!
as opening words,
what's the difference between Hello and Hello there?
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Are "don't normally use" and "normally don't use" interchangeable?
(1) We don't normally use a third-person singular pronoun to refer to a
celebrity. If you used kanojo (= she) to
refer to Dua Lipa, you would probably sound unnatural.
(2) We normally don't use a ...
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"Never been used but twice"
What is this sentence wording called never been used but twice. Please explain this in depth to me
I'm trying to break this sentence down. Would you describe it as an oxymoron or paradox? Is there ...
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1
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23
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What is the meaning of "readers of the interest"?
I was reading a mathematics books and found this sentence:
We believe that there is no better way to convince our readers of the interest and
applicability of certain mathematical ideas or techniques ...
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votes
1
answer
22
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What does "around the corner" mean in "which will print out a drink for them and bartenders will make around the corner"?
From Amazon bringing talent together at new AI pop-up space in San Francisco 1:17
Since this is a party, instead of ordering a drink at the bar, people
are lined up to plug in what they’d like to ...
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0
votes
2
answers
27
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Difference between "watch + as + subject + verb" and "watch + object + bare infinitive"
(1) We watched as she fell.
[Cambridge Dictionary (English-Japanese)]
(2) We watched her fall.
Is there any difference in meaning or connotation between (1) and (2)?
(1) seems a little strange to me ...
- 1,473
0
votes
2
answers
50
views
Is it rude for me to say to my grandma, "you are easy on the eyes"?
Collins dictionary says
easy on the eye informal: pleasant to look at; attractive, esp sexually
I have just watched "Fly Me to the Moon".
In the film, a woman said to her friend about a ...
- 24.8k
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2
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to solve just any problem
a. You can't program this computer to solve any problem.
b. You can't program this computer to solve just any problem.
Is there a difference between the meanings of (a) and (b)?
Can (a) ever be used ...
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vote
1
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The role of "might" in "He prayed that his sight might be restored"
He prayed that his sight might be restored.
[Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English]
[Q1] What is the role of might?
[Q2] Is it possible to replace might with "would"?
I guess that ...
- 1,473
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vote
1
answer
57
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Do we use the verb "eat" or "cry" alone to express sudden actions?
Does it sound right to say "The man was talking to the woman when she cried" and "Suddenly, out of nowhere, a big fish ate my finger"?
I guess "cry" and "eat" ...
- 24.8k
3
votes
2
answers
2k
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Does "any computer(s) you have" refer to one or all the computers?
Give me any computer you have in your house.
Give me any computers you have in your house.
Am I asking for one of the computers in your house or all of them or...?
I did all I could to convince him ...
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4
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What does "off" mean in "for the winter when they're off in their southern migration breeding areas"?
From Warning system helps protect migrating whales from ship strikes off Bay Area coast
"So we're seeing a lot of prey, mostly anchovy and type[sic] of fish. That
school is[sic] and is really ...
- 1,211