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a
1[ uh; when stressed ey ]
indefinite article
- not any particular or certain one of a class or group:
a man; a chemical; a house.
- a certain; a particular:
one at a time; two of a kind; A Miss Johnson called.
- another; one typically resembling:
a Cicero in eloquence; a Jonah.
- one (used before plural nouns that are preceded by a quantifier singular in form): a hundred men (compare hundreds of men ); a dozen times (compare dozens of times ).
- indefinitely or nonspecifically (used with adjectives expressing number):
a great many years; a few stars.
- one (used before a noun expressing quantity):
a yard of ribbon; a score of times.
- any; a single:
not a one.
A
2[ ey ]
noun
- the first letter of the English alphabet, a vowel.
- any spoken sound represented by the letter A or a, as in bake, hat, father, or small.
- something having the shape of an A .
- a written or printed representation of the letter A or a.
- a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter A or a.
a-
3- a reduced form of the Old English preposition on, meaning “on,” “in,” “into,” “to,” “toward,” preserved before a noun in a prepositional phrase, forming a predicate adjective or an adverbial element ( afoot; abed; ashore; aside; away ), or before an adjective ( afar; aloud; alow ), as a moribund prefix with a verb ( acknowledge ), and in archaic and dialectal use before a present participle in -ing ( set the bells aringing ); and added to a verb stem with the force of a present participle ( ablaze; agape; aglow; astride; and originally, awry ).
-a
4- a plural ending of nouns borrowed from Greek and Latin:
phenomena; criteria; data; errata; genera.
a.
5abbreviation for
- year.
A.
6abbreviation for
- year.
a
7[ uh; when stressed ey ]
preposition
- each; every; per:
ten cents a sheet; three times a day.
A
8a-
9- a reduced form of the Old English preposition of: akin; afresh; anew.
-a
10- a feminine singular ending of nouns borrowed from Latin and Greek, also used in New Latin coinages to Latinize bases of any origin, and as a Latin substitute for the feminine ending - ē of Greek words: cinchona;
anabaena;
cinchona;
pachysandra.
a.
11abbreviation for
- before.
A.
12abbreviation for
- before.
a
13[ uh ]
preposition
- Informal. a reduced, unstressed form of of (often written as part of a single, unhyphenated word):
cloth a gold; time a day; kinda; sorta.
A
14- the first in order or in a series.
- Sometimes a.
- (in some grading systems) a grade or mark, as in school or college, indicating the quality of a student's work as excellent or superior.
- (in some school systems) a symbol designating the first semester of a school year.
- Music.
- the sixth tone in the scale of C major or the first tone in the relative minor scale, A minor.
- a string, key, or pipe tuned to this tone.
- a written or printed note representing this tone.
- (in the fixed system of solmization) the sixth tone of the scale of C major, called la.
- the tonality having A as the tonic note.
- Physiology. a major blood group, usually enabling a person whose blood is of this type to donate blood to persons of group A or AB and to receive blood from persons of O or A. Compare ABO system.
- Sometimes a. the medieval Roman numeral for 50 or 500. Compare Roman numerals.
- Chemistry. (formerly) argon.
- Chemistry, Physics. mass number.
- Biochemistry.
- Also a. Logic. universal affirmative.
- British. a designation for a motion picture recommended as suitable for adults. Compare AA 2( def 5 ), U 5( def 6 ), X 3( def 9 ).
- a proportional shoe width size, narrower than B and wider than AA.
- a proportional brassiere cup size, smaller than B and larger than AA.
- a quality rating for a corporate or municipal bond, lower than AA and higher than BBB.
a-
15- an old point-action prefix, not referring to an act as a whole, but only to the beginning or end: She arose (rose up). They abided by their beliefs (remained faithful to the end).
-a
16- an ending of personal names forming feminines from masculines:
Georgia; Roberta.
a.
17abbreviation for
- about.
- acre; acres.
- active.
- adjective.
- alto.
- ampere; amperes.
- anonymous.
- answer.
- are; ares.
- Baseball. assist; assists.
A.
18abbreviation for
- Absolute.
- Academy.
- acre; acres.
- America.
- American.
- angstrom.
- answer.
- April.
- Artillery.
a
19[ uh ]
auxiliary verb
- a reduced, unstressed form of auxiliary have following some modals, as might, should, could, would, and must (usually written as part of a single, unhyphenated word):
We shoulda gone.
a-
20- variant of ab- before p and v: aperient; avert.
-a
21- a suffix designating the oxide of the chemical element denoted by the stem:
alumina; ceria; thoria.
a-
23- variant of ad-, used: (1) before sc, sp, st ( ascend ) and (2) in words of French derivation (often with the sense of increase, addition):
amass.
a
24abbreviation for
- are; ares.
a-
25- variant of an- 1 before a consonant, meaning “not,” “without”:
amoral; atonal; achromatic.
Å
26- angstrom.
a'
27[ ah, aw ]
adjective
- all:
for a' that.
A-
28- atomic (used in combination):
A-bomb; A-plant.
a
1/ ə /
a-
2prefix
- not; without; opposite to
atonal
asocial
A.
3abbreviation for
- acre(s) or acreage
- America(n)
- answer
A
4symbol for
- music
- a note having a frequency of 440 hertz ( A above middle C ) or this value multiplied or divided by any power of 2; the sixth note of the scale of C major
- a key, string, or pipe producing this note
- the major or minor key having this note as its tonic
- a human blood type of the ABO group, containing the A antigen
- (in Britain) a major arterial road
the A3 runs from London to Portsmouth
- formerly, in Britain
- a film certified for viewing by anyone, but which contains material that some parents may not wish their children to see
- ( as modifier )
an A film
- mass number
- the number 10 in hexadecimal notation
- cards ace
- chem argon (now superseded by Ar )
- ampere(s)
- Alsoat ampere-turn
- absolute (temperature)
- (in circuit diagrams) ammeter
- area
- in combination atomic
an A-bomb
an A-plant
- chem affinity
- biochem adenine
- a person whose job is in top management, or who holds a senior administrative or professional position
- ( as modifier ) See also occupation groupings
an A worker
abbreviation for
- Austria (international car registration)
a
5/ eɪ /
noun
- the first letter and first vowel of the modern English alphabet
- any of several speech sounds represented by this letter, in English as in take, bag, calm, shortage, or cobra
- Also calledalpha the first in a series, esp the highest grade or mark, as in an examination
- from A to Zfrom start to finish, thoroughly and in detail
a-
6prefix
- on; in; towards
aground
aback
afoot
abed
- literary.used before a present participle in the act or process of
come a-running
go a-hunting
- in the condition or state of
afloat
alive
asleep
Å
7symbol for
- angstrom unit
a
8symbol for
- acceleration
- are(s) (metric measure of land)
- atto-
- chess See algebraic notation
a
9/ ə; eɪ /
determiner
- used preceding a singular countable noun, if the noun is not previously specified or known
a dog
a terrible disappointment
- used preceding a proper noun to indicate that a person or thing has some of the qualities of the one named
a Romeo
a Shylock
- used preceding a noun or determiner of quantity
a dozen eggs
to read a lot
a great many
a cupful
- used preceding a noun indicating a concrete or abstract thing capable of being divided
half a loaf
a quarter of a minute
- preceded byonce, twice, several times, etc each or every; per
once a day
fifty pence a pound
- a certain; one
to change policy at a stroke
a Mr Jones called
- preceded by not any at all
not a hope
a'
10/ ɔː /
determiner
- variants of all
a
11/ ə /
verb
- an informal or dialect word for have
they'd a said if they'd known
Å
1- Abbreviation of angstrom
A
2- Abbreviation of adenine , ampere , angstrom , area
a–
3- A prefix meaning “without” or “not” when forming an adjective (such as amorphous, without form, or atypical, not typical), and “absence of” when forming a noun (such as arrhythmia, absence of rhythm). Before a vowel or h it becomes an– (as in anhydrous, anoxia ).
Grammar Note
Word History and Origins
Origin of a1
Origin of a3
Origin of a4
Origin of a7
Origin of a8
Origin of a10
Origin of a13
Origin of a15
Word History and Origins
Origin of a1
Origin of a2
Idioms and Phrases
- from A to Z, from beginning to end; thoroughly; completely:
He knows the Bible from A to Z.
- not know from A to B, to know nothing; be ignorant.
Example Sentences
A timeline for election officials put together by the Department of Homeland Security showed that the process for expanding mail-in voting should have begun in April.
A big question in public health law is how far an executive, such as a governor, can go without legislative approval.
A total of about 26 million doses of vaccine B would be available by the end of the year, most of them in December.
A number of recent polls at the state level have measured both the presidential election and Senate races.
A waiter touching a plate with a bare hand is indeed not ideal, which is why waiters are generally instructed to wear gloves.
ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
By the time it concluded with a sing-a-long of “XO,” Beyoncé had done the rare thing.
In another year, stories about the strange new face of an A-list actress might draw chortles and cackles.
Because Duck Dynasty receives monster TV ratings and Robertson paid by a company (A&E) while making these public statements.
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
All that scientific bric-a-brac in the cupboard had far better be thrown away.
Urinary sediments may be studied under three heads: A. Unorganized sediments.
I knowed, a-course, that I could go kick up a fuss when Simpson stopped by his office on his trip back from Goldstone.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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