ed

[ ed ]

/ ɛd /

Save This Word!

noun Informal.

education: a course in driver's ed; adult ed.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ed

By shortening

Other definitions for ed (2 of 8)

[ ed ]

/ ɛd /

noun

a male given name, form of Edgar or Edward.

Other definitions for ed (3 of 8)

Department of Education.

Pathology. erectile dysfunction.

Other definitions for ed (4 of 8)

-ed¹

a suffix forming the past tense of weak verbs: he crossed the river.

Origin of -ed

Old English -de, -ede, -ode, -ade; origin disputed

Other definitions for ed (5 of 8)

-ed²

a suffix forming the past participle of weak verbs (he had crossed the river), and of participial adjectives indicating a condition or quality resulting from the action of the verb (inflated balloons).

Origin of -ed

Old English -ed, -od, -ad; origin disputed

Other definitions for ed (6 of 8)

-ed³

a suffix forming adjectives from nouns: bearded; monied; tender-hearted.

Origin of -ed

Middle English; Old English -ede

Other definitions for ed (7 of 8)

ed.

abbreviation

edited.

plural eds. edition.

plural eds. editor.

education.

Other definitions for ed (8 of 8)

E.D.

abbreviation

Eastern Department.

election district.

ex dividend.

executive director.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ed in a sentence

Ed Brooke, the first African-American Senator since Reconstruction, embraced fights with the left and right.
Ed Brooke: The Senate's Civil Rights Pioneer and Prophet of a Post-Racial America|John Avlon|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Cocker became an international star in the late 1960s, showing up everywhere from Woodstock to The Ed Sullivan Show.
The Greatest Rock Voice of All Time Belonged to Joe Cocker|Ted Gioia|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I like all of them, in a way, but I like Scissorhands and Ed Wood.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But, yeah, Beetlejuice, Scissorhands, and Ed Wood are my favorites.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Gays have won, Mr. Barron said in his op-ed for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Christians are now “outlaws” and “martyrs.”
Do LGBTs Owe Christians an Olive Branch? Try The Other Way Around|Jay Michaelson|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By way of example, compare 'The bysschop weop for 'ermyng'; King Alisaunder, ed.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
O Jakobowski many tears you'll shed man,You lost your money when you lost your 'Ed-man!
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 109, July 27, 1895|Various
If I'd a boiled beetroot face like you, I'd never show my 'ed in a public room again.
The Chequers|James Runciman
He also quotes the expression 'grans danses et grans karolles' from Froissart, ed.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
See the long account of this in the Knight de la Tour Landry, ed.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer

British Dictionary definitions for ed (1 of 4)

-ed¹

suffix

forming the past tense of most English verbs

Word Origin for -ed

Old English -de, -ede, -ode, -ade

British Dictionary definitions for ed (2 of 4)

-ed²

suffix

forming the past participle of most English verbs

Word Origin for -ed

Old English -ed, -od, -ad

British Dictionary definitions for ed (3 of 4)

-ed³

suffix forming adjectives

possessing or having the characteristics ofsalaried; red-blooded

Word Origin for -ed

Old English -ede

British Dictionary definitions for ed (4 of 4)

ed.

abbreviation for

edited

plural eds edition

plural eds editor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012