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for
1[ fawr; unstressed fer ]
preposition
- with the object or purpose of:
to run for exercise.
- intended to belong to, or be used in connection with:
equipment for the army;
a closet for dishes.
- suiting the purposes or needs of:
medicine for the aged.
- in order to obtain, gain, or acquire:
a suit for alimony;
to work for wages.
- (used to express a wish, as of something to be experienced or obtained):
O, for a cold drink!
- sensitive or responsive to:
an eye for beauty.
- desirous of:
a longing for something;
a taste for fancy clothes.
- in consideration or payment of; in return for:
three for a dollar;
to be thanked for one's efforts.
- appropriate or adapted to:
a subject for speculation;
clothes for winter.
- with regard or respect to:
pressed for time;
too warm for April.
- during the continuance of:
for a long time.
- in favor of; on the side of:
to be for honest government.
- in place of; instead of:
a substitute for butter.
- in the interest of; on behalf of:
to act for a client.
- in exchange for; as an offset to:
blow for blow;
money for goods.
- in punishment of:
payment for the crime.
- in honor of:
to give a dinner for a person.
- with the purpose of reaching:
to start for London.
- contributive to:
for the advantage of everybody.
- in order to save:
to flee for one's life.
- in order to become:
to train recruits for soldiers.
- in assignment or attribution to:
an appointment for the afternoon;
That's for you to decide.
- such as to allow of or to require:
too many for separate mention.
- such as results in:
his reason for going.
- as affecting the interests or circumstances of:
bad for one's health.
- in proportion or with reference to:
He is tall for his age.
- in the character of; as being:
to know a thing for a fact.
- by reason of; because of:
to shout for joy;
a city famed for its beauty.
- in spite of:
He's a decent guy for all that.
- to the extent or amount of:
to walk for a mile.
- (used to introduce a subject in an infinitive phrase):
It's time for me to go.
- (used to indicate the number of successes out of a specified number of attempts):
The batter was 2 for 4 in the game.
conjunction
- seeing that; since.
for-
2- a prefix meaning “away,” “off,” “to the uttermost,” “extremely,” “wrongly,” or imparting a negative or privative force, occurring in verbs and nouns formed from verbs of Old or Middle English origin, many of which are now obsolete or archaic:
forbid; forbear; forswear; forbearance.
for.
3abbreviation for
- foreign.
- forester.
- forestry.
For.
4abbreviation for
- Forester.
F.O.R.
5abbreviation for
- free on rails.
for-
1prefix
- indicating rejection or prohibition
forbear
forbid
- indicating falsity or wrongness
forswear
- used to give intensive force
forgive
forlorn
for
2/ fə; fɔː /
preposition
- intended to reach; directed or belonging to
there's a phone call for you
- to the advantage of
I only did it for you
- in the direction of
heading for the border
- over a span of (time or distance)
working for six days
the river ran for six miles
- in favour of; in support of
those for the proposal
vote for me
- in order to get or achieve
he does it for pleasure
I do it for money
what did you do that for?
- appropriate to; designed to meet the needs of; meant to be used in
these kennels are for puppies
- in exchange for; at a cost of; to the amount of
I got it for hardly any money
- such as explains or results in
his reason for changing his job was not given
- in place of
a substitute for the injured player
- because of; through
she wept for pure relief
- with regard or consideration to the usual characteristics of
it's cool for this time of year
he's short for a man
- concerning; as regards
desire for money
- as being
I know that for a fact
we took him for the owner
- at a specified time
a date for the next evening
- to do or partake of
an appointment for supper
- in the duty or task of
that's for him to say
- to allow of
too big a job for us to handle
- despite; notwithstanding
she's a good wife, for all her nagging
- in order to preserve, retain, etc
to fight for survival
- as a direct equivalent to
word for word
weight for weight
- in order to become or enter
to go for a soldier
to train for the priesthood
- in recompense for
he took the punishment for his crime
I paid for it last week
- for it informal.liable for punishment or blame
you'll be for it if she catches you
- nothing for itno choice; no other course
conjunction
- coordinating for the following reason; because; seeing that
I couldn't stay, for the area was violent
f.o.r.
3abbreviation for
- free on rail
Word History and Origins
Origin of for1
Origin of for2
Word History and Origins
Origin of for1
Origin of for2
Idioms and Phrases
- for it, British. in ( def 33 ).
More idioms and phrases containing for
- all for
- as for
- but for
- do for
- done for
- except for
- go for
- going for
- good for
- in for
- out for
- uncalled for
- what for
Example Sentences
The movie’s Australian-born director, Justin Kurzel, has long had a thing for bleakness, and his new movie won’t disabuse you of that characterization.
The reason for that is obvious, if a little disturbing.
Most eye-opening are the crude drawings from an early edition of 1978’s “The Turner Diaries,” a red-covered, FBI-flagged book that basically functions as a six-step guide for murderous governmental overthrow.
The chillingly smooth-voiced purr of veteran actor Victor Slezak as neo-Nazi minister Richard Butler brings a certain conventionality to the film, but his presence is essential in order to demonstrate the power of Hoult’s rawer Mathews, a younger figure on the rise and not afraid to call for action.
On Monday night, localized wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph are predicted for the western San Gabriel, the Santa Susana and western Santa Monica mountains, bringing an even higher risk of fire, according to the weather service.
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Words That Use for-
What does for- mean?
For– is a prefix with a variety of meanings, including “away” or “off.” It is often used in a variety of everyday terms.
For– comes from Old English for, meaning roughly “forward” or “forth.”
What are variants of for-?
When used in the sense of “before,” “in front,” or “on behalf of,” for– occasionally becomes fore-, as in forearm. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on fore–.
Examples of for-
One example of a word that features the form for– is forbid, “to command (a person) not to do something.” Forbid comes from the Old English forbēodan, which uses the equivalent of for– in that language.
The form for– here means “off.” The –bid part of the word means “to command,” from Old English biddan. Forbid roughly means “to command off.”
What are some words that use the combining form for-?
What are some other forms that for– may be commonly confused with?
Not every word that begins with the exact letters for-, such as forb or fork, is necessarily using the combining form for– to denote “away” or “off.” Learn why forb means “herb” at our entry for the word.
Break it down!
Given the meaning of the prefix for-, what does forswear literally mean?
When To Use
What are other ways to say for?
The conjunction for means “seeing that” or “since.” Do you know when to use for, since, because, as, and inasmuch as? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
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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