of

[ uhv, ov; unstressed uhv or, especially before consonants, uh ]

/ ʌv, ɒv; unstressed əv or, especially before consonants, ə /

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preposition

(used to indicate distance or direction from, separation, deprivation, etc.): within a mile of the church; south of Omaha; to be robbed of one's money.

(used to indicate derivation, origin, or source): a man of good family; the plays of Shakespeare; a piece of cake.

(used to indicate cause, motive, occasion, or reason): to die of hunger.

(used to indicate material, component parts, substance, or contents): a dress of silk; an apartment of three rooms; a book of poems; a package of cheese.

(used to indicate apposition or identity): Is that idiot of a salesman calling again?

(used to indicate specific identity or a particular item within a category): the city of Chicago; thoughts of love.

(used to indicate possession, connection, or association): the king of France; the property of the church.

(used to indicate inclusion in a number, class, or whole): one of us.

(used to indicate the objective relation, the object of the action noted by the preceding noun or the application of a verb or adjective): the ringing of bells; He writes her of home; I'm tired of working.

(used to indicate reference or respect): There is talk of peace.

(used to indicate qualities or attributes): an ambassador of remarkable tact.

(used to indicate a specified time): They arrived of an evening.

Chiefly Northern U.S. before the hour of; until: twenty minutes of five.

on the part of: It was very mean of you to laugh at me.

in respect to: fleet of foot.

set aside for or devoted to: a minute of prayer.

Archaic. by: consumed of worms.

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 of

before 900; Middle English, Old English: of, off; cognate with German ab,Latin ab,Greek apó.See off, a-², o'

usage note for of

Of is sometimes added to phrases beginning with the adverb how or too followed by a descriptive adjective: How long of a drive will it be? It's too hot of a day for tennis. This construction is probably modeled on that in which how or too is followed by much, an unquestionably standard use in all varieties of speech and writing: How much of a problem will that cause the government? There was too much of an uproar for the speaker to be heard. The use of of with descriptive adjectives after how or too is largely restricted to informal speech. It occurs occasionally in informal writing and written representations of speech. See also couple, off.

Words nearby of

oestrone, oestrous, oestrous cycle, oestrus, oeuvre, of, of age, of a kind, O'Fallon, of all things, O'Faoláin

Other definitions for of (2 of 4)

of²

[ uhv ]

/ əv /

auxiliary verb Nonstandard.

have: He should of asked me first.

Compare a⁴.

Origin of of

A phonetic spelling representing the pronunciation of the word in continuous rapid speech

usage note for of

Because the preposition of, when unstressed ( a piece of cake ), and the unstressed or contracted auxiliary verb have ( could have gone, could've gone ) are both pronounced [uhv] /əv/ or [uh] /ə/ in connected speech, inexperienced writers commonly confuse the two words, spelling have as of ( I would of handed in my book report, but the dog ate it ). Professional writers have been able to exploit this spelling deliberately, especially in fiction, to help represent the speech of the uneducated: If he could of went home, he would of.

Other definitions for of (3 of 4)

or OF., O.F.

abbreviation

Old French.

Other definitions for of (4 of 4)

of-

variant of ob- (by assimilation) before f: offend.

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

How to use of in a sentence

The Dallas Cowboys sell out their state-of-the art football stadium.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We happily hoist our egg nog in the air, embrace each other, and raise our out-of-tune voices in song.
The Most Confusing Christmas Music Lyrics Explained (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
DISH delivers a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience to every room of your home, wirelessly.
Four TV Shows We Can’t Wait to Return In 2015|DISH|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The company recently partnered with Oakley to create a one-of-a-kind single malt Scotch flask.
The Restaurant, Flask, And Photography Worthy of The Macallan Whisky||December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A much larger number are immediately separated from their infants, who are typically placed in some form of out-of-home care.
The GOP’s Hidden Ban on Prison Abortions|Harold Pollack|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You never know when you are going to stumble upon a jewel in the most out-of-the-way corner.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
But Lessard's a overbearin' son-of-a-gun all round, and he's always breakin' out in a new place.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Mr. Slocum was not educated in a university, and his life has been in by-paths, and out-of-the-way places.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
The Spanish men-of-war, which were always painted white, had their colour changed to dark grey like the American ships.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Later on the commander of a German man-of-war and his staff were received and fêted by the Captain-General.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for of (1 of 2)

/ (ɒv, unstressed əv) /

preposition

used with a verbal noun or gerund to link it with a following noun that is either the subject or the object of the verb embedded in the gerundthe breathing of a fine swimmer (subject); the breathing of clean air (object)

used to indicate possession, origin, or associationthe house of my sister; to die of hunger

used after words or phrases expressing quantitiesa pint of milk

constituted by, containing, or characterized bya family of idiots; a rod of iron; a man of some depth

used to indicate separation, as in time or spacewithin a mile of the town; within ten minutes of the beginning of the concert

used to mark appositionthe city of Naples; a speech on the subject of archaeology

about; concerningspeak to me of love

used in passive constructions to indicate the agenthe was beloved of all

informal used to indicate a day or part of a period of time when some activity habitually occursI go to the pub of an evening

US before the hour ofa quarter of nine

Word Origin for of

Old English (as prep and adv); related to Old Norse af, Old High German aba, Latin ab, Greek apo

undefined of

See off

British Dictionary definitions for of (2 of 2)

abbreviation for

Old French (language)

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

of

Origin of of

usage note for of

Words nearby of

Other definitions for of (2 of 4)

Origin of of

usage note for of

Other definitions for of (3 of 4)

or OF., O.F.

Other definitions for of (4 of 4)

Words related to of

How to use of in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for of (1 of 2)

Word Origin for of

undefined of

British Dictionary definitions for of (2 of 2)