| a2 |
"A" has a meaning like "any." When you use "a" before a word, you are talking about any one of some group or kind of thing. When you say "a cat," it means any cat of all the cats in the world, or it means any cat of a group of cats. [2/3 definitions] |
| abolitionist |
a person who supported Abolition, or the ending of slavery, before the Civil War. |
| accessory |
In law, an accessory is a person who helps another person so that they can break the law or so that they can avoid getting caught. An accessory helps in some way but doesn't actually take part in the crime of the other person. An accessory gives help before or after the crime is committed. Although it is not as serious, being an accessory is also a crime. [1/2 definitions] |
| additional |
If you have an additional thing, you have one more thing than what you had before. If you had two chairs before and somebody gives you an additional chair, it means you have three chairs now. Let's say your dad got only one small pizza for your birthday party but twenty kids came. You would probably need a lot of additional pizza! |
| advance |
money paid before work is finished. [1/8 definitions] |
| again |
once more; as before. [1/2 definitions] |
| ago |
before now. [1/2 definitions] |
| ahead |
before; in front. [1/3 definitions] |
| ahead of time |
If you do something ahead of time, you do it before some event that is going to happen. Sometimes you have to do something ahead of time so that you can be ready for the actual event when it happens. Sometimes you have to do something ahead of time in order to prevent any problems. |
| a little |
If you are a little tired, you are tired to a small degree. If you usually read a little before going to sleep, then you read for a small amount of time before you go to sleep. [1/3 definitions] |
| along |
When something moves along, it moves forward and away from where it was before. [1/5 definitions] |
| already |
"Already" means before now. If you say that you have already washed your hands, you mean that you washed them sometime before now. Sometimes "already" means before some other time. When you get to the bus stop and the bus has already left, it means that the bus left before you got there. [1/3 definitions] |
| alter |
If somebody alters something, they make a change in it. If you alter your hairstyle, for example, you make a change in it. If something alters a person, it makes them different from how they were before. Getting older is something that alters people a lot. [1/2 definitions] |
| a.m. |
abbreviation of "ante meridiem," which means "before noon" in Latin; the time between midnight and noon. |
| an |
another word for a. It is used before words that start with a, e, i, o, or u, or before words that begin with vowel sounds. |
| ancestor |
An ancestor is a person of your family who lived a long time before you were born. The grandmother of your grandmother is one of your ancestors. [1/2 definitions] |
| another |
"Another" means one thing more (of the same thing as before). If you have something and you want another, it means that you want one more thing just like it. [1/4 definitions] |
| anxious |
When you are anxious to do something, it means that you have a strong wish to do it and you don't want to wait long before you can. [1/2 definitions] |
| appear |
to come before the public. [1/3 definitions] |
| appearance |
If you could not see something before, but now you can see it, we can say it makes an appearance. [1/3 definitions] |
| appetizer |
a small amount of food served before the main course of a meal. |