FOR Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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for

[fawr, fer]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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.
because.

for-

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.

abbreviation

foreign.
forester.
forestry.

For.

⁴

abbreviation

Forester.

F.O.R.

⁵

Or f.o.r.

abbreviation

free on rails.

for

/ 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
I do it for money
he does it for pleasure
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
he's short for a man
it's cool for this time of year
concerning; as regards
desire for money
as being
we took him for the owner
I know that for a fact
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
I paid for it last week
he took the punishment for his crime
informal��liable for punishment or blame
you'll be for it if she catches you
no choice; no other course

conjunction

(coordinating) for the following reason; because; seeing that
I couldn't stay, for the area was violent

for-

prefix

indicating rejection or prohibition
forbear
forbid
indicating falsity or wrongness
forswear
used to give intensive force
forgive
forlorn

f.o.r.

abbreviation

free on rail

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of for¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old Saxon for; akin to fore ¹, Latin per “through,” Greek ��ó “before, ahead”

Origin of for²

Middle English, Old English; compare German ver-, Greek peri-, Latin per-

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of for¹

Old English; related to Old Norse fyr for, Old High German fora before, Latin per through, ��ō before, Greek pro before, in front

Origin of for²

Old English for- ; related to German ver- , Latin per- , Greek peri-

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

for it, in.

In addition to the idioms beginning with for, also see 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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

For decades, the summer squash has earned a bad reputation for being abundant, rather too abundant.

From

In culinary spaces and literature, zucchini is often treated in the same manner as weeds, shamed for growing untamed and unabashedly.

From

“Zucchini, the slender green squash from Europe that has become an American favorite, is overrunning the gardens, as it does every year at this time,” wrote food writer Florence Fabricant for The New York Times back in August 1980.

From

There’s also power in zucchini’s lack of bold flavors, making it a blank slate for home cooks and chefs alike to experiment with.

From

As for its abundance problem, zucchini has been described as a “gateway drug” to combat rising food insecurity through community gardening and community engagement.

From

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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.

When To Use

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 51�Թ�s That Use article on fore-.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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