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For
Definitions
- 1 Because. formal, literary
"I had to stay with my wicked stepmother, for I had nowhere else to go."
- 1 Initialism of Fellowship of Reconciliation, any of a number of religious nonviolent organizations, particularly in English-speaking countries. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 1 Initialism of field Of research. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 2 Initialism of frame of reference. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 1 To, the particle for marking the following verb as an infinitive. nonstandard
"“'Ugh—I'll not be able for get up. Send for M'sieu le Curé—I'll be goin' for die for sure.'"
- 1 Towards; in the direction of.
"The astronauts headed for the moon."
- 2 Directed at; intended to belong to.
"I have something for you."
- 3 In order to help, benefit, gratify, honor etc. (someone or something).
"Everything I do, I do for you."
- 4 Befitting of someone’s beliefs, needs, wants, skills, or tastes; best suited to.
"I’ll strike a blow for you."
- 5 To be used or treated in a stated way, or with a stated purpose.
"This is a new bell for my bicycle."
Show 25 more definitions
- 6 Supporting, in favour of.
"All those for the motion, raise your hands."
- 7 Because of.
"He wouldn't apologize; and just for that, she refused to help him."
- 8 In order to cure, remove or counteract.
"I need to spray my house for termites."
- 9 So as to allow (something or someone) to take position.
"Make way for the president!"
- 10 In anticipation of.
"Stand by for your cue."
- 11 So as to identify or locate.
"They swept the area for enemy operatives."
- 12 Over (a period of time).
"I've lived here for three years."
- 13 Throughout or across (a distance in space).
"I can see for miles."
- 14 Used to introduce a subject of a to-infinitive clause.
"It seems unreasonable for our boss to withhold our wages."
- 15 On behalf of.
"I will stand in for him."
- 16 In the role or capacity of; instead of; in place of.
"I used a hay bale for a bed."
- 17 In exchange for; in correspondence or equivalence with.
"I got five hundred pounds for that old car!"
- 18 In order to obtain or acquire.
"I am aiming for completion by the end of business Thursday."
- 19 By the standards of, usually with the implication that those standards are lower than one might otherwise expect; considering.
"Fair for its day."
- 20 To be, or as being.
"Don't take me for a fool."
- 21 Despite, in spite of.
"For all his expensive education, he didn't seem very bright."
- 22 Indicating something desired or anticipated.
"O for the wings of a dove."
- 23 Introducing the first item(s) in a potential sequence .
"Go scuba diving? For one thing, I can't even swim."
- 24 In honor of; after. US
"He is named for his grandfather."
- 25 Due for or facing (a certain outcome or fate). UK
"He totally screwed up that project. Now he's surely for the sack."
- 26 Out of; used to indicate a fraction, a ratio US
"In term of base hits, Jones was three for four on the day"
- 27 Used as part of a score to indicate the number of wickets that have fallen.
"At close of play, England were 305 for 3."
- 28 Indicating that in prevention of which, or through fear of which, anything is done. obsolete
"We'll have a bib, for spoiling of thy doublet."
- 29 So (that), in order to nonstandard
"He took the swing shift for he could get more overtime."
- 30 Used in various other more-or-less idiomatic ways to construe individual verbs, indicating various semantic relationships such as target, purpose, result, etc.; see also the entries for individual phrasal verbs, e.g. ask for, look for, stand for, etc.
"to account for one's whereabouts to care for a relative to settle for second best to allow for mistakes"
Etymology
From Middle English for, from Old English for (“for, because of”), from Proto-Germanic *furi (“for”), from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-. Cognate with West Frisian foar (“for”), Dutch voor (“for”), German für (“for”), Danish for (“for”), Swedish för (“for”), Norwegian for (“for”), Icelandic fyrir (“for”), Latin per (“by, through, for, by means of”) and Romance language descendants (e.g. Spanish por (“for”)), Ancient Greek περί (perí, “for, about, toward”), Lithuanian per (“by, through, during”), Slovak pre (“for”), Sanskrit परि (pári, “over, around”).
From Middle English for, from Old English for (“for, because of”), from Proto-Germanic *furi (“for”), from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-. Cognate with West Frisian foar (“for”), Dutch voor (“for”), German für (“for”), Danish for (“for”), Swedish för (“for”), Norwegian for (“for”), Icelandic fyrir (“for”), Latin per (“by, through, for, by means of”) and Romance language descendants (e.g. Spanish por (“for”)), Ancient Greek περί (perí, “for, about, toward”), Lithuanian per (“by, through, during”), Slovak pre (“for”), Sanskrit परि (pári, “over, around”).
From Middle English for, from Old English for (“for, because of”), from Proto-Germanic *furi (“for”), from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-. Cognate with West Frisian foar (“for”), Dutch voor (“for”), German für (“for”), Danish for (“for”), Swedish för (“for”), Norwegian for (“for”), Icelandic fyrir (“for”), Latin per (“by, through, for, by means of”) and Romance language descendants (e.g. Spanish por (“for”)), Ancient Greek περί (perí, “for, about, toward”), Lithuanian per (“by, through, during”), Slovak pre (“for”), Sanskrit परि (pári, “over, around”).
See also for "for"
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