a

Letter (1)

1. (letter, lowercase) The first letter of the English alphabet, written in the Latin script.
   • This expression is zero, for we have replaced the column of as by the column of bs and hence the determinant has two columns identical.1917, John Wesley Young, Frank Millett Morgan, Elementary Mathematical Analysis, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, page 487
   • Passmore. Capital P-a-double s-m-o-r-e.1926, George Kelly, Craig's Wife, Act I, page 5

Numeral (1)

1. (lowercase) The first numeral symbol of the English alphabet, called ay and written in the Latin script.

Noun (1)

a (plural a's or (rare) aes)

1. The name of the Latin script letter A/a.
   • This piece somewhat resembles an a. On the left is a man seated on the ground, with a dog between his legs, and a large bird of prey in his hands, which appears to be biting his head.1816, William Young Ottley, An Inquiry Into the Origin and Early History of Engraving […], volume II, London: […] John and Arthur Arch, […] by J. M'Creery, page 621
   • But with some prelude of disparagement, / Read, mouthing out his hollow oes and aes, / Deep-chested music, and to this result.1842, Alfred Tennyson, “The Epic”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 2

Article

a

1. An unspecified example of (something); the indefinite article.
   • There was a man here looking for you yesterday.
   • He had another formidable difficulty in getting him across the river, where both horses stuck for a time in the mire, and Beatte was nearly unseated from his saddle by the force of the current and the struggles of his captive.1835, [Washington Irving], chapter XX, in A Tour on the Prairies (The Crayon Miscellany; no. 1), Philadelphia, Pa.: [Henry Charles] Carey, [Isaac] Lea, & Blanchard, →OCLC, page 151
2. One; used before score, dozen, hundred, thousand, million, etc.
   • I've seen it happen a hundred times.
   • Everybody drinks a lot in wartime, but it seemed to me that I must have drunk enough to float a couple of battleships.1945, Peter Cheyney, Sinister Errand, London: Collins, published 1952, page 8
3. Used in some phrases denoting quantity, such as a few, a good many, a couple, a little, a bit, etc.
   • He's a bit thick, isn't he?
   • They asked me a few questions.
   1. Used before a numeral.
      • There are a few hundred orders that need to be fulfilled by tomorrow.
      • The blues were eating leisurely, swimming about and opening their great mouths, spouting and filling their enormous stomachs with intense satisfaction. They had no idea of danger. There must have been about fifteen of them, peacefully feeding. One of them, its belly gorged probably with a few...1934, Alan Villiers, Whalers of the Midnight Sun: […], New York, N.Y.; London: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 154
4. Used in some adverbial phrases denoting the degree or extent of an action, such as a little, a bit, a lot, etc.
   • The door was opened a little.
   • If, for example, you ask a child what he likes to do, he may say he doesn't know. However, if you watch him during free time, and note that he plays basketball a lot, you may infer that this is a high-probability behavior, and he finds it reinforcing.1978, Deane H. Shapiro, Jr., Precision Nirvana, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, Inc., →ISBN, page 104
5. The same; one and the same. Used in phrases such as of a kind, birds of a feather, etc.
   • We are of a mind on matters of morals.
   • They're two of a kind.
6. Any; every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope.
   • A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties.
7. Any; used with a negative to indicate not a single one.
   • It was so dark that we couldn't see a thing.
   • He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head?
8. Used before an adjective that modifies a noun (singular or plural) delimited by a numeral.
   • The lottery jackpot is worth a staggering three hundred million dollars.
   • The holidays are a mere one week away.
9. One; someone named; used before a person's name, suggesting that the speaker knows little about the person other than the name.
   • We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London.
10. Used before an adjective modifying a person's name, typically used to emphasize that person's current condition or emotional state.
    • At Waterloo she asked George for £5 and said that she would go home by tube, and a relieved George watched her descend the Underground steps.1963, Robert Hancock, Ruth Ellis: The Last Woman To Be Hanged, London: Orion, published 1993, →ISBN, page 35
    • "There, I think that's done it," declared a triumphant John, "we just need to try it with the bar now, where is it?"2016, David J. Bailey, The Storm, London: Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd., →ISBN, page 147
11. Someone or something like; similar to; used before a proper noun to create an example out of it.
    • The center of the village was becoming a Times Square.
    • The man is a regular Romeo.

Preposition (1)

IPA/ə/

a

1. To do with separation; In, into.
   • torn a pieces
2. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. Often occurs between two nouns, where the first noun occurs at the end of a verbal phrase.
   • I brush my teeth twice a day.
   • A Sundaysc. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
3. To do with status; In.
   • To set the people a worke.King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18)
4. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto.
   • stand a tiptoe
5. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing.
   • The times, they are a-changin'.1964, Bob Dylan, “The Times They Are a-Changin'”
6. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in.
   • It was a doing.c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
   • Jacob, when he was a dying1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Hebrews 11:21
7. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into.
8. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with.
   • Stands here a purpose.c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published...
9. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In.
   • a God’s name

Verb

IPA/ə/

a

1. (dialectal, slang) Have (auxiliary verb).
   • I'd a come, if you'd a asked.
   • So would I a done, by yonder Sunne, / If thou hadſt not come to my bed.c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell...
2. (dialectal, rare, slang) Had (auxiliary verb).
   • I wisht you a seen 'im; fust he looked mighty gubious; then he begins ter laff. He'll git likened ter ridin' mighty briefly."1887 October, Octave Thanet [pseudonym; Alice French], “The Mortgage on Jeffy”, in Scribner's Magazine, volume II, number 4, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 478, column 1

Pronoun

UK/ʌ/

a

1. (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) He, she, they: the third-person singular or plural nominative.
   • He've a got a great venture on hand, but what a [it] be he tell'th no man.1855, Kingsley, W. Ho!, page 120 (edition of 1889)
   • Doctors, they knaws nowt, fur a [they] says what's nawways true.1864, Tennyson, N. Farmer, Old Style, st. 2
   1. (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) He, the third-person singular nominative.
      • a’ brushes his hat o’ mornings.1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
      • Well! in a come [in he came]—KING GEORGE to town, / With doust and zweat az netmeg brown, / The hosses all in smoke;1795, Peter Pindar, The Royal Visit to Exeter, a Political Epistle: by John Ploughshare ... published by Peter Pindar, Esq, page 5
   2. (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) She, the third-person singular nominative.
      • A wanted me to go with her.1790, Grose, MS. add. (M.)
      • Did a do it!1876, Bound, Prov.

Preposition (2)

UK/ə/

a

1. (archaic, slang) Of.
   • The name of John a Gaunt.
   • cloth a gold; time a day

Adverb (1)

UK/ɔ/

a (not comparable)

1. (Scotland) All.

Adjective (1)

UK/ɔ/

a (not comparable)

1. (Scotland) All.

Contraction

a

1. (contraction, African-American Vernacular) Used to express a future action; going to.
   • I'm a go see what's going on out there.
   • "Sure, Billy, I'm a run downstairs to the machine and get me a pack of bigarettes," he said, taking off with his Melody.2010, Todd Bridges, Killing Willis: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted, New York, N.Y.: Touchstone Books, →ISBN, page 146

Symbol (1)

a

1. Distance from leading edge to aerodynamic center.
2. specific absorption coefficient
3. specific rotation
4. allele (recessive)

Adverb (2)

a

1. (crosswording) across
   • Do you have the answer for 23a?

Noun (2)

a

1. The name of the Cyrillic script letter А/а.

Interjection

1. ah; er (sound of hesitation)
   • "We will resume yesterday's discourse, young ladies," said he, "and you shall each read a page by turns; so that Miss a—Miss Short may have an opportunity of hearing you"; and the poor girls began to spell a long dismal sermon delivered at Bethesda Chapel, Liverpool, on behalf of the mission for...1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC

Noun (3)

IPA/ˈʌ/

a

1. (informal) The fourth semiquaver (sixteenth note) of a beat.
   • The pianist played a C on the a of four.

Letter (2) capitalized: A

UK/eɪ̯/Australia/æɪ/

1. (letter, uppercase) The first letter of the English alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.
   • Apple starts with A.
   • Boxer could not get beyond the letter D. He would trace out A, B, C, D, in the dust with his great hoof […]1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC

Numeral (2) capitalized: A

UK/eɪ̯/Australia/æɪ/

1. (uppercase) The first numeral symbol of the English alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.
   • Item A is "foods", item B is "drinks".

Symbol (2) capitalized: A

A

1. A rank, normally the highest rank, on any of various scales that assign letters.
   • We assign each item inspected a rating from A through G, depending on various factors.
   • In the UK, the highest social grade is A – upper middle class.
2. The highest letter grade assigned (disregarding plusses and minuses).
   • I was so happy to get an A on that test.
   • Darcy's pretty sharp. She pulls A's.1999, W. Peter Iliff, Varsity Blues, spoken by Mox (James Van Der Beek)
3. A tone three fifths above C in the cycle of fifths; the sixth tone of the C major scale; the first note of the minor scale of A minor; the reference tone that occurs at exactly 440 Hz; the printed or written note A; the scale with A as its keynote.
   • Orchestras traditionally tune to a concert A.
4. A blood type that has a specific antigen that aggravates the immune response in people with type B antigen in their blood. People with this blood type may receive blood from type A or type O but cannot receive blood from AB or B.
   • My blood type is A negative.
5. Mass number.
6. A universal affirmative suggestion.
7. (abbreviation, historical) Abbreviation of adulterer or adulteress, used as a human brand.
   • Hester Prynne, the historical character in The Scarlet Letter, was exposed and convicted by neighborhood gossip. [...] Gossip continues to brand some young ladies in small towns with this symbolic letter, but in our larger cities one rarely sees young ladies branded with an "A".1966 July 30, Ralph McGill, “Today's students aim for humanistic values”, in Latrobe Bulletin, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, page 6
8. Allele dominant.
9. (US, alternative) Alternative spelling of A.M. and AM (“ante meridiem”).

Noun (4) capitalized: A

A

1. Ace. (including in card games)
2. Acre.
3. Adult; as used in film rating.
4. Ammeter.
5. (nonstandard) Angstrom.

   Synonyms:

   Å

6. Answer.
7. An assist.
8. Asexual.
9. (London, UK) Arsehole.
10. Atom.
    • A-bomb

Adjective (2) capitalized: A

A

1. Atom; atomic.