of
UK/ɒv/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
Australia/ɔv/
of preposition: from (a place); off. Also the eye dialect spelling of have and 've.
Preposition
of
- From (a place); off.
- Take the chicken out of the freezer.
- Sir said Galahad by this shelde ben many merueils fallen / Sir sayd the knyght hit befelle after the passion of our lord Ihesu Crist xxxij yere that Ioseph of Armathye the gentyl knyghte / the whiche took doune oure lord of the hooly Crosse att that tyme he departed from Iherusalem with a grete...1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter X, in Le Morte Darthur, book XIII
- Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.).
- He hasn't been well of late.
- And he axed his father: howe longe is it agoo, sens this hath happened hym? And he sayde, of a chylde.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Mark
- From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.).
- There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage.
- Though Washington does not officially recognize Moscow, the Hoover Administration permits a Soviet Russian Information Bureau to flourish in a modest red brick house on Massachusetts Avenue, within a mile of the White House.1932 September 30, Time
- Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object.
- Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband.
- And ther with on his handes and on his knees he wente soo nyghe that he touched the holy vessel / and kyste hit / and anone he was hole / and thenne he sayd lord god I thanke the / for I am helyd of this sekenesse1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “xviij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book XIII
- Indicating removal, absence or separation, with resulting state indicated by an adjective.
- He seemed devoid of human feelings.
- But schemes are perfectly accidental: some will appear barren of hints and matter, but prove to be fruitful […]1731 August 28, Jonathan Swift, Letter
- Indicating removal, absence or separation, construed with an intransitive verb.
- He was kindly treated by the people at Saco, and recovered of his wounds.1822, Jacob Bailey Moore, New Hampshire, volume 1, page 5
- Indicating an ancestral source or origin of descent.
- The word is believed to be of Japanese origin.
- They wondred all, and marveylled sayinge amonge themselves: Loke, are not all these which speake off galile? And howe heare we every man his awne tongue wherein we were boren?1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts
- Introducing an epithet that indicates a birthplace, residence, dominion, or other place associated with the individual.
- Jesus of Nazareth (after hometown)
- Anselm of Canterbury (after diocese)
- Indicating a (non-physical) source of action or emotion; introducing a cause, instigation; from, out of, as an expression of.
- The invention was born of necessity.
- Faire knyght said Palomydes me semeth we haue assayed eyther other passyng sore / and yf hit may please the / I requyre the of thy knyghthode telle me thy name / Sir said the knyȝt to Palomydes / that is me loth to doo / for thou hast done me wronge.1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter XIX, in Le Morte Darthur, book X
- Indicates the source or cause of the verb.
- It is said that she died of a broken heart.
- He smelled of beer and cigarette smoke and his own body.2006, Joyce Carol Oates, The Female of the Species
- Indicates the subject or cause of the adjective.
- I am tired of all this nonsense.
- Lib Dems were appalled by Mr Boles’s offer, however kindly meant: the party is so frightened of losing its independence under Mr Clegg that such a pact would “kill” him, says a senior member.2010 September 23, Bagehot, The Economist
- Indicates the agent (for most verbs, now usually expressed with by).
- I am not particularly enamoured of this idea.
- After a good while, the iewes toke cousell amonge themselves to kyll him. But their layinges awayte wer knowen of Saul.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts
Show 27 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
- Used to introduce the “subjective genitive”; following a noun to form the head of a postmodifying noun phrase (see also ‘Possession’ senses below).
- The contract can be terminated at any time with the agreement of both parties.
- In Blood and Sand, meanwhile, Valentino repeatedly solicits the attention of women who have turned away from him.1994, Paul Coates, Film at the Intersection of High and Mass Culture, page 136
- Used to indicate the agent of something described by the adjective.
- It was very brave of you to speak out like that.
- When this was over, Mr. Woodhouse gratefully observed,—"It is very kind of you, Mr. Knightley, to come out at this late hour to call upon us."1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], Emma: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC
- Used to indicate the material or substance used.
- Many 'corks' are now actually made of plastic.
- The mallet is made of a hard heavy wood resembling ebony, is about twelve inches in length, and perhaps two in breadth, with a rounded handle at one end, and in shape is the exact counterpart of one of our four-sided razor-strops.1846 February 26, Herman Melville, chapter XIX, in Narrative of a Four Months’ Residence among the Natives of a Valley of the Marquesas Islands; or, A Peep at Polynesian Life [Typee], London: John...
- Used to indicate the material of the just-mentioned object.
- She wore a dress of silk.
- Perhaps symbolically, Van Doesburg was building a house of straw: he died within a few months of completion, not in Meudon but in Davos, of a heart attack following a bout of asthma.2010 January 23, Simon Mawer, “(please specify the article title)”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC
- Indicating the composition of a given collective or quantitative noun.
- I'll have a dozen of those apples, please.
- What a lot of nonsense!
- Used to link a given class of things with a specific example of that class.
- Germany's formal name is the Federal Republic of Germany.
- Welcome to the historic town of Harwich.
- Links two nouns in near-apposition, with the first qualifying the second; “which is also”.
- I'm not driving this wreck of a car.
- As he swallowed the soup his heart warmed to this fool of a girl.1911, Katherine Mansfield, In a German Pension
- Links an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb and its subject (especially verbs to do with thinking, feeling, expressing etc.), with its subject-matter; concerning, with regard to.
- I'm always thinking of you.
- [H]e spoke of his uncle with warm regard, was fond of talking of him […]1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], Emma: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC
- Introduces its subject matter; about, concerning.
- He told us the story of his journey to India.
- Recession and rising unemployment have put paid to most thoughts of further EU enlargement.2010 October 21, The Economist
- Introduces its subject matter.
- This behaviour is typical of teenagers.
- The same secludedness and isolation to which the schoolmaster whale betakes himself in his advancing years, is true of all aged Sperm Whales.1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC
- Introduces the whole for which is indicated only the specified part or segment; “from among”.
- Most of these apples are rotten.
- But as for me said sire Gareth I medle not of their maters therfore there is none of them that loueth me / And for I vnderstande they be murtherers of good knyghtes I lefte theyre company1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “lviij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book X
- Indicates a given part.
- We want a larger slice of the cake.
- everyone, even the ladies of the village, called the dish tzigayner shmeklekh, or “gypsies' penises.”2005, Naomi Wolf, The Treehouse, page 58
- Some, an amount of, one of.
- On the whole, they seem to be of the decent sort.
- And the folysshe sayde to the wyse: geve us of youre oyle, for oure lampes goo out?1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew
- Links to a genitive noun or possessive pronoun, with partitive effect (though now often merged with possessive senses, below; see also double possessive).
- He is a friend of mine.
- He is just what I should have liked a son of mine to be.1893, Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance, section IV
- Belonging to, existing in, or taking place in a given location, place or time. Compare “origin” senses, above.
- He was perhaps the most famous scientist of the twentieth century.
- The building was erected in two years, at the parochial expence, on the foundation of the former one, which was irreparably damaged by the hurricane of Auguſt, 1712.1774, Edward Long, The History of Jamaica. Or, General Survey of the Antient and Modern State of that Island, volume 2, book 2, chapter 7, 5
- Belonging to (a place) through having title, ownership or control over it.
- The owner of the nightclub was arrested.
- In a much-anticipated radio broadcast the Duke of Edinburgh said last night that Britain will be a grim place in the year 2000 […]1977 October 28, “(please specify the article title)”, in Peter Preston, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC
- Belonging to (someone or something) as something they possess or have as a characteristic; the “possessive genitive”. (With abstract nouns, this intersects with the subjective genitive, above under “agency” senses.)
- Keep the handle of the saucepan away from the flames.
- The breasts of young girls sometimes become tender at puberty in sympathy with the evolution of the sexual organs […]1933, Havelock Ellis, Psychology of Sex, volume 4
- Forming the “objective genitive”.
- Follows an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action.
- She had a profound distrust of the police.
- And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 4
- Follows an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action.
- Links an adjective with a noun or noun phrase to form a quasi-adverbial qualifier; in respect to, as regards.
- My companion seemed affable and easy of manner.
- This fact becomes very noticeable when a cultivated tongue ceases to be used any longer by the educated, and is heard only from the mouths of the illiterate. The variations which spring up under such circumstances are easy of observation, because we have an ideal standard preserved by which to...1879, Thomas Raynesford Lounsbury, History of the English Language, page 112
- Indicates a quality or characteristic; “characterized by”.
- Pooh was said to be a bear of very little brain.
- His frank acceptance of the situation marks him as either an innocent man, or else as a man of considerable self-restraint and firmness.1891, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Boscombe Valley Mystery
- Indicates quantity, age, price, etc.
- A young man of 20 has been paying interest at an exorbitant rate of 10%.
- She was a tall young girl of about twenty-two or three, holding herself erect and with fine dignity.1903, Frank Norris, The Pit, Doubleday, published 1924, page 4
- Used to link singular indefinite nouns (preceded by the indefinite article) and attributive adjectives modified by certain common adverbs of degree.
- It's not that big of a deal. (Standard form: It's not that big a deal.)
- Such hegemonic projects often appropriate certain local traditions and re-inscribe them as "national," while dismissing other traditions which pose too great of a threat to the reproduction of the existing socio-political order.1990, Mary Crain, “The Social Construction of National Identity in Highland Ecuador”, in Anthropological Quarterly, volume 61, number 1, page 43
- During the course of (a set period of time, day of the week etc.), now specifically with implied repetition or regularity.
- Of an evening, we would often go for a stroll along the river.
- For, sometimes of an afternoon when Miss Pupford has been reading the paper through her little gold eye-glass[…], she has become agitated, […]1861, Charles Dickens, “Tom Tiddler’s Ground. Chapter VI. Picking Up Miss Kimmeens.”, in Christmas Stories […] (The Works of Charles Dickens; XV), de luxe edition, London: Chapman and Hall, published...
- For (a given length of time).
- I’ve not taken her out of a goodly long while.
- Indicates duration of a state, activity etc.
- After a delay of three hours, the plane finally took off.
- The cab driver's claim he was sleepwalking during the attack has already been supported by his wife of 37 years.2011 March 2, Grant McCabe, The Sun
- Before (the hour); to (the hour).
- I’ll be ready at ten of two
- What's the time? / Nearly a quarter of three.
- Often used without the hour.
- I’ll be ready at ten of
- Wednesday was more of the same. Out at 08:30, got to the office by quarter of, clients all day.2022 May 16, Ariel Levine, 09:20 from the start, in Giancarlo Esposito, director, Better Call Saul S6E6: Axe and Grind (TV series), spoken by Private Investigator (Lennie Loftin)
Proper noun capitalized: OF
OF
- Initialism of Old French.
- Initialism of Old Frisian.
- Abbreviation of OnlyFans.
- Initialism of Ordinary Form.
Noun capitalized: OF
OF (plural OFs)
- Abbreviation of outfield.
- Abbreviation of outfielder.
- Abbreviation of OnlyFans (“an account on OnlyFans”).
Also used as
of is also the eye dialect spelling of have and 've.
of meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Assamese
of in Hindi
- possessive genitive: belonging to
- ... का ... kā
of in Tamil
- containing, comprising or made from
- N/A. Alternatives: நிறைய niṟaiya, கொண்ட koṇṭa
- introducing topic or subject matter
- varies. பற்றி paṟṟi
of in Urdu
- possessive genitive: belonging to
- ... کا ... kā, izāfa
of in Assamese
- possessive genitive: belonging to
- ...ৰ ...r
More languagesFewer languages
- of in Pashto
- د də
- of in Tagalog
- ng, ni
- of in Arabic
- مِنْ min, ل li-, لدى ladā, مْتاع mtēʕ-
- of in Malay
- dari
- of in Indonesian
- rumah Andi, dari
- of in Thai
- ของ kɔ̌ɔng, แห่ง hɛ̀ng
- of in Vietnamese
- bằng, của, về, nước
- of in Myanmar
- ရဲ့ rai.
Examples of of in a sentence
- Anselm of Aosta (after birthplace)
- Anselm of Bec (after monastery)
- Pedro II of Brazil (after dominion)
- Mrs Miggins of Gasworks Road, Mudchester (after place of residence)
- I'll be ready by five of noon.
- Against headache, vertigo, vapours which ascend forth of the stomach to molest the head, read Hercules de Saxonia and others.1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and Iames...
Forms of of
| Preposition | |
|---|---|
| alternative form | ov |
| alternative form | ob |
| alternative form | o |
| alternative form | o' |
| alternative form | a |
| Noun | |
| plural | OFs |
Origin of of
From Middle English of, from Old English of (“from, out of, off”), an unstressed form of æf, from Proto-West Germanic *ab, from Proto-Germanic *ab (“away; away from”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó (“away”). Doublet of off, which is the stressed descendant of the same Old English word. More at off.
A spelling of /əv/ influenced by Etymology 1.
Words formed from of
Phrases with of
168 more phrasesFewer phrases
- of coz
- of his
- of new
- of old
- of use
- off of
- U of T
- best of
- came of
- care of
- deny of
- fail of
- full of
- hear of
- kind of
- knew of
- know of
- like of
- made of
- make of
- must of
- of hers
- of mine
- of ours
- of yore
- shut of
- tell of
- told of
- US of A
- what of
- aback of
- abate of
- ahead of
- along of
- B. of E.
- C. of E.
- comes of
- could of
- heard of
- hears of
- kinda of
- kinds of
- known of
- knows of
- makes of
- might of
- north of
- of value
- of yours
- savor of
- short of
- shuts of
- son of a
- speak of
- spite of
- spoke of
- tells of
- think of
- treat of
- U of Dub
- would of
- abated of
- abates of
- as of now
- as of yet
- astern of
- be rid of
- became of
- become of
- coming of
- denied of
- denies of
- do out of
- heck of a
- hell of a
- in aid of
- incase of
- inside of
- is rid of
- line of 7
- making of
- of a mind
- of itself
- of theirs
- on top of
- one of us
- out of it
- savour of
- should of
- speaks of
- spoken of
- thinks of
- treats of
- turned of
- upward of
- a world of
- abating of
- account of
- act of God
- act of war
- Age of Man
- apropos of
- art of war
- as of late
- because of
- becomes of
- body of me
- by vice of
- consist of
- cup of joe
- cup of tea
- denying of
- despite of
- did out of
- dispose of
- end of day
- eye of day
- fog of war
- full of it
- get out of
- get rid of
- God of War
- got out of
- got rid of
- hearing of
- in back of
- in case of
- in face of
- in lieu of
- in view of
- infront of
- inquire of
- inspite of
- instead of
- knowing of
- lad of wax
- law of one
- law of war
- line of 7s
- man of God
- man of law
- man of sin
- man of war
- men of God
- men of war
- of a blood
- of a truth
- of any use
- of counsel
- of service
- on pain of
- out of bed
- out of fix
- out of gas
- out of key
- out of use
- outside of
- rule of 72
- S. of Sol.
- son of God
- Son of Man
- Sun of May
- telling of
- thought of
- ton of TNT
- treated of
- tug of war
- U.S. of A.
Words that rhyme with of
Questions about of
- What does of mean?
- Of means from (a place); off.
- What is of in Hindi?
- Of in Hindi is ... का (... kā). See Of meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use of in a sentence?
- Anselm of Aosta (after birthplace)
- What part of speech is of?
- Of can be a preposition, a proper noun or a noun.
- How do you pronounce of?
- Of is pronounced /ɒv/ (UK).
Words near of in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: of (page history and authors); OF (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-of.wav.
Cite this entry: “of.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/of. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.