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The Joys, Definitions and Examples of English Grammar
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GAMES
BROWSE THESAURUS
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of preposition
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\ əv, before consonants also ə; ˈəv , ˈäv \
Definition of of (Entry 1 of 3)
1—used as a function word to indicate a point of reckoning
north of the lake
2a—used as a function word to indicate origin or derivation
a man of noble birth
b—used as a function word to indicate the cause, motive, or reason
died of flu
c: BY
plays of Shakespeare
d: on the part of
very kind of you
e: occurring in
a fish of the western Atlantic
3—used as a function word to indicate the component material, parts, or elements or the contents
throne of gold
cup of water
4a—used as a function word to indicate the whole that includes the part denoted by the preceding word
most of the army
b—used as a function word to indicate a whole or quantity from which a part is removed or expended
gave of his time
5a: relating to : ABOUT
stories of her travels
b: in respect to
slow of speech
6a—used as a function word to indicate belonging or a possessive relationship
king of England
b—used as a function word to indicate relationship between a result determined by a function or operation and a basic entity (such as an independent variable)
a function of x
the product of two numbers
7—used as a function word to indicate something from which a person or thing is delivered
eased of her pain
or with respect to which someone or something is made destitute
robbed of all their belongings
8a—used as a function word to indicate a particular example belonging to the class denoted by the preceding noun
the city of Rome
b—used as a function word to indicate apposition
that fool of a husband
9a—used as a function word to indicate the object of an action denoted or implied by the preceding noun
love of nature
b—used as a function word to indicate the application of a verb
cheats him of a dollar
or of an adjective
fond of candy
10—used as a function word to indicate a characteristic or distinctive quality or possession
a woman of courage
11a—used as a function word to indicate the position in time of an action or occurrence
died of a Monday
b: BEFORE
quarter of ten
12archaic : ON
a plague of all cowards
— William Shakespeare
of auxiliary verb
\ əv, before consonants also ə \
Definition of of (Entry 2 of 3)
nonstandard
: HAVE —used in place of the contraction 've often in representations of uneducated speech
I could of beat them easy
— Ring Lardner
OF abbreviation
Definition of OF (Entry 3 of 3)
outfield
Synonyms & Antonyms
More Example Sentences
Learn More about of
Synonyms & Antonyms for of
Synonyms: Preposition
afore [chiefly dialect], ahead of, before, ere, fore (also 'fore) [chiefly dialect], previous to, prior to, to
Antonyms: Preposition
after, following
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of of in a Sentence
Preposition
He is a coworker of mine.
I threw out that old shirt of yours.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition
None of Moore’s fingerprints were found on the gun.
— William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, "Alabama police shooting case could help spark change in lawsuit immunity for officers," 14 Oct. 2020
Do a little early holiday shopping by taking advantage of deals exclusive to those who have Prime membership.
— Sarah Kovac, USA TODAY, "All the best smart home deals on Google, Alexa, Homekit and more for Prime Day 2020," 14 Oct. 2020
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'of.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
See More
First Known Use of of
Preposition
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Auxiliary verb
circa 1800, in the meaning defined above
History and Etymology for of
Preposition
Middle English, off, of, from Old English, adverb & preposition; akin to Old High German aba off, away, Latin ab from, away, Greek apo
Auxiliary verb
by alteration
Definition of OF
11 Rules of Grammar
or
Register
GAMES
BROWSE THESAURUS
WORD OF THE DAY
WORDS AT PLAY
SAVED WORDS
of preposition
Save Word
To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Log In
\ əv, before consonants also ə; ˈəv , ˈäv \
Definition of of (Entry 1 of 3)
1—used as a function word to indicate a point of reckoning
north of the lake
2a—used as a function word to indicate origin or derivation
a man of noble birth
b—used as a function word to indicate the cause, motive, or reason
died of flu
c: BY
plays of Shakespeare
d: on the part of
very kind of you
e: occurring in
a fish of the western Atlantic
3—used as a function word to indicate the component material, parts, or elements or the contents
throne of gold
cup of water
4a—used as a function word to indicate the whole that includes the part denoted by the preceding word
most of the army
b—used as a function word to indicate a whole or quantity from which a part is removed or expended
gave of his time
5a: relating to : ABOUT
stories of her travels
b: in respect to
slow of speech
6a—used as a function word to indicate belonging or a possessive relationship
king of England
b—used as a function word to indicate relationship between a result determined by a function or operation and a basic entity (such as an independent variable)
a function of x
the product of two numbers
7—used as a function word to indicate something from which a person or thing is delivered
eased of her pain
or with respect to which someone or something is made destitute
robbed of all their belongings
8a—used as a function word to indicate a particular example belonging to the class denoted by the preceding noun
the city of Rome
b—used as a function word to indicate apposition
that fool of a husband
9a—used as a function word to indicate the object of an action denoted or implied by the preceding noun
love of nature
b—used as a function word to indicate the application of a verb
cheats him of a dollar
or of an adjective
fond of candy
10—used as a function word to indicate a characteristic or distinctive quality or possession
a woman of courage
11a—used as a function word to indicate the position in time of an action or occurrence
died of a Monday
b: BEFORE
quarter of ten
12archaic : ON
a plague of all cowards
— William Shakespeare
of auxiliary verb
\ əv, before consonants also ə \
Definition of of (Entry 2 of 3)
nonstandard
: HAVE —used in place of the contraction 've often in representations of uneducated speech
I could of beat them easy
— Ring Lardner
OF abbreviation
Definition of OF (Entry 3 of 3)
outfield
Synonyms & Antonyms
More Example Sentences
Learn More about of
Synonyms & Antonyms for of
Synonyms: Preposition
afore [chiefly dialect], ahead of, before, ere, fore (also 'fore) [chiefly dialect], previous to, prior to, to
Antonyms: Preposition
after, following
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of of in a Sentence
Preposition
He is a coworker of mine.
I threw out that old shirt of yours.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition
None of Moore’s fingerprints were found on the gun.
— William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, "Alabama police shooting case could help spark change in lawsuit immunity for officers," 14 Oct. 2020
Do a little early holiday shopping by taking advantage of deals exclusive to those who have Prime membership.
— Sarah Kovac, USA TODAY, "All the best smart home deals on Google, Alexa, Homekit and more for Prime Day 2020," 14 Oct. 2020
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'of.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
See More
First Known Use of of
Preposition
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Auxiliary verb
circa 1800, in the meaning defined above
History and Etymology for of
Preposition
Middle English, off, of, from Old English, adverb & preposition; akin to Old High German aba off, away, Latin ab from, away, Greek apo
Auxiliary verb
by alteration
Definition of OF
11 Rules of Grammar
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