释义 |
Definition of to in English: topreposition tʊtuːtə 1Expressing motion in the direction of (a particular location) walking down to the shops Example sentencesExamples - Last Tuesday I went to a council meeting.
- Yosef, a successful lawyer, commuted hours each day to and from work.
- Emlyn loudly exited the hotel and went to the station for the Bristol train.
- They commissioned GAD Architecture, a firm founded in Turkey that has since moved to New York.
- Her mum had to take her to hospital every week.
- He actually dropped to the ground just as a giant pickup rolled over him.
- 1.1 Expressing location, typically in relation to a specified point of reference.
forty miles to the south of the site place the cursor to the left of the first word Example sentencesExamples - The landlocked country is dominated by the rugged Hindu Kush mountains that sweep from the west to the east.
- It was 850 miles to Singapore Harbor.
- The family room to the right of the entrance hall has an unusual colour scheme.
- 1.2 Expressing a point reached at the end of a range or after a period of time.
a drop in profits from £105 m to around £75 m Example sentencesExamples - Another eight to ten million square feet of exhibition space is scheduled to come on line within five years.
- The working week is Monday to Friday.
- Prospectors arrived by land or sea and usually operated in groups of six to forty, working claims jointly.
- The two books covers the dance band era from the 1930s to the 1960s.
- 1.3British (in telling the time) before (the hour specified)
Example sentencesExamples - Apologies followed, and at five to three the belated ceremony commenced to the relief of all concerned.
- It's twenty to one in the morning, and I'm beat.
- I was awake at ten to six, at the gym by 6:30.
2Approaching or reaching (a particular condition) Christopher's expression changed from amazement to joy Example sentencesExamples - The children cry themselves to sleep from hunger.
- I can honestly say that officers and staff had a mixture of feelings ranging from anger to disgust.
- Can we ever know if an image moved large numbers of people to action, or changed the ways they think about things?
- Shackleton's southern party passed the previous ‘furthest south’ record set by Scott, but by January 2 Shackleton was near to breaking point.
- Back at the king's court, many warily watched the cardinal's rapid rise to power.
Synonyms in the direction of, to, toward, so as to approach, so as to near - 2.1 Expressing the result of a process or action.
Example sentencesExamples - If you buy a pair of trainers and they fall to bits, you won't buy them again.
- One had taken a camcorder from someone and proceeded to smash it to pieces.
- 2.2 Governing a phrase expressing someone's reaction to something.
to her astonishment, he smiled Example sentencesExamples - To our dismay, unknown to us there was a motel only three kilometres down the road.
- She actually did dance with Astaire - but to her great regret, only once, in Easter Parade.
- Much to his surprise, this small film has turned out to have wide appeal.
- I got 98% in the test but to my annoyance, Janet got 100%.
3Identifying the person or thing affected by or receiving something. you were terribly unkind to her they donated £400 to the hospice I am deeply grateful to my parents Example sentencesExamples - When I got out of prison a couple of years ago he actually was very kind to me.
- I am thankful to Anna and her program for my rehabilitation.
- I wish you hadn't drawn attention to it.
- In our marriage the most important factor is commitment and being considerate to each other.
4Identifying a particular relationship between one person and another. he is married to his cousin Emma he's economic adviser to the president Example sentencesExamples - Alberto is single, while Ernesto is committed to his pretty, aristocratic girlfriend.
- Karen, on the other hand, is a good friend to Daniel, whose young wife has just passed away.
- She was also special assistant to the cultural affairs commissioner in 1987.
- She's now very happily engaged to a famous actor.
- He's married to a sociologist who teaches family studies at the University of Connecticut.
- 4.1 Used in various phrases to indicate how something is related to something else (often followed by a noun without a determiner)
Example sentencesExamples - Letting anyone into a country without proper identification and background checks is an invitation to chaos.
- There's a buffet at lunchtime, with plenty of good salads and dips, or the chef will cook a stir-fry to order.
- You can even have your ideal leather coat made to measure by a leather specialist.
- 4.2 Indicating a rate of return on something, for example the distance travelled in exchange for fuel used.
my car only does ten miles to the gallon Example sentencesExamples - The peso breached 50 to the dollar, plunging the country further into crisis.
- With the dollar at $1.24 to the pound, property in Florida was quite an attractive investment.
- The petrol version will do 16.2 miles to the gallon around town.
- If you fly into wind you will get much less mileage to the litre.
- 4.3to theMathematics Indicating the power (exponent) to which a number is raised.
ten to the minus thirty-three Example sentencesExamples - The smallest scale postulated is the Planck scale of 10 to the minus 33rd power for length and 10 to the minus 43rd of a second for time.
- This is a septillion (10 to the power of 24) times longer than the current age of the universe (about 10 billion years).
5Indicating that two things are attached or linked. he had left his dog tied to a drainpipe they are inextricably linked to this island Example sentencesExamples - This dead-end dirt road follows a peaceful stretch of the Housatonic River and connects to the Appalachian Trail.
- I have also attached the bulletin to this email so you could get a flavor of what we are doing.
- It is in the phone company's interest to get more homes linked to the Internet at very high rates of speed.
- On the other corner, a dozen or so balloons are tied to a pole.
6Concerning or likely to concern (something) a reference to Psalm 22:18 Example sentencesExamples - Pesticides pose risks to both human and nonhuman health if they are found in either surface or ground water.
- Although the film contains no direct references to the war, it surely is an allegory on World War II.
- Louis was required to renounce all claim to the English throne and to restore the charters of liberties granted by King John.
- They raise the specter of technology as a danger to humanity.
7Used to introduce the second element in a comparison. the club's nothing to what it once was Example sentencesExamples - It is simply that I think women are superior to men.
- I prefer men to women.
- Tom told him a story about a parolee who stole a car to get back into jail because he preferred it to home.
- This kid is an angel compared to me though and has never been any trouble.
8Placed before a debit entry in accounting.
infinitive markertʊtuːtə 1Used with the base form of a verb to indicate that the verb is in the infinitive. - 1.1 Expressing purpose or intention.
I am going to tell you a story Example sentencesExamples - Next time I am going to box differently with regard to speed and power.
- I went to get help and by the time I got back he had stopped breathing.
- Thieves attempted to gain entry into the cafe on Saturday morning.
- My friend and I were determined to do better.
- His aim was to be a great artist, and in reality he was.
- 1.2 Expressing an outcome or result.
Example sentencesExamples - I have always dreamt about earning a living playing polo, and I think I am managing to achieve it.
- Parks was ignored and left to fend for herself in poverty for many years.
- It's too cold to get out of bed.
- I decided to stay away from the crowd but close enough to hear the speakers.
- 1.3 Expressing a cause.
Example sentencesExamples - I'm really pleased to be here.
- He was shocked to discover the alleged activities at the university.
- I was so sorry to read her column slandering the film industry.
- 1.4 Indicating a desired or advisable action.
I'd love to go to France this summer the leaflet explains how to start a course Example sentencesExamples - There is also information on where to find help with insulation and central heating.
- You talk about your sister a lot, I'd like to meet her.
- I want to show everybody I am stronger than he is.
- She's asked him to seek counseling.
- 1.5 Indicating a proposition that is known, believed, or reported about a specified person or thing.
a house that people believed to be haunted Example sentencesExamples - To many, she was considered to be a modern Audrey Hepburn with her impeccable style, grace and elegance.
- Up to seven million people are thought to have been affected.
- It's a plant whose leaves are said to have many medicinal qualities.
- 1.6about to Forming a future tense with reference to the immediate future.
Example sentencesExamples - This news arrived just as a ceasefire was about to come into effect.
- Allan's about to get married - he's in Venice organising his pre-nuptial agreement!
- 1.7 After a noun, indicating its function or purpose.
Example sentencesExamples - We don't have any water to drink.
- They see no sun in their limited lives, with no hay to lie on, no mud to roll in.
- He's going to a cabaret, and he has absolutely nothing to wear.
- 1.8 After a phrase containing an ordinal number.
the first person to arrive Example sentencesExamples - She is the second African-American to hold the post.
- Young male adults were the first to leave, out of fear of being forced to serve in the military.
- Paula Wolfert was the last to speak and her slides were of various clay pots and dishes.
2Used without a verb following when the missing verb is clearly understood. he asked her to come but she said she didn't want to Example sentencesExamples - I don't want this moment to end, but it's got to.
- It is your choice if you smoke or not but I think everyone would benefit if we made an effort not to.
- As much as I didn't want to go, I had to.
adverb tʊtuːtə So as to be closed or nearly closed. he pulled the door to behind him Example sentencesExamples - I went in and pulled the door to.
Synonyms secure, secured, fastened, tight, firmly fixed
Origin Old English tō (adverb and preposition), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch toe and German zu. Rhymes accrue, adieu, ado, anew, Anjou, aperçu, askew, ballyhoo, bamboo, bedew, bestrew, billet-doux, blew, blue, boo, boohoo, brew, buckaroo, canoe, chew, clew, clou, clue, cock-a-doodle-doo, cockatoo, construe, coo, Corfu, coup, crew, Crewe, cru, cue, déjà vu, derring-do, dew, didgeridoo, do, drew, due, endue, ensue, eschew, feu, few, flew, flu, flue, foreknew, glue, gnu, goo, grew, halloo, hereto, hew, Hindu, hitherto, how-do-you-do, hue, Hugh, hullabaloo, imbrue, imbue, jackaroo, Jew, kangaroo, Karroo, Kathmandu, kazoo, Kiangsu, knew, Kru, K2, kung fu, Lahu, Lanzhou, Lao-tzu, lasso, lieu, loo, Lou, Manchu, mangetout, mew, misconstrue, miscue, moo, moue, mu, nardoo, new, non-U, nu, ooh, outdo, outflew, outgrew, peekaboo, Peru, pew, plew, Poitou, pooh, pooh-pooh, potoroo, pursue, queue, revue, roo, roux, rue, Selous, set-to, shampoo, shih-tzu, shoe, shoo, shrew, Sioux, skean dhu, skew, skidoo, slew, smew, snafu, sou, spew, sprue, stew, strew, subdue, sue, switcheroo, taboo, tattoo, thereto, thew, threw, thro, through, thru, tickety-boo, Timbuktu, tiramisu, to-do, too, toodle-oo, true, true-blue, tu-whit tu-whoo, two, vendue, view, vindaloo, virtu, wahoo, wallaroo, Waterloo, well-to-do, whereto, whew, who, withdrew, woo, Wu, yew, you, zoo Definition of to in US English: topreposition 1Expressing motion in the direction of (a particular location) Example sentencesExamples - Yosef, a successful lawyer, commuted hours each day to and from work.
- They commissioned GAD Architecture, a firm founded in Turkey that has since moved to New York.
- Last Tuesday I went to a council meeting.
- Emlyn loudly exited the hotel and went to the station for the Bristol train.
- He actually dropped to the ground just as a giant pickup rolled over him.
- Her mum had to take her to hospital every week.
- 1.1 Expressing location, typically in relation to a specified point of reference.
forty miles to the south of the site place the cursor to the left of the first word Example sentencesExamples - The landlocked country is dominated by the rugged Hindu Kush mountains that sweep from the west to the east.
- The family room to the right of the entrance hall has an unusual colour scheme.
- It was 850 miles to Singapore Harbor.
- 1.2 Expressing a point reached at the end of a range or after a period of time.
a drop in profits from $105 million to around $75 million Example sentencesExamples - Prospectors arrived by land or sea and usually operated in groups of six to forty, working claims jointly.
- The working week is Monday to Friday.
- The two books covers the dance band era from the 1930s to the 1960s.
- Another eight to ten million square feet of exhibition space is scheduled to come on line within five years.
- 1.3British (in telling the time) before (the hour specified)
Example sentencesExamples - Apologies followed, and at five to three the belated ceremony commenced to the relief of all concerned.
- It's twenty to one in the morning, and I'm beat.
- I was awake at ten to six, at the gym by 6:30.
2Approaching or reaching (a particular condition) Christopher's expression changed from amazement to joy Example sentencesExamples - The children cry themselves to sleep from hunger.
- Shackleton's southern party passed the previous ‘furthest south’ record set by Scott, but by January 2 Shackleton was near to breaking point.
- Can we ever know if an image moved large numbers of people to action, or changed the ways they think about things?
- I can honestly say that officers and staff had a mixture of feelings ranging from anger to disgust.
- Back at the king's court, many warily watched the cardinal's rapid rise to power.
Synonyms in the direction of, to, toward, so as to approach, so as to near - 2.1 Expressing the result of a process or action.
Example sentencesExamples - One had taken a camcorder from someone and proceeded to smash it to pieces.
- If you buy a pair of trainers and they fall to bits, you won't buy them again.
- 2.2 Governing a phrase expressing someone's reaction to something.
to her astonishment, he smiled Example sentencesExamples - Much to his surprise, this small film has turned out to have wide appeal.
- She actually did dance with Astaire - but to her great regret, only once, in Easter Parade.
- To our dismay, unknown to us there was a motel only three kilometres down the road.
- I got 98% in the test but to my annoyance, Janet got 100%.
3Identifying the person or thing affected. you were terribly unkind to her Example sentencesExamples - I wish you hadn't drawn attention to it.
- In our marriage the most important factor is commitment and being considerate to each other.
- I am thankful to Anna and her program for my rehabilitation.
- When I got out of prison a couple of years ago he actually was very kind to me.
- 3.1 Identifying the recipient or intended recipient of something.
he wrote a heart-rending letter to the parents I am deeply grateful to my parents Example sentencesExamples - I want data sent to me so I can decide how to use it.
- But either way they won't give money to us.
- He was on his way back from delivering a present to a friend.
4Identifying a particular relationship between one person and another. he is married to Jan's cousin economic adviser to the president Example sentencesExamples - Karen, on the other hand, is a good friend to Daniel, whose young wife has just passed away.
- She's now very happily engaged to a famous actor.
- He's married to a sociologist who teaches family studies at the University of Connecticut.
- Alberto is single, while Ernesto is committed to his pretty, aristocratic girlfriend.
- She was also special assistant to the cultural affairs commissioner in 1987.
- 4.1 In various phrases indicating how something is related to something else (often followed by a noun without a determiner)
Example sentencesExamples - Letting anyone into a country without proper identification and background checks is an invitation to chaos.
- You can even have your ideal leather coat made to measure by a leather specialist.
- There's a buffet at lunchtime, with plenty of good salads and dips, or the chef will cook a stir-fry to order.
- 4.2 Indicating a rate of return on something, e.g., the distance traveled in exchange for fuel used, or an exchange rate that can be obtained in one currency for another.
it only does ten miles to the gallon Example sentencesExamples - The petrol version will do 16.2 miles to the gallon around town.
- The peso breached 50 to the dollar, plunging the country further into crisis.
- With the dollar at $1.24 to the pound, property in Florida was quite an attractive investment.
- If you fly into wind you will get much less mileage to the litre.
- 4.3to theMathematics Indicating the power (exponent) to which a number is raised.
ten to the minus thirty-three Example sentencesExamples - This is a septillion (10 to the power of 24) times longer than the current age of the universe (about 10 billion years).
- The smallest scale postulated is the Planck scale of 10 to the minus 33rd power for length and 10 to the minus 43rd of a second for time.
5Indicating that two things are attached. he had left his bike chained to a fence they are inextricably linked to this island Example sentencesExamples - It is in the phone company's interest to get more homes linked to the Internet at very high rates of speed.
- I have also attached the bulletin to this email so you could get a flavor of what we are doing.
- This dead-end dirt road follows a peaceful stretch of the Housatonic River and connects to the Appalachian Trail.
- On the other corner, a dozen or so balloons are tied to a pole.
6Concerning or likely to concern (something, especially something abstract) a reference to Psalm 22:18 Example sentencesExamples - They raise the specter of technology as a danger to humanity.
- Pesticides pose risks to both human and nonhuman health if they are found in either surface or ground water.
- Louis was required to renounce all claim to the English throne and to restore the charters of liberties granted by King John.
- Although the film contains no direct references to the war, it surely is an allegory on World War II.
7Used to introduce the second element in a comparison. it's nothing to what it once was Example sentencesExamples - This kid is an angel compared to me though and has never been any trouble.
- It is simply that I think women are superior to men.
- Tom told him a story about a parolee who stole a car to get back into jail because he preferred it to home.
- I prefer men to women.
infinitive marker 1Used with the base form of a verb to indicate that the verb is in the infinitive. - 1.1 Expressing purpose or intention.
I am going to tell you a story Example sentencesExamples - I went to get help and by the time I got back he had stopped breathing.
- My friend and I were determined to do better.
- Next time I am going to box differently with regard to speed and power.
- His aim was to be a great artist, and in reality he was.
- Thieves attempted to gain entry into the cafe on Saturday morning.
- 1.2 Expressing an outcome, result, or consequence.
Example sentencesExamples - It's too cold to get out of bed.
- I decided to stay away from the crowd but close enough to hear the speakers.
- Parks was ignored and left to fend for herself in poverty for many years.
- I have always dreamt about earning a living playing polo, and I think I am managing to achieve it.
- 1.3 Expressing a cause.
Example sentencesExamples - He was shocked to discover the alleged activities at the university.
- I was so sorry to read her column slandering the film industry.
- I'm really pleased to be here.
- 1.4 Indicating a desired or advisable action.
I'd love to go to France this summer the leaflet explains how to start a recycling program Example sentencesExamples - There is also information on where to find help with insulation and central heating.
- You talk about your sister a lot, I'd like to meet her.
- I want to show everybody I am stronger than he is.
- She's asked him to seek counseling.
- 1.5 Indicating a proposition that is known, believed, or reported about a specified person or thing.
a house that people believed to be haunted Example sentencesExamples - To many, she was considered to be a modern Audrey Hepburn with her impeccable style, grace and elegance.
- Up to seven million people are thought to have been affected.
- It's a plant whose leaves are said to have many medicinal qualities.
- 1.6about to Forming a future tense with reference to the immediate future.
Example sentencesExamples - Allan's about to get married - he's in Venice organising his pre-nuptial agreement!
- This news arrived just as a ceasefire was about to come into effect.
- 1.7 After a noun, indicating its function or purpose.
Example sentencesExamples - They see no sun in their limited lives, with no hay to lie on, no mud to roll in.
- He's going to a cabaret, and he has absolutely nothing to wear.
- We don't have any water to drink.
- 1.8 After a phrase containing an ordinal number.
the first person to arrive Example sentencesExamples - Young male adults were the first to leave, out of fear of being forced to serve in the military.
- Paula Wolfert was the last to speak and her slides were of various clay pots and dishes.
- She is the second African-American to hold the post.
2Used without a verb following when the missing verb is clearly understood. he asked her to come but she said she didn't want to Example sentencesExamples - I don't want this moment to end, but it's got to.
- It is your choice if you smoke or not but I think everyone would benefit if we made an effort not to.
- As much as I didn't want to go, I had to.
adverb So as to be closed or nearly closed. he pulled the door to behind him Example sentencesExamples - I went in and pulled the door to.
Synonyms secure, secured, fastened, tight, firmly fixed
Origin Old English tō (adverb and preposition), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch toe and German zu. |