a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard; "his deference to her wishes was very flattering"; "be sure to give my respects to the dean"
courteous regard for people's feelings; "in deference to your wishes"; "out of respect for his privacy"
the significance of a story or event; "the moral of the story is to love thy neighbor"
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles; "moral sense"; "a moral scrutiny"; "a moral lesson"; "a moral quandary"; "moral convictions"; "a moral life"
psychological rather than physical or tangible in effect; "a moral victory"; "moral support"
arising from the sense of right and wrong; "a moral obligation"
relating to principles of right and wrong; i.e. to morals or ethics; "moral philosophy"
incidental activity performed by an actor for dramatic effect; "his business with the cane was hilarious"
the volume of commercial activity; "business is good today"; "show me where the business was today"
a rightful concern or responsibility; "it's none of your business"; "mind your own business"
an immediate objective; "gossip was the main business of the evening"
business concerns collectively; "Government and business could not agree"
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it; "he bought his brother's business"; "a small mom-and-pop business"; "a racially integrated business concern"
(music) the section of a movement (especially in sonata form) where the major musical themes first occur
an account that sets forth the meaning or intent of a writing or discourse; "we would have understood the play better if there had been some initial exposition of the background"
a systematic interpretation or explanation (usually written) of a specific topic
crowded with or characterized by much activity; "a very busy week"; "a busy life"; "a busy street"; "a busy seaport"
actively or fully engaged or occupied; "busy with her work"; "a busy man"; "too busy to eat lunch"; "the line is busy"
(of facilities such as telephones or lavatories) unavailable for use by anyone else or indicating unavailability; (`engaged' is a British term for a busy telephone line); "her line is busy"; "receptionists' telephones are always engaged"; "the lavatory is in use"; "kept getting a busy signal"
overcrowded or cluttered with detail; "a busy painting"; "a fussy design"
keep busy with; "She busies herself with her butterfly collection"
impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on; "The students were penalized for showing up late for class"; "we had to punish the dog for soiling the floor again"
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"