prevent from doing something or being in a certain state; "We must prevent the cancer from spreading"; "His snoring kept me from falling asleep"; "Keep the child from eating the marbles"
keep from happening or arising; make impossible; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project"
the continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past
a person's experience on a particular occasion; "he had a time holding back the tears"; "they had a good time together"
an instance or single occasion for some event; "this time he succeeded"; "he called four times"; "he could do ten at a clip"
an indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities); "he waited a long time"; "the time of year for planting"; "he was a great actor is his time"
a suitable moment; "it is time to go"
a period of time considered as a resource under your control and sufficient to accomplish something; "take time to smell the roses"; "I didn't have time to finish"; "it took more than half my time"
adjust so that a force is applied and an action occurs at the desired time; "The good player times his swing so as to hit the ball squarely"
regulate or set the time of; "time the clock"
assign a time for an activity or event; "The candidate carefully timed his appearance at the disaster scene"
set the speed, duration, or execution of; "we time the process to manufacture our cars very precisely"
an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented)
something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan"
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality; "a moderate grade of intelligence"; "a high level of care is required"; "it is all a matter of degree"
the seriousness of something (e.g., a burn or crime); "murder in the second degree"; "a second degree burn"
the highest power of a term or variable
a measure for arcs and angles; "there are 360 degrees in a circle"
a unit of temperature on a specified scale; "the game was played in spite of the 40-degree temperature"
a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process; "a remarkable degree of frankness"; "at what stage are the social sciences?"
the momentary present; "Now is a good time to do it"; "it worked up to right now"
used to preface a command or reproof or request; "now hear this!"; "now pay attention"
at the present moment; "goods now on sale"; "the now-aging dictator"; "they are now abroad"; "he is busy at present writing a new novel"; "it could happen any time now"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events; "President Kennedy now calls in the National Guard"; "Washington now decides to cross the Delaware"; "the ship is now listing to port"
in the immediate past; "told me just now"
(prefatory or transitional) indicates a change of subject or activity; "Now the next problem is..."
the act of assuming or maintaining a seated position; "he read the mystery at one sitting"
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait); "he wanted his portrait painted but couldn't spare time for the sitting"
a session as of a legislature or court
not moving and therefore easy to attack; "a sitting target"
a cushion-like device that reduces shock due to contact
a power tool used to buff surfaces
(computer science) a part of RAM used for temporary storage of data that is waiting to be sent to a device; used to compensate for differences in the rate of flow of data between components of a computer system
an ionic compound that resists changes in its pH
add a buffer (a solution); "buffered saline solution for the eyes"
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible; "the predicted temperature and the actual temperature were markedly different"; "actual and imagined conditions"
being or existing at the present moment; "the ship's actual position is 22 miles due south of Key West"
taking place in reality; not pretended or imitated; "we saw the actual wedding on television"; "filmed the actual beating"
existing in act or fact; "rocks and trees...the actual world"; "actual heroism"; "the actual things that produced the emotion you experienced"
being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something; "her actual motive"; "a literal solitude like a desert"- G.K.Chesterton; "a genuine dilemma"