gain possession of by prior right or opportunity, especially so as to obtain the right to buy (land)
take the place of or have precedence over; "live broadcast of the presidential debate preempts the regular news hour"; "discussion of the emergency situation will preempt the lecture by the professor"
a base hit on which the batter stops safely at first base
existing alone or consisting of one entity or part or aspect or individual; "upon the hill stood a single tower"; "had but a single thought which was to escape"; "a single survivor"; "a single serving"; "a single lens"; "a single thickness"
used of flowers having usually only one row or whorl of petals; "single chrysanthemums resemble daisies and may have more than one row of petals"
used of buildings; standing apart from others; "detached houses"; "a detached garage"
no longer connected or joined; "a detached part"; "on one side of the island was a hugh rock, almost detached"; "the separated spacecraft will return to their home bases"
not fixed in position; "the detached shutter fell on him"; "he pulled his arm free and ran"
being or feeling set or kept apart from others; "she felt detached from the group"; "could not remain the isolated figure he had been"- Sherwood Anderson; "thought of herself as alone and separated from the others"; "had a set-apart feeling"
not ever; at no time in the past or future; "I have never been to China"; "I shall never forget this day"; "had never seen a circus"; "never on Sunday"; "I will never marry you!"
not at all; certainly not; not in any circumstances; "never fear"; "bringing up children is never easy"; "that will never do"; "what is morally wrong can never be politically right"
scope for freedom of e.g. action or thought; freedom from restriction
the angular distance between an imaginary line around a heavenly body parallel to its equator and the equator itself
an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator
freedom from normal restraints in conduct; "the new freedom in movies and novels"; "allowed his children considerable latitude in how they spent their money"
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"
the quality of being widely admired or accepted or sought after; "his charm soon won him affection and popularity"; "the universal popularity of American movies"