inquire into; "the students had to research the history of the Second World War for their history project"; "He searched for information on his relatives on the web"; "Scientists are exploring the nature of consciousness"
attempt to find out in a systematically and scientific manner; "The student researched the history of that word"
done or made using whatever is available; "crossed the river on improvised bridges"; "the survivors used jury-rigged fishing gear"; "the rock served as a makeshift hammer"
improve the condition of; "These pills will help the patient"
improve; change for the better; "New slipcovers will help the old living room furniture"
give help or assistance; be of service; "Everyone helped out during the earthquake"; "Can you help me carry this table?"; "She never helps around the house"
contribute to the furtherance of; "This money will help the development of literacy in developing countries"
guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory; "a hardheaded appraisal of our position"; "a hard-nosed labor leader"; "completely practical in his approach to business"; "not ideology but pragmatic politics"
unreasonably rigid in the face of argument or entreaty or attack
inspiring fear; "the formidable prospect of major surgery"; "a tougher and more redoubtable adversary than the heel-clicking, jackbooted fanatic"- G.H.Johnston; "something unnerving and prisonlike about high grey wall"
extremely impressive in strength or excellence; "a formidable opponent"; "the challenge was formidable"; "had a formidable array of compositions to his credit"; "the formidable army of brains at the Prime Minister's disposal"
the act of allowing; "He objected to the allowance of smoking in the dining room"
a permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits
an amount added or deducted on the basis of qualifying circumstances; "an allowance for profit"
an amount allowed or granted (as during a given period); "travel allowance"; "my weekly allowance of two eggs"; "a child's allowance should not be too generous"
render capable or able for some task; "This skill will enable you to find a job on Wall Street"; "The rope enables you to secure yourself when you climb the mountain"
a stage in psychosexual development when the child's interest is concentrated in the mouth; fixation at this stage is said to result in dependence, selfishness, and aggression
of or involving the mouth or mouth region or the surface on which the mouth is located; "the oral cavity"; "the oral mucous membrane"; "the oral surface of a starfish"
using speech rather than writing; "an oral tradition"; "an oral agreement"
of or relating to or affecting or for use in the mouth; "oral hygiene"; "an oral thermometer"; "an oral vaccine"
a diligent effort; "it is a job requiring serious application"
the work of applying something; "the doctor prescribed a topical application of iodine"; "a complete bleach requires several applications"; "the surface was ready for a coating of paint";
the act of bringing something to bear; using it for a particular purpose; "he advocated the application of statistics to the problem"; "a novel application of electronics to medical diagnosis"
a verbal or written request for assistance or employment or admission to a school; "December 31 is the deadline for applications"
a program that gives a computer instructions that provide the user with tools to accomplish a task; "he has tried several different word processing applications"