the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation
an unstable construction with playing cards; "he built three levels of his cardcastle before it collapsed"
a speculative scheme that depends on unstable factors that the planner cannot control; "his proposal was nothing but a house of cards"; "a real estate bubble"
reach, make, or come to a decision about something; "We finally decided after lengthy deliberations"
bring to an end; settle conclusively; "The case was decided"; "The judge decided the case in favor of the plaintiff"; "The father adjudicated when the sons were quarreling over their inheritance"
cause to decide; "This new development finally decided me!"
influence or determine; "The vote in New Hampshire often decides the outcome of the Presidential election"
a gambling game played with two dice; a first throw of 7 or 11 wins and a first throw of 2, 3, or 12 loses and a first throw of any other number must be repeated to win before a 7 is thrown, which loses the bet and the dice
when two dice are thrown and both come up showing one spot the results is called `craps' or `snake eyes'
(football) a kick in which the football is dropped from the hands and kicked before it touches the ground; "the punt traveled 50 yards"; "punting is an important part of the game"
an open flat-bottomed boat used in shallow waters and propelled by a long pole
propel with a pole; "pole barges on the river"; "We went punting in Cambridge"
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"
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means"
perceive (an idea or situation) mentally; "Now I see!"; "I just can't see your point"; "Does she realize how important this decision is?"; "I don't understand the idea"
believe to be the case; "I understand you have no previous experience?"
make sense of a language; "She understands French"; "Can you read Greek?"
look forward to the birth of a child; "She is expecting in March"
consider reasonable or due; "I'm expecting a full explanation as to why these files were destroyed"
regard something as probable or likely; "The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow"
look forward to the probable occurrence of; "We were expecting a visit from our relatives"; "She is looking to a promotion"; "he is waiting to be drafted"
a belief that can guide behavior; "the architect has a theory that more is less"; "they killed him on the theory that dead men tell no tales"
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory"