acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered; "his fingers have learned gentleness"; "suddenly her gigantic power melted into softness for the baby"; "even in the pulpit there are moments when mildness of manner is not enough"
the cutting part of a drill; usually pointed and threaded and is replaceable in a brace or bitstock or drill press; "he looked around for the right size bit"
piece of metal held in horse's mouth by reins and used to control the horse while riding; "the horse was not accustomed to a bit"
a small fragment of something broken off from the whole; "a bit of rock caught him in the eye"
a unit of measurement of information (from binary + digit); the amount of information in a system having two equiprobable states; "there are 8 bits in a byte"
the quality of taking advantage; "she turned her writing skills to good account"
importance or value; "a person of considerable account"; "he predicted that although it is of small account now it will rapidly increase in importance"
a statement of recent transactions and the resulting balance; "they send me an accounting every month"
a formal contractual relationship established to provide for regular banking or brokerage or business services; "he asked to see the executive who handled his account"
furnish a justifying analysis or explanation; "I can't account for the missing money"
keep an account of
be the sole or primary factor in the existence, acquisition, supply, or disposal of something; "Passing grades account for half of the grades given in this exam"
something done (usually as opposed to something said); "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"
the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field; "the action is no longer in technology stocks but in municipal bonds"; "gawkers always try to get as close to the action as possible"
an act by a government body or supranational organization; "recent federal action undermined the segregationist position"; "the United Nations must have the power to propose and organize action without being hobbled by irrelevant issues"; "the Union action of emancipating Southern slaves"
the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism; "the piano had a very stiff action"
the trait of being active and energetic and forceful; "a man of action"
the series of events that form a plot; "his novels always have a lot of action"
the state of being active; "his sphere of activity"; "he is out of action"
institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against; "He was warned that the district attorney would process him"; "She actioned the company for discrimination"
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"
put down by force or intimidation; "The government quashes any attempt of an uprising"; "China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently"; "The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the land"
(biology) the field of science concerned with processes of communication and control (especially the comparison of these processes in biological and artificial systems)
not tractable; difficult to manage or mold; "an intractable disposition"; "intractable pain"; "the most intractable issue of our era"; "intractable metal"
a methodical examination or review of a condition or situation; "he made an audit of all the plants on his property"; "an energy efficiency audit"; "an email log audit"
attend academic courses without getting credit
examine carefully for accuracy with the intent of verification; "audit accounts and tax returns"