engage or engross the interest or attention of beforehand or occupy urgently or obsessively; "His work preoccupies him"; "The matter preoccupies her completely--she cannot think of anything else"
occupy or take possession of beforehand or before another or appropriate for use in advance; "the army preoccupied the hills"
a right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right); "suffrage was the prerogative of white adult males"
a group of animals of the same type living together
(microbiology) a group of organisms grown from a single parent cell
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
a geographical area politically controlled by a distant country
one of the 13 British colonies that formed the original states of the United States
commonplace and ordinary; "the familiar everyday world"
found in the ordinary course of events; "a placid everyday scene"; "it was a routine day"; "there's nothing quite like a real...train conductor to add color to a quotidian commute"- Anita Diamant
as the agent of or on someone's part (usually expressed as "on behalf of" rather than "in behalf of"); "the guardian signed the contract on behalf of the minor child"; "this letter is written on behalf of my client";
for someone's benefit (usually expressed as `in behalf' rather than `on behalf' and usually with a possessive); "in your behalf"; "campaigning in his own behalf"; "spoke a good word in his friend's behalf"
characterized by or constituting a form of government in which power is held by one central authority; "a unitary as opposed to a federal form of government"
of or pertaining to or involving the use of units; "a unitary method was applied"; "established a unitary distance on which to base subsequent calculations"
relating to or characterized by or aiming toward unity; "the unitary principles of nationalism"; "a unitary movement in politics"
having no special distinction or quality; widely known or commonly encountered; average or ordinary or usual; "the common man"; "a common sailor"; "the common cold"; "a common nuisance"; "followed common procedure"; "it is common knowledge that she lives alone"; "the common housefly"; "a common brand of soap"
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public; "for the common good"; "common lands are set aside for use by all members of a community"
commonly encountered; "a common (or familiar) complaint"; "the usual greeting"
being or characteristic of or appropriate to everyday language; "common parlance"; "a vernacular term"; "vernacular speakers"; "the vulgar tongue of the masses"; "the technical and vulgar names for an animal species"
of or associated with the great masses of people; "the common people in those days suffered greatly"; "behavior that branded him as common"; "his square plebeian nose"; "a vulgar and objectionable person"; "the unwashed masses"
to be expected; standard; "common decency"
common to or shared by two or more parties; "a common friend"; "the mutual interests of management and labor"
the act of using; "he warned against the use of narcotic drugs"; "skilled in the utilization of computers"
a particular service; "he put his knowledge to good use"; "patrons have their uses"
(law) the exercise of the legal right to enjoy the benefits of owning property; "we were given the use of his boat"
use up, consume fully; "The legislature expended its time on school questions"
put into service; make work or employ (something) for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't use this tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer"
take or consume (regularly or habitually); "She uses drugs rarely"
habitually do something (use only in the past tense); "She used to call her mother every week but now she calls only occasionally"; "I used to get sick when I ate in that dining hall"; "They used to vacation in the Bahamas"
seek or achieve an end by using to one's advantage; "She uses her influential friends to get jobs"; "The president's wife used her good connections"