(usually plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant
a popular programming language that is relatively easy to learn; an acronym for beginner's all-purpose symbolic instruction code; no longer in general use
of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base
serving as a base or starting point; "a basic course in Russian"; "basic training for raw recruits"; "a set of basic tools"; "an introductory art course"
pertaining to or constituting a base or basis; "a basic fact"; "the basic ingredients"; "basic changes in public opinion occur because of changes in priorities"
reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality; "a basic story line"; "a canonical syllable pattern"
appropriate for a condition or purpose or occasion or a person's character, needs; "everything in its proper place"; "the right man for the job"; "she is not suitable for the position"; "he is not a suitable husband for her"
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness; "proper medical treatment"; "proper manners"
a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
guess correctly; solve by guessing; "He guessed the right number of beans in the jar and won the prize"
put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation; "I am guessing that the price of real estate will rise again"; "I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong"
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"
excessively agitated; transported with rage or other violent emotion; "frantic with anger and frustration"; "frenetic screams followed the accident"; "a frenzied look in his eye"
deeply absorbed in thought; "as distant and bemused as a professor listening to the prattling of his freshman class"; "lost in thought"; "a preoccupied frown"
completely unclothed; "bare bodies"; "naked from the waist up"; "a nude model"
having everything extraneous removed including contents; "the bare walls"; "the cupboard was bare"
providing no shelter or sustenance; "bare rocky hills"; "barren lands"; "the bleak treeless regions of the high Andes"; "the desolate surface of the moon"; "a stark landscape"
lacking its natural or customary covering; "a bare hill"; "bare feet"
lacking a surface finish such as paint; "bare wood"; "unfinished furniture"
lay bare; "bare your breasts"; "bare your feelings"
a person who is frightened and in need of help; "they prey on the hopes of the desperate"
showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort; "made a last desperate attempt to reach the climber"; "the desperate gallantry of our naval task forces marked the turning point in the Pacific war"- G.C.Marshall; "they took heroic measures to save his life"
fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless; "a desperate illness"; "on all fronts the Allies were in a desperate situation due to lack of materiel"- G.C.Marshall; "a dire emergency"
showing extreme urgency or intensity especially because of great need or desire; "felt a desperate urge to confess"; "a desperate need for recognition"
desperately determined; "do-or-die revolutionaries"; "a do-or-die conflict"
(of persons) dangerously reckless or violent as from urgency or despair; "a desperate criminal"; "taken hostage of desperate men"
not subject to the control of the will; "involuntary manslaughter"; "involuntary servitude"; "an involuntary shudder"; "It (becoming a hero) was involuntary. They sank my boat"- John F.Kennedy
controlled by the autonomic nervous system; without conscious control; "involuntary muscles"; "gave an involuntary start"
a note explaining an absence; "he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him"
a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable"
excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities"
serve as a reason or cause or justification of; "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"
grant exemption or release to; "Please excuse me from this class"
ask for permission to be released from an engagement
accept an excuse for; "Please excuse my dirty hands"