| predatory | | |
| adj. | 1. marauding, predatory, raiding | characterized by plundering or pillaging or marauding.; "bands of marauding Indians"; "predatory warfare"; "a raiding party" |
| ~ offensive | for the purpose of attack rather than defense.; "offensive weapons" |
| adj. | 2. predatory, rapacious, raptorial, ravening, vulturine, vulturous | living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey.; "a predatory bird"; "the rapacious wolf"; "raptorial birds"; "ravening wolves"; "a vulturine taste for offal" |
| ~ aggressive | having or showing determination and energetic pursuit of your ends.; "an aggressive businessman"; "an aggressive basketball player"; "he was aggressive and imperious; positive in his convictions"; "aggressive drivers" |
| adj. | 3. predaceous, predacious, predatory | living by or given to victimizing others for personal gain.; "predatory capitalists"; "a predatory, insensate society in which innocence and decency can prove fatal"; "a predacious kind of animal--the early geological gangster" |
| ~ acquisitive | eager to acquire and possess things especially material possessions or ideas.; "an acquisitive mind"; "an acquisitive society in which the craving for material things seems never satisfied" |
| profiteer | | |
| n. (person) | 1. profiteer | someone who makes excessive profit (especially on goods in short supply). |
| ~ capitalist | a person who invests capital in a business (especially a large business). |
| v. (possession) | 2. profiteer | make an unreasonable profit, as on the sale of difficult to obtain goods. |
| ~ benefit, profit, gain | derive a benefit from.; "She profited from his vast experience" |
| function | | |
| n. (linkdef) | 1. function, map, mapping, mathematical function, single-valued function | (mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function). |
| ~ multinomial, polynomial | a mathematical function that is the sum of a number of terms. |
| ~ math, mathematics, maths | a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement. |
| ~ mathematical relation | a relation between mathematical expressions (such as equality or inequality). |
| ~ expansion | a function expressed as a sum or product of terms.; "the expansion of (a+b)^2 is a^2 + 2ab + b^2" |
| ~ inverse function | a function obtained by expressing the dependent variable of one function as the independent variable of another; f and g are inverse functions if f(x)=y and g(y)=x. |
| ~ kronecker delta | a function of two variables i and j that equals 1 when i=j and equals 0 otherwise. |
| ~ metric, metric function | a function of a topological space that gives, for any two points in the space, a value equal to the distance between them. |
| ~ transformation | (mathematics) a function that changes the position or direction of the axes of a coordinate system. |
| ~ isometry | a one-to-one mapping of one metric space into another metric space that preserves the distances between each pair of points.; "the isometries of the cube" |
| ~ operator | (mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation. |
| ~ circular function, trigonometric function | function of an angle expressed as a ratio of the length of the sides of right-angled triangle containing the angle. |
| ~ threshold function | a function that takes the value 1 if a specified function of the arguments exceeds a given threshold and 0 otherwise. |
| ~ exponential, exponential function | a function in which an independent variable appears as an exponent. |
| n. (attribute) | 2. function, purpose, role, use | what something is used for.; "the function of an auger is to bore holes"; "ballet is beautiful but what use is it?" |
| ~ usefulness, utility | the quality of being of practical use. |
| ~ raison d'etre | the purpose that justifies a thing's existence. |
| n. (act) | 3. function, office, part, role | the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group.; "the function of a teacher"; "the government must do its part"; "play its role" |
| ~ duty | work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons.; "the duties of the job" |
| ~ capacity | a specified function.; "he was employed in the capacity of director"; "he should be retained in his present capacity at a higher salary" |
| ~ hat | an informal term for a person's role.; "he took off his politician's hat and talked frankly" |
| ~ portfolio | the role of the head of a government department.; "he holds the portfolio for foreign affairs" |
| ~ lieu, stead, place, position | the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another.; "can you go in my stead?"; "took his place"; "in lieu of" |
| ~ second fiddle | a secondary role or function.; "he hated to play second fiddle to anyone" |
| n. (linkdef) | 4. function | a relation such that one thing is dependent on another.; "height is a function of age"; "price is a function of supply and demand" |
| ~ relation | an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together. |
| n. (group) | 5. function | a formal or official social gathering or ceremony.; "it was a black-tie function" |
| ~ social affair, social gathering | a gathering for the purpose of promoting fellowship. |
| n. (event) | 6. affair, function, occasion, social function, social occasion | a vaguely specified social event.; "the party was quite an affair"; "an occasion arranged to honor the president"; "a seemingly endless round of social functions" |
| ~ social event | an event characteristic of persons forming groups. |
| ~ party | an occasion on which people can assemble for social interaction and entertainment.; "he planned a party to celebrate Bastille Day" |
| ~ celebration, jubilation | a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event. |
| ~ ceremonial, ceremonial occasion, ceremony, observance | a formal event performed on a special occasion.; "a ceremony commemorating Pearl Harbor" |
| ~ fundraiser | a social function that is held for the purpose of raising money. |
| ~ photo op, photo opportunity | an occasion that lends itself to (or is deliberately arranged for) taking photographs that provide favorable publicity for those who are photographed. |
| ~ sleepover | an occasion of spending a night away from home or having a guest spend the night in your home (especially as a party for children). |
| n. (communication) | 7. function, procedure, routine, subprogram, subroutine | a set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program. |
| ~ computer software, software, software package, software program, software system, package | (computer science) written programs or procedures or rules and associated documentation pertaining to the operation of a computer system and that are stored in read/write memory.; "the market for software is expected to expand" |
| ~ computer program, computer programme, programme, program | (computer science) a sequence of instructions that a computer can interpret and execute.; "the program required several hundred lines of code" |
| ~ cataloged procedure | a set of control statements that have been placed in a library and can be retrieved by name. |
| ~ contingency procedure | an alternative to the normal procedure; triggered if an unusual but anticipated situation arises. |
| ~ library routine | a debugged routine that is maintained in a program library. |
| ~ random number generator | a routine designed to yield a random number. |
| ~ recursive routine | a routine that can call itself. |
| ~ reusable routine | a routine that can be loaded once and executed repeatedly. |
| ~ executive routine, supervisory routine | a routine that coordinates the operation of subroutines. |
| ~ tracing routine | a routine that provides a chronological record of the execution of a computer program. |
| ~ service routine, utility routine | a routine that can be used as needed. |
| v. (contact) | 8. function, go, operate, run, work | perform as expected when applied.; "The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in"; "Does this old car still run well?"; "This old radio doesn't work anymore" |
| ~ double | do double duty; serve two purposes or have two functions.; "She doubles as his wife and secretary" |
| ~ roll | begin operating or running.; "The cameras were rolling"; "The presses are already rolling" |
| ~ run | be operating, running or functioning.; "The car is still running--turn it off!" |
| ~ run | be operating, running or functioning.; "The car is still running--turn it off!" |
| ~ cut | function as a cutting instrument.; "This knife cuts well" |
| ~ work | operate in or through.; "Work the phones" |
| ~ service, serve | be used by; as of a utility.; "The sewage plant served the neighboring communities"; "The garage served to shelter his horses" |
| v. (stative) | 9. function, serve | serve a purpose, role, or function.; "The tree stump serves as a table"; "The female students served as a control group"; "This table would serve very well"; "His freedom served him well"; "The table functions as a desk" |
| ~ service, serve | be used by; as of a utility.; "The sewage plant served the neighboring communities"; "The garage served to shelter his horses" |
| ~ suffice, answer, do, serve | be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity.; "A few words would answer"; "This car suits my purpose well"; "Will $100 do?"; "A 'B' grade doesn't suffice to get me into medical school"; "Nothing else will serve" |
| ~ prelude | serve as a prelude or opening to. |
| ~ act as | function as or act like.; "This heap of stones will act as a barrier" |
| v. (competition) | 10. function, officiate | perform duties attached to a particular office or place or function.; "His wife officiated as his private secretary" |
| ~ serve | do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function.; "He served as head of the department for three years"; "She served in Congress for two terms" |
| use | | |
| n. (act) | 1. employment, exercise, usage, use, utilisation, utilization | the act of using.; "he warned against the use of narcotic drugs"; "skilled in the utilization of computers" |
| ~ activity | any specific behavior.; "they avoided all recreational activity" |
| ~ practice | the exercise of a profession.; "the practice of the law"; "I took over his practice when he retired" |
| ~ play | utilization or exercise.; "the play of the imagination" |
| ~ misuse, abuse | improper or excessive use.; "alcohol abuse"; "the abuse of public funds" |
| ~ exploitation, development | the act of making some area of land or water more profitable or productive or useful.; "the development of Alaskan resources"; "the exploitation of copper deposits" |
| ~ recycling | the act of processing used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products. |
| ~ application, practical application | 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" |
| n. (attribute) | 2. use | a particular service.; "he put his knowledge to good use"; "patrons have their uses" |
| ~ usefulness, utility | the quality of being of practical use. |
| n. (process) | 3. consumption, economic consumption, usance, use, use of goods and services | (economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing.; "the consumption of energy has increased steadily" |
| ~ economic science, economics, political economy | the branch of social science that deals with the production and distribution and consumption of goods and services and their management. |
| ~ conspicuous consumption | buying expensive services and products in order to flaunt your wealth. |
| ~ demand | the ability and desire to purchase goods and services.; "the automobile reduced the demand for buggywhips"; "the demand exceeded the supply" |
| n. (act) | 4. habit, use | (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition.; "owls have nocturnal habits"; "she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair"; "long use had hardened him to it" |
| ~ custom, usage, usance | accepted or habitual practice. |
| ~ ritual | stereotyped behavior. |
| ~ second nature | acquired behavior that is practiced so long it seems innate. |
| ~ psychological science, psychology | the science of mental life. |
| ~ cleanliness | the habit of keeping free of superficial imperfections. |
| n. (act) | 5. manipulation, use | exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage.; "his manipulation of his friends was scandalous" |
| ~ influence | causing something without any direct or apparent effort. |
| ~ mind game | deliberate actions of calculated psychological manipulation intended to intimidate or confuse (usually for competitive advantage).; "football players try to play mind games with the opposition"; "the jeweler's mind game is to convince lovers that the size of a gemstone reflects the depth of their feelings" |
| n. (attribute) | 6. enjoyment, use | (law) the exercise of the legal right to enjoy the benefits of owning property.; "we were given the use of his boat" |
| ~ legal right | a right based in law. |
| ~ fair use | the conditions under which you can use material that is copyrighted by someone else without paying royalties. |
| ~ fruition | enjoyment derived from use or possession. |
| ~ law, jurisprudence | the collection of rules imposed by authority.; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" |
| v. (consumption) | 7. apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize | put into service; make work or employ 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" |
| ~ dedicate, devote, commit, consecrate, give | give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause.; "She committed herself to the work of God"; "give one's talents to a good cause"; "consecrate your life to the church" |
| ~ play | employ in a game or in a specific position.; "They played him on first base" |
| ~ play | use or move.; "I had to play my queen" |
| ~ pull out all the stops | use all resources available.; "The organizers pulled out all the stops for the centennial meeting" |
| ~ put, assign | attribute or give.; "She put too much emphasis on her the last statement"; "He put all his efforts into this job"; "The teacher put an interesting twist to the interpretation of the story" |
| ~ ply | use diligently.; "ply your wits!" |
| ~ address | address or apply oneself to something, direct one's efforts towards something, such as a question. |
| ~ waste | use inefficiently or inappropriately.; "waste heat"; "waste a joke on an unappreciative audience" |
| ~ misapply, misuse | apply to a wrong thing or person; apply badly or incorrectly.; "The words are misapplied in this context"; "You are misapplying the name of this religious group" |
| ~ avail | use to one's advantage.; "He availed himself of the available resources" |
| ~ overuse, overdrive | make use of too often or too extensively. |
| ~ cannibalise, cannibalize | use parts of something to repair something else. |
| ~ reprocess, reuse, recycle | use again after processing.; "We must recycle the cardboard boxes" |
| ~ exploit, work | use or manipulate to one's advantage.; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy" |
| ~ exploit, tap | draw from; make good use of.; "we must exploit the resources we are given wisely" |
| ~ strain, extend | use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity.; "He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro"; "Don't strain your mind too much" |
| ~ exercise, exert | put to use.; "exert one's power or influence" |
| ~ enjoy | have benefit from.; "enjoy privileges" |
| ~ take | travel or go by means of a certain kind of transportation, or a certain route.; "He takes the bus to work"; "She takes Route 1 to Newark" |
| ~ share | use jointly or in common. |
| ~ put to work, work | cause to work.; "he is working his servants hard" |
| ~ implement | apply in a manner consistent with its purpose or design.; "implement a procedure" |
| ~ practice, use, apply | avail oneself to.; "apply a principle"; "practice a religion"; "use care when going down the stairs"; "use your common sense"; "practice non-violent resistance" |
| ~ resort, recur, fall back | have recourse to.; "The government resorted to rationing meat" |
| ~ go for, apply, hold | be pertinent or relevant or applicable.; "The same laws apply to you!"; "This theory holds for all irrational numbers"; "The same rules go for everyone" |
| v. (consumption) | 8. habituate, use | take or consume (regularly or habitually).; "She uses drugs rarely" |
| ~ ingest, consume, have, take in, take | serve oneself to, or consume regularly.; "Have another bowl of chicken soup!"; "I don't take sugar in my coffee" |
| ~ tope, drink | drink excessive amounts of alcohol; be an alcoholic.; "The husband drinks and beats his wife" |
| ~ board | lodge and take meals (at). |
| v. (consumption) | 9. expend, use | use up, consume fully.; "The legislature expended its time on school questions" |
| ~ abuse, misuse, pervert | change the inherent purpose or function of something.; "Don't abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers" |
| ~ abuse | use wrongly or improperly or excessively.; "Her husband often abuses alcohol"; "while she was pregnant, she abused drugs" |
| ~ deplete, use up, wipe out, eat up, exhaust, run through, consume, eat | use up (resources or materials).; "this car consumes a lot of gas"; "We exhausted our savings"; "They run through 20 bottles of wine a week" |
| ~ spare | use frugally or carefully. |
| ~ take, use up, occupy | require (time or space).; "It took three hours to get to work this morning"; "This event occupied a very short time" |
| ~ squander, waste, blow | spend thoughtlessly; throw away.; "He wasted his inheritance on his insincere friends"; "You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree" |
| v. (social) | 10. use | 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" |
| ~ exploit, work | use or manipulate to one's advantage.; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy" |
| ~ take advantage, trespass | make excessive use of.; "You are taking advantage of my good will!"; "She is trespassing upon my privacy" |
| v. (social) | 11. apply, practice, use | avail oneself to.; "apply a principle"; "practice a religion"; "use care when going down the stairs"; "use your common sense"; "practice non-violent resistance" |
| ~ apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize | put into service; make work or employ 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" |
| ~ follow | adhere to or practice.; "These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion" |
| v. (social) | 12. use | 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" |
| ~ act, move | perform an action, or work out or perform (an action).; "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" |
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