For vs May - What's the difference?

for | may |

As nouns the difference between for and may

is that for is oven while may is mummy, mother.

for

English

(wikipedia for)

Conjunction

(English Conjunctions)

Because.

* 1900 , , (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) , Chapter 23

"By means of the Golden Cap I shall command the Winged Monkeys to carry you to the gates of the Emerald City," said Glinda, "for it would be a shame to deprive the people of so wonderful a ruler."

Preposition

(English prepositions)

Towards.

The astronauts headed for the moon.

Directed at, intended to belong to.

I have something for you.

Supporting (opposite of against ).

All those for the motion raise your hands.

Because of.

He wouldn't apologize; and just for that, she refused to help him.

(UK usage) He looks better for having lost weight.

She was the worse for drink.

* Shakespeare

with fiery eyes sparkling for very wrath

Over a period of time.

They fought for days over a silly pencil.

* Garth

To guide the sun's bright chariot for a day.

Throughout an extent of space.

* Shakespeare

For many miles about / There's scarce a bush.

On behalf of.

I will stand in for him.

Instead of, or in place of.

* Bible, Exodus xxi. 23, 24

And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for' life, eye '''for''' eye, tooth '''for''' tooth, hand '''for''' hand, foot ' for foot.

In order to obtain or acquire.

I am aiming for completion by the end of business Thursday.

He's going for his doctorate.

Do you want to go for coffee?

People all over Greece looked to Delphi for answers.

Can you go to the store for some eggs?

I'm saving up for a car.

Don't wait for an answer.

What did he ask you for ?

* Denham

He writes not for' money, nor ' for praise.

In the direction of:

Run for the hills!

He was headed for the door when he remembered.

* Francis Bacon

We sailed from Peru for China and Japan.

By the standards of, usually with the implication of those standards being lower than one might otherwise expect.

Fair for its day.

She's spry for an old lady.

Despite, in spite of.

* 1892 August 6, , "The Unbidden Guest", in All the Year Round ,^] [http://books.google.com/books?id=XNwRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA133&dq=%22but+for%22 page 133,

Mr. Joseph Blenkinshaw was perhaps not worth quite so much as was reported; but for all that he was a very wealthy man

* 1968 , J. J. Scarisbrick, Henry VIII (page 240)

For all his faults, there had been something lofty and great about him - as a judge, as a patron of education, as a builder, as an international figure.

For that to happen now is incredibly unlikely.'' (=''It is incredibly unlikely that that will happen now. )

All I want is for you to be happy.'' (=''All I want is that you be happy. )

(chiefly, US) Out of;

(cricket) (used as part of a score to indicate the number of wickets that have fallen)

Indicating that in the character of or as being which anything is regarded or treated; to be, or as being.

* Cowley

We take a falling meteor for a star.

* John Locke

If a man can be fully assured of anything for' a truth, without having examined, what is there that he may not embrace ' for true?

* Dryden

Most of our ingenious young men take up some cry'd-up English poet for their model.

* Philips

But let her go for an ungrateful woman.

See the entry for the phrasal verb.

(obsolete) Indicating that in prevention of which, or through fear of which, anything is done.

* Beaumont and Fletcher

We'll have a bib, for spoiling of thy doublet.

Antonyms

* against

Derived terms

* for good * for good and all * for good measure * for it * for kicks * for real * for the record * once and for all

Statistics

References

* Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition , Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

Anagrams

* 100 English basic words 1000 English basic words English coordinating conjunctions ----

may

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) , Icelandic mega, megum. See also might.

Verb

(obsolete) To be strong; to have power (over).

(obsolete, auxiliary) To be able; can.

*, II.3.6:

But many timeswe give way to passions we may resist and will not.

(poetic) To be able to go.

* 1600 , (William Shakespeare), (w, A Midsummer Night's Dream) , III.3:

O weary night, O long and tedious night, / Abate thy houres, shine comforts from the East, / That I may backe to Athens by day-light […].

(modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests.

(modal auxiliary verb, defective) Expressing a present possibility; possibly.

* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 1, author=Phil Dawkes, work=BBC Sport

, title=[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/15045630.stm Sunderland 2-2 West Brom] , passage=The result may not quite give the Wearsiders a sweet ending to what has been a sour week, following allegations of sexual assault and drug possession against defender Titus Bramble, but it does at least demonstrate that their spirit remains strong in the face of adversity.}}

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-06, volume=408, issue=8843, page=68, magazine=(The Economist)

, title=[http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21580518-terrible-name-interesting-trend-rise-smart-beta The rise of smart beta] , passage=Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.}}

(subjunctive present, defective) Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect).

* 1974 , (Bob Dylan),

May' God bless and keep you always / '''May''' your wishes all come true / '''May''' you always do for others / And let others do for you / '''May''' you build a ladder to the stars / And climb on every rung / ' May you stay forever young

* Prior

How old may Phillis be, you ask.

Usage notes

* (term) is now a defective verb. It has no infinitive, no past participle, and no future tense. Forms of (to be allowed to) are used to replace these missing tenses. * The simple past (both indicative and subjunctive) of (may) is (might) * The present tense is negated as (may) (not), which can be contracted to (term, mayn't), although this is old-fashioned; the simple past is negated as (might) (not), which can be contracted to (term, mightn't). * (term) has archaic second-person singular present indicative forms (mayest) and (mayst). * Usage of this word in the sense of (possibly) is considered incorrect by some speakers and writers, as it blurs the meaning of the word in the sense have permission to . These speakers and writers prefer to use the word (might) instead. * Wishes are often cast in the imperative rather than the subjunctive mood, not using the word (may), as in Have a great day!'' rather than ''May you have a great day .

Synonyms

* (have permission to) can, could, might * (possibly) could, might * (in subjunctive) might

Derived terms

* as the case may be * be it as it may, be that as it may, be this as it may * come what may * devil-may-care * if I may * I may not but * it may well with, may well with * let the chips fall where they may * may as well * maybe * may chance * may-fall * may-fortune * mayhap * mayhappen * may I? * may-issue * mayn't * may you live in interesting times * that is as may be, that's as may be * * what-you-may-call-it

Etymology 2

(etyl) mai, so called because it blossoms in (May).

Noun

(en noun)

The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.

Derived terms

* *

Verb

(en verb)

To gather may.

* 1922 , , VII, lines 1-2

In valleys green and still / Where lovers wander maying

Statistics

Anagrams

* 100 English basic words English auxiliary verbs English defective verbs English irregular verbs English terms with multiple etymologies 1000 English basic words ----