of

1 of 3

preposition

əv,
 before consonants also  ə;
ˈəv How to pronounce of (audio)
ˈäv
1
used as a function word to indicate a point of reckoning
north of the lake
2
a
used as a function word to indicate origin or derivation
a man of noble birth
b
used as a function word to indicate the cause, motive, or reason
died of flu
c
: by
plays of Shakespeare
d
: on the part of
very kind of you
e
: occurring in
a fish of the western Atlantic
3
used as a function word to indicate the component material, parts, or elements or the contents
throne of gold
cup of water
4
a
used as a function word to indicate the whole that includes the part denoted by the preceding word
most of the army
b
used as a function word to indicate a whole or quantity from which a part is removed or expended
gave of his time
5
a
: relating to : about
stories of her travels
b
: in respect to
slow of speech
6
a
used as a function word to indicate belonging or a possessive relationship
king of England
b
used as a function word to indicate relationship between a result determined by a function or operation and a basic entity (such as an independent variable)
a function of x
the product of two numbers
7
used as a function word to indicate something from which a person or thing is delivered
eased of her pain
or with respect to which someone or something is made destitute
robbed of all their belongings
8
a
used as a function word to indicate a particular example belonging to the class denoted by the preceding noun
the city of Rome
b
used as a function word to indicate apposition
that fool of a husband
9
a
used as a function word to indicate the object of an action denoted or implied by the preceding noun
love of nature
b
used as a function word to indicate the application of a verb
cheats him of a dollar
or of an adjective
fond of candy
10
used as a function word to indicate a characteristic or distinctive quality or possession
a woman of courage
11
a
used as a function word to indicate the position in time of an action or occurrence
died of a Monday
b
: before
quarter of ten
12
archaic : on
a plague of all cowardsWilliam Shakespeare

of

2 of 3

auxiliary verb

əv,
 before consonants also  ə
nonstandard
: have
used in place of the contraction 've often in representations of uneducated speech
I could of beat them easyRing Lardner

OF

3 of 3

abbreviation

outfield

Examples of of in a Sentence

Preposition He is a coworker of mine. I threw out that old shirt of yours. She's a friend of my mother's. He had the support of his family to help him. the plays of William Shakespeare What is the name of the band? We admired the courage of the young woman. the President of the United States What is the total cost of the repairs? The value of the antique is high.
Recent Examples on the Web
Preposition
Join Meghan every other Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET, for a live chat to answer questions from parents trying to raise kids of any age. Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024 Granlund left the ice with the help of head athletic trainer Ray Tufts, and fellow forward Luke Kunin with 7:10 left in the second period. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 This story contains spoilers from the season 6 reunion of Love Is Blind. Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 The film, which also stars Danny Huston, will be a fresh adaptation of James O’Barr’s comic-book character. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 Sarah Ann has since moved in with him, which is why the background of all her recent TikTok videos looked familiar. Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 Advocates are most worried about the lack of coverage guidance. April Dembosky, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 To reply to other posts, simply include ‘re:’ or ‘to’ the topic in the subject line of your post. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Female artists made a clean sweep of the three awards for international artists (that is, artists who hail from outside the U.K.). Paul Grein, Billboard, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Preposition

Middle English, off, of, from Old English, adverb & preposition; akin to Old High German aba off, away, Latin ab from, away, Greek apo

Auxiliary verb

by alteration

First Known Use

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Auxiliary Verb

circa 1800, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of of was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near of

Cite this Entry

“Of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/of. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

of

preposition
əv,
ˈəv,
ˈäv
1
used to indicate a point from which something is located
north of the lake
2
a
used to indicate origin
of noble birth
b
used to indicate cause or reason
afraid of the dark
died of flu
c
: by entry 1 sense 4
the plays of Shakespeare
d
: on the part of
very kind of you
3
a
: made from
a ring of gold
b
used to indicate contents
a cup of water
c
used to indicate the number or amount in or making up something
a class of 20 students
interest of 5¼%
4
a
used to indicate the whole that includes an amount or part mentioned first
most of the team
b
used to indicate the whole or quantity from which part is removed or used
gave freely of their time
5
a
: relating to : about
stories of her adventures
b
: in respect to
slow of speech
great of heart
6
a
used to indicate belonging or possession
queen of France
courage of the pioneers
b
used to indicate relationship between a result and something upon which an operation or procedure is performed to produce it
the product of two numbers
the solution of an equation
7
used to indicate something that is removed
cured of her disease
relieved of his command
rid the barn of rats
8
used to indicate that an example belongs to a certain class
the city of Rome
9
used to indicate what a noun, verb, or adjective applies to
love of nature
cheated of a dollar
fond of oranges
10
: having as a quality or possession
a thing of no importance
11
: before entry 2 sense 3
ten minutes of eight

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