for

¹

[ fawr; unstressed fer ]

preposition

1. with the object or purpose of:

   to run for exercise.

2. intended to belong to, or be used in connection with:

   equipment for the army;

   a closet for dishes.

3. suiting the purposes or needs of:

   medicine for the aged.

4. in order to obtain, gain, or acquire:

   a suit for alimony;

   to work for wages.

5. (used to express a wish, as of something to be experienced or obtained):

   O, for a cold drink!

6. sensitive or responsive to:

   an eye for beauty.

7. desirous of:

   a longing for something;

   a taste for fancy clothes.

8. in consideration or payment of; in return for:

   three for a dollar;

   to be thanked for one's efforts.

9. appropriate or adapted to:

   a subject for speculation;

   clothes for winter.

10. with regard or respect to:

    pressed for time;

    too warm for April.

11. during the continuance of:

    for a long time.

12. in favor of; on the side of:

    to be for honest government.

13. in place of; instead of:

    a substitute for butter.

14. in the interest of; on behalf of:

    to act for a client.

15. in exchange for; as an offset to:

    blow for blow;

    money for goods.

16. in punishment of:

    payment for the crime.

17. in honor of:

    to give a dinner for a person.

18. with the purpose of reaching:

    to start for London.

19. contributive to:

    for the advantage of everybody.

20. in order to save:

    to flee for one's life.

21. in order to become:

    to train recruits for soldiers.

22. in assignment or attribution to:

    an appointment for the afternoon;

    That's for you to decide.

23. such as to allow of or to require:

    too many for separate mention.

24. such as results in:

    his reason for going.

25. as affecting the interests or circumstances of:

    bad for one's health.

26. in proportion or with reference to:

    He is tall for his age.

27. in the character of; as being:

    to know a thing for a fact.

28. by reason of; because of:

    to shout for joy;

    a city famed for its beauty.

29. in spite of:

    He's a decent guy for all that.

30. to the extent or amount of:

    to walk for a mile.

31. (used to introduce a subject in an infinitive phrase):

    It's time for me to go.

32. (used to indicate the number of successes out of a specified number of attempts):

    The batter was 2 for 4 in the game.

conjunction

1. seeing that; since.
2. because.

for-

²

1. a prefix meaning “away,” “off,” “to the uttermost,” “extremely,” “wrongly,” or imparting a negative or privative force, occurring in verbs and nouns formed from verbs of Old or Middle English origin, many of which are now obsolete or archaic:

   forbid; forbear; forswear; forbearance.

for.

³

abbreviation for

1. foreign.
2. forester.
3. forestry.

For.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. Forester.

F.O.R.

⁵

or f.o.r.

abbreviation for

1. free on rails.

for-

¹

prefix

1. indicating rejection or prohibition

   forbear

   forbid

2. indicating falsity or wrongness

   forswear

3. used to give intensive force

   forgive

   forlorn

for

²

/ fə; fɔː /

preposition

1. intended to reach; directed or belonging to

   there's a phone call for you

2. to the advantage of

   I only did it for you

3. in the direction of

   heading for the border

4. over a span of (time or distance)

   working for six days

   the river ran for six miles

5. in favour of; in support of

   those for the proposal

   vote for me

6. in order to get or achieve

   he does it for pleasure

   I do it for money

   what did you do that for?

7. appropriate to; designed to meet the needs of; meant to be used in

   these kennels are for puppies

8. in exchange for; at a cost of; to the amount of

   I got it for hardly any money

9. such as explains or results in

   his reason for changing his job was not given

10. in place of

    a substitute for the injured player

11. because of; through

    she wept for pure relief

12. with regard or consideration to the usual characteristics of

    it's cool for this time of year

    he's short for a man

13. concerning; as regards

    desire for money

14. as being

    I know that for a fact

    we took him for the owner

15. at a specified time

    a date for the next evening

16. to do or partake of

    an appointment for supper

17. in the duty or task of

    that's for him to say

18. to allow of

    too big a job for us to handle

19. despite; notwithstanding

    she's a good wife, for all her nagging

20. in order to preserve, retain, etc

    to fight for survival

21. as a direct equivalent to

    word for word

    weight for weight

22. in order to become or enter

    to go for a soldier

    to train for the priesthood

23. in recompense for

    he took the punishment for his crime

    I paid for it last week

24. for it informal.
    liable for punishment or blame

    you'll be for it if she catches you

25. nothing for it
    no choice; no other course

conjunction

1. coordinating for the following reason; because; seeing that

   I couldn't stay, for the area was violent

f.o.r.

³

abbreviation for

1. free on rail

Word History and Origins

Origin of for¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old Saxon for; akin to fore ¹, Latin per “through,” Greek pró “before, ahead”

Origin of for²

Middle English, Old English; compare German ver-, Greek peri-, Latin per-

Word History and Origins

Origin of for¹

Old English for- ; related to German ver- , Latin per- , Greek peri-

Origin of for²

Old English; related to Old Norse fyr for, Old High German fora before, Latin per through, prō before, Greek pro before, in front

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. for it, British. in ( def 33 ).

More idioms and phrases containing for

• all for
• as for
• but for
• do for
• done for
• except for
• go for
• going for
• good for
• in for
• out for
• uncalled for
• what for

Example Sentences

“I’m trying to compare it to the previous times I’ve been nominated. But for some reason... I don’t wanna say that it meant more than the other awards. There was something special going on.”

From Los Angeles Times

That November night in Miami, Fonsi’s 12th studio album, “El Viaje,” beat out efforts by Mexican indie artist Caloncho, Colombian American diva Kali Uchis and others to take home the golden gramophone for pop vocal album.

From Los Angeles Times

He pauses for a moment and continues, “You know, I’ve had success with singles. But now to sort of get recognition for the whole shabam — it’s something I’ve never won before. This album was not me trying to do a radio-friendly single and then write an album around that song. There was a story to tell from day one.”

From Los Angeles Times

The film allowed Fonsi to take a break from music and hone in on his acting skills — something he says he’s wanted to do for a long time.

From Los Angeles Times

As Fonsi waited for the right film, “Say a Little Prayer” director Patrick Perez Vidauri began casting.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What are other ways to say for?

The conjunction for means “seeing that” or “since.” Do you know when to use for, since, because, as, and inasmuch as? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.