📖 F — The English dictionary

fa — Everyday, meaning 1: (music) The fourth note of the musical scale in the sol-fa system: do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do.↗ Also spelt «fah».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK, sport) «The FA» is the Football Association, which runs football in England, including the FA Cup.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (slang, as «sweet FA») Nothing at all — a rude-ish British phrase, as in «He did sweet FA all day».↗ Example: Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do!↗ · «Fa» is the fourth note of the scale.↗ · We sang «Fa, a long, long way to run» in music.↗ · My team won a match in the FA Cup.↗ · The FA makes the rules for English football.↗ · (rude, UK) He did sweet FA to help tidy up.↗

fab — Everyday, meaning 1: (slang, UK and others) Fab is short for «fabulous»: great, wonderful, brilliant.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal, technical) A «fab» is a factory that makes computer chips.↗ Example: What a fab party!↗ · You look fab in that costume.↗ · «Fab idea!» said Mum when I suggested pancakes.↗ · We had a fab time at the beach.↗ · The Fab Four is a nickname for a famous old band.↗ · It's a fab book; you should read it.↗

fable — Everyday, meaning 1: A short story, often with animals that talk, that teaches a lesson called a moral, like Aesop's «The Tortoise and the Hare».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A story that is not true, a myth or legend.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) A lie or made-up claim: «His story about the shark was pure fable.».↗ Example: «The Tortoise and the Hare» is a famous fable.↗ · The moral of the fable is «Don't tell lies».↗ · Aesop wrote many fables about animals.↗ · We wrote our own fable about a greedy fox.↗ · In the fable, the ant works hard while the grasshopper plays.↗ · His tale of seeing a dragon was just a fable.↗ · It has no correspondence with the pure Æsopian fable.]↗

fabric — Everyday, meaning 1: Fabric is cloth, material made by weaving or knitting threads, used for clothes, curtains and bags.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The fabric of a building is its walls, floors and roof.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The fabric of society or life means the basic structure that holds it together.↗ Example: We cut the fabric to make puppets.↗ · This fabric is soft and stretchy.↗ · Which fabric is the most waterproof?↗ · Cotton is a natural fabric; nylon is man-made.↗ · Mum bought fabric for new curtains.↗ · The label shows the fabric and washing instructions.↗ · The old church's fabric needs repairs.↗ · Kindness is part of the fabric of our school.↗ · Then a feast of the most delicate dishes was served in a room hung with embroidered Indian fabrics.↗ · [paragraph continues] God stands in close connection with the Universe, and just so is Tali connected with the world, that is, an invisible, celestial or universal axis carries the whole fabric.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · These were thy traffickers in gorgeous fabrics, in wrappings of blue and richly woven work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords and cedar-lined, among thy merchandise.↗ (Prophets EZK.27.24, JPS 1917)↗

fabricated — Everyday, meaning 1: Made up to trick people; false: «a fabricated story».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Made or built, often in a factory from parts: «fabricated steel».↗ Example: His excuse was completely fabricated.↗ · The newspaper printed a fabricated story.↗ · The detective found the evidence was fabricated.↗ · The bridge parts were fabricated in a factory.↗ · She fabricated a reason to stay home from school.↗ · Don't believe fabricated news you see online.↗

fabrication — Everyday, meaning 1: A lie or a made-up story pretending to be true.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The making or building of something, especially from many parts in a factory.↗ Example: His story about meeting a famous footballer was a complete fabrication.↗ · The newspaper said the claims were fabrication.↗ · The factory does the fabrication of car parts.↗ · Her excuse was pure fabrication; she simply forgot her homework.↗ · Steel fabrication takes skill and safety gear.↗ · The witness admitted that his story was a fabrication.↗

fabulist — Everyday, meaning 1: A fabulist is a writer who makes up fables, short stories that teach a lesson, often with animals as characters.↗ Example: Aesop was a famous fabulist.↗ · A fabulist tells a short tale with a lesson at the end.↗ · The fabulist's animals talk and teach us something.↗

fabulous — Everyday, meaning 1: Fabulous means belonging to fables or legends, not real: a fabulous creature like a dragon.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (casual) Fabulous means extremely good or wonderful: a fabulous day at the beach.↗ Example: The unicorn is a fabulous creature.↗ · The two fabulous hounds guarded the gate.↗ · We had a fabulous time at the fair.↗ · That cake looks fabulous!↗

face — Everyday, meaning 1: Your face is the front of your head with eyes, nose and mouth.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A face is a flat side of a solid shape.↗ A cube has 6 faces.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A clock face is the front part with the numbers.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To face is to look toward or turn toward something.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To face a problem is to deal with it bravely.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: To make a face is to twist your face to show a feeling.↗ Example: A cube has 6 faces.↗ · How many faces does a pyramid have?↗ · The clock face shows 3 o'clock.↗ · She painted each face of the box.↗ · Wash your face before bed.↗ · Face the front, please.↗ · He made a funny face.↗ · She faced her fear and jumped in.↗ · His face was long and earnest.↗ · And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face.↗ (Torah NUM.16.4, JPS 1917)↗ · And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying: (Torah GEN.17.3, JPS 1917)↗ · And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.↗ (Torah GEN.50.1, JPS 1917)↗ · Why hidest Thou Thy face from me?↗ (Writings PSA.88.15, JPS 1917)↗ · Who can uncover the face of his garment?↗ (Writings JOB.41.5, JPS 1917)↗ · Who can open the doors of his face?↗ (Writings JOB.41.6, JPS 1917)↗

facet — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: One side or part of something with many sides, like a cut gem.↗ Example: Hebrew has of course several verb roots relating to one or more of each of these three facets of language.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗ · For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone are seven facets; behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts: And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.↗ (Prophets ZEC.3.9, JPS 1917)↗

facetious — Everyday, meaning 1: Joking at the wrong time, about something serious, so it seems silly or rude, as in «a facetious remark».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Facetious can also mean simply funny, meant to make people laugh.↗ Example: When the teacher asked why he was late, he gave a facetious answer: «My bed wouldn't let me go.»↗ · Don't be facetious — this is important.↗ · Her facetious comment upset her friend, who was sad.↗ · He was only being facetious when he said he'd eat his homework.↗ · A facetious answer will not get you marks in an exam.↗ · The jokes which form the themes of the Russian facetious tales are for the most part common to all Europe.↗

facetiously — Everyday, meaning 1: In a joking way, especially about a serious matter, when it is not the right time for jokes.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Not meant seriously.↗ Example: "I'll just fly to school," she said facetiously.↗ · He answered facetiously, so the teacher asked again.↗ · "Maybe aliens took it," Tom said facetiously.↗ · She was speaking facetiously, not giving real advice.↗ · Don't reply facetiously when someone is upset.↗ · He facetiously suggested we eat the homework.↗

facial — Everyday, meaning 1: (adjective) Of or on the face: «facial expression», «facial hair».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (noun) A beauty treatment where the skin of the face is cleaned and creamed.↗ Example: Her facial expression showed she was scared.↗ · Dad has facial hair now — a beard.↗ · Read the characters' facial expressions in the picture.↗ · Mum had a facial at the spa.↗ · The phone uses facial recognition to unlock.↗ · The boxer had a facial injury.↗ · Use facial expressions when you act the scene.↗

facile — Everyday, meaning 1: Too simple; said or done without careful thought, so it ignores the real problem.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old or literary) Done easily, smooth and effortless.↗ Example: Saying «just be happy» is a facile answer to sadness.↗ · The critic called the film's ending facile.↗ · Don't give a facile reply; think it through.↗ · There is no facile solution to traffic jams.↗ · His facile excuses annoyed the teacher.↗ · It is facile to blame one person for the whole problem.↗

facilitate — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) To facilitate something means to make it easier or help it happen.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To facilitate a meeting or discussion means to guide it so everyone can take part.↗ Example: The new bridge will facilitate travel between the towns.↗ · Ramps facilitate access for wheelchair users.↗ · The teacher facilitated our class discussion.↗ · Computers can facilitate learning.↗ · Enzymes facilitate digestion.↗ · Clear rules facilitate fair play.↗

facilitation — Everyday, meaning 1: Making something easier to do or helping it happen.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Leading a group discussion or meeting so that everyone can take part and work well.↗ Example: The teacher's facilitation helped every group share ideas.↗ · Ramps provide the facilitation of access for wheelchair users.↗ · Good facilitation keeps a meeting on time.↗ · The new bridge led to the facilitation of trade between towns.↗ · Some plants grow better because of facilitation by nearby shrubs.↗ · With careful facilitation, even shy pupils spoke up.↗

facility — Everyday, meaning 1: A facility is a building, room or piece of equipment made for a special purpose, like a sports facility.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Facilities are things provided for people to use, like toilets, showers, car parks.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal) Facility is an ability to do something easily: a facility for languages.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (euphemism) "The facilities" can mean the toilets.↗ Example: The school has new sports facilities.↗ · Where are the facilities?↗ I need the loo.↗ · The camp has showers and other facilities.↗ · The research facility studies plants.↗ · The park's facilities include a playground and toilets.↗ · She has a facility for maths and solves problems fast.↗ · The new swimming facility opens next month.↗ · The hotel has facilities for wheelchair users.↗

facsimile — Everyday, meaning 1: A facsimile is an exact copy of a page, picture or book, made to look just like the original.↗ Example: The museum sold a facsimile of the old map.↗ · This is a facsimile of the king's letter.↗ · The facsimile looks just like the first book.↗

fact — Everyday, meaning 1: A fact is something that is known to be true and can be checked.↗ A week is 7 days is a fact.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Facts are different from opinions, which are what someone thinks or feels.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In fact means really, actually.↗ Example: Learn your times table facts.↗ · She knows 20 addition facts.↗ · Use the fact that 1 week = 7 days.↗ · Which fact helps you solve 6 × 7?↗ · It is a fact that water freezes at 0 °C.↗ · «Chocolate is the best food» is an opinion, not a fact.↗ · In fact, the whale is a mammal, not a fish.↗ · Here is a fun fact: an octopus has three hearts.↗ · We made a fact file about tigers.↗ · In fact he could cure anything.↗ · fact, inquire about it, and make it so evident, that [35] the Creator be acknowledged to be on His throne again.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · As a matter of fact, he himself abandons the division of the letters into three parts, and rearranges them in a twofold division, one of ten and one of twelve letters.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

factor — Everyday, meaning 1: In maths, a factor is a whole number that divides exactly into another number with no remainder: 3 is a factor of 12.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A factor is one of the things that causes or affects a result.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To factor something in is to include it when you plan or work something out.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A factor (such as sun protection factor) is a number showing how strong something is.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: A factor is an agent who buys, sells or looks after goods for someone else.↗ Example: The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12.↗ · 5 is not a factor of 12, because 12 ÷ 5 leaves a remainder.↗ · The highest common factor of 8 and 12 is 4.↗ · Rain was a big factor in the team losing.↗ · Put on factor 50 sun cream at the beach.↗ · Don't forget to factor in time for lunch.↗ · Multiply each side by the scale factor 3 to make the shape bigger.↗ · 2 and 3 are the prime factors of 6.↗ · Away flew the factor, while another dinner was providing, and returned with the cat just as the rats and mice were devouring that also.↗

factorial — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: In mathematics, the result of multiplying a whole number by every smaller whole number down to one.↗ Example: The factorials up to that of 1"2 are as follows: (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · The Sefer Yetzirah gives the factorials up to that of seven and concludes the Mishnah by saying: "Go and count further, what the mouth is unable to pronounce, and the ear is unable to hear."↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

factory — Everyday, meaning 1: A factory is a big building where people and machines make things, like cars, toys, food or clothes.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Many things are made in a factory one after another on a line, called a production line.↗ Example: A factory makes 250 toys a day.↗ · The factory has 120 workers.↗ · How many cars does the factory make in a week?↗ · Each factory worker packs 30 boxes an hour.↗ · The factory makes bread for all the shops in town.↗ · Smoke came out of the factory chimney.↗ · We visited a cheese factory on our school trip.↗ · Machines in the factory fill 60 bottles a minute.↗ · And the Mexican lapdog barked all the time, till the church bells tinkled, and the chimney of the apple factory rocked again.↗