📖 O — The English dictionary · page 2

oblation — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A gift or offering made to God, often of grain or food, brought to the altar.↗ Example: Bring no more vain oblations; it is an offering of abomination unto Me; new moon and sabbath, the holding of convocations — I cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly.↗ (Prophets ISA.1.13, JPS 1917)↗

obligation — Everyday, meaning 1: An obligation is something you must do because a rule, a promise or your duty says so.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An obligation is the feeling that you ought to do something, for example to help someone who helped you.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal) In official writing, an obligation is a duty set by law or by a contract.↗ Example: Parents have an obligation to keep their children safe.↗ · You are under no obligation to buy anything.↗ · She felt an obligation to help her neighbour after he fixed her bike.↗ · Try the game free, no obligation.↗ · Going to school is a legal obligation for children.↗ · He helped out of a sense of obligation, not because he wanted to.↗ · (formal) The tenant shall meet all obligations set out in this agreement.↗ · Keeping a promise is an obligation.↗ · Better poverty without a care than wealth with its many obligations.↗

obligatorily — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) Because a rule or law says you must; in a way that is required, not a choice.↗ Example: Seatbelts must be worn obligatorily in cars.↗ · In some countries, voting is done obligatorily.↗ · Helmets are obligatorily worn on the building site.↗ · The form must obligatorily be signed by a parent.↗ · All visitors obligatorily sign in at the office.↗ · Uniform is obligatorily worn in many UK schools.↗

obligatory — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) Obligatory means something you must do because a rule or law says so; it is not a free choice.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (humorous) Obligatory can describe something that always happens and is expected, as in «the obligatory selfie».↗ Example: Wearing a seatbelt is obligatory in the car.↗ · Swimming lessons are obligatory for every pupil.↗ · School uniform is obligatory, the rules said.↗ · Helmets are obligatory on the climbing wall.↗ · Then came the obligatory photo with Grandma.↗ (humorous)↗ · The trip is not obligatory; you can choose.↗

oblige — Everyday, meaning 1: To oblige someone means to force them to do something by law, a rule or duty.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To oblige means to help someone by doing what they ask.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: "I'm much obliged" (formal, old-fashioned) means "thank you very much".↗ Example: Drivers are obliged by law to stop at red lights.↗ · I felt obliged to help after she helped me.↗ · "Could you pass the salt?" "↗ Happy to oblige."↗ · Much obliged for your help, sir.↗ · The rules oblige us to wear helmets.↗ · The singer obliged the fans with one more song.↗

obliged — Everyday, meaning 1: Obliged means having to do something because of a rule, law or duty.↗ e.g. You are obliged to wear a seat belt.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (formal) Obliged means thankful: «I'm much obliged to you.».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To oblige someone is to help them by doing what they ask.↗ Example: We are obliged to wear school uniform.↗ · Drivers are obliged to stop at a red light.↗ · (formal) I'm much obliged for your help.↗ · She felt obliged to say yes.↗ · The shopkeeper kindly obliged and gave us a box.↗ · Nobody is obliged to come to the party.↗ · And he was obliged to go accordingly.↗

oblique — Everyday, meaning 1: Oblique means slanting, not straight up and not flat; at an angle.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (maths) An oblique line meets another line at an angle that is not a right angle.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Oblique words say something in an indirect way, not plainly.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (UK) An oblique is the slash sign /, as in «and/or».↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Oblique narration (also called reported speech) means telling what someone said in your own words, without repeating their exact words.↗ Example: The sun's rays hit the ground at an oblique angle in winter.↗ · Draw an oblique line from one corner of the square.↗ · An oblique angle is either acute or obtuse.↗ · The photo was taken from an oblique view above the town.↗ · She made an oblique comment about people who are always late.↗ · His answer was so oblique that nobody understood it.↗ · The ladder leaned at an oblique angle against the wall.↗ · Write the date as day oblique month in that box.↗ · I have given him a name, and changed the narration into the oblique narration, and toned down the dialect.↗ · The twelve simple consonants ה״ו״ז ח״ט״י ל״נ״ם ע״צ״ק symbolize also twelve oblique points: east height, north east, east depth, south height, south east, south depth, west height, south west, west depth, north height, north west, north depth.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗

obliterated — Everyday, meaning 1: Destroyed completely so that nothing is left.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Covered or hidden so that it cannot be seen, as in "footprints obliterated by snow".↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) Beaten very badly in a game.↗ Example: The town was obliterated by the volcano.↗ · Snow obliterated our footprints.↗ · The meteor was obliterated as it burned up in the atmosphere.↗ · The old writing on the stone was nearly obliterated.↗ · We got obliterated 10–0 in the final!↗ (informal)↗ · The flood obliterated the bridge.↗ · Her sad memory was obliterated by the happy news.↗ · A light fall of snow had obliterated all footmarks; and a deathly silence pervaded the island, as if for a space Nature stood still in horror of the recent carnage.↗

oblivion — Everyday, meaning 1: The state of being completely forgotten: the old song fell into oblivion.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The state of not knowing or noticing what is happening around you, as in deep sleep.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Being destroyed or wiped out completely.↗ Example: The old castle had fallen into oblivion.↗ · Many toys from long ago have passed into oblivion.↗ · Tired out, Mole sank into the oblivion of sleep.↗ · The tiny shop was saved from oblivion by the new owners.↗ · The planet in the film was blasted into oblivion.↗ · Her brave story should not be lost to oblivion.↗ · Sink down into his grave--into oblivion--ye terrible shapes of the times of old!↗

oboe — Everyday, meaning 1: An oboe is a woodwind musical instrument shaped like a long thin tube, played by blowing through a double reed, which makes a clear, slightly sharp sound.↗ Example: My sister plays the oboe in the school orchestra.↗ · In «Peter and the Wolf», the oboe is the duck.↗ · The oboe plays a note A so the whole orchestra can tune.↗ · An oboe has a double reed made of cane.↗ · The oboe solo sounded sad and beautiful.↗ · Learning the oboe takes a lot of breath control.↗ · An oboe player is called an oboist.↗

oboist — Everyday, meaning 1: A person who plays the oboe, a woodwind instrument with a double reed.↗ Example: The oboist played the tuning note for the orchestra.↗ · My sister wants to be an oboist.↗ · The oboist practised the solo all week.↗ · An oboist makes her own reeds from cane.↗ · The duck's tune in "Peter and the Wolf" is played by the oboist.↗ · The orchestra has two oboists.↗

obscene — Everyday, meaning 1: Obscene means very rude and shocking, especially about sex or the body, and not acceptable in public.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Obscene also means shockingly unfair or too much, as in «an obscene amount of money».↗ Example: Obscene language is not allowed at school.↗ · If you see obscene pictures online, tell a trusted adult.↗ · He made an obscene gesture and got a red card.↗ · They spent an obscene amount on a car.↗ · It's obscene that food is thrown away while people go hungry.↗ · The film was cut for obscene scenes.↗

obscenity — Everyday, meaning 1: A very rude or offensive word, especially a swear word.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Something shockingly offensive or rude.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Something morally shocking or wrong, as in "War is an obscenity" or "the obscenity of hunger in a rich world".↗ Example: The angry driver shouted obscenities out of the window.↗ · Obscenities are not allowed in the school playground.↗ · The referee sent off the player for using an obscenity.↗ · The newspaper said wasting food while people starve is an obscenity.↗ · The graffiti was full of obscenities, so the council cleaned it off.↗ · Some people think huge bonuses are an obscenity.↗

obscure — Everyday, meaning 1: (adjective) Not well known (an obscure singer, an obscure village).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (adjective) Hard to understand; not clear.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To hide something or make it hard to see (clouds obscured the moon).↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (verb) To make something hard to understand.↗ Example: Clouds obscured the moon.↗ · He likes obscure bands nobody has heard of.↗ · The meaning of the old poem is obscure.↗ · The parked van obscured our view of the road.↗ · Fog obscured the top of the mountain.↗ · That's an obscure fact about frogs!↗ · A big tree obscures the sign.↗ · Heavy clouds obscured the sky, and the Moon did not make his appearance at all.↗ · For it was originally written in an obscure half-mystical style.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

obscurity — Everyday, meaning 1: The state of being hidden, unknown or unclear.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The state of not being famous or well known.↗ Example: The origin of the tale is in obscurity.↗ · He lived in obscurity until the book was found.↗ · The old song fell into obscurity.↗ · And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of a book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.↗ (Prophets ISA.29.18, JPS 1917)↗

observable — Everyday, meaning 1: Observable means able to be seen or noticed.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (science) An observable fact is one you can check by looking, measuring or testing.↗ Example: The change in colour was easily observable.↗ · Write down every observable change.↗ · The observable universe is the part we can see from Earth.↗ · There was no observable difference between the two plants.↗ · Melting ice is an observable change of state.↗ · Bacteria are not observable without a microscope.↗

observance — Everyday, meaning 1: Following or obeying a law, rule or custom: «observance of the rules».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (church, religion) Keeping a religious day or practice, such as resting on the Sabbath or fasting in Ramadan.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A ceremony or ritual held to mark a special day: «religious observances».↗ Example: Observance of the Sabbath means resting on that day.↗ · Her family's religious observance includes daily prayer.↗ · The school closed in observance of the holiday.↗ · Strict observance of the rules kept everyone safe.↗ · Fasting is an important observance in Ramadan.↗ · Different churches have different observances in Lent.↗ · Many of these fables are characterized by the strictest observance of these rules.↗

observation — Everyday, meaning 1: Observation is watching something carefully to learn about it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An observation is something you noticed or recorded, often in science.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: An observation is a remark or comment about something you noticed.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Under observation means being watched carefully, for example by doctors.↗ Example: Write down your observations in the table.↗ · Observation of the birds showed they came every morning.↗ · My observation is that the ice melted faster in the sun.↗ · The doctor kept her under observation overnight.↗ · She has great powers of observation.↗ · Our observation lasted ten minutes.↗ · That's an interesting observation, Jack.↗ · We made 12 observations, one every 5 minutes, so the test lasted an hour.↗ · He always coughed before he made any observation, so as to attract attention.↗

observatory — Everyday, meaning 1: An observatory is a building with big telescopes and instruments for watching and studying stars, planets and space.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An observatory is a place for watching and recording weather, earthquakes, birds or other natural things.↗ Example: We visited the observatory and looked at Saturn's rings.↗ · The Royal Observatory in Greenwich marks the Prime Meridian.↗ · Observatories are built on mountains, away from city lights.↗ · The observatory's dome slid open at night.↗ · Scientists at the observatory discovered a new comet.↗ · The weather observatory records rain every day.↗

observe — Everyday, meaning 1: To observe is to watch something carefully to learn about it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To observe can mean to notice or see something.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal) To observe a rule or law is to obey it.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (formal) To observe a special day is to keep or celebrate it.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (formal) To observe can mean to say or remark.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: In the Torah it means keep or obey (a day or rule); in the fairy tales it can mean watch or notice.↗ Example: We observed the caterpillar every day for two weeks.↗ · Observe what happens when you add vinegar to the baking soda.↗ · Did you observe anything strange?↗ · Drivers must observe the speed limit near schools.↗ · The whole school observed a minute's silence.↗ · «It looks like rain,» she observed.↗ · Astronomers observe the stars through telescopes.↗ · Write down everything you observe in your science book.↗ · The lamp burnt out, but he did not observe it.↗ · Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee.↗ (Torah DEU.5.12, JPS 1917)↗ · And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.↗ (Torah EXO.12.24, JPS 1917)↗ · And ye shall observe all My statutes, and all Mine ordinances, and do them: I am the LORD.↗ (Torah LEV.19.37, JPS 1917)↗ · That they might keep His statutes, and observe His laws.↗ (Writings PSA.105.45, JPS 1917)↗ · Oh that my ways were directed to observe Thy statutes!↗ (Writings PSA.119.5, JPS 1917)↗ · I will observe Thy statutes; O forsake me not utterly.↗ (Writings PSA.119.8, JPS 1917)↗ · Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee.↗ (Torah DEU.5.12, JPS 1917) · The good child undresses, but observe this!↗ (The Red Fairy Book) · And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.↗ (Torah EXO.12.24, JPS 1917)