of

1 of 3

preposition

əv,

 before consonants also  ə;

ˈəv 

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 cowards

—William 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 easy

—Ring Lardner

OF

3 of 3

abbreviation

outfield

Synonyms

Preposition

• afore [chiefly dialect]
• ahead of
• before
• ere
• fore [chiefly dialect]
• 'fore
• previous to
• prior to
• to

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

This type of Scotch brings a bit of earthiness and smoke that adds interest to the richness of the potatoes and gravy. —Emily Price, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Holding up a phone to the microphone, a pre-recorded Pfeiffer then introduced members of The Marching Cobras marching ensemble, a reference to a 2019 work of the artist’s at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. —Sam Falb, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2024

Sure enough, the first study of backyard ultra racers was recently published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology. —Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 4 Nov. 2024

Adams is known for his improvisational style as a director with many of his features shot on location and often over relatively short periods of time. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2024

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

1773, in the meaning defined above

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