Wells
Use Wells in a sentence
noun
1.
Henry, 1805–78, U.S. businessman: pioneered in banking, stagecoach services, and express shipping.
2.
H(erbert) G(eorge) 1866–1946, English novelist and historian.
3.
Horace, 1815–48, U.S. dentist: pioneered use of nitrous oxide as an anesthetic.
4.
Ida Bell ( Ida Bell Wells-Barnett ) 1862–1931, U.S. journalist and civil-rights leader.
5.
a historic town in E Somersetshire, in SW England: cathedral.
00:10
Wells
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
adverb
1.
in a good or satisfactory manner: Business is going well.
2.
thoroughly, carefully, or soundly: to shake well before using; listen well.
3.
in a moral or proper manner: to behave well.
4.
commendably, meritoriously, or excellently: a difficult task well done.
6.
adequately or sufficiently: Think well before you act.
7.
to a considerable extent or degree (often used in combination): a sum well over the amount agreed upon; a well-developed theme.
8.
with great or intimate knowledge: to know a person well.
9.
certainly; without doubt: I anger easily, as you well know.
10.
with good nature; without rancor: He took the joke well.
adjective
11.
in good health; sound in body and mind: Are you well? He is not a well man.
12.
satisfactory, pleasing, or good: All is well with us.
13.
proper, fitting, or gratifying: It is well that you didn't go.
14.
in a satisfactory position; well-off: I am very well as I am.
interjection
15.
(used to express surprise, reproof, etc.): Well! There's no need to shout.
16.
(used to introduce a sentence, resume a conversation, etc.): Well, who would have thought he could do it?
noun
Idioms 17.
well-being; good fortune; success: to wish well to someone.
18.
as well,
a.
in addition; also; too: She insisted on directing the play and on producing it as well.
b.
equally: The town grew as well because of its location as because of its superb climate.
19.
as well as, as much or as truly as; equally as: Joan is witty as well as intelligent.
20.
leave well enough alone, avoid changing something that is satisfactory.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English, Old English wel(l) (adj. and adv.); cognate with Dutch wel, German wohl, Old Norse vel, Gothic waila
before 900; Middle English, Old English wel(l) (adj. and adv.); cognate with Dutch wel, German wohl, Old Norse vel, Gothic waila
Synonyms
3. properly, correctly. 4. skillfully, adeptly, accurately, efficiently. 5. suitably. 6. fully, amply. 7. rather, quite. 11. healthy, hale, hearty. 12. fine. 13. suitable, befitting, appropriate. 14. fortunate, happy.
3. properly, correctly. 4. skillfully, adeptly, accurately, efficiently. 5. suitably. 6. fully, amply. 7. rather, quite. 11. healthy, hale, hearty. 12. fine. 13. suitable, befitting, appropriate. 14. fortunate, happy.
Antonyms
3. poorly, badly. 11. ill, sick.
3. poorly, badly. 11. ill, sick.
Grammar note
Sometimes an adverb like well is so often placed in front of and combined with a certain past participle in order to modify it that the resulting adjectival combination achieves the status of a common word and is listed in dictionaries. In Dictionary.com you will find, for example, entries for well-advised, well-loved, and well-mannered; for ill-advised, ill-bred, and ill-conceived; and for half-baked, half-cocked, and half-hearted. Some of these terms are given full definitions, while others are considered such obvious combinations that you can figure out for yourself what they must mean and so they are simply listed. It is important to note, however, that compound adjectives like these are hyphenated for use before the noun they modify together. Thus we say that someone is “a well-loved professor,” but there would be no hyphen between well and loved in a sentence like “My English professor is well loved and deserves the award.”
In a similar manner, adjectival compounds formed with better, best, little, lesser, least, etc., are also hyphenated when placed before the noun ( a little-understood theory ), but the hyphen is dropped when the adjectival combination follows the noun ( his films are best known in England ) or is itself modified by an adverb ( a too little understood theory ).
There are exceptions to this pattern. For example, when the combining adverb ends in –ly, no hyphen is required, whether the resulting adjectival combination appears before or after the noun: a highly regarded surgeon; a surgeon who is highly regarded.
Don’t let the hyphens fool you. Punctuation can be tricky!
Sometimes an adverb like well is so often placed in front of and combined with a certain past participle in order to modify it that the resulting adjectival combination achieves the status of a common word and is listed in dictionaries. In Dictionary.com you will find, for example, entries for well-advised, well-loved, and well-mannered; for ill-advised, ill-bred, and ill-conceived; and for half-baked, half-cocked, and half-hearted. Some of these terms are given full definitions, while others are considered such obvious combinations that you can figure out for yourself what they must mean and so they are simply listed. It is important to note, however, that compound adjectives like these are hyphenated for use before the noun they modify together. Thus we say that someone is “a well-loved professor,” but there would be no hyphen between well and loved in a sentence like “My English professor is well loved and deserves the award.”
In a similar manner, adjectival compounds formed with better, best, little, lesser, least, etc., are also hyphenated when placed before the noun ( a little-understood theory ), but the hyphen is dropped when the adjectival combination follows the noun ( his films are best known in England ) or is itself modified by an adverb ( a too little understood theory ).
There are exceptions to this pattern. For example, when the combining adverb ends in –ly, no hyphen is required, whether the resulting adjectival combination appears before or after the noun: a highly regarded surgeon; a surgeon who is highly regarded.
Don’t let the hyphens fool you. Punctuation can be tricky!
noun
1.
a hole drilled or bored into the earth to obtain water, petroleum, natural gas, brine, or sulfur.
2.
a spring or natural source of water.
3.
an apparent reservoir or a source of human feelings, emotions, energy, etc.: He was a well of gentleness and courtesy.
4.
a container, receptacle, or reservoir for a liquid: the well of ink in a fountain pen.
5.
any sunken or deep, enclosed space, as a shaft for air or light, stairs, or an elevator, extending vertically through the floors of a building.
6.
Nautical.
a.
a part of a weather deck between two superstructures, extending from one side of a vessel to the other.
b.
a compartment or enclosure around a ship's pumps to make them easily accessible and protect them from being damaged by the cargo.
7.
a hollow compartment, recessed area, or depression for holding a specific item or items, as fish in the bottom of a boat or the retracted wheels of an airplane in flight.
8.
any shaft dug or bored into the earth, as for storage space or a mine.
verb (used without object)
9.
to rise, spring, or gush, as water, from the earth or some other source (often followed by up, out, or forth ): Tears welled up in my eyes.
verb (used with object)
10.
to send welling up or forth: a fountain welling its pure water.
adjective
11.
like, of, resembling, from, or used in connection with a well.
Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English well(e), Old English wylle, wella, welle; cognate with German Welle wave; (v.) Middle English wellen, Old English wellan (cognate with Dutch wellen, Old Norse vella); both noun and v. ultimately akin to weallan to boil
before 900; (noun) Middle English well(e), Old English wylle, wella, welle; cognate with German Welle wave; (v.) Middle English wellen, Old English wellan (cognate with Dutch wellen, Old Norse vella); both noun and v. ultimately akin to weallan to boil
Synonyms
3. store, fund, mine, fount.
3. store, fund, mine, fount.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To Wells
Collins
World English Dictionary
well1 (wɛl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adv (preceded by could, might, | |
| 1. | (often used in combination) in a satisfactory manner: the party went very well |
| 2. | (often used in combination) in a good, skilful, or pleasing manner: she plays the violin well |
| 3. | in a correct or careful manner: listen well to my words |
| 4. | in a comfortable or prosperous manner: to live well |
| 5. | (usually used with auxiliaries) suitably; fittingly: you can't very well say that |
| 6. | intimately: I knew him well |
| 7. | in a kind or favourable manner: she speaks well of you |
| 8. | to a great or considerable extent; fully: to be well informed |
| 9. | by a considerable margin: let me know well in advance |
| 10. | indeed: you may well have to do it yourself |
| 11. | informal (intensifier): well safe |
| 12. | all very well used ironically to express discontent, dissent, etc |
| 13. | as well |
| a. in addition; too | |
| b. with equal effect: you might as well come | |
| c. just as well preferable or advisable: it would be just as well if you paid me now | |
| 14. | as well as in addition to |
| 15. | just leave well alone, just leave well enough alone to refrain from interfering with something that is satisfactory |
| 16. | well and good used to indicate calm acceptance, as of a decision: if you accept my offer, well and good |
| 17. | well up in well acquainted with (a particular subject); knowledgeable about |
| —adj | |
| 18. | ( |
| 19. | satisfactory, agreeable, or pleasing |
| 20. | prudent; advisable: it would be well to make no comment |
| 21. | prosperous or comfortable |
| 22. | fortunate or happy: it is well that you agreed to go |
| —interj | |
| 23. | a. an expression of surprise, indignation, or reproof |
| b. an expression of anticipation in waiting for an answer or remark | |
| —sentence connector | |
| 24. | an expression used to preface a remark, gain time, etc: well, I don't think I will come |
| [Old English wel; related to Old High German wala, wola (German wohl), Old Norse val, Gothic waila] | |
| well2 (wɛl) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a hole or shaft that is excavated, drilled, bored, or cut into the earth so as to tap a supply of water, oil, gas, etc |
| 2. | a natural pool where ground water comes to the surface |
| 3. | a. a cavity, space, or vessel used to contain a liquid |
| b. (in combination): an inkwell | |
| 4. | an open shaft through the floors of a building, such as one used for a staircase |
| 5. | a deep enclosed space in a building or between buildings that is open to the sky to permit light and air to enter |
| 6. | a. a bulkheaded compartment built around a ship's pumps for protection and ease of access |
| b. another word for cockpit | |
| 7. | a perforated tank in the hold of a fishing boat for keeping caught fish alive |
| 8. | (in England) the open space in the centre of a law court |
| 9. | a source, esp one that provides a continuous supply: he is a well of knowledge |
| —vb | |
| 10. | to flow or cause to flow upwards or outwards: tears welled from her eyes |
| [Old English wella; related to Old High German wella (German Welle wave), Old Norse vella boiling heat] | |
| we'll (wiːl) | |
| —contraction of | |
| we will or we shall | |
| Wells1 (wɛlz) | |
| —n | |
| a city in SW England, in Somerset: 12th-century cathedral. Pop: 10 406 (2001) | |
| Wells2 (wɛlz) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | Henry. 1805--78, US businessman, who founded (1852) with William Fargo the express mail service Wells, Fargo and Company |
| 2. | H(erbert) G(eorge). 1866--1946, British writer. His science-fiction stories include The Time Machine (1895), War of the Worlds (1898), and The Shape of Things to Come (1933). His novels on contemporary social questions, such as Kipps (1905), Tono-Bungay (1909), and Ann Veronica (1909), affected the opinions of his day. His nonfiction works include The Outline of History (1920) |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
well
"in a satisfactory manner," O.E. wel, common Gmc. (cf. O.S. wela, O.N. vel, O.Fris. wel, Du. wel, O.H.G. wela, Ger. wohl, Goth. waila "well"), from PIE *wel-, *wol- (cf. Skt. prati varam "at will," O.C.S. vole "well," Welsh gwell "better," L. velle "to wish, will," O.E. willan "to wish;" see
will (v.)). Also used as an interjection and an expression of surprise in O.E. Well-to-do "prosperous" is recorded from 1825.
well
"to spring, rise, gush," O.E. wiellan (Anglian wællan), causative of weallan "to boil, bubble up" (class VII strong verb; past tense weoll, pp. weallen), from P.Gmc. *wal-, *wel- "roll" (cf. O.S. wallan, O.N. vella, O.Fris. walla, O.H.G. wallan, Ger. wallen, Goth. wulan "to bubble, boil"), from
PIE base *wel- "to turn, roll" (see vulva), on notion of "roiling or bubbling water."
well
"hole dug for water, spring of water," O.E. wielle (W.Saxon), welle (Anglian), from wiellan (see well (v.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
Wells (wělz), Horace. 1815-1848.
American dentist who was the first to use nitrous oxide to anesthetize patients during oral surgery.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| well (wěl) Pronunciation Key
A deep hole or shaft sunk into the Earth to tap a liquid or gaseous substance such as water, oil, gas, or brine. If the substance is not under sufficient pressure to flow freely from the well, it must be pumped or raised mechanically to the surface. Water or pressurized gas is sometimes pumped into a nonproducing oil well to push petroleum resources out of underground reservoirs. See also artesian well. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Easton
Bible Dictionary
Well definition
(Heb. beer), to be distinguished from a fountain (Heb. 'ain). A "beer" was a deep shaft, bored far under the rocky surface by the art of man, which contained water which percolated through the strata in its sides. Such wells were those of Jacob and Beersheba, etc. (see Gen. 21:19, 25, 30, 31; 24:11; 26:15, 18-25, 32, etc.). In the Pentateuch this word beer, so rendered, occurs twenty-five times.
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
wells
city, Mendip district, administrative and historic county of Somerset, England, at the foot of the Mendip Hills. The name derives from the many springs rising near the cathedral, which was begun in the 12th century and dominates the city. In general, Wells has been little affected by modern industry and growth. It remains a modest service centre, its Market Place and shopping district lying in the shadow of its magnificent cathedral, and it is much frequented by tourists.
Learn more about Wells with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences from the web
Rumors spread that they caused the disease by deliberately poisoning wells.
Municipal, irrigation, and industrial water supplies are provided through large wells.
Matching Quote
Nearby Words
Synonyms
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
