for
Often confused with since
- 1Indicating the purpose something serves or how it is meant to be used or handled.
The blue bin is for paper and cardboard.
These shoes are for running, not for walking to work.
UsageWith a noun or -ing: shoes for running. With a verb, use to: went out to buy milk (not
incorrect: for buy). - 2Used to show who or what a statement concerns or applies to, or whose point of view it gives.
The worst part of the trip, for me, was the long drive home.
Luckily for us, the rain held off until the game was over.
UsageOften at the front, for me, luckily for us, or after an adjective: too hot for her, hard for him.
- 3Directed at; intended to belong to or be received by.
A parcel for Mrs. Lee arrived this morning.
He left a note for whoever found the bag.
Usagea call for you, flowers for my mother. After give, send or show, use to: sent it to her.
- 4Throughout a stated length of time or distance.
The shop was shut for the whole of August.
They talked for hours about nothing.
Usagefor + a length of time, since + a starting point: for three years, since 2010 (not
incorrect: since three years).Similarthroughout
- 5Because of; on account of.
The town is famous for its cheese.
She was fined for parking on the pavement.
UsageAfter words of judgment: famous for, fined for, praised for.
Note
Comparatives keep an older pattern alive. She was the worse for drink, and he looks better for having lost weight. Each change is measured against how things stood before. In 'the worse for' and 'all the better for it', the is an old adverb, not an article, kept alive by the idiom.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The comparative construction preserves an older pattern. en.wiktionary.org
- 6In order to get, obtain, find or detect something.
The dog ran for the ball as soon as it left my hand.
Thousands applied for the ten jobs.
UsageAfter verbs of seeking: apply for, ask for, try for, go to the shop for milk.
- 7On behalf of; representing.
The deputy answered questions for the absent minister.
She has played soccer for her country since she was nineteen.
Usageplay for a team or country; speak for or sign for someone.
- 8In order to help, benefit, please, or honor someone or something, including naming something after them.
The town held a parade for the returning team.
Volunteers raised money for the flood victims.
Usagedo something for someone: open the jar for me, raise money for flood victims.
- 9Used idiomatically with particular verbs to mark a target, purpose, or result.
We must allow for delays at the border.
She settled for second place rather than nothing.
- 10Used before the subject in a clause formed with to and an infinitive.
The plan is for the team to leave on Monday.
There is no need for anyone to worry.
Usagefor + person + to + verb: time for us to go, hard for him to admit. Pronouns take the object form.
Note
A purely grammatical use: it gives an infinitive its own subject. Without it, 'it is unreasonable to withhold our wages' leaves the withholder unnamed. With it ('for the boss to withhold our wages'), the boss is named.
- 11In return; as the price, equivalent, or counterpart of.
The club paid a record fee for the striker.
He matched her argument point for point.
Usagebuy or sell something for a price; pay a price for something. Doubled for exact matching: word for word.
Note
The 1611 Bible's 'eye for eye, tooth for tooth' is its best-known instance, and it is still quoted proverbially as 'an eye for an eye'.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The King James Bible was first published in 1611. en.wikisource.org
- The Bible contains the words 'eye for eye, tooth for tooth'. en.wikisource.org
- The expression is quoted proverbially as 'an eye for an eye'. en.wikipedia.org
- 12Suiting someone's needs, wishes, beliefs, abilities, or tastes, and so ideal or appropriate for them.
A quiet village was no place for a restless teenager.
The role seemed made for her.
UsageOften with perfect, right, or made: perfect for a rainy day, right for the job, not for me.
- 13Used to name the time or occasion on which something is planned, booked, or arranged to happen.
I reserved a table for eight o'clock on Friday.
The final vote is scheduled for next Tuesday.
UsageFor bookings: booked for Friday, a table for eight o'clock. a table for eight can mean eight people.
- 14In anticipation of; so as to be ready.
The city braced for the storm.
Farmers were preparing for an early frost.
Usageready for, prepare for, brace for, pack for a trip.
- 15Indicating something desired or anticipated.
Oh for a week by the sea, she sighed.
Right, now for the hard part.
Usagenow for + noun announces what comes next: now for the good news.
Note
Two verbless exclamations share this meaning. 'O for…' is the poet's wish, as in Shakespeare's 'O for a Muse of fire'. 'Now for…' briskly announces what comes next, whether a slap-up meal or the hard part. Both stand alone as exclamations, and in ordinary speech the O-form sounds deliberately old-fashioned or playful.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- The quotation 'O for a Muse of fire' is from Shakespeare. folger.edu
- The quoted wording is 'O for a Muse of fire'. shakespeare.mit.edu
- 16So that; in order to.
Note
A nonstandard use in which the word stands where 'so that' belongs: he took the swing shift for he could get more overtime. In edited writing, replace it with 'so that' or 'so'. It looks like the literary 'because' but points the other way, toward a result still to come rather than a reason already given.
- 17Supporting; in favor of.
Most of the council voted for the merger.
She was always for giving people a second chance.
UsagePaired with against: for or against, vote for, the case for.
Oppositeagainst
Note
In 'Who's for ice cream?' or 'I'm for going by train' it turns support into a cheerful show of hands.
- 18Used to show where an occurrence falls in a series of repeated events, such as the first, second, or last time.
The team won the championship for the third year in a row.
For the second time this month, the train broke down outside the city.
UsageUsually for the first time, for the last time, for the third year in a row.
- 19Used to name what a word, letter or symbol represents, or the meaning it carries.
There is no single English word for the German idea of Schadenfreude.
In the formula, the letter c is for the speed of light.
Note
Two frames carry this meaning. In the word for an idea, the preposition points from a word to what it names, which is why it fills questions about translation and the right term. In a letter is for something, it points from a symbol to what it represents, as in alphabet books (A is for apple). With abbreviations, the phrasal verb stand for usually takes over: What does NASA stand for?
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- NASA is an abbreviation, as implied by the example. nasa.gov
Less common meanings
- 20With the aim of curing, getting rid of, or counteracting something.
The orchard was sprayed for aphids in May.
He is being treated for a rare infection.
Usagetake something for a headache, be treated for an illness, spray for pests.
Similaragainst
Note
Context does the work. Spraying for termites means against them, while the purpose meaning would read 'spray for shine' as getting some.
- 21Because; used to introduce a reason as an afterthought.
The village was silent, for everyone had gone to the fair.
We must leave now, for the tide is turning.
Note
A conjunction close in sense to because. It adds a reason, usually after a comma, and though it can open a sentence that explains the one before, it cannot answer 'why?' the way because can. Shakespeare, Burton and Baum all use it to give a justification in a measured, storytelling voice. In conversation it sounds bookish.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- William Shakespeare uses conjunctional 'for' to introduce a justification, including in Sir Toby's dialogue in Twelfth Night. gutenberg.org
- Richard Francis Burton uses conjunctional 'for' to introduce a justification in his translation of The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night. gutenberg.org
- L. Frank Baum uses conjunctional 'for' to introduce a justification, including in the introduction to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. gutenberg.org
- 22As; in the role or place of, or regarded as being.
The children used an old door for a raft.
She has ice for a heart, they said.
UsageThe stand-in comes first: used a stone for a hammer, a smile for an answer.
Similaras
Note
Paired with have or have got, the same grammar becomes a ready-made jibe, as in he's got a turnip for a brain, where the absurd substitute does the insulting. The construction stays the same; the choice of verb and stand-in turns a practical remark into mockery.
- 23So as to allow someone or something to take a position.
The old cinema was pulled down to make way for a car park.
Stand aside for the stretcher, please.
UsageCommon in make way for, make room for and stand aside for.
- 24By the standards of, usually implying those standards are low; considering.
The film was good for a sequel.
He runs fast for a man of sixty.
UsagePraise stays inside the group named, so good for a beginner can sound backhanded when said to a person.
Note
A compliment with a fence around it: the comparison group is named, and the praise stays inside it. 'Good for a sequel' concedes that sequels are usually poor, and 'spry for an old lady' assumes old ladies are not.
- 25Despite or in spite of; usually in the phrase 'for all'.
The bridge held, for all the engineers' fears.
The plan failed, for all the money spent on it.
UsageMostly for all + noun: for all her talent. Do not confuse it with for all I know, which admits not knowing.
Similardespite, notwithstanding
Note
Concession in two words: 'for all' grants the point and then sets it aside. The fuller 'for all that' can stand on its own, much like 'nevertheless'. The narrator of Wells's The War of the Worlds finds 'plentiful hope' even 'for all this destruction!', which shows its exclamatory edge.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- H. G. Wells wrote The War of the Worlds. gutenberg.org
- The narrator speaks the words “Plentiful hope—for all this destruction!” en.wikisource.org
- 26Towards; in the direction of.
As the rain began, everyone made for the tents.
The plane bound for Rome was delayed.
UsageWith movement verbs: head for, set off for, leave for Boston (not
incorrect: leave toBoston), bound for Rome.Note
Where to suggests that the traveler gets there, this preposition names only the aim, so a ship that sails for China may never reach it. Bacon's travelers in New Atlantis set out from Peru 'for China and Japan' in exactly this sense.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Francis Bacon wrote New Atlantis. gutenberg.org
- The travelers in New Atlantis sailed from Peru with China and Japan as their intended destinations; the quoted wording is accurate. gutenberg.org
- 27Facing or due to receive a certain outcome or fate.
The whole department is for the axe under the new plan.
Anyone caught cheating was for the high jump.
UsageMostly be for it, for the chop, for the high jump: trouble is coming.
Note
A British usage that marks someone headed for trouble: for the sack, for the chop, for the high jump, or simply for it. The object is always a punishment or an ending still to come, so 'you'll be for it' is a warning.
- 28Out of; indicating a fraction or ratio, especially in sports.
She finished the night four for four from the free-throw line.
The kicker was perfect, three for three.
Similarof
Note
A sports tally, chiefly American: three for four means three successes in four tries. Base hits in baseball are the classic case, and free throws and kicks follow the same pattern.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Three for four represents three successes in four attempts. en.wiktionary.org
- 29In expressions such as 'for a start' and 'for one thing': introducing the first item in a potential sequence.
Why not fly? Well, for one thing, I hate airports.
We should sell the house: for a start, it's too big.
Usagefor one thing ... for another; also for a start or for starters.
- 30In cricket, used in a score to introduce the number of wickets that have fallen: England were 305 for 3.
From 40 for 5, the tail rescued the innings.
The visitors declared at 400 for 4.
Note
Cricket's usual way of reading a score puts runs first, then 'for', then wickets lost, so 305 for 3 means three batsmen are out; Australians reverse it, as in 3 for 305. The fewer the wickets, the healthier the innings, and 40 for 5 is a collapse. Scoreboards often write it 305/3 or 305-3, but it is spoken aloud with 'for'.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
- This is the usual British convention. Australia conventionally puts wickets first, then runs. abc.net.au
- 305 for 3 means three batsmen are out. abc.net.au
- With runs written first, fewer wickets lost indicates a healthier innings, other things being equal. dangermouse.net
- 40 for 5 describes a batting collapse. mid-day.com
- Scores can be written with a slash or hyphen and read aloud using 'for'. dangermouse.net
- 31Used to mark something an action is meant to prevent, or the fear that prompts it.
We'll have a bib, for spoiling of thy doublet.
1609, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher - 32In some dated dialect speech, used instead of to before a verb to mark the infinitive, as in able for get up.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
The word goes back to Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- through Proto-Germanic *furi. In Old English, for meant "for, because of," and the same form continued in Middle English. Relatives include Dutch voor, German für, Danish and Norwegian for, Latin per, and Ancient Greek perí.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
- English for descends from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- through Proto-Germanic *furi. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English for meant “for, because of.” en.wiktionary.org
- Old English for continued as Middle English for. en.wiktionary.org
- Dutch voor, German für, Danish for and Norwegian for are relatives of English for. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin per and Ancient Greek perí are relatives of English for. en.wiktionary.org