From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishAA1, a /eɪ/ noun (plural A’s, a’s) 1 [countable, uncountable]SLA the first letter of the English alphabet2 [countable, uncountable] the sixth note in the musical scale of C major or the musical key based on this note3 [countable] the highest mark that a student can get in an examination or for a piece of work I got an A in French. Julia got straight A’s (=all A’s) in high school. → A level4 → an A student5 [uncountable] used to refer in a short way to one of two different things or people. You can call the second one B A demands £500, B offers £100. → plan A at plan1(5)6 → from A to B7 → from A to Z8 → A34, A40 etc9 [uncountable] a common type of blood
Examples from the Corpus
A• an A on the test• I was at a party, and a guy hit me on the head with an A & W Root Beer mug.• But inside, the A & P brimmed with unexpected abundance.• They were already passing the A & P on the way out of town.• The A & P grocery chain ran a laundry in Belleville for cleaning and repairing their employees' work clothes.AA2 TPEthe written abbreviation of amp or ampsaa /ə; strong eɪ/ ●●● S1 W1 (also an) indefinite article, determiner 1 XXused to show that you are talking about someone or something that has not been mentioned before, or that your listener does not know about We have a problem. There was a hole in the fence. Suddenly they heard a loud bang. → the12 XXused to show that you are referring to a general type of person or thing and not a specific person or thing Would you like a sandwich? I want to train to be an engineer. He’s a really nice man. Take a look at this. It needs a good clean.3 XXused before someone’s family name to show that they belong to that family One of his daughters had married a Rothschild.4 XXone a thousand pounds a dozen eggs You’ll have to wait an hour or two.5 XXused in some phrases that say how much of something there is There were a lot of people at the party. A few weeks from now I’ll be in Venice. You have caused a great deal of trouble.6 XXused to mean ‘each’ when stating prices, rates, or speeds I get paid once a month. The eggs cost $2 a dozen. 7 XXused before singular nouns to mean all things of a particular type A square has four sides (=all squares have four sides). A child needs love and affection.8 XXused once before two nouns that are mentioned together very often I’ll fetch you a cup and saucer. Does everyone have a knife and fork?9 XXused before the -ing forms of verbs when they are used as nouns referring to an action, event, or sound There was a beating of wings overhead. Bernice became aware of a humming that seemed to come from all around her.10 XXused before nouns that are usually uncountable when other information about the quality, feeling etc is added by an adjective, phrase, or clause Candidates must have a good knowledge of chemistry.11 XXused before the name of a substance, food etc to refer to a particular type of it Use a good cheese to make the sauce. plants that grow well in a moist soil 12 used before the name of a drink to refer to a cup or glass of that drink Can I get you a coffee? Renwick went to the bar and ordered a beer.13 XXused before the name of a famous artist to refer to a painting by that artist an early Rembrandt14 XXused before a name to mean someone or something that has the same qualities as that person or thing She was hailed as a new Marilyn Monroe.15 XXused before someone’s name when you do not know who they are There is a Mr Tom Wilkins on the phone.16 XXused before the names of days, months, seasons, and events in the year to refer to a particular one We arrived in England on a cold wet Sunday in 1963. I can’t remember a Christmas like it.USAGE: A, an •Before a word beginning with a vowel sound, use an:an elephantan umbrellaan obvious mistake•Use an before an 'h' that is not pronounced:an hour lateran honest explanation•Use a before a 'u' that is pronounced like 'you':a universitya unique opportunity•Use an before an abbreviation that is pronounced with a vowel sound at the start:an SOS callan MP3 fileExamples from the Corpus
a lot• "How does your arm feel?" "It still hurts a lot."• If you plan carefully, a trip to Europe doesn't have to cost a lot.• It's nice to meet you. Wendy's talked about you a lot.• She goes abroad on business quite a lot.• An awful lot of his customers are unhappy with his work.• I'm really glad to meet you. Betty's talked a lot about you.• He laughed quite a lot as he spoke.• I like her a lot, but I don't think I'm in love with her.• I used to walk a lot, but I've been very lazy recently.• I like the people a whole lot, but the pay isn't very good.• He really sweats a lot in hot weather like this.• Ask Susan - she knows a lot more about computers than I do.• The tickets were a lot more expensive than we expected.• I'm sure she has a lot more problems than I have.• John has lived in a lot of different places.• All the same, it is a lot of fun, and the warm weather is very pleasant.• Stevie Wonder is a black artist, but a lot of his music comes out pop.• I went out with quite a lot of men before I met Stuart.• The Big Three are making a lot of noise in hopes of gaining a political and competitive advantage.• As with most coupes there is not a lot of room in the back, even kids find it tight.• But that is true of a lot of subjects I did at O level.• A lot of tourists visit Venice in the summer.• The book contains a lot of useful advice about setting up your own business.• Helen looks as if she's lost quite a lot of weight recently - is she on a diet?• He knows a lot of weird people over in Nam.• She's changed a lot since she's been here.• I was surprised so few people were at the concert - I thought there'd be a lot there.a-a-1 /ə/ prefix 1 XXin a particular condition or way aloud alive (=living) with nerves all a-tingle (=tingling)2 old use in, to, at, or on something abed (=in bed) afar (=far away)Examples from the Corpus
a-• atopa-a-2 /eɪ, æ, ə/ prefix XXnot or without amoral (=not moral) atypically (=not typically)A*A* /ˌeɪ ˈstɑː $ -ˈstɑːr/ noun [countable, uncountable] the highest mark that a student can get in a GCSE examination 