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e·ven
 even
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- pronunciation:
- i
vihn
- parts of speech:
- adjective, adverb, verb
- features:
- Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition 1: |
When something is even, it means that it is smooth or completely flat. Floors in old houses are sometimes not even. Some roads are hard to drive on because they are not even.
Our backyard is not even at all because our dog likes to dig holes everywhere.- synonyms:
- flat, level, smooth
- antonyms:
- bumpy, uneven
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| definition 2: |
When something is even with something else, the two things are at the same level or height. When snow is even with the top of your boots, the snow is at the same height as your boots.
In the deep part of the swimming pool, the water is even with my dad's shoulders, but I have to stand on the tips of my toes to breathe.- synonyms:
- parallel
- antonyms:
- uneven
- similar words:
- horizontal
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| definition 3: |
When you and your sister have even amounts of candy, it means that you and your sister have the same amount of candy. The two amounts of candy are equal.
The teacher made sure the students had even amounts of time to use the computer.Each child had an even number of cookies, so everyone had their fair share.
- synonyms:
- equal, same
- antonyms:
- uneven
- similar words:
- exact, identical, level, similar
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| definition 4: |
When you put an even coat of paint on the wall, it means that the paint is not thicker in one spot than any other.
Sarah made sure she had an even layer of frosting on all sides of the cake.- synonyms:
- consistent
- antonyms:
- uneven
- similar words:
- smooth
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| definition 5: |
When a number is even, you can divide it exactly by two. Two, four, six, and eight are some of the even numbers. The numbers three, five, seven, and nine are some of the numbers that are not even. They are called "odd numbers."
If a number, no matter how big, ends with an even number, such as 15,778, you can easily tell that it is an even number and not an odd number.- antonyms:
- odd
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| related words: |
equal, flat, gradual, level, straight |
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| part of speech: |
adverb |
| definition 1: |
Sometimes we use even when something is surprising or the opposite of what someone might expect. If you say "Even my little brother can play this game," we understand that it is a surprising thing that he can play it. Maybe it's not surprising that other people can play it, but the fact that your little brother can also play it means that the game must be very simple.
Joe loves eating sweet stuff, but even Joe thought the cake was much too sweet.The test was so hard that even the smartest kid in the class got a bad grade.My dad can play a lot of instruments. He can even play the harp!- similar words:
- indeed, really
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| definition 2: |
Sometimes we use even when we are comparing things. When a mountain is already very high, for example, and another mountain is higher than that, we might use even to show that this difference is surprising or amazing.
Last winter, my sister and I made a big snowman in our backyard. This winter, we want to make an even bigger one. |
| definition 3: |
We sometimes use the word even before the words "if" and "though." Using even gives more power to these words.
Even though Chris did not win the competition, he still had a good time and will try to do better next time.Ray won't go to bed early even if he's very tired. |
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| part of speech: |
verb |
| inflections: |
evens, evening, evened |
| definition 1: |
When you even something, you make it smooth or flat. You make it all one level.
A large machine evened the ice rink so the ice skaters could skate on it safely.The city workers evened the sidewalk by filling in some holes.- synonyms:
- level, smooth
- similar words:
- balance, square
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| definition 2: |
If a team evens a score, they bring their score up to the same level as the score of the other team.
The blue team quickly evened the score, and now both teams have six points.- synonyms:
- smooth
- similar words:
- balance
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| definition 3: |
If something evens, it becomes flat and smooth.
The paint will even as it dries.- similar words:
- balance
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| related words: |
roll, tie |
| derivations: |
evenly (adj.), evenness (n.) |
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