(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ of someone or something is an account which explains what they are or what they look like.
Police have issued a ~ of the man who was aged between fifty and sixty...
He has a real gift for vivid ~.
N-VAR: oft N of n
2.
If something is of a particular ~, it belongs to the general class of items that are mentioned.
Events of this ~ occurred daily.
= kind, type
N-SING: of N
3.
You can say that something is beyond ~, or that it defies ~, to emphasize that it is very unusual, impressive, terrible, or extreme.
His face is weary beyond ~...
N-UNCOUNT: oft beyond N emphasis