For | Definition, Meaning & Uses
Function words like “in,” “on,” “at,” and for (prepositions)—which are typically covered in grammar rather than vocabulary lessons when you’re learning a language—convey meaning by helping to show relationships between different parts of a sentence. Content words, on the other hand, like “definition” (a noun) or “define” (a verb), which we think of as “vocabulary,” carry a lot of meaning on their own.
Because for typically doesn’t mean very much as an individual word, knowing how it functions in terms of its part of speech is key to understanding what it communicates. “For” almost always functions as a preposition, helping to express ideas such as “intention,” “purpose,” “reason,” and “duration.”
What’s that machine used for?
Sorry for being a bit late.
Have you been waiting for long?
For meaning
For is categorized as a function word rather than a content word, so its meaning is primarily grammatical. If you leave out a function word like the preposition for in a sentence, the meaning of the sentence is still often quite clear in context. Imagine you’ve just got back from your midday break and your coworker asks you, “What did you have lunch?” You’ll easily understand that they’re inquiring about what you just ate—even though they’ve missed out the preposition “for.”
When you break a sentence down into its parts of speech, you’ll discover that “for” almost always functions as a preposition, helping to express meanings such as “reason,” “purpose,” “duration,” “support,” and “benefit.”
[“For” indicates the part of the sentence that tells you the purpose of the knives.]
Mikel is for a ban on phones in schools.
[“For” indicates the part of the sentence that tells you what Mikel is in support of.]
Can you save a bit of cake for me?
[“For” indicates the part of the sentence that tells you who will “benefit” from the saved piece of cake.]
For you, me, them, etc.
One of the most common ways of using the preposition for is to indicate who is “receiving” or “benefiting from” something (e.g., “I made a coffee for you”).
You can use for like this, at the start of a prepositional phrase, as an alternative to a sentence with an indirect object (e.g., “I made you a coffee”). If the indirect object is long, we often prefer the sentence with for because it keeps the direct object close to the verb.
| Sentence with for | Sentence with indirect object |
|---|---|
| She drew a picture for her friend. | She drew her friend a picture. |
| She drew this picture for her friend at kindergarten with curly red hair. | She drew her friend at kindergarten with curly red hair this picture. |
Preposition for: Reason
Another very common use of the preposition for is to indicate a reason or purpose.
She said she was going out for some fresh air.
These towels are for swimming.
You can usually form questions about reason or purpose with the question word (interrogative) “why.” But in informal contexts, we often formulate this type of question with “What… for?” or “Who … for?”.
- Why did you buy this bread?
- What is this bread for?
- Who did you buy this bread for?
- For whom did you buy this bread? [Very formal/“old-fashioned”]
- Why is this bread for?
- These towels are for swimming.
- These towels are for to swim.
- These towels are to swim.
Preposition for: Time period
You can use the preposition for to introduce a period of time (e.g., “She’s been on vacation for a week”). But if you want to describe the same duration in relation to a “starting point,” the correct preposition is since (e.g., “She’s been on vacation since last Monday”).
When you can use since with a starting point or for with a period of time like this, the sentence is typically in a perfect tense (e.g., the present perfect, present perfect continuous, past perfect, or past perfect continuous tense).
| For (period of time) in a sentence | Since (starting point) sentence |
|---|---|
| I haven’t spoken to him for ages. | I haven’t spoken to him since the beginning of the semester. |
| The air conditioning hasn’t been working for about a month. | The air conditioning hasn’t been working since we got back from vacation. |
| At last they’ve fixed that window; it had been broken for years. | At last they’ve fixed that window; it had been broken since last summer. |
| We’d been asking them to fix it for months. | We’d been asking them to fix it since we moved in. |
Preposition for: Functions
The preposition for is typically used to indicate some kind of reason or purpose, but it has a very wide variety of functions that go beyond this core meaning.
| Function of for | For in a sentence examples |
|---|---|
| To refer to a distance | Follow this road for about a mile, and you’ll see it on your left. |
| To refer to the time of an arrangement | Why don’t you book the table for about seven o’clock? |
| We’ve booked the venue for July 10. | |
| I’ve arranged an interview for next week. | |
| To refer to a price | How much did you pay for it? |
| I won’t sell it for any less. | |
| To refer to something you support or prefer | Only three members of the committee voted for the amendment. |
| I’m not arguing for legislative changes; we just need to enforce the existing laws. | |
| To refer to someone or something you are helping or supporting | Let me take your coat for you. |
| He’s done so much for me over the years. | |
| To refer to a destination | Am I heading in the right direction for the train station? |
| You’ve just missed her; she just left for the airport. | |
| To refer to something that you belong to (e.g., a team or organization) | She competed for France at the Olympics. |
| I worked for that company for about a year. | |
| To refer to people or organizations you are representing | I don’t want to speak for everyone. |
| She can’t make the meeting, so I said I’d jump in for her. |
For as a conjunction
For can also function as a coordinating conjunction meaning “because” (e.g., “For he’s a jolly good fellow”), but this isn’t a common usage in modern English.
Using for as a coordinating conjunction has a formal or old-fashioned effect. When it functions as a conjunction, “for” links together independent clauses and typically appears in the middle of a sentence with a comma before it.
The river will not be easy to cross, for the rains have swelled its banks.
I cannot say, Sir, for I do not hail from these parts.
Frequently asked questions about for
- Is for a preposition?
-
Yes, for is a preposition (e.g., “I bought this card for Ellen”).
The word “for” can also function as a coordinating conjunction meaning “because” (e.g., “I did not doubt him, for I knew him to be an honest man”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to use the preposition “for” correctly in your writing.
- What part of speech is for?
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For is typically a preposition when determining its part of speech (e.g., “Is this coffee for me?”).
However, “for” can also function as a coordinating conjunction meaning “because” (e.g., “I accepted, for it was a fair offer”).
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? It will help you to pick up errors with the preposition “for” in your writing.
- Is for a conjunction?
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Yes, for can be used as a conjunction meaning “because” (e.g., “She wore her winter coat, for the wind was bitterly cold”).
However, the word “for” typically functions as a preposition (e.g., “She has lived here for ten years”) rather than a coordinating conjunction in modern English.
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you use the word “for” correctly in your writing.
- Is for an adverb?
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No, for is not an adverb. The word “for” typically functions as a preposition (e.g., “She’s going on vacation for two weeks”), but it can also function as a coordinating conjunction meaning “because” (e.g., “I will go now, for it is late”).
Phrases that begin with “for” often function adverbially (e.g., “… for two weeks”). However, “for” is a preposition in these phrases.
If you use “for” as a conjunction in modern English it can sound very formal or old-fashioned. You can use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to rephrase sentences that contain “for” as a conjunction.
- Is it for who or for whom?
-
For whom (not “for who”) is the correct choice at the beginning of a question (e.g., “For whom is this delivery?”).
But “whom” has a very formal stylistic effect, which you may want to avoid, so in most everyday contexts it is better to use “who” and put the preposition “for” at the end (e.g., “Who is this delivery for?”).
“For whom” (not “for who”) is also the grammatically correct choice at the beginning of an adjective clause (e.g., “The teacher, for whom he was supposed to be substituting, was in her classroom”). But again, “who” is often the better option, with “for” in a later position (e.g., “The teacher, who he was supposed to be substituting for, was in her classroom”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using “who” and “whom” correctly.
