For

We useforto talk about a purpose or a reason for something:

I’m goingforsome breakfast. I’m really hungry.

She leaves on Fridayfora 15-day cruise around the Mediterranean.

I wear these old trousersforpainting.

In questions we often usewhat … forinstead ofwhyto ask about the reason or purpose of something especially in informal situations:

Whatare you herefor?

Whatare they doing itfor?

We often useforto introduce the person or people receiving something:

She bought a teapotforher sister.

Mike Cranham and his staff at the hotel cookfor800 people a day, on average.

We useforwith a period of time to refer to duration (how long something lasts):

There’s a lovely open-air pool near us. We usually go therefora couple of hours in the evenings when it’s warm enough.

After a negative we can useforandinwith the same meaning.Inis particularly common in American English:

I haven’t seen himinfive years.(orforfive years.)

We useforto refer to an exchange:

[sign in a food shop]

2for£2 or £1.36 each.(Two for two pounds or one pound thirty-six each.)

I got 124 eurosfor100 pounds at today’s exchange rate.

We sometimes useforas a conjunction meaning ‘because’. We use it in very formal, and often literary, contexts:

Chasing the white stag through the forests, never catching it, of course,forit is a creature of legend.

We often combineforwith a verb to form a multi-word verb:

She’s beencaringforher mother for years.

It’s not a good time tolookforit now. We have to go.

You will find other multi-word verbs withforin a good learner’s dictionary.