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With pressure; with urgency; hence, diligently; earnestly. And prayed so hard for mercy from the prince. Dryden. My father Is hard at study; pray now, rest yourself. Shak.

To search diligently after; to seek; to pursue; to follow; -- often with out or up; as, to hunt up the facts; to hunt out evidence. Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. Ps. cxl. 11.

ve one's time; to improve his means. Shak. We shall especially honor God by improving diligently the talents which God hath committed to us. Barrow. A hint that I do not remember to have seen opened and improved. Addison. The court seldom fails to improve the oppotunity. Blackstone. How doth the little busy bee Improve…

To introduce gently or slowly, as by a winding or narrow passage, or a gentle, persistent movement. The water easily insinuates itself into, and placidly distends, the vessels of vegetables. Woodward.

To breathe; to blow gently. [Obs.] And when the wind amongst them did inspire, They wavèd like a penon wide dispread. Spenser.

One who searches diligently into a subject.

Gently penetrating or pervading. [Obs.] J. Philips.

e; as, he just missed the train; just too late. A soft Etesian gale But just inspired and gently swelled the sail. Dryden. Just now, the least possible time since; a moment ago.

r tenor. His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal. Milton. Keep a stiff rein, and move but gently on. Addison.

To touch gently, as if fondly or caressingly. When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees. Shak.

With knowledge; in a knowing manner; intelligently; consciously; deliberately; as, he would not knowingly offend. Strype.

An unfermentable carbohydrate obtained by gently heating levulose.

With a low voice or sound; not loudly; gently; as, to speak low. Addison. The . . . odorous wind Breathes low between the sunset and the moon. Tennyson.

To chew something gently with closed lips.

To bite by little at a time; to seize gently with the mouth; to eat slowly or in small bits. Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep. Shak.

To touch gently, as with the elbow, in order to call attention or convey intimation.

caress; to fondle, as a nurse does. A. Trollope. To nurse billiard balls, to strike them gently and so as to keep them in good position during a series of caroms.

Soft mud or slime; earth so wet as to flow gently, or easily yield to pressure. "My son i' the ooze is bedded." Shak.

To pat or stroke amorously, or gently. To be paddling palms and pinching fingers. Shak.

To strike gently with the fingers or hand; to stroke lightly; to tap; as, to pat a dog. Gay pats my shoulder, and you vanish quite. Pope.