Meanings of “for”

1. Purpose or intended recipient
   • A gift for you
   • A tool for cutting wood
   • A course for beginners
2. Duration
   • Waited for hours
   • Lived here for ten years
3. Support or favor
   • I’m for the new policy
   • Are you for or against it?
4. Exchange or cost
   • Bought it for $10
   • Traded his watch for a book
5. Benefit or advantage
   • Good for your health
   • I’ll carry that for you
6. Reason or cause
   • Praised for honesty
   • Thank you for helping me
7. Destination or aim
   • Heading for the mountains
   • Reached for the book
8. Suitability or appropriateness
   • Not suitable for children
   • Perfect for summer weather
9. Substitution or representation
   • Spoke for the whole team
   • Stood in for the manager
10. Comparison or standard
    • Tall for his age
    • Expensive for a paperback
11. Idiomatic expressions

Expression	Meaning
for good	permanently
for now	temporarily
for sure	definitely
for the sake of	in the interest of
for all I know	as far as I know
for crying out loud	frustration
for better or worse	regardless of outcome

1. Literary or archaic use (conjunction-like)
   • He stayed home, for he was ill.
   • We must hurry, for the sun is setting.

Summary table

Function	Example	Meaning
Purpose/recipient	A gift for you	intended for someone
Duration	Waited for hours	length of time
Support/favor	I’m for the idea	in favor of
Exchange/cost	Paid for lunch	in exchange
Benefit/advantage	Good for health	beneficial to
Reason/cause	Applauded for bravery	because of
Destination/aim	Left for Paris	heading toward
Suitability	Not for children	appropriate to
Substitution	Spoke for the team	on behalf of
Comparison/standard	Tall for his age	relative to norm
Idiomatic use	for good	permanently
Literary conjunction	He left, for it was late	because