Set 6

lucid |ˈluːsɪd|

adjective

1 expressed clearly; easy to

understand: a lucid account |

write in a clear and lucid style.

• showing or having the

ability to think clearly,

especially in intervals between periods of confusion or

insanity: he has a few lucid moments every now and then.

• Psychology (of a dream) experienced with the dreamer

feeling awake, aware of dreaming, and able to control

events consciously.

2 literary bright or luminous: birds dipped their wings in the lucid

flow of air.

DERIVATIVES

lucidity |-ˈsɪdɪti| noun,

lucidly adverb

ORIGIN late 16th cent. (in sense 2): from Latin lucidus

(perhaps via French lucide or Italian lucido) from lucere

‘shine’, from lux, luc- ‘light’.

fluid |ˈfluːɪd|

nouna substance that has no fixed shape and yields easily to

external pressure; a gas or (especially) a liquid: body fluids |

[ mass noun ] : a bottle of cleaning fluid.

adjective

1 (of a substance) able to flow easily: the paint is more fluid than

tube watercolours.

• smoothly elegant or graceful: her movements were fluid and

beautiful to watch.

• not settled or stable; likely or able to change: our plans are

still fluid | the fluid political situation of the 1930s.

2 (of a clutch or coupling) using a liquid to transmit power.

DERIVATIVES

fluidity |-ˈɪdɪti| noun,

fluidly adverb

ORIGIN late Middle English (as an adjective): from French

fluide or Latin fluidus, from fluere ‘to flow’.polite |pəәˈlʌɪt|

adjective (politer, politest)

having or showing behaviour that is respectful and

considerate of other people: they thought she was wrong but were

too polite to say so.

• [ attrib. ] relating to people who regard themselves as

more cultured and refined than others: the picture outraged

polite society.

DERIVATIVES

politely adverb,

politeness noun

ORIGIN late Middle English (in the Latin sense): from

Latin politus ‘polished, made smooth’, past participle of

polire .

politeness

noun

I have been treated with great politeness: courtesy, civility, respect,

deference, good breeding, manners, good manners, chivalry,

gallantry, gentility, cultivation, grace, urbanity; tact,

tactfulness, consideration, considerateness, thoughtfulness,discretion, diplomacy, soft skills; humorous couth; dated

mannerliness. ANTONYMS rudeness.

clarity |ˈklarɪti|

noun [ mass noun ]

the quality of being clear, in particular:

• the quality of being coherent and intelligible: for the sake of

clarity, each of these strategies is dealt with separately.

• the quality of being easy to see or hear; sharpness of

image or sound: the clarity of the picture.

• the quality of being certain or definite: it was clarity of

purpose that he needed.

• the quality of transparency or purity: the crystal clarity of

water.

ORIGIN Middle English (in the sense ‘glory, divine

splendour’): from Latin claritas, from clarus ‘clear’. The

current sense dates from the early 17th cent.

clarity

noun1 the clarity of his account: lucidity, lucidness, clearness,

perspicuity, intelligibility, comprehensibility, coherence;

simplicity, plainness, explicitness, lack of ambiguity,

precision. ANTONYMS obscurity, vagueness.

2 the clarity of the original image: sharpness, clearness, crispness,

definition, distinctness, precision. ANTONYMS blurriness.

3 the crystal clarity of the water: limpidity, limpidness, clearness,

transparency, translucence, pellucidity, glassiness; purity;

rare transpicuousness. ANTONYMS opacity, murkiness.

fluency |ˈfluːəәnsi|

noun [ mass noun ]

the quality or condition of being fluent, in particular:

• the ability to speak or write a particular foreign language

easily and accurately: fluency in Spanish is essential.

• the ability to express oneself easily and articulately.

ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from Latin fluentia, from fluere

‘to flow’.

indict |ɪnˈdʌɪt|

verb [ with obj. ] chiefly N. Amer.formally accuse of or charge with a crime: his former manager

was indicted for fraud.

DERIVATIVES

indictee |-ˈtiː| noun,

indicter noun

ORIGIN Middle English endite, indite, from Anglo-Norman

French enditer, based on Latin indicere ‘proclaim,

appoint’, from in- ‘towards’ + dicere ‘pronounce,

utter’.

implicate

verb |ˈɪmplɪkeɪt| [ with obj. ]

1 show (someone) to be involved in a crime: he implicated

his government in the murders of three judges.

• (be implicated in) bear some of the responsibility for (an

action or process, especially a criminal or harmful one):

viruses are known to be implicated in the development of certain

cancers.

2 [ with clause ] convey (a meaning) indirectly through what

one says, rather than stating it explicitly: by saying that coffee

would keep her awake, Mary implicated that she didn't want any.noun |ˈɪmplɪkəәt| Logic

a thing implied.

DERIVATIVES

implicative |ɪmˈplɪkəәtɪv| adjective,

implicatively |ɪmˈplɪkəәtɪvli| adverb,

implicatory adjective

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin implicatus

‘folded in’, past participle of implicare (see imply). The

original sense was ‘entwine’; compare with employ and

imply. The earliest modern ( sense 2 of the verb), dates

from the early 17th cent.

implicate

verb

1 he had been implicated in a financial scandal: incriminate,

compromise; involve, connect, embroil, enmesh, ensnare;

expose; archaic inculpate. ANTONYMS absolve.

2 viruses are known to be implicated in the development of certain

cancers: involve in, concern with, associate with, connect

with, tie up with.3 when one asks a question one implicates that one desires an answer.

See imply.

elude |ɪˈl(j)uːd|

verb [ with obj. ]

1 escape from or avoid (a danger, enemy, or pursuer),

typically in a skilful or cunning way: he tried to elude the security

men by sneaking through a back door.

• avoid compliance with (a law or penalty). we need to ensure

that bad cases do not elude tough penalties.

2 (of an achievement or something desired) fail to be

attained by (someone): sleep still eluded her.

• (of an idea or fact) fail to be understood or remembered

by (someone): the logic of this eluded most people.

DERIVATIVES

elusion |-ʒ(əә)n| noun

ORIGIN mid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘delude, baffle’): from

Latin eludere, from e- (variant of ex-)‘out, away from’ +

ludere ‘to play’.

eludeverb

the murderer managed to elude the police for several weeks: evade,

avoid, get away from, dodge, flee, escape (from), run (away)

from; lose, duck, shake off, give the slip to, slip away from,

throw off the scent; informal slip through someone's fingers,

slip through the net; archaic circumvent, bilk.

ANTONYMS be caught by.

charge |tʃɑːdʒ|

verb [ with obj. ]

1 demand (an amount) as a price for a service rendered or

goods supplied: wedding planners may charge an hourly fee of up to

£150 | [ with two objs ] : he charged me five dollars for the wine.

• (charge something to) record the cost of something as

an amount payable by (someone) or on (an account): they

charge the calls to their credit-card accounts.

2 formally accuse (someone) of something, especially an

offence under law: they were charged with assault.

• [ with clause ] make an accusation or assertion that:

opponents charged that below-cost pricing would reduce safety.• Law formally accuse someone of (an offence). they filed a

lawsuit charging fraud and breach of contract.

3 entrust (someone) with a task as a duty or responsibility:

the committee was charged with reshaping the educational system.

4 store electrical energy in (a battery or battery-operated

device): the shaver can be charged up and used while travelling.

• [ no obj. ] (of a battery or battery-operated device) receive

and store electrical energy.

• load or fill (a container, gun, etc.) to the full or proper

extent.

• fill or pervade with a quality or emotion: the air was

charged with menace.

5 [ no obj. ] rush forward in attack: the plan is to charge

headlong at the enemy.

• [ with obj. ] rush aggressively towards (someone or

something) in attack. I don't advise anyone to charge that barricade.

• [ with adverbial of direction ] move quickly and forcefully:

Henry charged up the staircase.

6 Heraldry place a heraldic bearing on: a pennant argent,

charged with a cross gules.

noun1 a price asked for goods or services: our standard charge for a

letter is £25.

• a financial liability or commitment. an asset of some £102.7

m should have been taken as a charge on earnings.

2 an accusation, typically one formally made against a

prisoner brought to trial: he appeared in court on a charge of

attempted murder.

3 [ mass noun ] responsibility for the care or control of

someone or something: the people in her charge are pupils and

not experimental subjects.

• [ count noun ] a person or thing entrusted to the care of

someone: the babysitter watched over her charges.

• [ count noun ] dated a responsibility or duty assigned to

someone. I have therefore laid down the charge which was placed

upon me.

• [ count noun ] an official instruction, especially one given

by a judge to a jury regarding points of law. the judge gave a

painstakingly careful charge to the jury.

4 the property of matter that is responsible for electrical

phenomena, existing in a positive or negative form.• the quantity of matter responsible for electrical

phenomena carried by a body.

• [ mass noun ] energy stored chemically for conversion into

electricity.

• an act or period of storing electrical energy in a battery.

• [ in sing. ] informal a thrill: I get a real charge out of

working hard.

5 a quantity of explosive to be detonated in order to fire a

gun or similar weapon. smaller charges, fired on three minute fuses

lit by hand.

6 a headlong rush forward, typically in attack: a cavalry

charge.

7 Heraldry a device or bearing placed on a shield or crest.

PHRASES

free of charge without any payment due. a Certificate of

Posting is available free of charge at the counter.

in charge in control or with overall responsibility: he was in

charge of civil aviation matters.

press charges accuse someone formally of a crime so that

they can be brought to trial. the victims often refuse to press

charges.put someone on a charge of something Brit.charge

someone with a specified offence. he should be put on a charge of

perjury.

take charge assume control or responsibility: the candidate

must take charge of an actual flight.

DERIVATIVES

chargeable adjective,

chargee noun

ORIGIN Middle English (in the general senses ‘to load’

and ‘a load’), from Old French charger (verb), charge

(noun), from late Latin carricare, carcare ‘to load’, from

Latin carrus ‘wheeled vehicle’.

charge

verb

1 he didn't charge much for her flat: ask in payment, ask, fix a

charge, fix a price, impose, levy; expect, demand, exact; bill,

invoice.

2 the subscription price will be charged to your account annually:

bill, put down, debit from, take from. ANTONYMS credit

to.3 two men from London were charged with affray: accuse of,

indict for, arraign for; prosecute for, try for, bring to trial for,

put on trial for; blame for, hold accountable for, implicate

in; N. Amer. impeach for; archaic inculpate. ANTONYMS

absolve.

4 they charged him with writing a history of the Ottoman dynasty:

entrust; burden, encumber, hamper, saddle, tax, weigh,

weigh down, load.

5 their mounted cavalry charged the advancing tanks: attack, storm,

rush, assault, assail, open fire on, fall on, set upon, swoop

on, descend on, fly at, make an onslaught on, make a raid

on; take by storm, attempt to capture; informal lay into, tear

into.

6 riot police charged into the crowd: rush, move quickly, storm,

stampede, career, tear, push, plough, swoop, dive, lunge,

launch oneself, throw oneself, go headlong; informal steam;

N. Amer. informal barrel. ANTONYMS retreat.

7 please see to it that your glasses are charged | the guns were charged

and primed: fill, fill up, fill to the brim, top up, stock; load,

load up, pack, plug, arm, prepare to fire. ANTONYMS

empty.8 his work was charged with a kind of demonic energy: suffuse,

pervade, permeate, saturate, infuse, imbue, impregnate,

inform, infect, inject, fill, load, instil, inspire, affect.

9 I charge you to stop this course of action: order, command,

direct, instruct, tell, exhort, enjoin, adjure, demand, require;

literary bid.

noun

1 customers pay a charge for the water consumed | all bus rides were

free of charge: fee, price, tariff, amount, sum, figure, fare, rate,

payment, toll, levy; cost, expense, expenditure, outlay, dues.

2 his client would be pleading not guilty to the charge: accusation,

allegation, indictment, arraignment, citation, imputation;

blame, incrimination; N. Amer. impeachment; N. Amer.

informal beef; archaic inculpation.

3 Miles mustered the 5th Infantry for a charge: attack, assault,

offensive, onslaught, offence, drive, push, thrust, onrush,

sortie, sally, swoop, foray, raid, invasion, incursion,

campaign; storming; Germanblitzkrieg; Italianrazzia;

archaic onset. ANTONYMS retreat.

4 he put Gabriel in the charge of his daughter: care, protection,

safe keeping, keeping, supervision, surveillance, control,handling; custody, guardianship, tutelage, wardship,

protectorship, patronage, trusteeship, auspices, aegis; hands,

lap; archaic ward.

5 his charge was to save the paper from bankruptcy: duty,

responsibility, task, job, obligation, assignment, mission,

business, concern, function, burden, onus; directive, brief,

briefing, instruction; Brit. informal pigeon; dated office.

6 I am concerned for the safety of my charge: ward, protégé,

dependant; pupil, trainee, apprentice, mentee; minor.

ANTONYMS guardian.

7 the judge gave a painstakingly careful charge to the jury:

instruction, direction, directive, order, command, dictate,

injunction, exhortation, mandate.

8 N. Amer. informal I get a real charge out of working hard:

thrill, tingle, glow; excitement, stimulation, fun, enjoyment,

amusement, pleasure, gratification; informal kick, buzz,

high.

PHRASES

in charge of he was in charge of his father's printing works:

responsible for, in control of, at the helm of, in the driving

seat of, at the wheel of; managing, running, administering,directing, supervising, overseeing, controlling, commanding,

leading, heading up, looking after, taking care of; informal

running the show, calling the shots.

manifest 1 |ˈmanɪfɛst|

adjective

clear or obvious to the eye or mind: her manifest charm and

proven ability.

verb [ with obj. ]

show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance;

demonstrate: Lizzy manifested signs of severe depression.

• be evidence of; prove: bad industrial relations are often

manifested in strikes.

• [ no obj. ] (of an ailment) become apparent through the

appearance of symptoms. a disorder that usually manifests in

middle age.

• [ no obj. ] (of a ghost or spirit) appear: one deity manifested in

the form of a bird.

DERIVATIVESmanifestly adverb [ as submodifier ] : manifestly unfounded

claims [ sentence adverb ] : manifestly, we have no effective

deterrent for such crime

ORIGIN late Middle English: via Old French from Latin

manifestus .

manifest 2 |ˈmanɪfɛst|

noun

a document listing a ship's contents, cargo, passengers, and

crew, for the use of customs officers.

• a list of passengers or cargo in an aircraft.

• a list of the wagons forming a freight train.

verb [ with obj. ]

record in a manifest: every passenger is manifested at the point of

departure.

ORIGIN mid 16th cent. (denoting a manifestation): from

Italian manifesto (see manifesto). The current sense

dates from the early 17th cent.

manifest

verb1 she manifested signs of depression: display, show, exhibit,

demonstrate, betray, present, evince, reveal, indicate, make

plain, express, declare. ANTONYMS hide.

2 disputes and strikes manifest bad industrial relations: be evidence

of, be a sign of, indicate, show, attest, reflect, bespeak, prove,

establish, evidence, substantiate, corroborate, verify,

confirm; literary betoken. ANTONYMS mask; deny.

adjective

his manifest lack of interest in the proceedings: obvious, clear, plain,

apparent, evident, patent, palpable, distinct, definite,

blatant, overt, glaring, barefaced, explicit, transparent,

conspicuous, undisguised, unmistakable, unquestionable,

undeniable, noticeable, perceptible, visible, recognizable,

observable. ANTONYMS hidden, secret.

appraise |əәˈpreɪz|

verb [ with obj. ]

assess the value or quality of: there is a need to appraise existing

techniques | (as adj.appraising) : she cast an appraising eye over

the notes.• assess the performance of (an employee) formally. some

companies are considering team appraisals instead of appraising

individuals.

• (of an official valuer) set a price on; value: they appraised the

painting at £200,000.

DERIVATIVES

appraisable adjective,

appraisee |-ˈziː| noun,

appraisement noun,

appraiser noun,

appraisingly adverb,

appraisive adjective

ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘set a price on’):

alteration of apprize, by association with praise. The

current sense dates from the mid 19th cent.

usage: The verb appraise is frequently confused with

apprise. Appraise means ‘assess (someone or something)’,

as in a need to appraise existing techniques, or ‘value’, as in have

the gold watch appraised by an expert, while apprise means

‘inform (someone)’ and is often used in the structure

apprise someone of something, as in psychiatrists wereapprised of his condition. People often incorrectly use

appraise rather than apprise, as in once appraised of the

real facts, there was only one person who showed any opposition.

appraise

verb

1 the men stepped back to appraise their handiwork: assess, evaluate,

estimate, judge, rate, gauge, sum up, review, consider;

informal size up.

2 his goods were appraised at £1,800: value, price, set a price

on, estimate, quote; survey.

accuse |əәˈkjuːz|

verb [ with obj. ] (often accuse someone of)

charge (someone) with an offence or crime: he was accused of

murdering his wife's lover.

• claim that (someone) has done something wrong: he was

accused of favouritism.

DERIVATIVES

accuser nounORIGIN Middle English: from Old French acuser, from

Latin accusare ‘call to account’, from ad- ‘towards’ +

causa ‘reason, motive, lawsuit’.

praise |preɪz|

verb [ with obj. ]

1 express warm approval or admiration of: we can't praise

Chris enough—he did a brilliant job.

2 express one's respect and gratitude towards (a deity),

especially in song: we praise God for past blessings.

noun [ mass noun ] (also praises)

1 the expression of approval or admiration for someone or

something: the audience was full of praise for the whole production.

2 the expression of respect and gratitude as an act of

worship: give praise to God.

PHRASES

praise be archaic used as an expression of relief, joy, or

gratitude. ‘How is your sister?’ ‘On the mend, praise be.’.

sing the praises of express enthusiastic approval or

admiration of: Uncle Felix never stopped singing her praises.DERIVATIVES

praiseful adjective,

praiser noun

ORIGIN Middle English (also in the sense ‘set a price on,

attach value to’): from Old French preisier ‘to prize,

praise’, from late Latin pretiare, from Latin pretium

‘price’. Compare with prize 1 .

praise

verb

1 the police praised Parveen for her courage: commend, express

approval of, express admiration for, applaud, pay tribute to,

speak highly of, eulogize, compliment, congratulate,

celebrate, sing the praises of, praise to the skies, rave about,

go into raptures about, heap praise on, wax lyrical about,

say nice things about, make much of, pat on the back, take

one's hat off to, throw bouquets at, lionize, admire, hail,

cheer, flatter; N. Amer. informal ballyhoo; black English

big someone/something up; dated cry someone/something

up; rare laud, panegyrize. ANTONYMS criticize,

condemn.2 we praise God for past blessings: worship, glorify, honour, exalt,

adore, pay tribute to, pay homage to, give thanks to,

venerate, reverence, hallow, bless; archaic magnify; rare

laud.

noun

1 James was full of praise for the medical teams | he left Washington

with the President's praises ringing in his ears: approval, acclaim,

admiration, approbation, acclamation, plaudits,

congratulations, commendation, applause, flattery,

adulation; tribute, accolade, cheer, compliment, a pat on the

back, eulogy, encomium, panegyric, ovation, bouquet,

laurels; N. Amer. puffery; N. Amer. informal kudos; rare

laudation, eulogium.

2 give praise to God: honour, thanks, glory, glorification,

worship, devotion, exaltation, adoration, veneration,

reverence, tribute.

WORD LINKS

laudatory expressing praise

Word Links sections supply words that are related to

the headword but do not normally appear in a

thesaurus because they are not actual synonyms.appreciate |əәˈpriːʃɪeɪt, -sɪ-|

verb [ with obj. ]

1 recognize the full worth of: she feels that he does not appreciate

her.

• be grateful for (something): I'd appreciate any information you

could give me.

2 understand (a situation) fully; grasp the full implications

of: they failed to appreciate the pressure he was under | [ with

clause ] : I appreciate that you cannot be held totally responsible.

3 [ no obj. ] rise in value or price: the dollar appreciated

against the euro by 15 per cent.

DERIVATIVES

appreciator noun,

appreciatory |-ʃ(ɪ)əәt(əә)ri| adjective

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from late Latin appretiat- ‘set at

a price, appraised’, from the verb appretiare, from ad-

‘to’ + pretium ‘price’.

appreciate

verb1 I'd appreciate any advice you can give: be grateful for, be

thankful for, give thanks for, be obliged for, be indebted for,

be beholden for, be in your debt for, be appreciative of.

ANTONYMS disparage.

2 by this time, the college appreciated me rather more: value, respect,

prize, cherish, treasure, admire, hold in high regard, hold in

esteem, rate highly, think highly of, think much of, have a

high opinion of, set (great) store by.

3 I appreciate the problems of administration that would make this

scheme impractical: acknowledge, recognize, realize, know; be

aware of, be conscious of, be cognizant of; be alive to, be

sensitive to, be alert to; sympathize with, understand,

comprehend, perceive, discern; informal take on board, be

wise to. ANTONYMS be unaware of.

4 with good advice a couple can buy a home that will appreciate in

value: increase, gain, grow, build up, rise, go up, mount,

inflate, escalate, soar, rocket; improve, enhance.

ANTONYMS depreciate, decrease.

judge |dʒʌdʒ|

noun1 a public officer appointed to decide cases in a law court. he

is due to appear before a judge and jury on Monday. a High Court

Judge.

• a person who decides the results of a competition. a

distinguished panel of judges select the winning design.

• a person able or qualified to give an opinion on

something: she was a good judge of character.

2 a leader having temporary authority in ancient Israel in

the period between Joshua and the kings. See also Judges.

verb [ with obj. ]

form an opinion or conclusion about: a production can be

judged according to the canons of aesthetic criticism | [ with

clause ] : it is hard to judge whether such opposition is justified |

[ no obj. ] : judging from his letters home, Monty was in good

spirits.

• decide (a case) in a law court: other cases were judged by

tribunal.

• [ with obj. and complement ] give a verdict on (someone)

in a law court: she was judged innocent of murder.

• decide the results of (a competition). she was there to judge the

contest.DERIVATIVES

judgeship noun

ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French juge (noun),

juger (verb), from Latin judex, judic-, from jus ‘law’ +

dicere ‘to say’.

judge

noun

1 the judge sentenced him to five years: justice, magistrate, His/

Her/Your Honour; Law Lord, Lord Justice; (judges) the

judiciary; in England & Walesrecorder; in Scotlandsheriff;

in the Isle of Mandeemster; in the Channel Islandsjurat; N.

Amer. jurist, surrogate; Spanishalcalde; informal beak,

m'lud; historical reeve; Scottish historical sheriff-depute,

bailie.

2 a distinguished panel of judges will select the winning design:

adjudicator, arbiter, assessor, evaluator, appraiser, examiner,

moderator; umpire, referee, referee's assistant, assistant

referee, linesman, line judge, mediator; expert, connoisseur,

authority, specialist, pundit; Latinarbiter elegantiarum.

verb1 I judged that she was simply exhausted | voters were asked what

factors they judged to be most important: form the opinion, come

to the conclusion, conclude, decide, determine; consider,

believe, think, deem, view; deduce, gather, infer, gauge, tell,

see, say, estimate, assess, guess, surmise, conjecture; regard

as, hold, see as, look on as, take to be, rate as, rank as, class

as, count; informal reckon, figure, guesstimate.

2 other cases were judged by tribunal: try, hear, sit in judgement

on; adjudicate, decide, give a ruling/verdict on, pass

judgement on.

3 she was judged innocent of murder: adjudge, pronounce,

decree, rule, find.

4 the competition will be judged by Alan Amey: adjudicate,

arbitrate, umpire, referee, mediate, moderate; officiate.

5 entries will by judged by a panel of experts: assess, appraise,

evaluate, weigh up; examine, review, criticize; informal size

up.

deluge |ˈdɛljuːdʒ|

noun

a severe flood. this may be the worst deluge in living memory.• (the Deluge) the biblical Flood (recorded in Genesis 6–8).

the world appeared to be emerging still from the waters of the Deluge.

• a heavy fall of rain: a deluge of rain hit the plains.

• a great quantity of something arriving at the same time: a

deluge of complaints.

verb [ with obj. ]

overwhelm with a flood. caravans were deluged by the heavy rains.

• inundate with a great quantity of something: he has been

deluged with offers of work.

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French, variant of

diluve, from Latin diluvium, from diluere ‘wash away’.

deluge

noun

1 many homes were swept away by the deluge: flood, flash flood,

torrent; Brit. spate.

2 yesterday's deluge had turned the pitch into a muddy swamp:

downpour, torrential rain, torrent of rain; thunderstorm,

rainstorm, cloudburst. ANTONYMS drizzle.3 a deluge of complaints: barrage, volley; flood, torrent,

avalanche, stream, storm, shower, cascade, spate, wave,

rush, outpouring. ANTONYMS trickle.

verb

1 caravans were deluged by the heavy rains: flood, inundate,

engulf, submerge, swamp, drown.

2 we have been deluged with calls for information: inundate,

overwhelm, overload, overrun, flood, swamp, snow under,

engulf; shower, bombard.

confusion |kəәnˈfjuːʒ(əә)n|

noun [ mass noun ]

1 uncertainty about what is happening, intended, or

required: there seems to be some confusion about which system

does what | he cleared up the confusion over the party's policy.

• a situation of panic or disorder: the guaranteed income bond

market was thrown into confusion.

• [ in sing. ] a disorderly jumble: all I can see is a confusion

of brown cardboard boxes.

2 the state of being bewildered or unclear in one's mind

about something: she looked about her in confusion.• the mistaking of one person or thing for another: there is

some confusion between ‘unlawful’ and ‘illegal’ | [ count noun ] :

most of the errors are reasonable confusions between similar words.

ORIGIN Middle English: from Latin confusio(n-), from

the verb confundere ‘mingle together’ (see confuse) .

confusion

noun

1 there seems to be some confusion about which system does what:

uncertainty, lack of certainty, unsureness, indecision,

hesitation, hesitancy, scepticism, doubt, ignorance; rare

dubiety, incertitude. ANTONYMS certainty.

2 she looked about her in confusion: bewilderment, bafflement,

perplexity, puzzlement, mystification, stupefaction,

disorientation, befuddlement, muddle; discomfiture,

discomposure, shock, daze, devastation; wonder,

wonderment, astonishment; informal bamboozlement,

discombobulation; rare disconcertment, disconcertion.

3 your personal life seems to have been thrown into utter confusion:

disorder, disarray, disorganization, disorderliness, untidiness,

chaos, mayhem, bedlam, pandemonium, madness, havoc,turmoil, tumult, commotion, disruption, upheaval, furore,

frenzy, uproar, babel, hurly-burly, maelstrom, muddle, mess,

shambles; a mare's nest, anarchy, entropy; informal

hullabaloo, all hell broken loose, a madhouse; N. Amer.

informal a three-ring circus; rare disarrangement.

ANTONYMS order.

4 a confusion of brown cardboard boxes: jumble, muddle, mess,

heap, tangle, entanglement, tumble, welter, litter, shambles.

deception |dɪˈsɛpʃ(əә)n|

noun [ mass noun ]

the action of deceiving someone: obtaining property by

deception.

• [ count noun ] a thing that deceives: a range of elaborate

deceptions.

ORIGIN late Middle English: from late Latin deceptio(n-),

from decipere ‘deceive’.

deception

noun1 the court found that they had obtained money by deception: deceit,

deceitfulness, duplicity, double-dealing, fraud, fraudulence,

cheating, trickery, duping, hoodwinking, chicanery,

underhandedness, deviousness, slyness, cunning, craft,

craftiness, wiliness, artfulness, guile, dissimulation,

dissembling, bluff, bluffing, lying, pretence, artifice,

treachery; informal crookedness, monkey business, funny

business, hanky-panky, jiggery-pokery, kidology; N. Amer.

informal monkeyshines; Irish informal codology; archaic

management, knavery.

2 she had proof that this was a deception: trick, stratagem, device,

ruse, scheme, dodge, manoeuvre, contrivance, machination,

subterfuge, cheat, swindle, confidence trick; sham, fraud,

pretence, imposture, hoax, fake, misrepresentation, blind,

wile, artifice, Trojan horse; informal con, con trick, set-up,

game, scam, sting, gyp, leg-pull, flimflam; Brit. informal

wheeze; N. Amer. informal bunco, grift; Austral. informal

lurk, rort; S. African informal schlenter; Brit. informal,

dated flanker; archaic shift, fetch, rig.flood |flʌd|

noun

1 an overflow of a large amount of water beyond its normal

limits, especially over what is normally dry land: the villagers

had been cut off by floods and landslides | [ as modifier ] : a flood

barrier.

• (the Flood)the biblical flood brought by God upon the

earth because of the wickedness of the human race (Gen. 6

ff.).

• the inflow of the tide.

• literary a river, stream, or sea.

2 an outpouring of tears: she burst into floods of tears.

• an overwhelming quantity of things or people happening

or appearing at the same time: his column provoked a flood of

complaints | floods of tourists come each year to marvel at the

sights.

3 short for floodlight.

verb [ with obj. ]

1 cover or submerge (an area) with water in a flood: the dam

burst, flooding a small town | (as nounflooding) : a serious risk of

flooding.• [ no obj. ] become covered or submerged by a flood: part of

the vessel flooded | figurative : Sarah's eyes flooded with tears.

• (usu. be flooded out) (of a flood) force (someone) to leave

their home.

• (of a river) become swollen and overflow (its banks).

2 fill or suffuse completely: she flooded the room with light | [ no

obj., with adverbial of direction ] : sunlight flooded in at the

windows.

• overfill the carburettor of (an engine) with petrol, causing

the engine to fail to start.

3 [ no obj., with adverbial of direction ] arrive in

overwhelming amounts or quantities: congratulatory messages

flooded in | figurative : his old fears came flooding back.

• [ with obj. ] overwhelm with large amounts or quantities:

our switchboard was flooded with calls.

4 [ no obj. ] (of a woman) experience a uterine

haemorrhage.

PHRASES

be in (full) flood (of a river) be overflowing its banks. • (be

in full flood) be progressing or talking vigorously orenthusiastically: discussion was already in full flood and refused to

be dammed. she was in full flood about the glories of bicycling.

ORIGIN Old English flōd, of Germanic origin; related to

Dutch vloed and German Flut, also to flow.

flood

noun

1 several villages were cut off by the flood: inundation, swamping,

deluge; torrent, overflow, flash flood, freshet; downpour,

cloudburst; Brit. spate.

2 she came home in a flood of tears: outpouring, torrent, rush,

stream, gush, surge, cascade, flow.

3 a flood of complaints: succession, series, string, chain;

barrage, volley, battery; avalanche, torrent, stream, tide,

spate, storm, shower, cascade, wave, rush, outpouring.

ANTONYMS trickle.

verb

1 the dam burst, flooding a small town: inundate, swamp, deluge,

immerse, submerge, drown, engulf.

2 the major river in the area has already flooded: overflow, burst its

banks, brim over, run over; rare overbrim, disembogue.3 imports were allowed to flood the domestic market: glut, swamp,

saturate, oversupply, overfill, overload, overwhelm.

4 congratulatory messages flooded in: pour, stream, surge, swarm,

pile, crowd, throng. ANTONYMS trickle.

WORD LINKS

diluvial relating to floods

antlophobia fear of floods

Word Links sections supply words that are related to

the headword but do not normally appear in a

thesaurus because they are not actual synonyms.

weapon |ˈwɛp(əә)n|

noun

a thing designed or used for inflicting bodily harm or

physical damage: nuclear weapons.

• a means of gaining an advantage or defending oneself in

a conflict or contest: resignation threats had long been a weapon in

his armoury.

DERIVATIVES

weaponed adjective,

weaponless adjectiveORIGIN Old English wǣp(e)n, of Germanic origin; related

to Dutch wapen and German Waffe .

preponderance |prɪˈpɒnd(əә)r(əә)ns|

noun [ mass noun ]

the quality or fact of being greater in number, quantity, or

importance: the preponderance of women among older people |

[ count noun ] : a preponderance of lower-paid jobs.

preponderance

noun

1 the preponderance of women among older people: prevalence,

predominance, dominance.

2 the preponderance of evidence indicates that such is likely to be the

case: bulk, majority, greater quantity, larger part, best/better

part, main part, most, almost all, more than half, mass,

weight, (main) body, lion's share, predominance, generality.

3 many members were dissatisfied with the preponderance of the trade

unions: predominance, dominance, ascendancy, leadership,

mastery, supremacy, control, sway, power; advantage, upper

hand, edge; rare paramountcy.pre-eminence |priːˈɛmɪnəәns|

noun [ mass noun ]

the fact of surpassing all others; superiority: the Edinburgh

Festival maintains its pre-eminence because of the quality of its

programming.

pre-eminence

noun

his pre-eminence as a historian: superiority, supremacy,

greatness, excellence, distinction, prominence,

predominance, eminence, peerlessness, transcendence,

importance, prestige, stature, fame, renown, celebrity; rare

supereminence.

dominance |ˈdɒmɪnəәns|

noun [ mass noun ]

power and influence over others: the worldwide dominance of

Hollywood.• Genetics the phenomenon whereby, in an individual

containing two allelic forms of a gene, one is expressed to

the exclusion of the other. all had, in conformity with the

principle of dominance, round seeds with yellow cotyledons.

• Ecology the predominance of one or more species in a

plant (or animal) community. some plants produce structures to

outcompete other species for dominance in a given habitat.

DERIVATIVES

dominancy noun

dominance

noun

he is in a position of political dominance: supremacy, superiority,

ascendancy, pre-eminence, predominance, domination,

dominion, mastery, power, authority, rule, command,

control, sway, leverage, influence; literary puissance; rare

predomination, paramountcy, prepotence, prepotency,

prepollency. ANTONYMS subservience, subjugation.

domineer |ˌdɒmɪˈnɪəә|

verb [ no obj. ] (usu. as adj.domineering)assert one's will over another in an arrogant way: Cathy had

been a martyr to her gruff, domineering husband.

DERIVATIVES

domineeringly adverb

ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Dutch dominieren, from

French dominer, from Latin dominari (see dominate) .

domineering

adjective

he was brought up by a cold, domineering father: overbearing,

authoritarian, imperious, high-handed, high and mighty,

autocratic, autarchic; officious, peremptory, bossy, arrogant,

haughty, masterful, forceful, coercive, bullish, dictatorial,

tyrannical, draconian, despotic, controlling, oppressive,

subjugating, iron-fisted, iron-handed, strict, harsh, severe;

informal throwing one's weight about; rare pushful.

ANTONYMS meek.

domineer

verb

all her life she was domineered by Granny: browbeat, bully,

intimidate, pressurize, menace, hector, boss (about/around),push around/about, order about/around, give orders to,

lord it over, tyrannize, terrorize, persecute, oppress, dictate

to, be overbearing, ride roughshod over, trample on, have

under one's thumb, rule with an iron hand, rule with a rod

of iron, use strong-arm tactics on, impose one's will on,

bend to one's will, subjugate; informal bulldoze, walk all

over, railroad, lean on, put the screws on, strong-arm,

squeeze.

preoccupation |prɪˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃ(əә)n|

noun [ mass noun ]

the state or condition of being preoccupied or engrossed

with something: his preoccupation with politics.

• [ count noun ] a subject or matter that engrosses someone:

their main preoccupation was how to feed their families.

ORIGIN late 16th cent. (first used in rhetoric in the sense

‘anticipating and meeting objections beforehand’): from

Latin praeoccupatio(n-), from praeoccupare ‘seize

beforehand’ (see preoccupy) .preoccupation

noun

1 in spite of my preoccupation I enjoyed the journey: pensiveness,

concentration, engrossment, absorption, self-absorption,

musing, thinking, thinking of other things, deep thought,

brown study, brooding; abstraction, absent-mindedness,

absence of mind, distraction, forgetfulness, inattentiveness,

wool-gathering, inadvertence, heedlessness, dream, reverie,

daydreaming, oblivion, obliviousness.

2 their main preoccupation is providing winter feed for their cattle:

obsession, concern, fixation; fascination, passion,

enthusiasm, hobby horse, pet subject, compulsion, fetish,

complex, neurosis, mania; Frenchidée fixe; informal bee in

one's bonnet, hang-up, thing, bug.

invincible |ɪnˈvɪnsɪb(əә)l|

adjective

too powerful to be defeated or overcome: an invincible warrior.

DERIVATIVES

invincibility |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun,invincibly adverb

ORIGIN late Middle English (earlier than vincible): via Old

French from Latin invincibilis, from in- ‘not’ + vincibilis

(see vincible) .

invincible

adjective

an invincible warrior: invulnerable, indestructible,

unconquerable, unbeatable, indomitable, unassailable;

unyielding, unflinching, unbending, unshakeable,

indefatigable, dauntless; impregnable, inviolable, secure,

safe. ANTONYMS vulnerable, defenceless.

invisible |ɪnˈvɪzɪb(əә)l|

adjective

1 unable to be seen: this invisible gas is present to some extent in

every home.

• concealed from sight; hidden: he lounged in a doorway, invisible

in the dark.

• treated as if unable to be seen; ignored or not taken into

consideration: before 1971 women artists were pretty well invisible.2 Economics relating to or denoting earnings which a

country makes from the sale of services or other items not

constituting tangible commodities: invisible exports.

noun (invisibles)

invisible exports and imports.

DERIVATIVES

invisibility |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun,

invisibly adverb

ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin

invisibilis, from in- ‘not’ + visibilis (see visible) .

invisible

adjective

an invisible gas | he lounged in the doorway, invisible in the dark: not

visible, unseeable; undetectable, indiscernible,

indistinguishable, inconspicuous, unnoticeable,

imperceptible; unseen, unnoticed, unobserved, hidden,

concealed, obscured, out of sight, secret. ANTONYMS

visible.

WORD TOOLKITinvisible undetectab veiled

le

force

man

barrier

line

enemy

ink

God levels

steroid

drug

changes

virus

substances

concentratio

ns

threat

reference

warning

criticism

insult

suggestion

anger

Word Toolkits illustrate the difference between close

synonyms by means of words typically used with

them.

vulnerable |ˈvʌln(əә)rəәb(əә)l|

adjective

exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed,

either physically or emotionally: we were in a vulnerable position

| small fish are vulnerable to predators.

• Bridge (of a partnership) liable to higher penalties, either

by convention or through having won one game towards arubber. the authors advise a variable no-trump opening bid which

means weak non-vulnerable and strong vulnerable.

DERIVATIVES

vulnerability |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun (pl.vulnerabilities) ,

vulnerableness noun,

vulnerably adverb

ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from late Latin vulnerabilis,

from Latin vulnerare ‘to wound’, from vulnus ‘wound’.

reach |riːtʃ|

verb

1 [ no obj., with adverbial of direction ] stretch out an arm

in a specified direction in order to touch or grasp

something: he reached over and turned off his bedside light.

• (reach for) extend one's hand or arm in an attempt to

touch or grasp (something): Leith reached for the nearest folder.

• [ with obj. ] (reach something out) stretch out one's

hand or arm: he reached out a hand and touched her hair.

• [ with obj. ] (reach something down) stretch upwards

to pick something up and bring it to a lower level: she reached

down a plate from the cupboard.• [ with two objs ] hand (something) to (someone): reach me

those glasses.

• [ no obj. ] be able to touch something with an

outstretched arm or leg: I had to stand on tiptoe and even then I

could hardly reach.

2 [ with obj. ] arrive at; get as far as: ‘Goodbye,’ she said as they

reached the door | the show is due to reach our screens early next year.

• [ no obj. ] W. Indianarrive: just round that corner, by them

mango trees, and we reach.

3 [ with obj. ] attain or extend to (a specified point, level, or

condition): unemployment reached a peak in 1933 | [ no obj. ] :

denim shorts that reach to his knees.

• succeed in achieving: the conference reached agreement on the

draft treaty.

• succeed in influencing or having an effect on: he seeks

opportunities to reach viewers without journalistic interference.

4 [ with obj. ] make contact with (someone) by telephone or

other means: I've been trying to reach you all morning.

• (of a broadcast or other communication) be received by:

television reached those parts of the electorate that other news sources

could not.5 [ no obj. ] Sailing sail with the wind blowing from the side

of the ship. ‘Brighteyes’ was followed round the Goldstone by

‘Patriot’, while ‘Patriot’ white-sail reached.

noun

1 an act of reaching out with one's arm: she made a reach for

him.

• [ in sing. ] the distance to which someone, especially a

boxer, can stretch out their hand: a giant, over six feet seven with

a reach of over 81 inches.

2 the extent or range of something's application, effect, or

influence: he told a story to illustrate the reach of his fame.

• the number of people who watch or listen to a particular

broadcast or channel during a specified period: the

programme's daily reach is 400,000.

3 (often reaches) a continuous extent of water, especially a

stretch of river between two bends, or the part of a canal

between locks: the upper reaches of the Nile.

4 Sailing a distance traversed in reaching. he could sail a clear

reach for Key Canaka.

PHRASESout of (or beyond) reach outside the distance to which

someone can stretch out their hand. • beyond the capacity

of someone to attain something: she thought university was out

of her reach.

within (or in) reach inside the distance to which someone

can stretch out their hand. • inside a distance that can be

travelled: a 1930s semi within easy reach of the town centre. •

within the capacity of someone to attain something. the

arrangement is well within the reach of the average dancer.

DERIVATIVES

reachability |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun,

reachable adjective

ORIGIN Old English rǣcan, of West Germanic origin;

related to Dutch reiken and German reichen .

inoffensive |ɪnəәˈfɛnsɪv|

adjective

not objectionable or harmful: a shy, inoffensive, and sensitive girl.

DERIVATIVES

inoffensively adverb,

inoffensiveness nounsensitive |ˈsɛnsɪtɪv|

adjective

1 quick to detect or respond to slight changes, signals, or

influences: the new method of protein detection was more sensitive

than earlier ones | spiders are sensitive to vibrations on their web.

• easily damaged, injured, or distressed by slight changes: the

committee called for improved protection of wildlife in environmentally

sensitive areas.

• (of photographic materials) prepared so as to respond

rapidly to the action of light.

• (of a market) unstable and liable to quick changes of price

because of outside influences. the Japanese were successfully

entering many of the most sensitive markets.

2 having or displaying a quick and delicate appreciation of

others' feelings: I pay tribute to the Minister for his sensitive

handling of the bill.

• easily offended or upset: I suppose I shouldn't be so sensitive.

3 kept secret or with restrictions on disclosure to avoid

endangering security: he was suspected of passing sensitive

information to other countries.noun

a person who is believed to respond to paranormal

influences.

DERIVATIVES

sensitively adverb,

sensitiveness noun

ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘sensory’): from

Old French sensitif, -ive or medieval Latin sensitivus,

formed irregularly from Latin sentire ‘feel’. The current

senses date from the early 19th cent.

sensitive

adjective

1 as people get older, their bodies often grow less sensitive to

changes in external temperature: responsive to, quick to respond

to, sensitized to, reactive to, sentient of; aware of, conscious

of, alive to; susceptible to, easily affected by, vulnerable to;

attuned to, tuned in to; rare susceptive of. ANTONYMS

unresponsive, impervious, insensitive.

2 don't use facial scrubs if your skin is sensitive | his innocent words

touched sensitive spots within her own heart: delicate, easilydamaged, fragile; tender, sore, painful, raw. ANTONYMS

resilient, tough.

3 these matters will need sensitive handling by the social services | a

poignant, sensitive movie: tactful, careful, thoughtful,

diplomatic, delicate, subtle, finely tuned, kid-glove;

sympathetic, compassionate, understanding, empathetic,

intuitive, feeling, responsive, receptive; perceptive,

discerning, acute, insightful. ANTONYMS insensitive,

clumsy, like bull in a china shop.

4 I didn't realize he was so sensitive | her father was sensitive about

his bald patch: easily offended, easily upset, easily hurt, thin-

skinned, touchy, oversensitive, hypersensitive, defensive;

emotional, volatile, temperamental; paranoid, neurotic;

informal twitchy, uptight; rare umbrageous. ANTONYMS

thick-skinned.

5 a politically sensitive issue: difficult, delicate, tricky, awkward,

problematic, ticklish, precarious; controversial, emotive;

informal sticky. ANTONYMS uncontroversial.

organic |ɔːˈganɪk|

adjective1 relating to or derived from living matter: organic soils.

• Chemistry relating to or denoting compounds containing

carbon (other than simple binary compounds and salts) and

chiefly or ultimately of biological origin. Compare with

inorganic.

2 (of food or farming methods) produced or involving

production without the use of chemical fertilizers,

pesticides, or other artificial chemicals. organic farming. organic

meat.

3 Physiology relating to a bodily organ or organs.

• Medicine (of a disease) affecting the structure of an

organ.

4 denoting or characterized by a harmonious relationship

between the elements of a whole: the organic unity of the

integral work of art.

• characterized by gradual or natural development: the

organic growth of community projects.

noun (usu. organics)

1 a food produced by organic farming.

2 an organic chemical compound.

DERIVATIVESorganically adverb

ORIGIN late Middle English: via Latin from Greek

organikos ‘relating to an organ or instrument’.

sensible |ˈsɛnsɪb(əә)l|

adjective

1 done or chosen in accordance with wisdom or prudence;

likely to be of benefit: I cannot believe that it is sensible to spend so

much | a sensible diet.

• (of a person) possessing or displaying prudence: he was a

sensible and capable boy.

2 (of an object) practical and functional rather than

decorative: Mum always made me have sensible shoes.

3 archaic readily perceived; appreciable: it will effect a sensible

reduction in these figures.

• (sensible of/to) able to notice or appreciate; not unaware

of: we are sensible of the difficulties he faces.

DERIVATIVES

sensibleness noun,

sensibly adverbORIGIN late Middle English (also in the sense ‘perceptible

by the senses’): from Old French, or from Latin sensibilis,

from sensus (see sense) .

sensible

adjective

isn't this the sensible thing to do? | she's a very sensible person:

practical, realistic, responsible, full of common sense,

reasonable, rational, logical, sound, circumspect, balanced,

sober, no-nonsense, pragmatic, level-headed, serious-

minded, thoughtful, commonsensical, down-to-earth, wise,

prudent, mature; judicious, sagacious, sharp, shrewd, far-

sighted, intelligent, clever. ANTONYMS foolish.

divulge |dʌɪˈvʌldʒ, dɪ-|

verb [ with obj. ]

make known (private or sensitive information): I am too much

of a gentleman to divulge her age.

DERIVATIVES

divulgation |-ˈgeɪʃ(əә)n| noun

divulgence nounORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘announce

publicly’): from Latin divulgare, from di- ‘widely’ +

vulgare ‘publish’ (from vulgus ‘common people’).

divulge

verb

he refused to divulge Father O'Neill's whereabouts: disclose, reveal,

make known, tell, impart, communicate, pass on, publish,

broadcast, proclaim, promulgate, declare; expose, uncover,

make public, go public with, bring into the open, give away,

let slip, let drop, blurt out, leak, confess, betray, admit, come

out with; informal spill the beans about, let the cat out of

the bag about, let on about, tell all about, blow the lid off,

squeal about; Brit. informal blow the gaff on; archaic

discover, unbosom. ANTONYMS conceal.

conceal |kəәnˈsiːl|

verb [ with obj. ]

not allow to be seen; hide: a line of sand dunes concealed the

distant sea.• prevent (something) from being known; keep secret: they

were at great pains to conceal that information from the public.

ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French conceler, from

Latin concelare, from con- ‘completely’ + celare ‘hide’.

conceal

verb

1 a leather pouch was concealed under the folds of his kilt | a mass of

clouds concealed the sun: hide, keep out of sight, keep hidden,

secrete, tuck away; screen, cover, obscure, block out, blot

out, disguise, camouflage, mask, cloak, mantle, shroud;

literary enshroud. ANTONYMS reveal, expose.

2 a cabinet minister with a reputation for concealing information | up

to now, he'd always managed to conceal his true feelings: hide, cover

up, disguise, dissemble, mask, veil; keep secret, keep quiet

about, keep dark, hush up, draw a veil over, sweep under

the carpet, gloss over; suppress, repress, bottle up, bury;

informal keep a/the lid on, keep under one's hat.

ANTONYMS show, disclose, confess.

disguise |dɪsˈgʌɪz|verb [ with obj. ]

give (someone or oneself) a different appearance in order to

conceal one's identity: he disguised himself as a girl | Bryn

was disguised as a priest | (as adj.disguised) : a disguised

reporter.

• make (something) unrecognizable by altering its

appearance, sound, taste, or smell: does holding a handkerchief

over the mouthpiece really disguise your voice?

• conceal the nature or existence of (a feeling or situation):

he made no effort to disguise his contempt | (as adj.disguised) : his

voice was heavy with barely disguised emotion.

noun

a means of altering one's appearance to conceal one's

identity: I put on dark glasses as a disguise.

• [ mass noun ] the state of having altered one's appearance

in order to conceal one's identity: I told them you were a

policewoman in disguise.

• [ mass noun ] the concealing of one's true intentions or

feelings: the children looked at her without disguise.

DERIVATIVES

disguisement noun( archaic)ORIGIN Middle English (meaning ‘change one's usual style

of dress’, with no implication of concealing one's identity):

from Old French desguisier .

disguise

verb

she tried to disguise the bruises with make-up | Stephen's controlled

voice disguised his true feelings: camouflage, conceal, hide, cover

up, make inconspicuous, mask, screen, shroud, veil, cloak;

dissemble, dissimulate, gloss over, varnish over, paper over;

put up a smokescreen, misrepresent, falsify, give a false

picture of. ANTONYMS reveal, expose.

PHRASES

disguise oneself as Eleanor disguised herself as a man: dress

oneself up as, pass oneself of as, pretend to be,

impersonate, pose as; rare personate.

noun

1 his bizarre disguise drew stares from fellow shoppers: false

appearance, camouflage, concealment; outfit, costume;

informal get-up.2 a counsellor hopes gradually to strip away the disguises and help

partners to understand each other: facade, front, false front, cover-

up, masquerade, veneer, mask, veil; smokescreen,

dissimulation, pretence, deception.

oppress |əәˈprɛs|

verb [ with obj. ]

1 keep (someone) in subjection and hardship, especially by

the unjust exercise of authority: a system which oppressed

working people.

• cause distress or anxiety to: he was oppressed by some secret

worry.

2 Heraldry another term for debruise.

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French oppresser,

from medieval Latin oppressare, from Latin oppress-

‘pressed against’, from the verb opprimere .

oppress

verb

1 the Russians had participated in the dismemberment of Poland and

oppressed its people: persecute, abuse, maltreat, ill-treat, treatharshly, be brutal to, be cruel to, tyrannize, crush, repress,

suppress, subjugate, subdue, subject, enslave; scourge,

exploit, hold down, keep down, grind down, rule with a rod

of iron, rule with an iron hand, trample on, trample

underfoot, bring someone to their knees, ride roughshod

over; informal walk all over.

2 the gloom in the chapel oppressed her: depress, make gloomy/

despondent, weigh down, lie heavy on, weigh heavily on,

cast down, dampen someone's spirits, hang over, prey on,

burden, crush, dispirit, dishearten, discourage, sadden,

make desolate, get down, bring down, trouble, afflict;

archaic deject.

reveal 1 |rɪˈviːl|

verb [ with obj. ]

make (previously unknown or secret information) known to

others: Brenda was forced to reveal Robbie's whereabouts | [ with

clause ] : he revealed that he had received death threats.

• cause or allow (something) to be seen: the clouds were breaking

up to reveal a clear blue sky.• make (something) known to humans by divine or

supernatural means: the truth revealed at the Incarnation.

noun

(in a film or television programme) a final revelation of

information that has previously been kept from the

characters or viewers: the big reveal at the end of the movie

answers all questions.

DERIVATIVES

revealable adjective,

revealer noun

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French reveler or

Latin revelare, from re- ‘again’ (expressing reversal) +

velum ‘veil’.

reveal 2 |rɪˈviːl|

noun

either side surface of an aperture in a wall for a door or

window.

ORIGIN late 17th cent.: from obsolete revale‘to lower’, from

Old French revaler, from re- ‘back’ + avaler ‘go down,

sink’.reveal

verb

1 for operational reasons the police can't reveal his whereabouts:

divulge, disclose, tell, let out, let slip, let drop, let fall, give

away, give the game/show away, blurt (out), babble, give

out, release, leak, betray, open up, unveil, bring out into the

open; go public on/with, make known, make public, bring

to public notice/attention, broadcast, air, publicize, publish,

circulate, disseminate, pass on, report, declare, post,

communicate, impart, unfold, vouchsafe; confess, admit, lay

bare; informal let on, spill, blab, let the cat out of the bag,

dish the dirt, take/blow the lid off, blow wide open, come

clean about; Brit. informal cough, blow the gaff; archaic

discover. ANTONYMS hide, conceal.

2 he let the garage door slide up to reveal a new car: show, display,

exhibit, disclose, uncover, expose to view, allow to be seen,

put on display, put on show, put on view, bare; literary

uncloak, unclothe; rare unclose. ANTONYMS hide.

3 the data can be used to reveal a good deal about the composition of

Anglo-Norman households: bring to light, uncover, turn up,

expose to view, lay bare, unearth, dig up, excavate, unveil,unmask, detect, betray, be evidence of, indicate,

demonstrate, manifest, evince, make clear, make plain;

literary uncloak.

discord

noun |ˈdɪskɔːd| [ mass noun ]

1 disagreement between people: a prosperous family who showed

no signs of discord.

• lack of agreement or harmony between things: the discord

between indigenous and Western cultures.

2 Music lack of harmony between notes sounding together:

the music faded in discord.

• [ count noun ] a chord which (in conventional harmonic

terms) is regarded as unpleasing or requiring resolution by

another.

• [ count noun ] any interval except unison, an octave, a

perfect fifth or fourth, a major or minor third and sixth, or

their octaves.

• [ count noun ] a single note dissonant with another.

verb |dɪsˈkɔːd| [ no obj. ] archaic

(of people) disagree: we discorded commonly on two points.• (of things) be different: the party's views were apt to discord

with those of the leading members of the government.

ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French descord

(noun), descorder (verb), from Latin discordare, from

discors ‘discordant’, from dis- (expressing negation,

reversal) + cor, cord- ‘heart’.

discord

noun

1 stress resulting from financial difficulties or family discord: strife,

conflict, friction, hostility; disagreement, lack of agreement,

dissension, dispute, difference of opinion, discordance,

disunity, division, incompatibility, variance; antagonism,

antipathy, enmity, opposition, bad feeling, ill feeling, bad

blood, argument, quarrelling, squabbling, bickering,

wrangling, feuding, contention, clashing, falling-out, war,

vendetta; archaic jar; rare disaccord. ANTONYMS

agreement, accord, harmony.

2 the music faded in discord: dissonance, discordance, lack of

harmony, disharmony, cacophony, jarring, jangling.

ANTONYMS harmony.harmony |ˈhɑːməәni|

noun (pl.harmonies)

1 [ mass noun ] the combination of simultaneously sounded

musical notes to produce a pleasing effect: the piece owes its air

of tranquillity largely to the harmony | [ count noun ] : an exciting

variety of improvised harmonies.

• the quality of forming a pleasing and consistent whole:

delightful cities where old and new blend in harmony.

• the state of being in agreement or concord: man and

machine in perfect harmony.

2 an arrangement of the four Gospels, or of any parallel

narratives, which presents a single continuous narrative text.

PHRASES

harmony of the spheres see sphere.

ORIGIN late Middle English: via Old French from Latin

harmonia ‘joining, concord’, from Greek, from harmos

‘joint’.

serenity |sɪˈrɛnɪti|noun (pl.serenities) [ mass noun ]

the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled: an oasis of

serenity amidst the bustling city.

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French serenite,

from Latin serenitas, from serenus ‘clear, fair’ (see

serene) .

serenity

noun

1 she radiated an air of serenity: calmness, calm, composure,

tranquillity, peacefulness, peace of mind, peace,

peaceableness, collectedness, poise, aplomb, self-possession,

sangfroid, imperturbability, equanimity, equableness, ease,

placidity, placidness; informal togetherness, unflappability;

rare ataraxy, ataraxia. ANTONYMS anxiety, agitation.

2 the garden is an oasis of serenity amidst the bustling city: peace,

peace and quiet, peacefulness, tranquillity, calm, quiet,

quietness, quietude, stillness, restfulness, repose.

ANTONYMS disruption.

3 the serenity of the sky: cloudlessness, clearness, brightness,

sunniness. ANTONYMS cloudiness, storminess.acceptance |əәkˈsɛpt(əә)ns|

noun [ mass noun ]

1 the action of consenting to receive or undertake

something offered: charges involving the acceptance of bribes.

• [ count noun ] a draft or bill of exchange that is accepted

by being signed: a banker's acceptance.

2 the process or fact of being received as adequate, valid, or

suitable: you must wait for acceptance into the village.

3 agreement with or belief in an idea or explanation:

acceptance of the teaching of the Church.

• willingness to tolerate a difficult situation: a mood of resigned

acceptance.

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Old French, from accepter

(see accept) .

acceptance

noun

1 the acceptance of an award: receipt, receiving, taking,

obtaining, acquiring.2 the acceptance of responsibility: undertaking, taking on,

assumption, tackling.

3 acceptances to an invitation: yes, affirmative reply, affirmation,

confirmation, ratification.

4 she greatly valued her acceptance as one of the family: welcome,

welcoming, favourable reception, embracing, embrace,

approval, adoption, integration.

5 his instant acceptance of Matilda's explanation | the idea soon

gained complete acceptance: credence (in), belief (in), trust (in),

confidence (in), faith (in), reliance (on), dependence (on),

traction; swallowing.

6 their acceptance of the decision must be final: compliance with,

endorsement of, accession to, agreement with, consent to,

acquiescence in, concurrence with, assent to, abidance by,

adherence to, conformity with, deference to, surrender to,

submission to, respect for, recognition of, acknowledgement

of, adoption of; rare accedence to.

7 the acceptance of pain: toleration, endurance, sufferance,

forbearance; putting up with.

placid |ˈplasɪd|adjective

not easily upset or excited: a placid, contented man.

• calm and peaceful, with little movement or activity: the

placid waters of a small lake.

DERIVATIVES

placidity |pləәˈsɪdɪti| noun,

placidly adverb,

placidness noun

ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from French placide, from Latin

placidus, from placere ‘to please’.

quiet |ˈkwʌɪəәt|

adjective (quieter, quietest)

1 making little or no noise: the car has a quiet, economical engine

| I was as quiet as I could be, but he knew I was there.

• (of a place, period of time, or situation) without much

activity, disturbance, or excitement: the street below was quiet,

little traffic braving the snow.

• without being disturbed or interrupted: all he wanted was a

quiet drink.2 carried out discreetly, secretly, or with moderation: we

wanted a quiet wedding | I'll have a quiet word with him.

• (of a person) mild and reserved by nature: his quiet, middle-

aged parents.

• expressed in a restrained or understated way: Molly spoke

with quiet confidence.

• (of a colour or garment) unobtrusive; not bright or showy.

noun [ mass noun ]

absence of noise or bustle; silence; calm: the ringing of the

telephone shattered the early morning quiet.

• freedom from disturbance or interruption by others: he

understood her wish for peace and quiet.

• a peaceful or settled state of affairs in social or political

life: after several months of comparative quiet, the scandal re-erupted

in August.

verbchiefly N. Amer.

make or become silent, calm, or still: [ with obj. ] : there are

ways of quieting kids down | [ no obj. ] : the journalists

quieted down as Judy stepped on to the dais.

PHRASES

do anything for a quiet life see life.keep quiet (or keep someone quiet)refrain or prevent

someone from speaking or from disclosing something secret.

keep something quiet (or keep quiet about

something)refrain from disclosing information about

something; keep something secret.

on the quiet informal without anyone knowing or

noticing; secretly or unobtrusively. the deal was done on the quiet

six months ago.

(as) quiet as the grave see grave 1 .

(as) quiet as a mouse (or lamb)(of a person or animal)

extremely quiet or docile.

DERIVATIVES

quietness noun

ORIGIN Middle English (originally as a noun denoting

peace as opposed to war): via Old French, based on Latin

quies, quiet- ‘repose, quiet’.

quiet

adjective

1 the whole pub went quiet: silent, still, hushed, noiseless,

soundless; mute, dumb, speechless, voiceless, unspeaking.2 she spoke in a quiet voice: soft, low, lowered, muted, muffled,

faint, indistinct, inaudible, dull; hushed, whispered, stifled,

suppressed. ANTONYMS loud.

3 a quiet village | he liked the quiet life: peaceful, sleepy, tranquil,

calm, still, relaxing, soothing, pleasant, restful, undisturbed,

free from disturbance, free from interruption, free from

interference, untroubled; unfrequented, private, secluded,

sequestered, retired, isolated, out of the way, off the beaten

track, solitary. ANTONYMS busy.

4 I thought we'd better have a quiet word together before the kids come:

private, confidential, secret, discreet, unofficial, off the

record, between ourselves, between you and me (and the

bedpost/gatepost/doorpost/wall). ANTONYMS public.

5 he's a very quiet, private person: calm, equable, serene,

composed, {cool, calm, and collected}, placid, untroubled,

peaceful, peaceable, tranquil, gentle, mild, phlegmatic,

imperturbable, unexcitable; moderate, reserved,

uncommunicative, unresponsive, taciturn, secretive,

withdrawn, silent; meek, mousy, retiring, reticent,

unforthcoming, shy, self-effacing, diffident, modest,temperate, restrained, unassuming, unassertive,

unemotional; informal unflappable; rare equanimous.

6 I've always preferred quiet colours: unobtrusive, unostentatious,

unpretentious, restrained, reserved; soft, pale, pastel, muted,

understated, subdued, subtle, low-key, conservative, sober,

plain, ordinary. ANTONYMS loud.

7 you can't keep a mass murder quiet for long: secret, top secret,

confidential, strictly confidential, classified, unrevealed,

undisclosed, unpublished, untold, unknown,

uncommunicated, under wraps, unofficial, off the record,

not for publication/circulation, not to be made public, not

to be disclosed, clandestine, surreptitious; Latinsub rosa;

informal hush-hush, mum. ANTONYMS public.

8 business is quiet today: slow, slow-moving, stagnant, slack,

sluggish, inactive, not busy, idle.

noun

after London, the quiet of the country was almost tangible:

peacefulness, peace and quiet, peace, restfulness, calm,

calmness, tranquillity, serenity; silence, quietness, stillness,

still, quietude, hush, noiselessness, soundlessness; privacy,privateness, seclusion, solitude, isolation, retirement, lack of

disturbance/interruption, freedom from interference.

PHRASES

on the quiet doing good works on the quiet for impoverished

congregations: in secret, secretly, furtively, stealthily, sneakily,

slyly, surreptitiously, covertly, clandestinely, on the sly, on the

side, behind someone's back, under cover; under the

counter; informal on the q.t.. ANTONYMS openly.

significant |sɪgˈnɪfɪk(əә)nt|

adjective

1 sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention;

noteworthy: a significant increase in sales.

2 having a particular meaning; indicative of something: in

times of stress her dreams seemed to her especially significant.

• suggesting a meaning or message that is not explicitly

stated: she gave him a significant look.

3 Statistics relating to or having significance.

ORIGIN late 16th cent. (in sense 2): from Latin

significant- ‘indicating’, from the verb significare (see

signify) .significant

adjective

1 a significant increase in sales: notable, noteworthy, worthy of

attention, remarkable, outstanding, important, of

importance, of consequence, consequential; serious, crucial,

weighty, material, appreciable, momentous, of moment,

memorable, unforgettable, pronounced, marked,

considerable, obvious, conspicuous, striking, glaring, signal,

impressive, uncommon, unusual, rare, extraordinary,

exceptional, particular, special. ANTONYMS insignificant,

minor.

2 he gave her a significant look: meaningful, expressive,

eloquent, informative, revealing, indicative, suggestive,

symbolic, relevant, pregnant, knowing, telling, pithy, valid,

purposeful. ANTONYMS meaningless.

huge |hjuːdʒ|

adjective (huger, hugest)

extremely large; enormous: a huge area | he made a huge

difference to the team.DERIVATIVES

hugeness noun

ORIGIN Middle English: shortening of Old French ahuge,

of unknown origin.

huge

adjective

a huge amount of raw materials come from abroad | a huge slab of

rock: enormous, vast, immense, very large, very big, great,

massive, cosmic, colossal, prodigious, gigantic, gargantuan,

mammoth, monumental, tremendous, stupendous; giant,

towering, hefty, bulky, weighty, heavy, gross, monstrous,

elephantine, mountainous, titanic; epic, Herculean,

Brobdingnagian; princely, generous, handsome; informal

jumbo, mega, monster, whopping, whopping great,

thumping, thumping great, humongous, hulking, bumper,

almighty, astronomical, astronomic; Brit. informal

whacking, whacking great, ginormous. ANTONYMS

insignificant; tiny.statesman |ˈsteɪtsməәn| (or stateswoman)

noun (pl.statesmen or stateswomen)

a skilled, experienced, and respected political leader or

figure. the elder statesman in the cabinet. a senior stateswoman.

DERIVATIVES

statesmanlike adjective,

statesmanship noun

ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from state's man, translating French

homme d'état .

diplomacy |dɪˈpləәʊməәsi|

noun [ mass noun ]

the profession, activity, or skill of managing international

relations, typically by a country's representatives abroad: an

extensive round of diplomacy in the Middle East.

• the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and tactful

way: with perfect diplomacy, he divided his attention between Meryl

and Anthea.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: from French diplomatie, from

diplomatique ‘diplomatic’, on the pattern of

aristocratie ‘aristocracy’.diplomacy

noun

1 diplomacy has failed to win them independence: statesmanship,

statecraft; negotiation(s), discussion(s), talks, consultation,

conference, dialogue; international relations/politics,

foreign affairs, foreign policy.

2 she was uncertain of how to combine honesty and diplomacy in her

answer: tact, tactfulness, sensitivity, discretion, subtlety,

finesse, delicacy; judiciousness, discernment, prudence,

cleverness, skill; politeness, thoughtfulness, understanding,

care, soft skills; Frenchsavoir faire. ANTONYMS

tactlessness.

hierarchy |ˈhʌɪəәrɑːki|

noun (pl.hierarchies)

a system in which members of an organization or society

are ranked according to relative status or authority. the

initiative was with those lower down in the hierarchy. [ mass

noun ] : the trend is to get away from hierarchy and control.• (the hierarchy) the clergy of the Catholic Church or of

an episcopal Church. the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Romania.

• (the hierarchy) the upper echelons of a hierarchical

system: the magazine was read quite widely even by some of the

hierarchy.

• an arrangement or classification of things according to

relative importance or inclusiveness: a taxonomic hierarchy of

phyla, classes, orders, families, genera, and species.

• Theology the traditional system of orders of angels and

other heavenly beings. the heavenly hierarchy.

DERIVATIVES

hierarchic |-ˈrɑːkɪk| adjective,

hierarchization noun,

hierarchize (also hierarchise)verb

ORIGIN late Middle English: via Old French and medieval

Latin from Greek hierarkhia, from hierarkhēs ‘sacred

ruler’ (see hierarch). The earliest sense was ‘system of

orders of angels and heavenly beings’; the other senses date

from the 17th cent.

hierarchynoun

the initiative was with those lower down in the hierarchy: pecking

order, ranking, grading, ladder, social order, social stratum,

social scale, class system.

protocol |ˈprəәʊtəәkɒl|

noun

1 [ mass noun ] the official procedure or system of rules

governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions: protocol

forbids the prince from making any public statement in his defence.

• the accepted or established code of procedure or

behaviour in any group, organization, or situation: what is

the protocol at a smart lunch if one's neighbour dozes off during the

speeches?

2 the original draft of a diplomatic document, especially of

the terms of a treaty agreed to in conference and signed by

the parties. signatories to the Montreal Protocol. Hungary and the

Soviet Union signed a trade protocol.

• an amendment or addition to a treaty or convention: a

protocol to the treaty allowed for this Danish referendum.3 a formal or official record of scientific experimental

observations. protocols of published cases frequently lack this vital

information.

• a procedure for carrying out a scientific experiment or a

course of medical treatment. a study protocol approved by the

ethics committee of the hospital. the low doses of morphine

recommended in the protocol.

4 Computing a set of rules governing the exchange or

transmission of data between devices.

ORIGIN late Middle English (denoting the original minute

of an agreement, forming the legal authority for future

dealings relating to it): from Old French prothocole, via

medieval Latin from Greek prōtokollon ‘first page,

flyleaf’, from prōtos ‘first’ + kolla ‘glue’. Sense 1 derives

from French protocole, the collection of set forms of

etiquette to be observed by the French head of state, and

the name of the government department responsible for

this (in the 19th cent.).

renounce |rɪˈnaʊns|

verb [ with obj. ]formally declare one's abandonment of (a claim, right, or

possession): Isabella offered to renounce her son's claim to the French

Crown.

• [ no obj. ] Law refuse or resign a right or position,

especially one as an heir or trustee: there will be forms enabling

the allottee to renounce.

• refuse to continue to recognize or abide by: these agreements

were renounced after the fall of the Tsarist regime.

• reject or abandon (a cause, bad habit, or way of life): they

renounced the armed struggle | he renounced alcohol completely.

PHRASES

renounce the world completely withdraw from society in

order to lead a more spiritually fulfilling life. she renounced the

world and went to work in a leper colony.

DERIVATIVES

renounceable adjective,

renouncement noun,

renouncer noun

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French renoncer,

from Latin renuntiare ‘protest against’, from re-

(expressing reversal) + nuntiare ‘announce’.renounce

verb

1 Edward renounced his claim to the French throne: give up,

relinquish, abandon, resign, abdicate, surrender, sign away,

waive, forgo; Law disclaim; rare abnegate, demit.

ANTONYMS assert, reassert.

2 Hungary renounced the 1977 agreement on environmental grounds:

reject, refuse to abide by, refuse to recognize, repudiate.

ANTONYMS accept, abide by.

3 she had renounced her family: repudiate, deny, discard, reject,

give up, forswear, abandon, wash one's hands of, turn one's

back on, have nothing more to do with, have done with;

disown, cast off, cast aside, disinherit, cut off, throw off,

spurn, shun; archaic forsake. ANTONYMS embrace.

4 by renouncing champagne, Eliot felt that he was exercising a measure

of self-denial: abstain from, give up, go without, do without,

desist from, refrain from, swear off, keep off, eschew, reject,

cease to indulge in; informal quit, leave off, pack in, kick,

lay off. ANTONYMS turn to.

PHRASESrenounce the world become a recluse, become a hermit,

turn one's back on society, retreat, withdraw, cloister oneself,

hide oneself away, shut oneself off/away, cut oneself off.

abduct |əәbˈdʌkt|

verb [ with obj. ]

1 take (someone) away illegally by force or deception;

kidnap: the millionaire who disappeared may have been abducted.

2 Physiology (of a muscle) move (a limb or part) away from

the midline of the body or from another part. the posterior

rectus muscle, which abducts the eye. The opposite of adduct 1 .

ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from Latin abduct- ‘led away’,

from the verb abducere, from ab- ‘away, from’ + ducere

‘to lead’.

abduct

verb

she was abducted by two men and held for 36 hours. See kidnap.

abandon |əәˈband(əә)n|

verb [ with obj. ]1 cease to support or look after (someone); desert: her natural

mother had abandoned her at an early age.

• leave (a place or vehicle) empty or uninhabited, without

intending to return: derelict houses were abandoned.

• (abandon someone/thing to) condemn someone or

something to (a specified fate) by ceasing to take an interest

in them: an attempt to persuade businesses not to abandon the area to

inner-city deprivation.

2 give up completely (a practice or a course of action): he

had clearly abandoned all pretence of trying to succeed.

• discontinue (a scheduled event) before completion: fans

invaded the pitch and the match was abandoned.

3 (abandon oneself to) allow oneself to indulge in (a

desire or impulse): she abandoned herself to his kiss.

noun [ mass noun ]

complete lack of inhibition or restraint: she sings and sways

with total abandon.

PHRASES

abandon ship leave a ship because it is sinking. a Mayday

message was received before all on board abandoned ship. • hurriedlyleave an organization or enterprise: he would rather abandon

ship now than resign in shame in two years.

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French

abandoner, from a- (from Latin ad ‘to, at’) + bandon

‘control’ (related to ban 1 ). The original sense was ‘bring

under control’, later ‘give in to the control of, surrender

to’ ( sense 3 of the verb) .

abandon

verb

1 the party has abandoned policies which made it unelectable:

renounce, relinquish, dispense with, forswear, disclaim,

disown, disavow, discard, wash one's hands of; give up, drop,

do away with, jettison; informal ditch, scrap, scrub, axe,

junk. ANTONYMS keep, claim.

2 by that stage, she had abandoned painting: give up, stop, cease,

drop, forgo, desist from, have done with, abjure, abstain

from, discontinue, break off, refrain from, set/lay aside;informal cut out, kick, jack in, pack in, quit. ANTONYMS

continue; take up.

3 he abandoned his wife and children: desert, leave, leave high

and dry, turn one's back on, cast aside, break (up) with; jilt,

strand, leave stranded, leave in the lurch, throw over;

informal run/walk out on, dump, ditch; Brit. informal give

someone the push, give someone the big E, bin off; archaic

forsake. ANTONYMS stick by.

4 the skipper gave the order to abandon ship: vacate, leave, quit,

evacuate, withdraw from.

5 an attempt to persuade businesses not to abandon the area to inner-

city deprivation: relinquish, surrender, give up, cede, yield,

leave.

6 she abandoned herself to the sensuousness of the music: indulge in,

give way to, give oneself up to, yield to, lose oneself to/in.

ANTONYMS control oneself.

noun

reckless abandon: uninhibitedness, recklessness, lack of

restraint, lack of inhibition, unruliness, wildness,

impulsiveness, impetuosity, immoderation, wantonness.

ANTONYMS self-control.abort |əәˈbɔːt|

verb [ with obj. ]

1 carry out or undergo the abortion of (a fetus). Louisiana

allows women to abort an embryo up to 12 weeks old. [ no obj. ] :

the right to abort must remain a key element of a woman's

‘reproductive rights’.

• [ no obj. ] (of a pregnant woman or female animal) have a

miscarriage, with loss of the fetus. an organism that infects sheep

and can cause pregnant ewes to abort.

• [ no obj. ] Biology (of an embryonic organ or organism)

remain undeveloped; fail to mature.

2 bring to a premature end because of a problem or fault:

the flight crew aborted the take-off.

noun informal or technical

an act of aborting a flight, space mission, or other

enterprise: an abort because of bad weather.

• an aborted enterprise. I've wasted almost a year on an abort.

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin aboriri ‘miscarry’,

from ab- ‘away, from’ + oriri ‘be born’.abort

verb

1 I decided not to abort the pregnancy: terminate, end; have an

abortion.

2 this organism infects sheep and can cause pregnant ewes to abort:

miscarry, have a miscarriage.

3 the ‘escape’ key is used to abort the program: halt, stop, end, call

off, cut short, discontinue, terminate, arrest, suspend, check,

nullify; informal scrub, axe, pull the plug on. ANTONYMS

continue, complete.

4 there are times when the mission aborts: fail, come to a halt, end,

terminate, miscarry, go wrong, not succeed, fall through,

break down, be frustrated, collapse, founder, come to grief,

fizzle out, flop. ANTONYMS succeed, complete.

abdicate |ˈabdɪkeɪt|

verb

1 [ no obj. ] (of a monarch) renounce one's throne: in 1918

Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated as German emperor | [ with obj. ] :

Ferdinand abdicated the throne in favour of the emperor's brother.2 [ with obj. ] fail to fulfil or undertake (a responsibility or

duty): the government was accused of abdicating its responsibility.

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin abdicat-

‘renounced’, from the verb abdicare, from ab- ‘away,

from’ + dicare ‘declare’.

abdicate

verb

1 in 1936, Edward VIII abdicated in favour of George VI: resign,

retire, quit, stand down, step down, bow out, renounce the

throne; archaic demit. ANTONYMS be crowned.

2 Napoleon compelled Ferdinand to abdicate the throne: resign from,

relinquish, renounce, give up, hand over, turn over, deliver

up, surrender, vacate, forswear, abjure, cede; Law disclaim.

ANTONYMS accede to.

3 the state virtually abdicated all responsibility for their welfare:

disown, turn down, spurn, reject, renounce, give up, avoid,

refuse, abnegate, relinquish, abjure, repudiate, waive, yield,

forgo, abandon, surrender, deliver up, disgorge, cast aside,

drop, turn one's back on, wash one's hands of; informal

shirk; archaic forsake. ANTONYMS accept, take on.entreaty |ɪnˈtriːti, ɛn-|

noun (pl.entreaties)

an earnest or humble request: the king turned a deaf ear to his

entreaties.

ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘treatment,

management’; formerly also as intreaty): from entreat, on

the pattern of treaty.

entreaty

noun

he ignored her entreaties: plea, appeal, request, petition, cry

from the heart; suit, application, claim; beseeching,

pleading, begging, solicitation, importuning, supplication;

bidding, exhortation, urge, demand, enjoinment; prayer;

Frenchcri de cœur; rare impetration, obtestation,

obsecration, imploration.

rigorous |ˈrɪg(əә)rəәs|

adjectiveextremely thorough and careful: the rigorous testing of consumer

products.

• (of a rule, system, etc.) strictly applied or adhered to:

rigorous controls on mergers.

• (of a person) adhering strictly to a belief or system: a

rigorous teetotaller.

• harsh and demanding: many of the expedition had passed

rigorous SAS courses.

DERIVATIVES

rigorously adverb,

rigorousness noun

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French rigorous

or late Latin rigorosus, from rigor ‘stiffness’ (see rigor 1 ) .

rigorous

adjective

1 their rigorous attention to detail paid off: meticulous, punctilious,

conscientious, careful, diligent, attentive, ultra-careful,

scrupulous, painstaking, exact, precise, accurate, correct,

thorough, studious, exhaustive, mathematical, detailed,

perfectionist, methodical, particular, religious, strict; fussy,fastidious, hair-splitting, finicky, finical, demanding,

exacting, pedantic; informal nitpicking, pernickety; N.

Amer. informal persnickety; archaic nice, overnice,

laborious. ANTONYMS slapdash.

2 the rigorous enforcement of minor school rules: strict, severe,

stern, stringent, austere, spartan, tough, hard, harsh, rigid,

cruel, savage, relentless, unsparing, inflexible, authoritarian,

despotic, draconian, intransigent, uncompromising,

demanding, exacting. ANTONYMS lax.

3 rigorous yachting conditions: harsh, severe, bad, bleak,

extreme, inclement; unpleasant, disagreeable, foul, nasty,

filthy; stormy, blustery, squally, wild, tempestuous, storm-

tossed, violent, heavy, heaving, raging, choppy, agitated.

ANTONYMS gentle, mild.

negligent |ˈnɛɡlɪʤəәnt|

adjective

failing to take proper care over something: the council had been

negligent in its supervision of the children in care.

DERIVATIVES

negligently adverbnegligent

adjective

she claimed that her solicitor had been negligent: careless, failing to

take proper care, remiss, neglectful, lax, irresponsible,

inattentive, heedless, thoughtless, unmindful, forgetful;

slack, sloppy, slapdash, slipshod; N. Amer. derelict;

Maritime Law barratrous; formal delinquent; rare

disregardful, inadvertent, oscitant. ANTONYMS careful,

attentive, conscientious.

inexorable |ɪnˈɛks(əә)rəәb(əә)l|

adjective

impossible to stop or prevent: the seemingly inexorable march of

new technology.

• (of a person) impossible to persuade; unrelenting: the

doctors were inexorable, and there was nothing to be done.

DERIVATIVES

inexorability |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun,

inexorably adverbORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from French, or from Latin

inexorabilis, from in- ‘not’ + exorabilis (from exorare

‘entreat’).

inexorable

adjective

1 the inexorable advance of science: relentless, unstoppable,

unavoidable, inescapable, inevitable, irrevocable; persistent,

continuous, non-stop, steady, unabating, interminable,

incessant, unceasing, unending, unremitting, unrelenting.

2 fifty debtors were detained by inexorable creditors: intransigent,

unbending, unyielding, inflexible, unswerving, unwavering,

adamant, obdurate, determined, immovable, unshakeable,

implacable, unappeasable, unpacifiable, unplacatable,

unmollifiable, unforgiving, unsparing, uncompromising;

strict, severe, iron-handed, stringent, harsh, hard, tough,

exacting, rigorous, draconian, cruel, ruthless, relentless,

unrelenting, pitiless, merciless, remorseless; rare indurate.

despotic |dɪˈspɒtɪk|

adjectiveof or typical of a despot; tyrannical: a despotic regime.

DERIVATIVES

despotically |-ˈspɒtɪk(əә)li| adverb

despotic

adjective

a despotic regime: autocratic, dictatorial, totalitarian,

authoritarian, absolute, absolutist, arbitrary,

unconstitutional, undemocratic, anti-democratic,

uncontrolled, unaccountable, summary; one-party, single-

party, autarchic, monocratic; tyrannical, oppressive,

tyrannous, repressive, harsh, ruthless, merciless, draconian,

illiberal; domineering, imperious, arrogant, high-handed.

ANTONYMS democratic, accountable.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD

despotic, autocratic, tyrannical

See autocratic.

These notes show fine distinctions in meaning

between closely related synonyms to help you find

the best word.specification |ˌspɛsɪfɪˈkeɪʃ(əә)n|

noun

1 an act of identifying something precisely or of stating a

precise requirement: give a full specification of the job advertised |

[ mass noun ] : there was no clear specification of objectives.

2 (usu. specifications) a detailed description of the design

and materials used to make something. one of the telescope's

mirrors had been manufactured to incorrect specifications.

• a standard of workmanship or materials required to be

met in a piece of work: everything was built to a higher

specification.

• a description of an invention accompanying an

application for a patent.

ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from medieval Latin

specificatio(n-), from late Latin specificare (see specify) .specification

noun

1 there was no clear specification of objectives: statement, stating,

naming, identification, definition, defining, describing,

description, setting out, setting down, framing, itemizing,

designation, designating, detailing, listing, spelling out,

enumeration, enumerating, particularizing, cataloguing,

citing, instancing; stipulating, stipulation, prescribing,

prescription, commanding, ordaining; rare individuation.

2 (usually specifications) air-raid shelters built to government

specifications were death traps: instructions, stipulations,

requirements, conditions, provisions, restrictions, provisos,

guidelines, parameters, order; description, details,

delineation.

spectre |ˈspɛktəә| (USspecter)

noun

a ghost. a dread of spectres and witches affected every aspect of daily

life.• something widely feared as a possible unpleasant or

dangerous occurrence: the spectre of nuclear holocaust.

ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from French spectre or Latin

spectrum (see spectrum) .

spectre

noun

1 the spectres of the murdered boys: ghost, phantom, apparition,

spirit, wraith, shadow, presence, illusion; Scottish & Irish

bodach; Germandoppelgänger; W. Indian duppy; informal

spook; literary phantasm, shade, revenant, wight; rare

eidolon, manes.

2 the spectre of a ruinous trade war loomed: threat, menace,

shadow, cloud, vision; prospect; danger, peril, fear, dread.

spectacle |ˈspɛktəәk(əә)l|

noun

a visually striking performance or display: the acrobatic feats

make a good spectacle | [ mass noun ] : the show is pure spectacle.

• an event or scene regarded in terms of its visual impact:

the spectacle of a city's mass grief.PHRASES

make a spectacle of oneself draw attention to oneself

by behaving in a ridiculous way in public. she was making a

spectacle of herself with her childish outburst.

ORIGIN Middle English: via Old French from Latin

spectaculum ‘public show’, from spectare, frequentative

of specere ‘to look’.

spectacle

noun

1 the Queen's Birthday Parade is a spectacle fit for a monarch:

display, show, performance, presentation, exhibition,

pageant, parade, extravaganza.

2 the four men did present rather an odd spectacle: sight, vision,

view, scene, prospect, vista, outlook, picture.

3 be careful, Your Highness, or you're liable to make a spectacle of

yourself: exhibition, laughing stock, fool, curiosity.

specimen |ˈspɛsɪmɪn|

noun1 an individual animal, plant, piece of a mineral, etc. used

as an example of its species or type for scientific study or

display. specimens of copper ore.

• an example of something regarded as typical of its class or

group: [ as modifier ] : a specimen paper of the new test.

• a sample for medical testing, especially of urine.

2 informal used to refer humorously to a person or animal:

Carla could not help feeling a degree of reluctant admiration for this

odd female specimen.

ORIGIN early 17th cent. (in the sense ‘pattern, model’):

from Latin, from specere ‘to look’.

specimen

noun

he was asked for a specimen of his handwriting: sample, example,

bit, snippet, illustration, demonstration, exemplification,

instance, selection, representative piece; model, prototype,

pattern, dummy, swatch, test piece, pilot, trailer, trial,

indication, foretaste, taste, taster, tester, smear; archaic

scantling.election |ɪˈlɛkʃ(əә)n|

noun

a formal and organized choice by vote of a person for a

political office or other position: the 2008 local elections |

[ mass noun ] : he agreed to stand for election.

• [ mass noun ] the action of electing or the fact of being

elected: his election to the House of Representatives.

ORIGIN Middle English: via Old French from Latin

electio(n-), from eligere ‘pick out’ (see elect) .

reference |ˈrɛf(əә)r(əә)ns|

noun [ mass noun ]

1 the action of mentioning or alluding to something: he

made reference to the enormous power of the mass media |

[ count noun ] : references to Darwinism and evolution.

• [ count noun ] a mention or citation of a source of

information in a book or article. each chapter should have

references to books covering the subject in greater depth.

• [ count noun ] a source of information cited in a book or

article.2 the use of a source of information in order to ascertain

something: popular works of reference | [ as modifier ] : a

reference work.

• the sending of a matter to an authority for decision or

consideration: the publishers reprinted and sold the work without

reference to the author.

3 [ count noun ] a letter from a previous employer testifying

to someone's ability or reliability, used when applying for a

new job. I was dismissed from the library, but with a good reference.

verb [ with obj. ]

1 provide (a book or article) with citations of sources of

information: each chapter is referenced, citing literature up to 1990.

2 mention or refer to: the media referenced our association in

almost 40 articles.

PHRASES

for future reference for use at a later date. she lodged this

idea in the back of her mind for future reference.

terms of reference the scope and limitations of an

activity or area of knowledge: the minister will present a plan

outlining the inquiry's terms of reference.with (or in) reference to in relation to; as regards: war can

only be explained with reference to complex social factors.

reference

noun

1 his journal contains many references to railways: mention of,

allusion to, comment on, remark about; citation of, instance

of.

2 some references are given in the bibliography to this chapter: source,

information source, citation, authority, credit; note,

footnote; bibliographical data, bibliography.

3 this was an appropriate case for a reference to the European Court of

Justice: referral, transfer, passing on, handover, direction,

remission.

4 his employer gave him a glowing reference: testimonial, character

reference, recommendation, good word, backing;

credentials; dated character.

PHRASESwith reference to apropos, with regard to, regarding, as

regards, with respect to, on the subject of, in the matter of,

re; in relation to, relating to, in connection with.

popularity |pɒpjuˈlarəәti|

noun [ mass noun ]

the state or condition of being liked, admired, or supported

by many people: he was at the height of his popularity.

popularity

noun

1 the growing popularity of the city as a holiday destination:

fashionableness, vogue, stylishness; approval, favour,

admiration, regard, acceptance, acclaim, welcome, demand,

traction; commerciality, marketability, saleability; adoration,

adulation, idolization, lionization; informal coolness,

trendiness.

2 the new popularity of collectivist ideas: currency, prevalence,

commonness, universality, recognition.referendum |ˌrɛfəәˈrɛndəәm|

noun (pl.referendums or referenda |-dəә| )

a general vote by the electorate on a single political question

which has been referred to them for a direct decision.

ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from Latin, gerund (‘referring’)

or neuter gerundive (‘something to be brought back or

referred’) of referre (see refer) .

referendum

noun

he called for a referendum on the death penalty: public vote,

plebiscite, popular vote, ballot, poll.

mandate

noun |ˈmandeɪt|

1 an official order or commission to do something: a mandate

to seek the release of political prisoners.• Law a commission by which a party is entrusted to

perform a service, especially without payment and with

indemnity against loss by that party.

• a written authorization enabling someone to carry out

transactions on another's bank account.

• historical a commission from the League of Nations to a

member state to administer a territory: the end of the British

mandate in Palestine.

2 the authority to carry out a policy, regarded as given by

the electorate to a party or candidate that wins an election:

he called an election to seek a mandate for his policies.

• Canadiana period during which a government is in power.

the last mandate of Trudeau, from 1980 to 1984, was a remarkable

chapter in Canadian history.

verb |manˈdeɪt| [ with obj. ]

1 give (someone) authority to act in a certain way: the rightful

king was mandated and sanctioned by God.

• require (something) to be done; make mandatory: the

government began mandating better car safety.2 (be mandated to) historical (of territory) be assigned to

(another power) under a mandate of the League of Nations.

(as adj. mandated) : mandated territories.

ORIGIN early 16th cent.: from Latin mandatum

‘something commanded’, neuter past participle of

mandare, from manus ‘hand’ + dare ‘give’. Sense 2 of

the noun has been influenced by French mandat .

temporary |ˈtɛmp(əә)rəәri|

adjective

lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent: a

temporary job.

noun (pl.temporaries)

a person employed on a temporary basis, typically an office

worker who finds employment through an agency. to gain

flexibility, companies are bringing in temporaries or contracting out

work. See also temp 1 .

DERIVATIVES

temporariness noun

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin temporarius, from

tempus, tempor- ‘time’.temporary

adjective

1 temporary accommodation | the temporary captain: non-

permanent, short-term, interim; provisional, pro tem,

makeshift, stopgap; acting, fill-in, stand-in, caretaker;

Latinad interim, pro tempore. ANTONYMS permanent.

2 a temporary loss of self-control: brief, short-lived, momentary,

fleeting, passing, impermanent, here today and gone

tomorrow, transient, transitory, ephemeral, evanescent,

fugitive; rare fugacious. ANTONYMS lasting.

regulatory |ˈrɛgjʊləәt(əә)ri, ˌrɛgjʊˈleɪt(əә)ri|

adjective

serving or intended to regulate something: the existing legal

and regulatory framework. regulatory enzymes.

convenience |kəәnˈviːnɪəәns|

noun1 [ mass noun ] the state of being able to proceed with

something without difficulty: services should be run to suit the

convenience of customers, not of staff.

• the quality of being useful, easy, or suitable for someone:

the success of the food halls in large stores is due to their convenience.

• [ count noun ] a thing that contributes to an easy and

effortless way of life: voicemail was seen as one of the desktop

conveniences of the electronic office.

2 [ count noun ] Brit.a public toilet. the large council car park

next to the public conveniences.

PHRASES

at one's convenience at a time or place that suits one. do

make an appointment at your convenience.

at one's earliest convenience as soon as one can

without difficulty. please telephone me at your earliest convenience.

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin convenientia,

from convenient- ‘assembling, agreeing’, from the verb

convenire (see convene) .

convenience

noun1 the convenience of this arrangement pleased Paula: expedience,

expediency, advantageousness, advantage; favourableness,

opportuneness, propitiousness, timeliness; suitability,

appropriateness, fittingness. ANTONYMS inconvenience.

2 it combines the convenience of a portable with the power of a car

phone: ease of use, usability, usefulness, utility, serviceability,

practicality, functionality; advantage, benefit. ANTONYMS

inconvenience; disadvantage.

3 a shower and toilet were installed for the convenience of swimmers:

benefit, use, good, comfort, ease, enjoyment, satisfaction.

4 the convenience of the nearby shopping centre: accessibility, ease of

access, handiness, nearness; rare propinquity.

ANTONYMS inaccessibility.

5 the kitchen is bright and cheerful, with all the modern conveniences:

appliance, amenity, facility, device, labour-saving device,

gadget, machine; informal gizmo, gimmick, mod con;

formal appurtenance.

PHRASES

at your convenience please telephone me at your convenience: at

a convenient time, at a time that suits you, when it suits you,at your leisure, in your own time, when you have a minute,

when you can; in due course. ANTONYMS immediately.

imitative |ˈɪmɪtəәtɪv|

adjective

1 copying or following a model or example: the derring-do of

our film heroes inspired us to imitative feats.

• following a model or example without any attempt at

originality: I found the film pretentious and imitative.

2 (of a word) reproducing a natural sound (e.g. fizz) or

pronounced in a way that is thought to correspond to the

appearance or character of the object or action described

(e.g. blob).

DERIVATIVES

imitatively adverb,

imitativeness noun

imitative

adjective1 the fear that young people would be provoked into imitative crime by

television: similar, like; mimicking, mimetic, mimic, parrot-

like; informal copycat.

2 I found the film empty and imitative: derivative, unoriginal,

uninventive, non-innovative, unimaginative, uninspired,

plagiarized, plagiaristic, copied, second-hand, rehashed,

warmed-up; clichéd, hackneyed, stale, trite, tired, worn out,

flat, banal, stock; informal cribbed, old hat. ANTONYMS

original.

3 words which are imitative, like ‘peewit’: onomatopoeic, echoic.

concession |kəәnˈsɛʃ(əә)n|

noun

1 a thing that is granted, especially in response to demands:

the government was unwilling to make any further concessions.

• [ mass noun ] the action of conceding or granting

something: this strict rule was relaxed by concession.

• (a concession to) a gesture made in recognition of a

demand or prevailing standard: her only concession to fashion

was her ornate silver ring.2 a preferential allowance or rate given by an organization:

tax concessions.

• Brit.a reduction in the price of something for a certain

category of person. railcard holders can obtain concessions. there

are concessions on party bookings.

3 the right to use land or other property for a specified

purpose, granted by a government, company, or other

controlling body: new logging concessions.

• a commercial operation set up by agreement within the

premises of a larger concern. the concessions will offer photo

processing and a pharmacy.

• the right, given by a company, to sell goods, especially in a

particular place.

• Canadiana piece of land into which surveyed land is

divided.

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin concessio(n-),

from the verb concedere (see concede) .

concession

noun1 the government made several concessions over welfare cuts:

compromise, adjustment, modification; allowance,

exception; point conceded, point lost, forfeit, something

surrendered; informal sop.

2 a concession of failure: admission, acknowledgement,

acceptance, recognition, confession. ANTONYMS denial.

3 the concession of territory: surrender, yielding, giving up,

ceding, relinquishment, sacrifice, handover; rare cession.

ANTONYMS retention, acquisition.

4 tax concessions | there are concessions on all party bookings:

reduction, cut, discount, deduction, decrease; rebate; N.

Amer. depletion allowance; informal tax break.

5 the granting of new logging concessions: right, privilege, favour;

licence, permit, franchise, warrant, authorization.

giraffe |dʒɪˈrɑːf, -ˈraf|

noun (pl.same or giraffes)

a large African mammal with a very long neck and forelegs,

having a coat patterned with brown patches separated by

lighter lines. It is the tallest living animal.giraffe

●Giraffa camelopardalis, family Giraffidae.

ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from French girafe,Italian

giraffa, or Spanish and Portuguese girafa, based on Arabic

zarāfa. The animal was known in Europe in the medieval

period, and isolated instances of names for it based on the

Arabic are recorded in Middle English, when it was

commonly called the camelopard.

scissors |ˈsɪzəәz| (also a pair of scissors)

pluralnoun

an instrument used for cutting cloth, paper, and other

material, consisting of two blades laid one on top of the

other and fastened in the middle so as to allow them to be

opened and closed by a thumb and finger inserted through

rings on the end of their handles.

• (also scissor) [ as modifier ] denoting an action in which

two things cross each other or open and close like the blades

of a pair of scissors: as the fish swims the tail lobes open and close

in a slight scissor action.• Rugby a tactical move in which a player running

diagonally takes the ball from a teammate and changes the

direction of the attack, or feints to do so. a dummy scissors

from David Thomas deceived the opposition.

PHRASES

scissors and paste another term for cut and paste (see

cut).

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French cisoires,

from late Latin cisoria, plural of cisorium ‘cutting

instrument’, from cis-, variant of caes-, stem of caedere

‘to cut’. The spelling with sc- (16th cent.) was by association

with the Latin stem sciss- ‘cut’.

scissor |ˈsɪzəә|

verb

1 [ with obj. and adverbial ] cut (something) with scissors:

pages scissored out of a magazine.

2 [ with obj. ] move (one's legs) back and forth in a way

resembling the action of scissors: he was still hanging on,

scissoring his legs uselessly.• [ no obj. ] (of a person's legs) move in a way resembling

the action of scissors. Frank could see shadowy legs scissoring

under the thin skirt as she ran.

noun

see scissors.

ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from scissors.

humorous |ˈhjuːm(əә)rəәs|

adjective

causing laughter and amusement; comic: a humorous and

entertaining talk.

• having or showing a sense of humour: his humorous grey eyes.

DERIVATIVES

humorously adverb,

humorousness noun

usage: Note that although humor is the American spelling

of humour, humorous is not an American form. This

word is spelled the same way in both British and American

English, and the spelling humourous is regarded as an

error.humorous

adjective

the novel is a humorous account of a developing relationship:

amusing, funny, entertaining, comic, comical, chucklesome,

diverting, witty, jocular, light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek, wry,

waggish, whimsical, playful; hilarious, uproarious, riotous,

zany, facetious, farcical, absurd, droll; informal priceless,

wacky, side-splitting, rib-tickling, a scream, a hoot, a laugh,

a barrel of laughs; informal, dated killing; rare jocose.

ANTONYMS serious; boring.

assiduous |əәˈsɪdjʊəәs|

adjective

showing great care and perseverance: she was assiduous in

pointing out every feature.

DERIVATIVES

assiduously adverb,

assiduousness noun

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin assiduus, from

assidere ‘be engaged in doing’ (see assess), + -ous.assiduous

adjective

she was assiduous in pointing out every feature: diligent, careful,

meticulous, thorough, sedulous, attentive, industrious,

laborious, hard-working, conscientious, ultra-careful,

punctilious, painstaking, demanding, exacting, persevering,

unflagging, searching, close, elaborate, minute, accurate,

correct, studious, rigorous, particular; religious, strict;

pedantic, fussy.

nefarious |nɪˈfɛːrɪəәs|

adjective

(typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal: the

nefarious activities of the organized-crime syndicates.

DERIVATIVES

nefariously adverb,

nefariousness nounORIGIN early 17th cent.: from Latin nefarius, from

nefas, nefar- ‘wrong’ (from ne- ‘not’ + fas ‘divine law’)

+ -ous.

nefarious

adjective

the nefarious activities of the bodysnatchers. See villainous.

villainous

adjective

Captain Mason led the villainous attack on the sleeping village:

wicked, evil, iniquitous, sinful, nefarious, vile, foul,

monstrous, shocking, outrageous, atrocious, abominable,

reprehensible, hateful, detestable, despicable, odious,

contemptible, horrible, heinous, execrable, diabolical,

diabolic, fiendish, vicious, murderous, barbarous, black,

dark, rotten; criminal, illicit, unlawful, illegal, illegitimate,

lawless, felonious, indictable, transgressing, wrong, immoral,

corrupt, degenerate, reprobate, sordid, depraved, dissolute,

bad, base, dishonourable, dishonest, unscrupulous,

unprincipled, underhand, roguish; informal crooked, bent,warped, low-down, stinking, dirty, shady, rascally,

scoundrelly; Brit. informal beastly, not cricket; Law

malfeasant; archaic dastardly; rare egregious, flagitious.

ANTONYMS good, virtuous.

macabre |məәˈkɑːbr(əә)|

adjective

disturbing because concerned with or causing a fear of

death: a macabre series of murders.

ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from French macabre, from

Danse Macabre ‘dance of death’, from Old French,

perhaps from Macabé ‘a Maccabee’, with reference to a

miracle play depicting the slaughter of the Maccabees.

macabre

adjective

1 a macabre ritual: gruesome, grisly, grim, gory, morbid,

ghastly, unearthly, lurid, grotesque, hideous, horrific,

horrible, horrifying, horrid, horrendous, terrifying,frightening, frightful, fearsome, shocking, dreadful,

appalling, loathsome, repugnant, repulsive, sickening.

2 a macabre joke: black, weird, unhealthy, sick.

loquacious |ləәˈkweɪʃəәs|

adjective

tending to talk a great deal; talkative. never loquacious, Sarah

was now totally lost for words.

DERIVATIVES

loquaciously adverb,

loquaciousness noun

ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin loquax, loquac-

(from loqui ‘talk’) + -ious.

loquacious

adjective

he was a loquacious and precocious boy: talkative, garrulous,

voluble, over-talkative, long-winded, wordy, verbose,

profuse, prolix, effusive, gushing, rambling; communicative;

chatty, gossipy, gossiping, chattering, chattery, babbling,

blathering, gibbering; informal with the gift of the gab,having kissed the blarney stone, yakking, big-mouthed,

gabby, gassy, talky; rare multiloquent, multiloquous.

ANTONYMS reticent, taciturn.

cortège |kɔːˈteɪʒ, -ˈtɛʒ|

noun

a solemn procession, especially for a funeral. a funeral cortège.

off we sped in the cortège of limousines that had been drawn up on the

tarmac.

• a person's entourage or retinue. his entourage became an ever-

present cortège wherever he went.

ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from French, from Italian

corteggio, from corteggiare ‘attend court’, from corte

‘court’, from Latin cohors, cohort- ‘retinue’.

cortège

noun

1 the funeral cortège moved solemnly down the road: procession,

parade, cavalcade, motorcade, convoy, caravan, train,

column, file, line, trail, chain, rank, troop; Brit. march past;

Brit. informal crocodile.2 the prince had an ever-present cortège: entourage, retinue, train,

suite, escort, court, company, attendant company;

attendants, aides, associates, companions, followers,

retainers.

damage |ˈdamɪdʒ|

noun

1 [ mass noun ] physical harm that impairs the value,

usefulness, or normal function of something. bombing caused

extensive damage to the town.

• detrimental effects: the damage to his reputation was

considerable.

2 (damages) a sum of money claimed or awarded in

compensation for a loss or an injury: she was awarded

$284,000 in damages.

verb [ with obj. ]

inflict physical harm on (something) so as to impair its

value, usefulness, or normal function: the car was badly

damaged in the accident.

• have a detrimental effect on: the scandal could seriously damage

his career.PHRASES

the damage is done used to indicate that it is too late to

prevent the occurrence of something unfortunate or

undesirable. there didn't seem any point in arguing now—the

damage was done.

what's the damage? informal, humorous used to ask the

cost of something.

ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French, from dam,

damne ‘loss or damage’, from Latin damnum ‘loss or

hurt’; compare with damn.

damage

noun

1 did the thieves do any damage? harm, injury, destruction,

vandalization, vandalism; impairment, defilement,

desecration, defacement, disfigurement, scarring,

mutilation, vitiation, detriment; ruin, havoc, devastation;

wear and tear, battering, friction, erosion, attrition,

corrosion, abrasion, deterioration, degeneration; rare

detrition.2 informal what's the damage? cost, price, expense, charge, bill,

account, total.

3 (damages) she won £4,300 damages in the county court:

compensation, recompense, restitution, redress,

reparation(s); repayment, reimbursement, remuneration,

requital, indemnification, indemnity, satisfaction; N. Amer.

informal comp; archaic guerdon, meed; rare solatium.

verb

the parcel had been damaged by rough handling: harm, do damage

to, injure, mar, deface, mutilate, mangle, impair, blemish,

disfigure, vandalize, blight, spoil, defile, desecrate; tamper

with, sabotage, disrupt, play havoc with, vitiate; ruin,

devastate, destroy, wreck, cripple, drive a nail into the coffin

of; N. Amer. informal trash; rare disfeature. ANTONYMS

repair; improve.

mileage |ˈmʌɪlɪdʒ|

noun [ mass noun ]

1 a number of miles travelled or covered: the car is in good

condition, considering its mileage.• [ usu. as modifier ] travelling expenses paid according to

the number of miles travelled: the mileage rate will be 30p per

mile.

2 informal actual or potential benefit or use to be derived

from a situation or event: he was getting a lot of mileage

out of the mix-up.

PHRASES

your mileage may vary informal your experience may be

different: as with all holistic treatments you have to keep doing them,

and your mileage may vary.

plumage |ˈpluːmɪdʒ|

noun [ mass noun ]

a bird's feathers collectively. the male in full breeding plumage.

DERIVATIVES

plumaged adjective [ usu. in combination ] : a grey-

plumaged bird

ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French, from

plume ‘feather’.eyesight |ˈʌɪsʌɪt|

noun [ mass noun ]

a person's ability to see: poor eyesight ended his plans for a naval

career.

eyesight

noun

he has poor eyesight: sight, vision, power of sight, faculty of

sight, ability to see, power of seeing, powers of observation,

observation, perception, visual perception.

WORD LINKS

optometry measurement of eyesight

Word Links sections supply words that are related to

the headword but do not normally appear in a

thesaurus because they are not actual synonyms.

chippy |ˈtʃɪpi| informal

noun(also chippie) (pl.chippies)

1 Brit.a fish-and-chip shop. there used to be a good chippy down

the back of Albert Street.

2 Brit.a carpenter.3 N. Amer.a promiscuous young woman, especially a

prostitute.

adjective

touchy and irritable. I thought she was hostile and chippy.

• N. Amer.(of an ice-hockey game) rough and belligerent

with numerous penalties. a chippy game.

papaya |pəәˈpʌɪəә|

noun

1 a tropical fruit shaped like an elongated melon, with

edible orange flesh and small black seeds. Also called

papaw or pawpaw.

2 (also papaya tree)the fast-growing tree which bears the

papaya, native to warm regions of America. It is widely

cultivated for its fruit, both for eating and for papain

production.

●Carica papaya, family Caricaceae.

ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Spanish and Portuguese (see

pawpaw) .

ordinary |ˈɔːdɪn(əә)ri, -d(əә)n-|adjective

1 with no special or distinctive features; normal: he sets out to

depict ordinary people | it was just an ordinary evening.

• not interesting or exceptional; commonplace: she seemed

very ordinary.

2 (especially of a judge or bishop) exercising authority by

virtue of office and not by deputation.

noun (pl.ordinaries)

1 (the ordinary) what is commonplace or standard: their

clichés were vested with enough emotion to elevate them above the

ordinary.

2 Law, Brit.a judge who exercises authority by virtue of

office and not by deputation.

3 (the Ordinary)a clergyman, such as an archbishop in a

province or a bishop in a diocese, with immediate

jurisdiction.

4 (Ordinary)those parts of a Roman Catholic service,

especially the Mass, which do not vary from day to day.

• a rule or book laying down the order of divine service.5 Heraldry any of the simplest principal charges used in

coats of arms (especially chief, pale, bend, fess, bar,

chevron, cross, saltire).

6 short for ordinary share.

7 archaic a meal provided at a fixed time and price at an

inn.

• an inn providing a meal at a fixed time and price.

8 historical, chiefly N. Amer.a penny-farthing bicycle.

PHRASES

in ordinary Brit.(in titles) by permanent appointment,

especially to the royal household: painter in ordinary to Her

Majesty.

in the ordinary way Brit.if the circumstances are or were

not exceptional; normally. but in the ordinary way we shouldn't

expect to hear from him.

out of the ordinary unusual: nothing out of the ordinary

happened.

DERIVATIVES

ordinariness noun

ORIGIN late Middle English: the noun partly via Old

French; the adjective from Latin ordinarius‘orderly’ (reinforced by French ordinaire), from ordo,

ordin- ‘order’.

ordinary

adjective

1 the ordinary course of events: usual, normal, standard, typical,

stock, common, customary, habitual, accustomed, expected,

wonted, everyday, regular, routine, day-to-day, daily,

established, settled, set, fixed, traditional, quotidian,

prevailing. ANTONYMS abnormal.

2 he's just an ordinary middle-aged man | my life seemed very

ordinary: average, normal, run-of-the-mill, standard, typical,

middle-of-the-road, common, conventional, mainstream,

unremarkable, unexceptional, unpretentious, modest, plain,

simple, homely, homespun, workaday, undistinguished,

nondescript, characterless, colourless, commonplace,

humdrum, mundane, unmemorable, pedestrian, prosaic,

quotidian, uninteresting, uneventful, dull, boring,

uninspiring, bland, suburban, hackneyed, stale, mediocre,middling, indifferent; N. Amer. garden-variety; informal

OK, so-so, bog-standard, vanilla, plain vanilla, nothing to

write home about, a dime a dozen, no great shakes, not up

to much; Brit. informal common or garden; N. Amer.

informal ornery. ANTONYMS unusual, extraordinary,

unique, exceptional.

PHRASES

out of the ordinary nothing out of the ordinary happened:

unusual, exceptional, remarkable, extraordinary,

unexpected, surprising, unaccustomed, uncommon,

unfamiliar, abnormal, atypical, unwonted, out of the way,

anomalous, different, special, exciting, memorable, striking,

noteworthy, unique, singular, unheard of, impressive,

outstanding, unconventional, unorthodox, exotic, strange,

peculiar, odd, queer, curious, bizarre, offbeat, weird,

outlandish.

late |leɪt|

adjective1 doing something or taking place after the expected,

proper, or usual time: his late arrival | she was half an hour late

for her lunch appointment.

2 belonging or taking place far on in a particular period:

they won the game with a late goal | an elegantly dressed woman in

her late fifties.

• denoting or belonging to the advanced stage of a

historical period or cultural movement: the late 1960s | late

Gothic style.

• far on in the day or night: I'm sorry the call is so late | it's too

late for sherry.

• flowering or ripening towards the end of the season: the

last late chrysanthemums.

3 (the/one's late) (of a specified person) no longer alive: the

late Francis Bacon | her late husband's grave.

• no longer having the specified status; former: a late colleague

of mine.

4 (latest) of most recent date: the latest news.

adverb

1 after the expected, proper, or usual time: she arrived late.2 far on in time; towards the end of a period: it happened late

in 1994.

• at or until a time far on in the day or night: now I'm old

enough to stay up late.

• (later) at a time in the near future; soon or afterwards: I'll

see you later | later on it will be easier.

3 (late of) formerly but not now living or working in a

specified place or institution: Mrs Halford, late of the County

Records Office.

noun (the latest)

the most recent news or fashion: have you heard the latest?

PHRASES

at the latest no later than the time specified: all new cars

will be required to meet this standard by 1997 at the latest.

late in the day (or N. Amer.game)at a late stage in

proceedings, especially too late to be useful: it's a bit late in the

day to go into all this.

of late recently: she'd been drinking too much of late.

ORIGIN Old English læt (adjective; also in the sense ‘slow,

tardy’), late (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Germanlass, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin lassus

‘weary’, let 1 , and let 2 .

latest

adjective

the latest fashion: most recent, newest, brand new, just out, just

released, fresh, present-day, up to date, up to the minute,

state-of-the-art, current, modern, contemporary,

modernistic, fashionable, in fashion, in vogue, voguish, bang

up to date, in; Frenchà la mode; informal with it, trendy,

hip, hot, happening, cool, now. ANTONYMS old,

unfashionable.

late

adjective

1 the train was one and a half hours late | he was late for work:

behind time, behind schedule, behind, behindhand; not on

time, unpunctual, tardy, running late, overdue, belated,

delayed; slow, dilatory. ANTONYMS punctual, early, fast.

2 her late husband: dead, deceased, departed, lamented,

passed on/away, lost, expired, gone, extinct, perished.

ANTONYMS alive, existing.3 he was Minister for Education in the late government: previous,

preceding, former, past, prior, earlier, as was, sometime,

one-time, ex-, erstwhile, old, defunct, precedent, foregoing,

no longer extant; Frenchci-devant; formal quondam;

archaic whilom. ANTONYMS current.

adverb

1 she had arrived late: behind schedule, behind time,

behindhand, unpunctually, belatedly, tardily, at the last

minute, at the tail end; dilatorily, slowly, recently.

ANTONYMS early, betimes.

2 I was working late: after hours, after office hours, overtime,

past the usual finishing/stopping/closing time.

3 I won't have you staying out late: late at night, till the early

hours of the morning; informal till the wee small hours, till

all hours.

PHRASES

of late she'd been drinking too much of late: recently, lately,

latterly, in the past few days, in the last couple of weeks, in

recent times; newly, freshly, not long ago.

outdated |aʊtˈdeɪtɪd|adjective

out of date; obsolete: outdated equipment.

DERIVATIVES

outdate verb,

outdatedness noun

outdated

adjective

an outdated rail network: old-fashioned, out of date, outmoded,

out of fashion, unfashionable, out of style, dated, out,

outworn, old, former, musty, old-time, old-world, behind the

times, behindhand, past, bygone, archaic, obsolescent,

obsolete, ancient, antiquated, superannuated, defunct,

medieval, prehistoric, antediluvian, old-fogeyish, old-

fangled, backward-looking, quaint, anachronistic, crusted,

feudal, fusty, moth-eaten, olde worlde; Frenchpassé,

démodé, vieux jeu; informal old hat, square, not with it, out

of the ark, creaky, mouldy; N. Amer. informal horse-and-

buggy, clunky, rinky-dink, mossy; archaic square-toed.

ANTONYMS current, modern, fashionable.piece |piːs|

noun

1 a portion of an object or of material, produced by

cutting, tearing, or breaking the whole: a piece of cheese | the

dish lay in pieces on the floor.

• an item used in constructing something: take a car to

pieces.

• an item forming part of a set: a piece of luggage.

• a financial share: each employee owns a piece of the company.

2 a written, musical, or artistic creation: a haunting piece of

music.

3 an instance or example: a crucial piece of evidence.

4 [ with modifier ] a coin of specified value: a 10p piece.

5 a figure or token used to make moves in a board game. a

chess piece.

• Chess a king, queen, bishop, knight, or rook, as opposed

to a pawn. indicate which piece or pawn is taken.

6 informal, chiefly N. Amer.a firearm.

7 informal, offensive a woman.

8 Scottisha sandwich or other item of food taken as a

snack.verb [ with obj. ]

1 (piece something together) assemble something from

parts or pieces: the dinosaur was pieced together from 119 bones.

• slowly make sense of something from separate pieces of

evidence: Daniel had pieced the story together from the radio.

2 (piece something out) archaic extend something. his

coming and assisting them was like a cordial given to a dying man,

which doth piece out his life.

3 archaic patch (something). if it be broken it must be pieced.

PHRASES

a piece of ass (or tail) vulgar slang a woman regarded as

sexually attractive.

a piece of cake see cake.

a piece (or slice) of the action informal a share in an

exciting or profitable enterprise. they'd underwrite the cost of the

drilling in return for a piece of the action.

come (or fall) to pieces break into parts or become

damaged: it splintered loudly and fell to pieces under his weight.

go to pieces become so upset or nervous that one is unable

to function normally. my mother went to pieces after his death.in one piece unharmed or undamaged, especially after a

dangerous experience. don't worry, I'll get you there in one piece.

(all) of a piece (entirely) consistent. the art and science of any

culture are of a piece.

piece by piece in gradual stages. I intend to approach this

problem piece by piece.

piece of water a small lake or pond.

piece of work informal a person of a specified kind,

especially an unpleasant one: he's a nasty piece of work.

say one's piece give one's opinion or make a prepared

statement. I've said my piece, it's up to you.

tear (or pull) someone/thing to pieces criticize

someone or something harshly. theatre critics would tear the

production to pieces.

ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French piece (compare

with medieval Latin pecia, petium), of obscure ultimate

origin.

piece

noun1 a piece of cheese | a piece of wood: bit, section, slice, chunk,

segment, lump, hunk; wedge, slab, knob, block, cake, bar,

tablet, brick, cube, stick, length; offcut, sample, particle,

fragment, flake, sliver, splinter, wafer, chip, crumb, grain,

speck, scrap, remnant, shred, shard, snippet, mite;

mouthful, morsel; Brit. informal wodge.

2 his ability to take a clock to pieces: component, part, bit,

section, segment, constituent, element; unit, module.

3 a piece of furniture | a vital piece of evidence: example,

specimen, sample, instance, illustration, occurrence, case.

4 he gets $16 million plus a piece of the profit: share, slice,

portion, quota, part, bit, percentage, amount, quantity,

ration, fraction, division, subdivision; allocation, allotment,

measure, apportionment; informal cut, whack, rake-off; rare

quantum, moiety.

5 one of the finest pieces is a Tuscan vase | a piece of music: work of

art, work; musical work, composition, creation, production,

opus.

6 the reporter who wrote the piece: article, item, story, report,

essay, study, review, composition, paper, column.7 the pieces on a chess board: token, counter, man, disc, chip,

marker.

PHRASES

come/fall to pieces one large transport came to pieces in space |

it splintered loudly and fell to pieces under his weight: break up,

break, break open/apart, shatter, splinter, fracture, burst

apart, explode, blow apart, implode; disintegrate, fall apart,

collapse, break down, tumble down; smash, smash to

smithereens; informal bust; technical spall; rare shiver.

give a piece of one's mind to I'm going to confront my

brother and give him a piece of my mind: reprimand, rebuke,

scold, admonish, reprove, upbraid, chastise, chide, censure,

castigate, lambaste, berate, lecture, criticize, take to task,

read the Riot Act to, haul over the coals; informal tell off,

give someone a telling-off, dress down, give someone a

dressing-down, bawl out, pitch into, lay into, lace into, blow

up at, give someone an earful, give someone a roasting, give

someone a rocket, give someone a rollicking; Brit. informal

have a go at, carpet, tear someone off a strip, give someone

what for, let someone have it; N. Amer. informal chew out,ream out; Brit. vulgar slang bollock, give someone a

bollocking.

go/fall to pieces he went to pieces when his wife died: have a

(mental/nervous) breakdown, break down, go out of one's

mind, crack, snap, lose control, lose one's head, fall apart;

informal crack up, come/fall apart at the seams,

disintegrate, freak, freak out, get in a stew; Brit. informal go

into a (flat) spin.

in one piece 1 I checked my camera to see if it was still in one

piece: unbroken, entire, whole, intact, undamaged,

unharmed, unmarked, untouched, unspoilt. 2 I'll bring her

back in one piece: unhurt, uninjured, unscathed, safe, safe and

sound.

in pieces 1 the dish lay in pieces on the floor: broken, in bits,

shattered, smashed, in smithereens; informal bust. 2 this

man's only ambition appeared to be to cut him in pieces: apart, up, to

pieces; literary asunder.

(all) of a piece the rounded-off curves of the figure's body make

her seem of a piece with the curlicued chair | the first three objections

are all of a piece: similar, alike, (exactly) the same,

indistinguishable, undistinguishable, identical, uniform, ofthe same kind, twin, interchangeable, undifferentiated,

homogeneous, cut from the same cloth, consistent,

unvarying; corresponding, correspondent, commensurate,

equivalent, matching, like, parallel, analogous, comparable,

cognate, equal; informal like (two) peas in a pod, much of a

muchness, (like) Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

ANTONYMS different, unlike.

piece of the action when great new technologies come along,

everybody wants a piece of the action: share, portion, bit, cut,

quota, percentage; commission, dividend; informal whack,

slice of the cake, rake-off.

piece of cake informal a career is a piece of cake compared to

this | being a single mother isn't the piece of cake she thought it would

be: easy task, easy job, child's play, nothing, five-finger

exercise, gift, walkover, sinecure; informal breeze, doddle,

walk in the park, picnic, money for old rope, money for jam,

cinch, sitter, kids' stuff, cushy job/number, doss, cakewalk,

pushover; N. Amer. informal duck soup, snap; Austral./NZ

informal bludge, snack; S. African informal a piece of old

tackie; Brit. vulgar slang a piece of piss; dated snip.tear/pull someone/something to pieces theatre critics

would tear the production to pieces: criticize, attack, censure,

condemn, denigrate, find fault with, give a bad press to,

pillory, maul, lambaste, flay, savage; informal knock, slam,

pan, bash, take apart, crucify, hammer, lay into, roast,

skewer; Brit. informal slate, rubbish, slag off, monster; N.

Amer. informal pummel, cut up; Austral./NZ informal bag;

rare excoriate.

verb

PHRASES

piece something together it might be possible to piece the

photographs together | investigators are now trying to piece together

what happened: put together, assemble, compose, construct,

join up, fit together, join, unite, reassemble, reconstruct, put

back together, mend, repair, patch up, sew (up); build up a

picture/impression of.

peace |piːs|

noun [ mass noun ]

1 freedom from disturbance; tranquillity: he just wanted to

drink a few beers in peace.• mental or emotional calm: the peace of mind this insurance

gives you.

2 a state or period in which there is no war or a war has

ended: the Straits were to be open to warships in time of peace | [ in

sing. ] : the peace didn't last.

• [ in sing. ] a treaty agreeing peace between warring states:

support for a negotiated peace.

• the state of being free from civil disorder: police action to

restore peace.

• the state of being free from dissension: the 8.8 per cent offer

promises peace with the union.

3 (the peace) a ceremonial handshake or kiss exchanged

during a service in some Churches (now usually only in the

Eucharist), symbolizing Christian love and unity. See also

kiss of peace at kiss.

PHRASES

at peace 1 euphemistic free from anxiety or distress. she

had felt at peace, and strangely detached. • dead and therefore free

from the difficulties of life. 2 in a state of friendliness: a man

at peace with the world.hold one's peace remain silent about something. he nodded

indulgently at such pertness and obstinacy, but held his peace.

keep the peace refrain or prevent others from disturbing

civil order. the police must play a crucial role in keeping the peace.

make (one's) peace re-establish friendly relations: he

returned to the village to make peace with his mother.

no peace for the wicked see no rest for the wicked at

wicked.

ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French pais, from

Latin pax, pac- ‘peace’.

peace

noun

1 can't a man get any peace around here? tranquillity, calm,

calmness, restfulness, peace and quiet, peacefulness, quiet,

quietness, quietude, silence, soundlessness, hush,

noiselessness, stillness, still; privacy, privateness, seclusion,

solitude, isolation, retirement, lack of disturbance/

interruption, freedom from interference. ANTONYMS

noise; irritation.2 those who have guilty secrets rarely enjoy true peace of mind:

serenity, peacefulness, tranquillity, equanimity, calm,

calmness, composure, placidity, placidness, rest, repose,

ease, comfort, contentment, content, contentedness,

security; bliss, joy, nirvana. ANTONYMS agitation, distress.

3 we pray for peace in the province: law and order, lawfulness,

order, peacefulness, peaceableness, harmony,

harmoniousness, accord, concord, amity, amicableness,

goodwill, friendship, cordiality, non-aggression, non-

violence; ceasefire, respite, lull. ANTONYMS conflict.

4 the envoy hopes to set the seal on a lasting peace today: treaty,

truce, ceasefire, armistice, end/cessation/suspension of

hostilities, moratorium, agreement, alliance, concord,

appeasement, reconciliation. ANTONYMS war.

WORD LINKS

irenic intended to bring about peace

Word Links sections supply words that are related to

the headword but do not normally appear in a

thesaurus because they are not actual synonyms.

whole |həәʊl|adjective

1 [ attrib. ] all of; entire: he spent the whole day walking | she

wasn't telling the whole truth.

• used to emphasize a large extent or number: disputes on a

whole range of issues.

2 in an unbroken or undamaged state; in one piece: owls

usually swallow their prey whole.

• [ attrib. ] with no part removed: puddings made with whole

milk.

• [ predic. ] healthy: people should be whole in body, mind, and

spirit.

noun

1 a thing that is complete in itself: the subjects of the curriculum

form a coherent whole.

2 (the whole) all of something: the effects will last for the whole

of his life.

adverb [ as submodifier ] informal

used to emphasize the novelty or distinctness of something:

the man who's given a whole new meaning to the term ‘cowboy’.

PHRASESas a whole as a single unit and not as separate parts; in

general: a healthy economy is in the best interests of society as a

whole.

in whole entirely or fully: a number of stone churches survive in

whole or in part.

in the whole (wide) world anywhere; of all: he was the

nicest person in the whole world.

on the whole taking everything into account; in general: on

the whole, it was quite a good speech.

the whole nine yards informal, chiefly N.

Amer.everything possible or available: send in the troops,

aircraft, nuclear submarine experts, the whole nine yards.

DERIVATIVES

wholeness noun

ORIGIN Old English hāl, of Germanic origin; related to

Dutch heel and German heil, also to hail 2 . The spelling

with wh- (reflecting a dialect pronunciation with w-) first

appeared in the 15th cent.

whole

adjective1 they refused to publish the whole report: entire, complete, full,

total; unabridged, full-length, uncut, uncondensed,

unexpurgated, unreduced, undivided. ANTONYMS

partial, incomplete.

2 they discovered a whole marble mantelpiece: intact, in one piece,

sound, unbroken; unimpaired, undamaged, unharmed,

unhurt, untouched, uninjured, unscathed, unmutilated,

inviolate, flawless, faultless, unmarked, unspoilt, perfect,

mint, pristine. ANTONYMS in pieces, broken.

noun

1 the two movements had been fused into a single whole: entity, unit,

body, piece, discrete item, ensemble, combination, package,

conglomeration, object; totality, entirety, unity.

2 it may take the whole of the year: all, every part, everything,

the lot, the sum, the sum total, the aggregate.

PHRASES

on the whole on the whole they lived peaceably: overall, all in

all, all things considered, altogether, taking everything into

consideration/account, on balance, on average, for the most

part, mostly, mainly, in the main, chiefly, principally,

predominantly, largely, in general, generally, generallyspeaking, as a rule, as a general rule, in the general run of

things, by and large, to a large extent, to a great degree,

basically, substantially, effectively, virtually, to all intents and

purposes; normally, usually, more often than not, almost

always, most of the time, habitually, customarily, regularly,

typically, ordinarily, commonly.

WORD LINKS

holo- related prefix, as in holocaust, Holocene

Word Links sections supply words that are related to

the headword but do not normally appear in a

thesaurus because they are not actual synonyms.

block |blɒk|

noun

1 a large solid piece of hard material, especially rock, stone,

or wood, typically with flat surfaces on each side: a block of

marble.

• a sturdy flat-topped piece of wood used as a work surface:

a chopping block.• a packaged rectangular portion of butter, ice cream,

chocolate, etc.: a family block of ice cream.

• chiefly Brit.a set of sheets of paper glued along one edge,

used for drawing or writing on: a sketching block.

• (usu. blocks) a starting block: Jackson jetted out of his blocks.

• Printing a piece of wood or metal engraved for printing

on paper or fabric. the art of colour printing from woodblocks.

• (also cylinder block or engine block)a large metal

moulding containing the cylinders of an internal-

combustion engine.

• a head-shaped mould for shaping hats or wigs.

2 Brit.a large single building subdivided into separate

rooms, flats, or offices: a block of flats.

• a building or part of a complex used for a particular

purpose: a shower block.

• a group of buildings bounded by four streets: she went for a

run round the block.

• N. Amer.any urban or suburban area bounded by four

streets: ours was the ugliest house on the block.

• N. Amer.the length of one side of a block, especially as a

measure of distance: he lives a few blocks away from the museum.3 a large quantity or allocation of things regarded as a unit:

a block of shares | final examinations will be taken in a block at

the end of the course.

• Computing a large piece of text processed as a unit.

4 an obstacle to the normal progress or functioning of

something: substantial demands for time off may constitute a

block to career advancement | an emotional block.

• an act of blocking someone or something: Marshall's shot

drew a fine block from the goalkeeper.

• a chock for stopping the motion of a wheel.

• (also blockhole)Cricket the spot on which a batsman

rests the end of the bat while waiting to receive a ball.

5 a flat area of something, especially a solid area of colour:

cover the eyelid with a neutral block of colour.

• Austral./NZ historical an area of land, in particular a

tract offered to an individual settler by a government.

• Austral.an urban or suburban building plot.

6 a pulley or system of pulleys mounted in a case. a simple

pulley block.

verb [ with obj. ]1 make the movement or flow in (a passage, pipe, road, etc.)

difficult or impossible: block up the holes with sticky tape | the

narrow roads were blocked by cars | (as adj.blocked) : a blocked

nose.

• put an obstacle in the way of (something proposed or

attempted): he stood up, blocking her escape | the government tried to

block an agreement on farm subsidies.

• prevent access to or the use of (email or a website or

mobile phone): some companies use these IMEI numbers to block

stolen phones.

• restrict the use or conversion of (currency or any other

asset).

• American Football impede the progress of (a tackler) with

one's body.

• (in sport) stop (a ball or blow) from finding its mark: Knight

did well to block Soloman's shot.

• Cricket stop (a ball) with the bat defensively.

• Bridge play in such a way that opponents are prevented

from establishing (a long suit).

2 impress text or a design on (a book cover).3 shape or reshape (a hat) on a mould. nobody cleans and blocks

old felt hats any more.

PHRASES

have been around the block (a few times)N. Amer.

informal (of a person) have a lot of experience.

the new kid on the block informal a newcomer to a

particular place or sphere of activity. what can the new kid on

the block learn from the earlier Democrat's mistakes?

on the (auction) block for sale at auction: the original first

manuscript for Ravel's Bolero goes on the block today.

put (or lay) one's head (or neck) on the block informal

put one's standing or reputation at risk by proceeding with a

particular course of action. it's not in your nature to put your head

on the block.[with reference to an executioner's block.]

PHRASAL VERBS

block something in 1 paint something with solid areas of

colour. the sunflowers are blocked in with yellow. • add something

in a unit: it's a good idea to block in regular periods of exercise. •

mark something out roughly. I often start with no preliminary line

but go straight in, blocking in the face and body. 2 park one's car insuch a way as to prevent another car from moving away: he

blocked in Vera's Mini.

block something out 1 stop something such as light or

noise from reaching somewhere: you're blocking out my sun. •

exclude something unpleasant from one's thoughts or

memory. they had managed to block out incidents from long ago. 2

mark or sketch something out roughly. I would block out an

area and sketch in the detail.

DERIVATIVES

blocky adjective (blockier, blockiest)

ORIGIN Middle English (denoting a log or tree stump):

from Old French bloc (noun), bloquer (verb), from Middle

Dutch blok, of unknown ultimate origin.

power bloc(also block)

noun

an association of groups, esp. nations, having a common

interest and acting as a single political force.

block

noun1 a block of cheese | a wall of concrete blocks: chunk, hunk, brick,

slab, lump, piece; bar, cake, cube, wedge, mass, wad, slice;

Brit. informal wodge.

2 the convent is likely to be transformed into a block of bedsits:

building, complex, structure, development.

3 a block of shares: batch, group, cluster, set, section, quantity,

series.

4 a sketching block: pad, notebook, jotter, tablet, sketchbook,

scratch pad.

5 imperialism is a block to Third World development: obstacle,

obstruction, bar, barrier, impediment, hindrance, check,

hurdle, stumbling block; difficulty, problem, snag,

disadvantage, complication, drawback, hitch, handicap,

deterrent. ANTONYMS assistance, encouragement.

6 a block in the pipe: blockage, obstruction, stoppage, stopping

up, clot, occlusion; impediment, hindrance; congestion.

verb

1 weeds can block drainage ditches: clog (up), stop up, choke,

plug, obstruct, gum up, occlude, dam up, congest, jam,

close; informal bung up, gunge up. ANTONYMS unblock,

open.2 picket lines blocked access to the factory: hinder, hamper,

obstruct, impede, inhibit, check, arrest, restrict, limit, deter,

curb, interrupt; halt, stop, bar, prevent, thwart, baulk,

frustrate, foil, scotch, circumvent, stand in the way of;

informal fetter. ANTONYMS help, facilitate.

3 the defender blocked a shot on the goal line: parry, stop, defend

against, fend off, stave off, turn aside, deflect, hold off, avert,

repel, rebuff, repulse, hold/keep at bay.

PHRASES

block something off exits from main roads were blocked off:

close up, bar, obstruct, shut off, barricade, seal.

ANTONYMS open.

block something out 1 the towering trees blocked out the light:

conceal, hide, screen, keep out, blot out, exclude; eliminate,

obliterate, eradicate, erase, rub out, wipe out, blank out,

efface, remove all traces of; halt, stop, deny, suppress,

repress. 2 I would block out an area and then sketch in the detail:

rough (out), sketch out, trace out, outline, set out, lay out,

delineate, draft.

lie 1 |lʌɪ|verb (lies, lying |ˈlʌɪɪŋ| ; pastlay |leɪ| ; past participlelain |

leɪn| ) [ no obj., with adverbial ]

1 (of a person or animal) be in or assume a horizontal or

resting position on a supporting surface: the body lay face

downwards on the grass | I had to lie down because I was groggy |

Lily lay back on the pillows and watched him.

• (of a thing) rest flat on a surface: a book lay open on the table.

• (of a dead person) be buried in a particular place. his body

lies in a crypt. his epitaph reads ‘Here lies Garcia, King of Galicia

and Portugal’.

2 be, remain, or be kept in a specified state: the abbey lies in

ruins today | putting homeless families into private houses that would

otherwise lie empty.

• (of something abstract) reside or be found: the solution lies in

a return to traditional values.

3 (of a place) be situated in a specified position or direction:

Kexby lies about five miles due east of York.

• (of a scene) extend from the observer's viewpoint in a

specified direction: stand here, and all of Amsterdam lies before

you.• Brit.(of a competitor or team) be in a specified position

during a competition or within a group: United are currently

lying in fifth place.

4 Law (of an action, charge, or claim) be admissible or

sustainable. an action for restitution would lie for money paid in

breach of the law.

noun (usu. the lie)

the way, direction, or position in which something lies: he

was familiarizing himself with the lie of the streets.

• Golf the position in which a golf ball comes to rest,

especially as regards the ease of the next shot. the lie, in deep

rough on a bank, was not good.

• the lair or place of cover of an animal or a bird.

PHRASES

let something lie take no action regarding a problematic

matter. ‘Are you planning a follow-up to the programme?’ ‘No, we'll

let it lie for now.’.

lie heavy on one cause one to feel troubled or

uncomfortable. it was the loss of human life that lay heavy on him.lie in state (of the corpse of a person of national

importance) be laid in a public place of honour before

burial. the candlelit chapel where the king's body lay in state.

lie low (especially of a criminal) keep out of sight; avoid

detection or attention. at the time of the murder he appears to have

been lying low in a barn.

the lie (N. Amer.lay) of the land the features or

characteristics of an area. a night patrol about to scout out the lie

of the land. • the current situation: she was beginning to see the lie

of the land with her in-laws.

take something lying down [ usu. with negative ] accept

an insult, setback, or rebuke without protest. she's laughing at

me for being weak and I'm not going to take it lying down any longer.

PHRASAL VERBS

lie ahead be going to happen: I'm excited by what lies ahead.

lie around/about (of an object) be left carelessly out of

place. I became irritated at the pills and potions lying around the

house. • (of a person) pass the time lazily or aimlessly: you all

just lay around all day on your backsides, didn't you?

lie behind be the real, often hidden, reason for

(something): a subtle strategy lies behind such silly claims.lie in Brit.remain in bed after the normal time for getting

up. if I'm not due anywhere I'll lie in until something kick-starts the

day. • archaic (of a pregnant woman) go to bed to give

birth. five hungry children, and a wife lying in of a sixth.

lie off Nautical (of a ship) stand some distance from shore

or from another ship.

lie over USbreak one's journey: we'll lie over in New York, then

fly to London.

lie to Nautical (of a ship) come almost to a stop with its

head towards the wind.

lie up (of a ship) go into dock or be out of commission. •

(lie something up) put a boat in dock or out of

commission. I decided to lay the boat up there.

lie with 1 (of a responsibility) be attributable to (someone):

ultimate responsibility for the violence lies with the President. 2

archaic have sexual intercourse with. if a man entice a maid

that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be

his wife.

ORIGIN Old English licgan, of Germanic origin; related to

Dutch liggen and German liegen, from an Indo-Europeanroot shared by Greek lektron, lekhos and Latin lectus

‘bed’.

usage: The verb lie is often confused with the verb lay,

giving rise to incorrect uses such as he is laying on the bed

(correct use is he is lying on the bed) or why don't you lie it on the

bed? (correct use is why don't you lay it on the bed?). See usage

at lay 1 .

lie 2 |lʌɪ|

noun

an intentionally false statement: they hint rather than tell

outright lies | the whole thing is a pack of lies.

• used with reference to a situation involving deception or

founded on a mistaken impression: all their married life she had

been living a lie.

verb (lies, lying, lied |ˈlʌɪɪŋ| ) [ no obj. ]

tell a lie or lies: why had Ashenden lied about his visit to London? |

[ with direct speech ] : ‘I am sixty-five,’ she lied.

• (of a thing) present a false impression: the camera cannot lie.

PHRASESgive the lie to serve to show that (something previously

assumed to be the case) is not true: these figures give the lie to the

notion that Britain is excessively strike-ridden.

I tell a lie (or that's a lie)Brit. informal used to correct

oneself immediately when one realizes that one has made

an incorrect remark: I never used to dream—I tell a lie, I did

dream when I was little.

lie through one's teeth informal tell an outright lie

without remorse. ‘Don't worry, Lavender, you'll soon catch up’,

Miss Honey said, lying through her teeth.

ORIGIN Old English lyge (noun), lēogan (verb), of Germanic

origin; related to Dutch liegen and German lügen .

lie 1

noun

Len's loyalty to his mates had made him tell lies: untruth,

falsehood, fib, fabrication, deception, made-up story,

trumped-up story, invention, piece of fiction, fiction,

falsification, falsity, fairy story/tale, cock and bull story,

barefaced lie; (little) white lie, half-truth, exaggeration,

prevarication, departure from the truth; yarn, story, redherring, fable, myth, flight of fancy, figment of the

imagination; pretence, pretext, sham; (lies) misinformation,

disinformation, perjury, dissimulation, mendacity, gossip,

propaganda; informal tall story, tall tale, whopper; Brit.

informal porky, pork pie, porky pie; humorous

terminological inexactitude; vulgar slang bullshit; Austral./

NZ vulgar slang bulldust. ANTONYMS truth, fact.

PHRASES

give the lie to the success of our manufactured exports gives the lie

to the Opposition's portrayal of manufacturing: disprove,

contradict, negate, deny, refute, rebut, gainsay, belie,

invalidate, show/prove to be false, explode, discredit,

debunk, quash, knock the bottom out of, drive a coach and

horses through; challenge, call into question; informal shoot

full of holes, shoot down (in flames); rare controvert,

confute, negative. ANTONYMS show to be true, verify,

confirm.

verb

he had lied to the police as to his whereabouts: say something

untrue, tell an untruth, tell a lie, tell a falsehood, fib,

fabricate, invent a story, make up a story, falsify, dissemble,dissimulate, bear false witness; tell a white lie, prevaricate,

exaggerate, stretch the truth; perjure oneself, commit

perjury, forswear oneself, be forsworn; bluff, pretend, depart

from the truth; deceive, delude, mislead, trick, hoodwink,

hoax, take in, lead astray, throw off the scent, send on a

wild goose chase, put on the wrong track, pull the wool over

someone's eyes; informal lie through one's teeth, con;

humorous be economical with the truth, tell a

terminological inexactitude; vulgar slang bullshit.

ANTONYMS tell the truth.

lie 2

verb

1 he was lying on a bed: recline, lie down, lie back, be

recumbent, be prostrate, be supine, be prone, be stretched

out, stretch oneself out, lean back, sprawl, rest, repose,

relax, lounge, loll, bask. ANTONYMS stand.

2 her handbag lay on a chair at the other end of the room: be placed,

be set, be situated, be positioned, rest, repose, be.

3 the tiny principality which lies on the border of Switzerland and

Austria: be situated, be located, be placed, be positioned, be

found, be sited, be established, be.4 his body lies in a crypt below our headquarters: be buried, be

interred, be laid to rest, rest, be entombed; rare be

inhumed, be sepulchred.

5 the difficulty lies in building real quality into the products: consist,

be inherent, inhere, be present, be contained, exist, reside,

have its existence/being.

PHRASES

lie heavy on it was the loss of human life that lay heavy on him:

trouble, worry, bother, torment, oppress, nag, prey on one's

mind, plague, niggle at, gnaw at, haunt; be a burden to,

burden, press down on, weigh down, be a great weight on,

weigh heavily on someone's mind, cause anxiety to;

informal bug, aggravate.

lie low we'll have to lie low and wait for dark: hide, go into

hiding, hide out, find a hiding place, conceal oneself, keep

out of sight, keep a low profile, take cover, go to earth, go to

ground, go underground, cover one's tracks, lurk, skulk;

informal hole up; Brit. informal lie doggo.

fact |fakt|

nouna thing that is known or proved to be true: the most commonly

known fact about hedgehogs is that they have fleas | [ mass noun ] :

a body of fact.

• (facts) information used as evidence or as part of a report

or news article. even the most inventive journalism peters out without

facts, and in this case there were no facts.

• (the fact that) used to refer to a particular situation under

discussion: despite the fact that I'm so tired, sleep is elusive.

• [ mass noun ] chiefly Law the truth about events as

opposed to interpretation: there was a question of fact as to

whether they had received the letter.

PHRASES

before (or after) the fact before (or after) the committing

of a crime: an accessory before the fact.

facts and figures precise details. he presents the facts and

figures of his case openly and honestly.

a fact of life something that must be accepted and cannot

be changed, however unpalatable: baldness is a fact of life for a

lot of men.

the facts of life information about sexual functions and

practices, especially as given to children.the fact of the matter the truth. the fact of the matter is that

few such cases reach the magistrates' courts.

in (point of) fact used to emphasize the truth of an

assertion, especially one opposite to what might be expected

or what has been asserted: the brook trout is in fact a char.

ORIGIN late 15th cent.: from Latin factum, neuter past

participle of facere ‘do’. The original sense was ‘an act’,

later ‘a crime’, surviving in the phrase before (or after) the fact.

The earliest of the current senses (‘truth, reality’) dates from

the late 16th cent.

fact

noun

1 it is a fact that the water supply is seriously polluted: reality,

actuality, certainty, factuality, certitude; truth, naked truth,

verity, gospel. ANTONYMS lie; fiction.

2 every fact in the report was double-checked: detail, piece of

information, particular, item, specific, element, point, factor,

feature, characteristic, respect, ingredient, attribute,

circumstance, consideration, aspect, facet; (facts)information, itemized information, whole story; informal

info, gen, low-down, score, dope.

3 he was charged with being an accessory after the fact: event,

happening, occurrence, incident, act, deed.

PHRASES

in fact he said that he was going home, but in fact he went to the

pub: actually, in actuality, in actual fact, really, in reality, in

point of fact, as a matter of fact, in truth, if truth be told, to

tell the truth, the truth is/was; dated indeed, truly; archaic

in sooth, verily; rare in the concrete.

blame |bleɪm|

verb [ with obj. ]

feel or declare that (someone or something) is responsible

for a fault or wrong: the inquiry blamed the train driver for the

accident.

• (blame something on) assign the responsibility for a bad

or unfortunate situation or phenomenon to (someone or

something): they blame youth crime on unemployment.noun [ mass noun ]

responsibility for a fault or wrong: his players had to take the

blame for the defeat | they are trying to put the blame on us.

PHRASES

be to blame be responsible for a fault or wrong: he was to

blame for their deaths.

I don't (or can't) blame you (or her etc.)used to

indicate that one agrees that the action or attitude taken

was reasonable: he was becoming impatient and I couldn't blame

him.

have only oneself to blame be solely responsible for a

bad or unwelcome state of affairs. he really had only himself to

blame.

DERIVATIVES

blameable (US also blamable)adjective,

blameful adjective

ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French blamer,

blasmer (verb), from a popular Latin variant of

ecclesiastical Latin blasphemare ‘reproach, revile,

blaspheme’, from Greek blasphēmein (see blaspheme) .blame

verb

1 the inquiry blamed the train driver for the accident: hold

responsible, hold accountable, hold liable, place/lay the

blame on; censure, criticize, condemn, accuse of, find/

consider guilty of; assign fault/liability/guilt to; archaic

inculpate. ANTONYMS absolve; forgive.

2 they blame youth crime on unemployment: ascribe to, attribute

to, impute to, lay at the door of, put down to, set down to;

informal pin, stick.

noun

he was cleared of all blame for the incident: responsibility, guilt,

accountability, liability, onus, blameworthiness, culpability,

fault; censure, criticism, condemnation, recrimination;

informal rap.

start |stɑːt|

verb

1 [ no obj. ] begin or be reckoned from a particular point in

time or space; come into being: the season starts in September |we ate before the film started | below Roaring Springs the real desert

starts.

• embark on a continuing action or a new venture: I'm

starting on a new book | [ with infinitive or present

participle ] : I started to chat to him | we plan to start building in

the autumn.

• use a particular point, action, or circumstance as an

opening for a course of action: the teacher can start by

capitalizing on children's curiosity | I shall start with the case you

mention first.

• [ no obj., with adverbial of direction ] begin to move or

travel: we started out into the snow | he started for the door.

• [ with obj. ] begin to engage in (an occupation), live

through (a period), or attend (an educational establishment):

she will start school today | he started work at a travel agent | they

started their married life.

• begin one's working life: he started as a mess orderly | he

started off as doctor in the house.

• cost at least a specified amount: fees start at £300.2 [ with obj. ] cause to happen or begin: two men started the

blaze | those women started all the trouble | I'm starting a campaign

to get the law changed.

• cause (a machine) to begin to work: we had trouble starting the

car | he starts up his van.

• [ no obj. ] (of a machine) begin operating or being used:

the noise of a lorry starting up | there was a moment of silence

before the organ started.

• cause or enable to begin doing something: his father

started him off in business | [ with obj. and present

participle ] : what he said started me thinking.

• give a signal to (competitors) to start in a race.

3 [ no obj. ] jerk or give a small jump from surprise or

alarm: ‘Oh my!’ she said, starting.

• [ no obj., with adverbial of direction ] literary move or

appear suddenly: she had seen Meg start suddenly from a thicket.

• (of eyes) bulge so as to appear to burst out of their sockets:

his eyes started out of his head like a hare's.

• be displaced or displace by pressure or shrinkage: [ no

obj. ] : the mortar in the joints had started.

• [ with obj. ] rouse (game) from its lair.noun [ usu. in sing. ]

1 the point in time or space at which something has its

origin; the beginning: he takes over as chief executive at the start of

next year | the event was a shambles from start to finish | his bicycle

was found close to the start of a forest trail.

• the point or moment at which a race begins. make sure you

are not over the line at the start.

• an act of beginning to do or deal with something: I can

make a start on cleaning up | an early start enabled us to avoid

the traffic.

• used to indicate that a useful initial contribution has been

made but that more remains to be done: if he would tell her

who had put him up to it, it would be a start.

• a person's position or circumstances at the beginning of

their life: she's anxious to give her baby the best start in life.

• an advantage consisting in having set out in a race or on a

journey earlier than one's rivals: he had a ninety-minute start

on them.

2 a sudden movement of surprise or alarm: she awoke with a

start | the woman gave a nervous start.• dated a surprising occurrence: you hear of some rum starts

there.

PHRASES

don't start (or don't you start) informal used to tell

someone not to grumble or criticize: don't start—I do my fair

share.

for a start informal used to introduce the first or most

important of a number of considerations: this side are at an

advantage—for a start, there are more of them.

get the start of dated gain an advantage over. I laughed to

think how I had got the start of them.

start a family conceive one's first child.

start a hare see hare.

start something informal cause trouble. you needn't worry

about having started something.

to start with at first: she wasn't very keen on the idea to start

with. • as the first thing to be taken into account: to start with,

I was feeling down.

PHRASAL VERBSstart again chiefly Brit.abandon what one is doing and

make a new beginning: while I was writing this essay my

computer froze and I had to start again.

start in informal begin doing something, especially talking:

people groan when she starts in about her acting ambitions. • (start

in on) N. Amer.begin to do or deal with: she started in on her

face. • (start in on) N. Amer.attack verbally; begin to

criticize.

start off (or start someone/thing off)begin (or cause

someone or something to begin) to operate or do

something: treatment should start off with attention to diet | what

started you off on this search?

start on informal begin to criticize someone: she started on

about my not having proper furniture.

start over North American way of saying start again:

could you face going back to school and starting over?

start out (or up)embark on a venture or undertaking,

especially a commercial one: the company will start out with a

hundred employees.

ORIGIN Old English styrtan‘to caper, leap’, of Germanic

origin; related to Dutch storten ‘push’ and Germanstürzen ‘fall headlong, fling’. From the sense ‘sudden

movement’ arose the sense ‘initiation of movement, setting

out on a journey’ and hence ‘beginning of a process, etc.’.

start

verb

1 the meeting starts at 7.45: begin, get under way, go ahead, get

going; informal kick off; formal commence. ANTONYMS

finish.

2 this was how her illness had started: come into being, begin, be

born, come into existence, appear, arrive, come forth,

emerge, erupt, burst out, arise, originate, break, unfold,

develop, crop up, first see the light of day; formal

commence. ANTONYMS end, clear up.

3 I'm starting a campaign to get the law changed: establish, set up,

found, lay the foundations of, lay the cornerstone of, lay the

first stone of, sow the seeds of, create, bring into being,

institute, initiate, inaugurate, introduce, open, begin,

launch, float, kick-start, put in place, get something off the

ground, get something going, get something moving, get

something working, get something functioning, activate,

originate, pioneer, organize, mastermind, embark on, makea start on, tackle, set about; informal kick something off.

ANTONYMS end, wind up.

4 we had better start now if we are going to finish the job in time:

make a start, begin, make a beginning, take the first step, lay

the first stone, make the first move, get going, go ahead, set

things moving, take something forward, buckle to/down,

turn to, put one's shoulder to the wheel, put one's hand to

the plough, start/get/set the ball rolling; informal get

moving, get cracking, get stuck in, get down to it, get to it,

get down to business, get one's finger out, get the show on

the road, take the plunge, kick off, pitch in, get off one's

backside, fire away; Brit. informal get weaving; formal

commence. ANTONYMS stop; hang about; give up.

5 Yanto started out across the sand at a brisk pace: set off, set

out, start out, set forth, begin one's journey, get on the road,

depart, leave, get under way, make a start, sally forth,

embark, sail; informal hit the road, hit the trail, push off;

archaic set forward. ANTONYMS arrive; stay.

6 you can start up the machine with the footswitch: activate, set in

motion, switch on, turn on, fire up; energize, actuate, set off,

start off, get/set something going/moving, start somethingfunctioning, start something operating, kick-start.

ANTONYMS stop, close down.

7 the machine started up : begin working, start functioning,

get going, start operating. ANTONYMS stop.

8 ‘Oh my!’ she said, starting: flinch, jerk, jump, twitch, recoil,

shrink, blench, wince, shy.

9 literary she had seen Meg start suddenly from the thicket: jump,

leap, spring, bound, dash, charge, pounce, dive, rush, dart.

noun

1 we were present at the start of the event: beginning, inception,

onset, emergence, (first) appearance, arrival, eruption,

dawn, birth; establishment, foundation, institution,

origination, inauguration, induction, creation, opening,

launch, float, floating; informal kick-off; formal

commencement.

2 that was the start of the trouble: origin, source, root, starting

point, germ, seeds, beginning, genesis; cause, reason,

motivation, motive; Latinfons et origo; literary

fountainhead, wellspring, fount.

3 I gave them a quarter of an hour's start: lead, head start,

advantage, advantageous position.4 they have worked hard to give their children a start in life:

advantageous beginning, flying start, opening, opportunity,

chance, helping hand, encouragement, lift, assistance,

support, boost, kick-start; informal break, leg up.

5 she awoke with a start: jerk, twitch, flinch, wince, spasm,

convulsion, jump.

stop |stɒp|

verb (stops, stopping, stopped)

1 [ no obj. ] (of an event, action, or process) come to an

end; cease to happen: his laughter stopped as quickly as it had

begun | the rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared.

• [ with present participle ] cease to perform a specified

action or have a specified experience: she stopped giggling |

[ with obj. ] : he stopped work for tea.

• [ with present participle ] abandon a specified practice or

habit: I've stopped eating meat.

• stop moving or operating: he stopped to look at the view | my

watch has stopped.

• (of a bus or train) call at a designated place to pick up or

set down passengers: main-line trains stop at platform 7.• Brit. informal stay somewhere for a short time: you'll have to

stop the night.

2 [ with obj. ] cause (an action, process, or event) to come to

an end: this harassment has got to be stopped.

• prevent (an action or event) from happening: a security guard

was killed trying to stop a raid.

• prevent or dissuade (someone) from continuing in an

activity or achieving an aim: a campaign is under way to stop the

bombers.

• [ with obj. and present participle ] prevent (someone or

something) from performing a specified action or

undergoing a specified experience: several attempts were made to

stop him giving evidence | you can't stop me from getting what I

want.

• cause or order to cease moving or operating: he stopped his

car by the house | police were given powers to stop and search suspects.

• informal be hit by (a bullet).

• instruct a bank to withhold payment on (a cheque). he grew

nervous about the deal and asked his bank manager to stop the cheque.

• refuse to supply as usual; withhold or deduct: they stopped

the strikers' wages.• Boxing defeat (an opponent) by a knockout: he was stopped

in the sixth by Tyson.

• pinch back (a plant).

3 [ with obj. ] block or close up (a hole or leak): he tried to stop

the hole with the heel of his boot | the stile has been stopped up.

• Brit. dated put a filling in (a tooth).

• block the mouth of (a fox's earth) prior to a hunt.

• plug the upper end of (an organ pipe), giving a note an

octave lower.

• obtain the required pitch from (the string of a violin or

similar instrument) by pressing at the appropriate point with

the finger.

• make (a rope) fast with a stopper.

4 [ no obj. ] W. Indianbe or behave in a particular way:

‘Why was she so?’ ‘I don't know, you know how dem old people stop.’.

• [ with complement ] remain in a particular state or

condition: he said I mustn't stop barefooted, so I had to buy a pair of

new shoes.

noun

1 a cessation of movement or operation: all business came to

a stop | there were constant stops and changes of pace.• a break or halt during a journey: allow an hour or so for

driving and as long as you like for stops | the flight landed for a

refuelling stop.

• a place designated for a bus or train to halt and pick up or

set down passengers: the bus was pulling up at her stop.

• an object or part of a mechanism which is used to prevent

something from moving: the shelves have special stops to prevent

them from being pulled out too far.

• Brit. dated a punctuation mark, especially a full stop.

• used in telegrams to indicate a full stop: MEET YOU AT

THE AIRPORT STOP.

• Phonetics a consonant produced with complete closure of

the vocal tract. a bilabial stop. [ as modifier ] : stop consonants.

• Bridge a high card that prevents the opponents from

establishing a particular suit; a control. if West bids 3♥ now,

this will show a heart stop.

• Nautical a short length of rope used to secure something;

a stopper.

2 a set of organ pipes of a particular tone and range of

pitch.• (also stop knob)a knob, lever, or similar device in an

organ or harpsichord which brings into play a set of pipes

or strings of a particular tone and range of pitch.

3 Photography the effective diameter of a lens.

• a device for reducing the effective diameter of a lens.

• a unit of change of relative aperture or exposure (with a

reduction of one stop equivalent to halving it).

PHRASES

pull out all the stops make a very great effort to achieve

something: we pulled out all the stops to meet the deadline. • do

something very elaborately or on a grand scale: they gave a

Christmas party and pulled out all the stops.[with reference to the

stops of an organ.]

put a stop to cause to end: she would have to put a stop to all

this nonsense.

stop at nothing be utterly ruthless or determined in one's

attempt to achieve something: he would stop at nothing to retain

his power.

stop dead see dead.

stop short see short.stop one's ears put one's fingers in one's ears to avoid

hearing something. I stopped my ears but I still heard her cry.

stop someone's mouth induce someone to keep silent

about something. even if the correspondent wanted to reveal the

truth, patriotism as well as censorship would stop his mouth.

stop payment instruct a bank to withhold payment on a

cheque. the cheque has been certified, so you can't stop payment.

stop the show (of a performer) provoke prolonged

applause or laughter, causing an interruption. Diane stopped

the show with her rendition of ‘You Made Me Love You’.

PHRASAL VERBS

stop by (or in)call briefly and informally as a visitor. a nurse

stopped by her room to see if she was asleep. would you mind if I

stopped by this morning? she stopped in for a cup of tea.

stop something down Photography reduce the aperture

of a lens with a diaphragm.

stop off (or over)pay a short visit en route to one's

ultimate destination: I stopped off to visit him and his wife.

stop out 1 Brit. informal stay out, especially longer or later

than might be expected. it was the only evening for weeks that we

stopped out. 2 N. Amer.withdraw temporarily from highereducation or employment in order to pursue another

activity: community college students are more likely to stop out, or

drop out entirely, when the cost of attending increases.

stop something out cover an area that is not to be

printed or etched when making a print or etching.

stop up Brit. informal refrain from going to bed; stay up.

you used to let us stop up to watch the programme.

DERIVATIVES

stoppable adjective

ORIGIN Old English (for)stoppian‘block up (an aperture)’, of

West Germanic origin; related to German stopfen, from

late Latin stuppare ‘to stuff’.

stop

verb

1 drastic measures are needed to stop the decline: put an end to, put

a stop to, bring to an end, end, bring to a stop, halt, bring to

a halt; finish, bring to a close, terminate, bring to a

standstill, wind up, discontinue, cut short, interrupt, nip in

the bud; immobilize, paralyse, deactivate, shut down.

ANTONYMS start, begin; continue.2 you really should stop smoking: cease, discontinue, refrain

from, desist from, forbear from, break off, call a halt to, call

it a day; give up, abandon, abstain from, cut out; Nautical

belay; informal quit, leave off, knock off, pack in, lay off,

give over, jack in.

3 the car stopped outside a terraced house: pull up, draw up, come

to a stop, come to a halt, come to rest, pull in, pull over;

park; Austral. prop.

4 the music stopped | work stopped at the mine in 1948: come to

an end, come to a stop, cease, end, finish, draw to a close,

be over, conclude, terminate, come to a standstill; pause,

break off; peter out, fade away.

5 she pressed a pad against his side to stop the flow of blood: stem,

staunch, hold back, check, dam, slow, restrict, restrain; N.

Amer. stanch; archaic stay.

6 he tried to stop her leaving the house: prevent, hinder, obstruct,

impede, block, bar, preclude; dissuade from. ANTONYMS

encourage.

7 a court action brought by protesters attempting to stop the road plan:

thwart, baulk, foil, frustrate, stand in the way of, forestall;

scotch, derail; informal put paid to, put the stopper on, putthe kibosh on, do for, stymie; Brit. informal scupper.

ANTONYMS expedite.

8 talks broke down, and the employers stopped the strikers' wages:

withhold, suspend, keep back, hold back, refuse to pay, cut

off, discontinue.

9 he tried to stop the hole with the heel of his boot: block (up), plug,

close (up), fill (up); seal, caulk; bung up, clog (up), jam (up),

choke (up); occlude.

PHRASES

stop off/over he decided to stop over in Paris: break one's

journey, take a break, pause; stay, remain, put up, lodge,

rest; formal sojourn; archaic or literary tarry.

noun

1 all business came to a stop: halt, end, finish, close, standstill;

cessation, conclusion, termination, stoppage,

discontinuation, discontinuance; pause. ANTONYMS start,

beginning, continuation.

2 a brief stop at the small town of Kenora: break, stopover, stop-

off, stay, rest; formal sojourn.3 she got off the bus at the last stop: bus stop, stopping place,

halt; terminus, terminal, depot, station; Brit. fare stage,

stage.

4 a stop at the end of a sentence: full stop, full point, point;

punctuation mark; N. Amer. period.

PHRASES

put a stop to new legislation could well put a stop to this practice:

bring to an end, halt, put an end to, end, bring to a stop,

bring to a halt; finish, bring to a close, terminate, bring to a

standstill, wind up, discontinue, nip in the bud, put a/the lid

on; quell, quash, subdue, suppress, stifle; informal put paid

to, put the kibosh on, put the stopper on, do for.

pass 1 |pɑːs|

verb

1 move or cause to move in a specified direction: [ no obj.,

with adverbial of direction ] : he passed through towns and

villages | a plane was passing lazily overhead | [ with obj. and

adverbial of direction ] : he passed a weary hand across his

forehead | pass an electric current through it.• [ no obj., with adverbial of direction ] change from one

state or condition to another: homes which have passed from

public to private ownership.

• [ no obj. ] euphemistic, chiefly N. Amer.die: I was with

him the night he passed.

2 [ with obj. ] go past or across; leave behind or on one side

in proceeding: on the way to the station she passed a cinema | the

two vehicles had no room to pass each other | [ no obj. ] : we will not

let you pass.

• go beyond the limits of; surpass or exceed: the Portuguese

trade passed its peak in the 1760s | this item has passed its sell-by

date.

• Tennis hit a winning shot past (an opponent).

3 [ no obj. ] (of time) elapse; go by: the day and night passed

slowly.

• [ with obj. ] spend or use up (a period of time): this was

how they passed the time.

• come to an end: the danger had passed.

• happen; be done or said: not another word passed between

them | [ with complement ] : this fact has passed almost

unnoticed.4 [ with obj. and usu. with adverbial of direction ] transfer

(something) to someone, especially by handing or

bequeathing it to the next person in a series: your letter has

been passed to Mr Rich for action | pass the milk | the poem was

passed from generation to generation | [ with two objs ] : he passed

her a cup.

• [ no obj., with adverbial ] be transferred from one person

or place to another, especially by inheritance: if Ann

remarried the estate would pass to her new husband.

• (in soccer, rugby, and other games) kick, hit, or throw (the

ball) to another player of one's own side: his intent was to pass

the ball forward rather than knock it back.

• put (something, especially money) into circulation: persons

who have passed bad cheques.

• [ no obj. ] (especially of money) circulate; be current.

racegoers had formed card schools, and cash was passing briskly.

5 [ with obj. ] (of a candidate) be successful in (an

examination, test, or course): she passed her driving test.

• judge the performance or standard of (someone or

something) to be satisfactory: [ with obj. and complement ] :

he was passed fit by army doctors.• [ no obj. ] (pass as/for) be accepted as or taken for: he

could pass for a native of Sweden.

• [ no obj. ] be accepted as adequate; go unremarked: she

couldn't agree, but let it pass.

6 (of a legislative or other official body) approve or put into

effect (a proposal or law) by voting on it: the bill was passed

despite fierce opposition.

• [ no obj. ] (of a proposal) be approved by a legislative or

other official body: the Bill passed by 164 votes to 107.

7 [ with obj. ] pronounce (a judgement or judicial sentence):

passing judgement on these crucial issues | it is now my duty

to pass sentence upon you.

• utter (something, especially criticism): she would pass remarks

about the Peebles in their own house.

• [ no obj. ] (pass on/upon) archaic adjudicate or give a

judgement on. a jury could not be trusted to pass upon the question

of Endacott's good faith.

8 [ with obj. ] discharge (something, especially urine or

faeces) from the body. she may have difficulty in passing urine.9 [ no obj. ] forgo one's turn in a game or an offered

opportunity to do or have something: we pass on pudding

and have coffee.

• [ as exclamation ] said when one does not know the

answer to a question, for example in a quiz: to the enigmatic

question we answered ‘Pass’.

• [ with obj. ] (of a company) not declare or pay (a

dividend). the company has already passed its interim dividend.

• Bridge make no bid when it is one's turn during an

auction. South bids 1NT. North passes.

noun

1 an act or instance of moving past or through something:

repeated passes with the swipe card | an unmarked plane had been

making passes over his house.

• an act of passing the hands over something, as in

conjuring or hypnotism.

• a thrust in fencing.

• a juggling trick.

• Computing a single scan through a set of data or a

program.2 a success in an examination, test, or course: an A-level pass

in Music | [ as modifier ] : a 100 per cent pass rate.

• Brit.an achievement of a university degree without

honours: [ as modifier ] : a pass degree.

3 a card, ticket, or permit giving authorization for the

holder to enter or have access to a place, form of transport,

or event: a bus pass | you could only get in with a pass.

• historical (in South Africa) an identity book which black

people had to carry between 1952 and 1986, used to limit

the movement of black people to urban areas.

4 (in soccer, rugby, and other games) an act of kicking,

hitting, or throwing the ball to another player on the same

side. his cross-field pass to Giggs.

5 informal an amorous or sexual advance made to

someone: she made a pass at Stephen.

6 a state or situation of a specified, usually undesirable,

nature: if this was what was being taught these days in colleges

things had come to a pretty pass.

7 Bridge an act of refraining from bidding during the

auction.

PHRASESpass the baton see baton.

pass the buck see buck 3 .

pass one's eye over read (a document) cursorily.

pass go successfully complete the first stage of an

undertaking: home builders can't actually pass go unless they sell the

houses.[from a manoeuvre in the board game Monopoly.]

pass the hat (round) see hat.

pass one's lips see lip.

pass muster see muster.

pass the parcel see parcel.

pass the time of day see time.

pass water urinate.

PHRASAL VERBS

pass away euphemistic die: she passed away in her sleep.

pass someone by happen without being noticed or fully

experienced by someone: sometimes I feel that life is passing me

by.

pass off Brit.(of proceedings) happen or be concluded in a

specified, usually satisfactory way: the weekend had passed off

entirely without incident.pass something off 1 evade or lightly dismiss an

awkward remark: he made a light joke and passed it off. 2

Basketball throw the ball to a teammate who is unmarked.

he scored eight times and passed off forty-one assists.

pass someone/thing off as falsely represent a person or

thing as (something else): the drink was packaged in champagne

bottles and was being passed off as the real stuff.

pass on euphemistic die: his wife passed on twelve years ago.

pass out 1 become unconscious: he consumed enough alcohol to

make him pass out. 2 Brit.complete one's initial training in the

armed forces.

pass over euphemistic die: by the time I reached the hospital

she had passed over.

pass someone over ignore the claims of someone to

promotion or advancement: he was passed over for a cabinet job.

pass something over avoid mentioning or considering

something: I shall pass over the matter of the transitional period.

pass something up refrain from taking up an

opportunity: he passed up a career in pro baseball.

DERIVATIVES

passer noun he's a good passer of the ballORIGIN Middle English: from Old French passer, based

on Latin passus ‘pace’.

pass 2 |pɑːs|

noun

a route over or through mountains: the pass over the mountain

was open again after the snows | [ in place names ] : the Khyber

Pass.

• a passage for fish over or past a weir or dam. a programme to

build salmon passes at weirs and other obstacles.

PHRASES

head (or cut) someone/thing off at the pass forestall

someone or something: he came up with this story at the last

minute, just to cut me off at the pass.

sell the pass Brit.betray a cause: he is merciless to other poets

whom he considers to have sold the pass.

ORIGIN Middle English (in the sense ‘division of a text,

passage through’): variant of pace 1 , influenced by pass 1

and French pas .

pass 1

verb1 the traffic passing through the village: go, proceed, move,

progress, make one's way, travel, drive, fly; run, flow, course,

stream, roll, drift, sweep. ANTONYMS halt, stop.

2 every time a car passed him, he worried it might be the police:

overtake, go past, move past, go by, get ahead of, pull ahead

of, go ahead of; outstrip, outdistance, lap, leave behind; Brit.

overhaul.

3 as time passed, my feelings towards him slowly changed: elapse, go

by, go past, proceed, progress, advance, wear on, slip by, slip

away, roll by, glide by, tick by.

4 he passed the time writing letters: occupy, spend, fill, use (up),

employ, devote, take up, while away, beguile; kill, waste,

fritter, dissipate.

5 pass me the salt, please: hand, let someone have, give, hand

over, hand round, reach; transfer, convey, deliver; throw,

toss; informal chuck, bung.

6 he passed the ball back to the goalkeeper: kick, hit, throw, head,

lob, loft.

7 on her death in 1865, the estate passed to her grandson: be

transferred, be made over, be turned over, be signed over,go, devolve, be left, be bequeathed, be handed down/on, be

given, be consigned, be passed on.

8 his death passed almost unnoticed: happen, occur, take place,

come about, transpire; literary befall; rare eventuate.

9 the storm passed as quickly as it had begun: come to an end,

cease to exist, fade, fade away, melt away, blow over, run its

course, ebb, die out, evaporate, vanish, peter out, draw to a

close, disappear, finish, end, cease, terminate; rare evanish.

10 God's peace passes all human understanding: surpass, exceed,

go beyond, transcend, outdo, surmount, outstrip.

11 he passed the entrance exam: be successful in, succeed in, gain

a pass in, get through, come through, meet the

requirements of, pass muster in; qualify, graduate; informal

come up to scratch in, come up to snuff in, sail through,

scrape through. ANTONYMS fail.

12 the Senate passed the defence bill by seventy votes to sixteen:

approve, vote for, accept, ratify, adopt, carry, agree to,

authorize, sanction, endorse, validate, legalize, put into

effect, enact; informal OK. ANTONYMS reject.13 there was no way she could let that comment pass: go unnoticed,

go unheeded, stand, go, be accepted, go unremarked, go

undisputed, go uncensored.

14 I'm hardly in a position to pass judgement on her: declare,

pronounce, utter, express, deliver, issue, set forth.

15 he felt a stinging sensation every time he passed urine: discharge,

excrete, eliminate, evacuate, expel, emit, void, release, let

out.

PHRASES

come to pass such a moment came to pass one fateful Saturday

back in 1985: happen, come about, occur, transpire, arise;

literary befall.

pass away/on she passed away peacefully in her sleep. See die.

pass as/for she could easily pass for someone half her age: be

mistaken for, be taken for, be regarded as, be accepted as.

pass off 1 the rally passed off peacefully: take place, go off,

happen, occur, be carried though, be completed, be brought

to a conclusion, be accomplished; turn out, fall out, pan

out; N. Amer. go down. 2 when the dizziness passed off he sat up

and looked at his watch: wear off, come to an end, fade, fade

away, pass, disappear, vanish, die down, ebb.pass someone off he added Natasha's name to his passport,

passing her off as his daughter: misrepresent, falsely represent,

give a false identity to; disguise, dress up.

pass out she probably banged her head when she passed out: faint,

collapse, lose consciousness, black out, keel over; informal

flake out, conk out; literary swoon.

pass something over the court cannot possibly pass over these

offences: disregard, overlook, ignore, avoid considering, not

take into consideration, forget, pay no attention to, let pass,

let go, gloss over, take no notice of, pay no heed to, take no

account of, close one's eyes to, turn a deaf ear to, turn a

blind eye to, omit, skip; archaic overleap.

pass something up I can't pass up a bargain like this, can I?

fail to take advantage of, turn down, reject, refuse, decline,

deny oneself, give up, forgo, let go by, let pass, miss, miss out

on, ignore, brush aside, dismiss, waive, spurn, neglect,

abandon; informal give something a miss.

noun

1 you can only get in if you have a pass: permit, warrant,

authorization, licence; passport, visa, safe conduct, exeat;free ticket, free admission, complimentary ticket; rare

laissez-passer.

2 a cross-field pass: kick, hit, throw, shot, header.

PHRASES

come to a pretty pass things have come to a pretty pass if the

tabloids are influencing England's selection policy: reach a

regrettable/bad state (of affairs), be in a worrying state, be

in a sad plight, be in troubled circumstances, be in dire

straits; informal be in a pickle/hole.

make a pass at I bet he made a pass at Elizabeth: make sexual

advances to, make advances to, make sexual overtures to,

proposition, make a sexual approach to; informal come on

to, make a play for; N. Amer. informal hit on, make time

with, put the make on; dated make love to.

pass 2

noun

a pass through the mountains: route, way, road, narrow road,

passage, cut, gap, gorge, canyon, ravine, gully, defile, col,

couloir; Scottish bealach; N. Amer. notch.

drive |drʌɪv|verb (pastdrove |drəәʊv| ; past participledriven |ˈdrɪv(əә)n| )

1 [ no obj., usu. with adverbial of direction ] operate and

control the direction and speed of a motor vehicle: he got into

his car and drove off | they drove back into town.

• (of a motor vehicle) travel under the control of a driver: a

car drives up, and a man gets out | a stream of black cars drove by.

• [ with obj. ] own or use (a specified type of car): Sue drives

an estate car.

• [ no obj. ] be licensed or competent to drive a motor

vehicle: I take it you can drive?

• [ with obj. ] convey (someone) in a vehicle, especially a

private car: his wife drove him to Regent's Park.

2 [ with obj. and adverbial of direction ] propel or carry

along by force in a specified direction: the wind will drive you

onshore.

• [ no obj. ] (of wind, rain, or snow) move or fall with great

force: the snow drove against him.

• [ with obj. ] (of a source of power) provide the energy to

set and keep (an engine or piece of machinery) in motion:

turbines driven by steam.• [ with obj. ] Electronics (of a device) power or operate

(another device): the interface can be used to drive a printer.

• [ with obj. ] force (a stake or nail) into place by hitting or

pushing it: nails are driven through the boards.

• [ with obj. and adverbial ] bore (a tunnel). an engineer

suggested driving a tunnel through the Judean hills.

• [ with obj. ] (in ball games) hit or kick (the ball) hard with

a free swing of the bat, racket, or foot. from the free kick Owen

drove the ball past the keeper.

• [ with obj. ] Golf strike (a ball) from the tee, typically with

a driver. I'm driving the ball really well and my irons are good.

3 [ with obj. and adverbial of direction ] urge or force

(animals or people) to move in a specified direction: they

drove a flock of sheep through the centre of the city | the French

infantry were driven back.

• compel to leave: troops drove out the demonstrators | he wanted to

drive me away.

4 [ with obj. ] (of a fact or feeling) compel (someone) to act

in a particular way, especially one that is considered

undesirable or inappropriate: he was driven by ambition |[ with obj. and infinitive ] : some people are driven to murder their

tormentors.

• [ with obj. ] bring (someone) forcibly into a specified

negative state: the thought drove him to despair | [ with obj.

and complement ] : my laziness drives my wife crazy.

• [ with obj. ] force (someone) to work to an excessive

extent: you're driving yourself too hard.

• cause (something abstract) to happen or develop: the

consumer has been driving the economy for a number of years | we

need to allow market forces to drive growth in the telecommunications

sector.

noun

1 a trip or journey in a car: they went for a drive in the

country.

• [ in names ] a street or road: Hammond Drive.

• (also driveway)a short road leading from a public road to

a house or other building. from the window he could see right

down the weedy drive to the front gate.

2 Psychology an innate, biologically determined urge to

attain a goal or satisfy a need: her emotional and sexual drives.• [ mass noun ] determination and ambition to achieve

something: his drive helped Leeds to four Cup finals.

3 an organized effort by a number of people to achieve a

purpose: a recruitment drive by the police.

• Brit.an organized gathering to play whist or another game,

involving many players: a whist drive.

4 [ mass noun ] the transmission of power to machinery or

to the wheels of a motor vehicle. he experimented with chain

drive to run the propeller.

• (in a car with automatic transmission) the position of the

gear selector in which the car will move forward, changing

gears automatically as required: he threw the car into drive.

• [ count noun ] Computing short for disk drive. insert the

disk into drive A.

5 (in ball games) a forceful stroke made with a free swing of

the bat, racket, or foot against the ball. a hard drive to left field.

• Golf a shot from the tee. Greg hit a good drive at the 18th.

6 an act of driving a group of animals to a particular

destination. cattle were no longer taken on long drives, but were

delivered by rail.

PHRASESdrive something home see home.

drive a nail into the coffin of severely harm (something

that is already in a poor state): companies will be pushed to the

brink, driving another nail in the coffin of British manufacturing.

let drive attack with blows, missiles, or criticism. I let drive

with all the most forceful arguments I could lay my tongue to.

what someone is driving at the point that someone is

attempting to make: I don't understand what you're driving at.

DERIVATIVES

drivability (also driveability)noun,

drivable (also driveable)adjective

ORIGIN Old English drīfan‘urge (a person or animal) to go

forward’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch drijven and

German treiben .

drive

verb

1 you can't drive a car without a speedometer: operate, pilot, steer,

handle, manage; guide, direct, navigate.2 he drove to the police station: travel by car, go by car, motor;

informal travel on wheels, tool along, bowl along, spin.

ANTONYMS walk.

3 I'll drive you to the airport: chauffeur, run, give someone a lift,

take, bring, ferry, transport, convey, carry.

4 a two-litre engine drives the front wheels: power, propel, move,

push.

5 he drove a nail into the sole of the boot: hammer, screw, ram,

bang, pound, sink, plunge, thrust, stab, propel, knock, send.

6 I was allowed to drive cattle to market: impel, urge, press, move,

get going; herd, round-up, shepherd.

7 a desperate mother driven to crime: force, compel, constrain,

impel, press, prompt, precipitate, catapult; oblige, coerce,

make, pressure, goad, spur, prod.

8 he drove himself and his staff extremely hard: work, exert, push,

tax; overwork, overtax, overburden.

PHRASES

drive at I can see what you're driving at, but you're quite wrong:

suggest, imply, hint at, allude to, intimate, insinuate,

indicate, have in mind; refer to, mean, intend; informal get

at.noun

1 a family out for a Sunday afternoon drive: excursion, outing,

trip, jaunt, tour, turn; ride, run, journey; Scottish hurl;

informal spin, joyride.

2 the house is approached by a long drive: driveway, approach,

access road; road, roadway, avenue.

3 a low level of sexual drive: urge, appetite, desire, need;

impulse, instinct.

4 she lacked the drive to start on a new career: motivation,

ambition, push, single-mindedness, will power, dedication,

doggedness, tenacity, enterprise, initiative, enthusiasm, zeal,

commitment, aggression, aggressiveness, forcefulness, spirit;

energy, vigour, verve, vitality, liveliness, vim, pep; informal

get-up-and-go, zip, pizzazz, punch. ANTONYMS inertia.

5 an anti-corruption drive: campaign, crusade, movement,

effort, push, surge, appeal.

6 Brit. a whist drive: tournament, competition, contest, event,

match.

nothing |ˈnʌθɪŋ|

pronounnot anything; no single thing: I said nothing | there's nothing you

can do | they found nothing wrong.

• something of no importance or concern: ‘What are you

laughing at?’ ‘Oh, nothing, sir’ | they are nothing to him | [ as

noun ] : no longer could we be treated as nothings.

• (in calculations) no amount; nought.

adjective [ attrib. ] informal

having no prospect of progress; of no value: he had a series of

nothing jobs.

adverb

not at all: a man who cared nothing for her | he looks nothing

like the others.

• [ postpositive ] N. Amer. informal used to contradict

something emphatically: ‘This is a surprise.’ ‘Surprise nothing.’.

PHRASES

be nothing to do with see do 1 .

for nothing 1 at no cost; without payment: working for

nothing is a luxury I can't afford. 2 to no purpose: he died anyway,

so it had all been for nothing.

have nothing on someone see have.

have nothing to do with see do 1 .no nothing informal (concluding a list of negatives)

nothing at all: how could you solve it with no clues, no witnesses, no

nothing?

not for nothing for a very good reason: not for nothing have I

a brother-in-law who cooks professionally.

nothing but only: nothing but the best will do.

nothing daunted see daunt.

nothing doing informal 1 there is no prospect of success

or agreement: He wants to marry her. Nothing doing! 2 nothing is

happening: there's nothing doing, and I've been waiting for weeks.

nothing (or nothing else) for it Brit.no alternative: there

was nothing for it but to follow.

nothing less than used to emphasize how great or

extreme something is: it was nothing less than sexual harassment.

nothing much not a great amount; nothing of

importance. there was nothing much to see.

there is nothing to it there is no difficulty involved.

stop at nothing see stop.

sweet nothings words of affection exchanged by lovers:

Ned appeared to be whispering sweet nothings in her ear.think nothing of it do not apologize or feel bound to

show gratitude (used as a polite response).

you ain't seen nothing yet informal used to indicate that

however extreme or impressive something may seem, it will

be overshadowed by what is to come: if you think that was

muddy, you ain't seen nothing yet.

ORIGIN Old English nān thing (see no,thing) .

nothing

pronoun

1 there's nothing I can do about it: not a thing, not a single thing,

not anything, nothing at all, nil, zero; N. English nowt;

informal zilch, sweet Fanny Adams, sweet FA, nix, not a

dicky bird; Brit. informal damn all, not a sausage; N. Amer.

informal zip, nada, a goose egg, bupkis; Brit. vulgar slang

bugger all, sod all, fuck all; archaic nought, naught.

ANTONYMS something.

2 please forget it, it's nothing: a matter of no importance/

consequence, a trifling matter, a trifle, a piece of trivia, a

(mere) bagatelle; neither here nor there; informal no big

deal.3 he seemed to treat her as nothing: a person of no importance,

an unimportant person, a person of no account, a nobody,

a nonentity, a cipher, a non-person; a lightweight; Brit.

small beer. ANTONYMS celebrity.

4 the value of the shares is unlikely to fall to nothing: zero, nought,

0; Tennis love; Cricket a duck.

PHRASES

be/have nothing to do with 1 it has nothing to do with your

enquiries: be unconnected with, be unrelated to; be irrelevant

to, be extraneous to, be inapplicable to, be inapposite to, be

extrinsic to; rare be malapropos of. 2 he's a hard, ruthless man

and I'll have nothing to do with him: avoid, have no dealings

with, have no truck with, avoid dealing with, have no

contact with, steer clear of, give a wide berth to.

for nothing 1 the former TV presenter agreed to host the show for

nothing, but then demanded £1,000: free, gratis, without charge,

without payment, free of charge, at no cost; informal for

free, on the house. 2 I've taken all this trouble for nothing: in vain,

to no avail, to no purpose, with no result, needlessly,

pointlessly, futilely; archaic bootlessly.nothing but he was nothing but a nuisance to her: merely, only,

just, solely, simply, purely, no more than.