Set 17

part |pɑːt|
noun
1 an amount or section which, when combined with
others, makes up the whole of something: divide the circle
into three equal parts | the early part of 1999 | body parts.
• an element or constituent that is essential to the nature
of something: I was part of the family.
• a manufactured object assembled with others to make
a machine; a component: the production of aircraft parts.
• a division of a book, periodical, or broadcast serial. this
theme will be further explored in Parts Four and Five of the
book. Part Four of the series.
• a measure allowing comparison between the amounts
of different ingredients used in a mixture: use a mix of one
part cement to five parts ballast.
2 some but not all of something: the painting tells only part
of the story.
• a point on or area of something: hold the furthest part of
your leg that you can reach.
• (parts) informal a region, especially one not clearly
specified or delimited: those of you who jet off to foreign
parts for your holidays.
3 a role played by an actor or actress: she played a lot of
leading parts
• the words and directions to be learned and performed
by an actor in a role: she was memorizing a part.

4 the contribution made by someone or something to an
action or situation: he played a key part in ending the
revolt | he may be jailed for his part in the robbery.
• (one's part) the appropriate or expected behaviour in a
particular role or situation; one's duty: in such a place his
part is to make good.

adverb
to some extent; partly (often used to contrast different
parts of something): the city is now part slum, part
consumer paradise.
PHRASES
be part and parcel of be an essential feature or element
of: it's best to accept that some inconveniences are part and
parcel of travel.[ parcel here is in archaic sense ‘part,
portion’.]
for my (or his, her, etc.) part as far as I am (or he, she,
etc., is) concerned: I for my part find the story less than
convincing.
in part to some extent though not entirely: the cause of the
illness is at least in part psychological.
look the part have an appearance or style of dress
appropriate to one's role or situation. he had been a major
in an infantry regiment and he looked the part.
a man of (many) parts a man with great ability in many
different areas. he was a man of parts—a painter,
Egyptologist, and biographer.
on the part of (or on my, their, etc., part)used to ascribe
responsibility for something to someone: there was a series
of errors on my part.
!!
part company (of two or more people) cease to be
together; go in different directions: they parted company
outside the Red Lion. • (of two or more parties) cease to
associate with each other, especially as the result of a
disagreement: the chairman has parted company with the
club.
take part join in an activity; be involved: we have come
here to take part in a major game | they ran away and took
no part in the battle.
take the part of Brit.give support and encouragement to
(someone) in a dispute. her sister was the one person who
had always taken her part.
ORIGIN Old English (denoting a part of speech), from
Latin pars, part-. The verb (originally in Middle English
in the sense ‘divide into parts’) is from Old French partir,
from Latin partire, partiri ‘divide, share’.
back |bak|
noun
!!
1 the rear surface of the human body from the shoulders
to the hips: he lay on his back | [ as modifier ] : back pain.
• the upper surface of an animal's body that corresponds
to a person's back. the adults have white bodies with grey
backs.
• the spine of a person or animal.
• the main structure of a ship's hull or an aircraft's
fuselage. Demetrius broke its back on the rocks in a force 11
gale.
• the part of a garment that covers a person's back. a top
with a scooped neckline and a low back.
• a person's back regarded as carrying a load or bearing
an imposition: the Press are on my back.
2 the side or part of something that is away from the
spectator or from the direction in which it moves or
faces; the rear: at the back of the hotel is a secluded garden | a
rubber dinghy with an engine at the back.
• the position directly behind someone or something: she
unbuttoned her dress from the back.
!!
• the side or part of an object that is not normally seen or
used: write on the back of a postcard.
• the part of a chair against which the sitter's back rests.
3 a player in a team game who plays in a defensive
position behind the forwards. their backs showed some
impressive running and passing.
4 (the Backs)the grounds of Cambridge colleges which
back on to the River Cam.
adverb
1 in the opposite direction from the one that one is facing
or travelling towards: he moved back a pace | she walked
away without looking back.
• expressing movement of the body into a reclining
position: he leaned back in his chair | sit back and relax.
• at a distance away: keep back from the roadside.
• (back of) N. Amer. informal behind: he knew that other
people were back of him.
• N. Amer. informal losing by a specified margin: the
team was five points back.
!!
2 so as to return to an earlier or normal position or
condition: she put the book back on the shelf | he drove to
Glasgow and back in a day | things were back to normal.
• at a place previously left or mentioned: the folks back
home are counting on him.
• fashionable again: sideburns are back.
3 in or into the past: he made his fortune back in 1955.
4 in return: they wrote back to me.
verb
1 [ with obj. ] give financial, material, or moral support
to: he had a newspaper empire backing him | his mother
backed him up on everything.
• supplement in order to strengthen: firefighters, backed
up by helicopters and planes, fought to bring the flames under
control.
• bet money on (a person or animal) winning a race or
contest: he backed the horse at 33–1.
!!
2 [ with obj. ] cover the back of (an article) in order to
support, protect, or decorate it: a mirror backed with
tortoiseshell.
3 [ no obj., with adverbial of direction ] walk or drive
backwards: she tried to back away | figurative : the
government backed away from the plan | [ with obj. ] : he
backed the Mercedes into the yard.
• [ no obj. ] (of the wind) change direction anticlockwise
around the points of the compass: the wind had backed to
the north-west. The opposite of veer 1 .
• [ with obj. ] Sailing put (a sail) aback in order to slow
the vessel down or assist in turning through the wind.
4 [ no obj. ] (back on/on to) (of a building or other
structure) have its back facing or adjacent to: his garage
wall backs on to the neighbouring property.
• [ with obj. ] lie behind or at the back of: the promenade is
backed by lots of cafes.
!!
• put a piece of music on the less important side of (a
vinyl recording): the new single is backed with a track from
the LP.
5 (in popular music) provide musical accompaniment to
(a singer or musician): on his new album he is backed by an
American group.
adjective [ attrib. ]
1 of or at the back of something: the back garden | the back
pocket of his jeans.
• in a remote or subsidiary position: back roads.
2 from or relating to the past: she was owed back pay.
3 directed towards the rear or in a reversed course: a back
header.
4 Phonetics (of a sound) articulated at the back of the
mouth. a long back vowel, as in 'dance' or 'bath'.
PHRASES
at someone's back in pursuit or support of someone.
back and forth to and fro.
!!
back in the day in the past; some time ago: back in the
day, he'd had one of the greatest minds I'd ever come across.
one's back is turned one's attention is elsewhere: he
kissed her quickly, when the landlady's back was turned.
the back of beyond a very remote or inaccessible place.
back o'Bourke Austral. informal the outback.[from the
name of a town in north-west New South Wales.]
the back of one's mind used to express that something is
in one's mind but is not consciously thought of or
remembered: she had a little nagging worry at the back of her
mind.
back someone into a corner force someone into a
difficult situation: I was backed into a corner – there was no
way out.
back to front Brit.with the back at the front and the front
at the back: the exhausts had been fitted back to front.
back water reverse the action of a boat's oars to slow
down or stop. the exhausted crews backed water and the fleet
fell apart.
!!
back the wrong horse make a wrong or inappropriate
choice.
behind someone's back without a person's knowledge
and in an unfair way: Carla made fun of him behind his
back.
get (or put) someone's back up make someone annoyed
or angry.
in back N. Amer.at the back of something, especially a
building: my dad demolished a shed in back of his barn.
know something like the back of one's hand be entirely
familiar with a place or route.
on one's back in bed recovering from an injury or illness.
put one's back into approach (a task) with vigour.
turn one's back on ignore (someone) by turning away
from them. • reject or abandon (a person or thing that
one was previously involved with). she turned her back on
her career to devote her life to animals.
with one's back to (or up against) the wall in a
desperate situation.
!!
PHRASAL VERBS
back down withdraw a claim or assertion in the face of
opposition: party leaders backed down and rescinded the
resolution.
back off draw back from action or confrontation: they
backed off from fundamental reform of the system. • N.
Amer.back down.
back out withdraw from a commitment: if he backs out
of the deal they'll sue him.
back up 1 (of vehicles) form into a queue due to
congestion. the traffic began to back up. 2 (of running
water) accumulate behind an obstruction.
back something up 1 Computing make a spare copy of
data or a disk. 2 cause vehicles to form into a queue due
to congestion: the traffic was backed up a mile in each
direction.
DERIVATIVES
backmost adjective
!!
ORIGIN Old English bæc, of Germanic origin; related to
Middle Dutch and Old Norse bak. The adverb use dates
from late Middle English and is a shortening of aback.
way |weɪ|
noun
1 a method, style, or manner of doing something; an
optional or alternative form of action: I hated their way of
cooking potatoes | there are two ways of approaching this
problem.
• (one's way) one's characteristic or habitual manner of
behaviour or expression: it was not his way to wait
passively for things to happen.
• (ways) the customary behaviour or practices of a
group: my years of acclimatization to British ways.
• the typical manner in which something happens or in
which someone or something behaves: he was showing off,
as is the way with adolescent boys.
!!
• a particular aspect of something; a respect: I have
changed in every way.
• [ with adj. ] a specified condition or state: the family was
in a poor way.
2 a road, track, or path for travelling along: [ in place
names ] : No. 3, Church Way.
• a course of travel or route taken in order to reach a
place: can you tell me the way to Leicester Square?
• a specified direction of travel or movement: we just
missed another car coming the other way.
• a means of entry or exit from somewhere, such as a
door or gate: I nipped out the back way.
• (also N. Amer. informal ways) a distance travelled or
to be travelled; the distance from one place to another:
they still had a long way ahead of them | figurative : the
area's wine industry still has some way to go to full maturity.
• a period between one point in time and another:
September was a long way off.
!!
• travel or motion along a particular route; the route
along which someone or something would travel if
unobstructed: Christine tried to follow but Martin blocked
her way | that table's in the way | get out of my way!
• (one's way) used with a verb and adverbial phrase to
intensify the force of an action or to denote movement or
progress: I shouldered my way to the bar.
• [ with modifier or possessive ] informal a particular
area or locality: the family's main estate over Maidenhead
way.
3 (ways) parts into which something divides or is
divided: the national vote split three ways.
4 formal or Scottisha person's occupation or line of
business.
5 [ mass noun ] forward motion or momentum of a ship
or boat through water: the dinghy lost way and drifted
towards the shore.
6 (ways) a sloping structure down which a new ship is
launched.
!!
adverb informal
at or to a considerable distance or extent; far (used before
an adverb or preposition for emphasis): his understanding
of what constitutes good writing is way off target | my
grandchildren are way ahead of others their age.
• [ as submodifier ] chiefly N. Amer.much: I was cycling
way too fast.
• [ usu. as submodifier ] USextremely; really (used for
emphasis): the guys behind the bar were way cool.
PHRASES
across (Brit. also over) the way nearby, especially on the
opposite side of the street. he watched the lighted windows
of a flat across the way. the family from over the way were
joining in the argument.
be on one's way have started one's journey. she telephoned
her office to say she was on her way. • (in imperative(be) on
your way) informal go away: on your way, and stop
wasting my time!
!!
by a long way by a great amount; by far. we were the best
team by a long way.
by the way incidentally (used to introduce a new, less
important topic): oh, by the way, while you were away I had
a message.
by way of 1 so as to pass through or across; via: he
travelled by way of Canterbury. 2 constituting; as a form of:
‘I can't help it,’ shouted Tom by way of apology. 3 by means
of: non-compliance with the rules is punishable by way of a
fine.
come one's way happen or become available to one: he
did whatever jobs came his way.
get (or have) one's (own) way get or do what one wants
in spite of opposition. she got her way about going to art
school.
give way 1 (of a support or structure) be unable to carry
a load or withstand a force; collapse or break. his aching
legs gave way, and he almost fell. he crashed into the door and
it gave way. • yield to someone or something: he was not a
!!
man to give way to this kind of pressure. • (give way to)
allow oneself to be overcome by or to succumb to (an
emotion or impulse): she gave way to a burst of weeping. 2
(give way to) be replaced or superseded by: Alan's
discomfort gave way to anger. 3 Brit.allow someone or
something to be or go first: give way to traffic coming from
the right. 4 (of rowers) row hard.
go all (or the whole) way continue a course of action to
its conclusion. he urged European leaders to go all the way
towards full European union. • informal have full sexual
intercourse with someone. when I was at high school, nice
girls didn't go all the way.
go out of one's way [ usu. with infinitive ] make a special
effort to do something: Mrs Mott went out of her way to be
courteous to Sara.
go one's own way act independently or as one wishes,
especially against contrary advice. you try to tell your
children what's best, but in the end they go their own way.
!!
go one's way 1 (of events, circumstances, etc.) be
favourable to one: I was just hoping things went my way. 2
leave: one by one the staff went their way.
have it your (own) way [ in imperative ] informal used
to indicate angrily that although one disagrees with
something said or proposed, one is not going to argue
further: have it your way—we'll go to Princetown.
have a way with have a particular talent for dealing with
or ability in: she's got a way with animals.
have a way with one have a charming and persuasive
manner. he had a way with him—I had to admit that.
have one's way with humorous have sexual intercourse
with (someone) (typically implying that it is against their
better judgement).
in more ways than one used to indicate that a statement
has more than one meaning: Shelley let her hair down in
more ways than one.
!!
in a way (or in some ways or in one way)to a certain
extent (used to reduce the effect of a statement): in some
ways television is more challenging than theatre.
in the (or one's) way forming an obstacle or hindrance to
movement or action: his head was in the way of my view.
in the way of another way of saying by way of ( sense 2)
above.
in someone/thing's (own) way if regarded from a
particular standpoint appropriate to that person or thing:
it's a good enough book in its way.
in no way not at all. it is in no way an exceptional house.
keep (or stay) out of someone's way avoid someone: he
tried to keep out of her way at school.
know one's way around (or about) see know. I fear I
don't know my way around the territory well enough to go
hunting.
lead the way go first along a route to show someone the
way. he led the way at a steady trot. • be a pioneer in a
!!
particular activity. these companies lead the way in new
technological developments.
my way or the highway N. Amer. informal said to assert
the view that there is no alternative (apart from leaving)
but to accept the speaker's opinions or policies: they know
no way but the way of the autocrat—it's my way or the
highway.
one way and another (or one way or another) 1 taking
most aspects or considerations into account: it's been quite
a day one way and another. 2 another way of saying one
way or the other below.
one way or the other (or one way and another)used to
indicate that something is the case for any of various
unspecified reasons: one way or another she brought it on
herself. • by some means: he wants to get rid of me one way
or another. • whichever of two given alternatives is the
case: the question is not yet decided, one way or the other.
on the (or one's) way in the course of a journey: I'll tell
you on the way home.
!!
on the (or its) way about to arrive or happen: there's more
snow on the way. • informal (of a child) conceived but not
yet born. soon there was another baby on the way.
on the (or one's) way out in the process of leaving. he
paused on his way out of the room. she picked up her bag on
the way out to the car. • informal going out of fashion or
favour. is the royal family on the way out? Mark knew that he
would never be promoted and concluded he must be on his way
out. • informal dying.
the other way round (or around; Brit. also about)in the
opposite position or direction. the door to the hall was hung
the other way around from her own. • the opposite of what
is expected or supposed: it was you who sought me out, not
the other way round.
out of the way 1 (of a place) remote. we're too out of the
way for mains electricity. [ as modifier ] : an out-of-the-way
rural district. 2 dealt with or finished: economic recovery
will begin once the election is out of the way. • (of a person)
no longer an obstacle or hindrance to someone's plans:
!!
why did Josie want her out of the way? 3 [ usu. with
negative ] unusual, exceptional, or remarkable: he'd seen
nothing out of the way.
out of one's way not on one's intended route. I got a lift
from a Brummie who took me miles out of his way.
put someone in the way of dated give someone the
opportunity of. if only she knew someone who might put her
in the way of finding a more congenial job.
that way used euphemistically to indicate that someone
is homosexual: he was a bit that way.
to one's way of thinking in one's opinion. that, to his way
of thinking, would only make matters worse.
way back (US also way back when) informal long ago.
Dave had a thing with one of her sisters, way back.
the way of the Cross the journey of Jesus to the place of
his crucifixion. • a set of images representing the Stations
of the Cross. • the suffering and self-sacrifice of a
Christian.
!!
way of life the typical pattern of behaviour of a person
or group: the rural way of life.
the way of the world the manner in which people
typically behave or things typically happen: all those
millions of pounds are not going to create many jobs, but
that's the way of the world.
ways and means methods and resources for achieving
something: the company is seeking ways and means of
safeguarding jobs.
way to go! N. Amer. informal used to express pleasure,
approval, or excitement. a chorus of ‘Nice hit, sir!’ ‘Way to
go, sir!’ rang out.
ORIGIN Old English weg, of Germanic origin; related to
Dutch weg and German Weg, from a base meaning
‘move, carry’.
-way |weɪ|
suffix
infirm |ɪnˈfəːm|
!!
adjective
not physically or mentally strong, especially through age
or illness. those who were old or infirm. elderly and infirm
people. (as plural noun the infirm) : care for the infirm.
• archaic (of a person or their judgement) weak;
irresolute: he was infirm of purpose.
DERIVATIVES
infirmly adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the general sense ‘weak,
frail’): from Latin infirmus, from in- ‘not’ + firmus ‘firm’.
infirm
adjective
she looks after elderly and infirm people: frail, weak, feeble,
enfeebled, weakly, debilitated, decrepit, bedridden; ill,
unwell, sick, sickly, poorly, indisposed, in poor/
declining health, failing, ailing; doddering, doddery,
tottering, wobbly, unsteady, unstable. ANTONYMS
strong, healthy.
!!
regain |rɪˈgeɪn|
verb [ with obj. ]
obtain possession or use of (something, typically a
quality or ability) again after losing it: he soon regained his
composure.
• reach (a place, position, or thing) again; get back to:
they were unable to regain their boats.
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from French regagner (see
re-,gain) .
regain
verb
1 government troops regained control of the area | he did not
regain consciousness: recover, get back, win back, recoup,
retrieve, reclaim, repossess, have something returned, be
reunited with, rescue, salvage; take back, retake,
recapture, reconquer.
!!
2 it would be easier to regain the glacier by traversing the
mountain: return to, get back to, find one's way back to,
reach again, reattain, rejoin.
lose |luːz|
verb (past and past participlelost |lɒst| ) [ with obj. ]
1 be deprived of or cease to have or retain (something):
I've lost my appetite | Linda was very upset about losing her
job | the company may find itself losing customers to cheaper
rivals.
• [ with two objs ] cause (someone) to fail to gain or
retain (something): you lost me my appointment at London
University.
• be deprived of (a relative or friend) through their
death: she lost her husband in the fire.
• (of a pregnant woman) miscarry (a baby) or suffer the
death of (a baby) during childbirth. am I going to lose the
baby?
!!
• (be lost) be destroyed or killed, especially as a result of
an accident or military action: a fishing disaster in which
129 men were lost.
• decrease in (body weight); undergo a reduction of (a
specified amount of weight). she couldn't eat and began to
lose weight.
• (of a watch or clock) become slow by (a specified
amount of time): this clock will neither gain nor lose a
second.
• (lose it) informal become unable to control one's
temper or emotions: I completely lost it—I was screaming at
them.
2 become unable to find (something or someone): I've lost
the car keys.
• cease or become unable to follow (the right route). the
clouds came down and we lost the path.
• evade or shake off (a pursuer): he came after me waving
his revolver, but I easily lost him.
!!
• N. Amer. informal get rid of (an undesirable person or
thing): lose that creep!
• informal cause (someone) to be unable to follow an
argument or explanation: sorry, Tim, you've lost me there.
• (lose oneself in/be lost in) be or become deeply
absorbed in (something): he had been lost in thought.
3 fail to win (a game or contest): England lost the first Test
match | [ no obj. ] : they lost by one vote | (as adj.losing) :
the losing side.
• [ with two objs ] cause (someone) to fail to win (a game
or contest): that shot lost him the championship.
4 earn less (money) than one is spending or has spent: the
paper is losing £1.5 million a month | [ no obj. ] : he lost
heavily on box office flops.
5 waste or fail to take advantage of (time or an
opportunity): he has lost his chance of becoming world No. 1
| the government lost no time in holding fresh elections.
PHRASES
!!
have nothing to lose be in a situation that is so bad that
even if an action is unsuccessful it cannot make it any
worse. she decided she had nothing to lose by taking the
initiative.
lose heart become discouraged. seeing all the things that
had to be done, she lost heart.
lose one's heart to see heart.
lose height (of an aircraft) descend to a lower level in
flight.
lose one's mind (or one's marbles) informal go insane.
lose sleep [ usu. with negative ] worry about something:
no one is losing any sleep over what he thinks of us.
lose one's (or the) way become unable to find one's way.
we took a wrong turn and lost our way. • no longer have a
clear idea of one's purpose or motivation in an activity:
the company has lost its way and should pull out of general
insurance.
!!
you can't lose used to express the belief that someone
must inevitably profit from an action or undertaking.
we're offering them for only £2.50—you can't lose!
PHRASAL VERBS
lose out 1 be beaten in competition: they lost out to
France in the finals. 2 be deprived of an opportunity; be
disadvantaged: youngsters who were losing out on regular
schooling.
ORIGIN Old English losian‘perish, destroy’, also ‘become
unable to find’, from los‘loss’.
usage: The verb lose is sometimes mistakenly written as
loose, as in this would cause them to loose 20 to 50 per cent
(correct form is ... to lose 20 to 50 per cent). There is a
word loose, but it is very different—normally an
adjective, meaning ‘untethered; not held in place;
detached’, as in loose cobbles; the handle was loose; set
loose.
lose
!!
verb
1 I've lost my watch: mislay, misplace, be unable to find;
drop, forget, overlook, lose track of, leave (behind), fail
to keep/retain, fail to keep sight of. ANTONYMS find.
2 he's lost a lot of blood but his life is not in danger | she was
suffering from flu and had lost her voice: be deprived of,
suffer the loss of, no longer have, stop having.
ANTONYMS regain.
3 by this time the fans had managed to lose the police: escape
from, evade, elude, dodge, avoid, give someone the slip,
shake off, throw off, throw off the scent, duck, get rid of;
leave behind, outdistance, outstrip, outrun, outpace, get
ahead of; informal ditch; archaic bilk.
4 she still sometimes loses her way in the maze: stray from,
wander from, depart from, go astray from, fail to keep to,
fail to keep in sight; get lost, lose one's bearings.
5 he never lost an opportunity to poke fun at her: neglect,
waste, squander, fail to grasp, fail to take, fail to take
!!
advantage of, let pass, miss, forfeit, give up, ignore,
disregard; informal pass up, lose out on.
6 Leeds lost twice to Rangers in the European Cup | he lost
the party leadership contest: be defeated, be beaten, suffer
defeat, be the loser, be conquered, be vanquished, be
trounced, be worsted, be bested by, get/have the worst,
come off second-best, lose out, fail, come to grief, meet
one's Waterloo; informal come a cropper, go down, take a
licking.
PHRASES
lose out the town has lost out on a major tourist
opportunity: be unable to take advantage of, fail to benefit
from; be unsuccessful, be defeated, be the loser, be
disadvantaged; informal miss out on.
lose out to Celtic have lost out to rivals Rangers: be
defeated by, be beaten by, be conquered by, be
vanquished by, be trounced by, be worsted by, be bested
by, be beaten into second place by.
!!
pursue |pəˈsjuː|
verb (pursues, pursuing, pursued) [ with obj. ]
1 follow or chase (someone or something): the officer
pursued the van | figurative : a heavily indebted
businessman was being pursued by creditors.
• persistently seek to form a sexual relationship with
(someone): Sophie was being pursued by a number of men.
• seek to attain or accomplish (a goal) over a long period:
should people pursue their own happiness at the expense of
others?
•
archaic
or
literary
(of
something
unpleasant)
persistently afflict (someone): mercy lasts as long as sin
pursues man.
2 continue or proceed along (a path or route): the road
pursued a straight course over the scrubland.
• engage in (an activity or course of action): Andrew was
determined to pursue a computer career | the council decided
not to pursue an appeal.
!!
• continue to investigate or explore (an idea or
argument): we shall not pursue the matter any further.
DERIVATIVES
pursuable adjective
ORIGIN Middle English (originally in the sense ‘follow
with enmity’): from Anglo-Norman French pursuer, from
an alteration of Latin prosequi ‘prosecute’.
pursue
verb
1 I pursued him down the garden: go after, run after, follow,
chase, give chase to; hunt, stalk, track, trail, trace,
shadow, dog, hound, course; informal tail. ANTONYMS
avoid, flee.
2 it would be unprofitable to pursue the goal of political union:
strive for, push towards, work towards, try for, seek,
search for, quest (after), be intent on, aim at/for, have as
a goal, have as an objective, aspire to. ANTONYMS
eschew.
!!
3 he was desperate to impress a woman he had been pursuing
for weeks: woo, court, pay court to, pay suit to, chase after,
chase, run after; informal make up to; dated make love
to, romance, set one's cap at, seek the hand of, pay
addresses to.
4 she also pursued a political career: engage in, be engaged
in, be occupied in, participate in, take part in, work at,
practise, follow, prosecute, conduct, ply, apply oneself to,
go in for, take up. ANTONYMS shun.
5 the appointee will be encouraged to pursue his or her own
research: conduct, undertake, follow, carry on, devote
oneself to, go on with, proceed with, go ahead with,
keep/carry on with, continue with, continue, take
further, prosecute, persist in, stick with/at.
6 he decided not to pursue the matter: investigate, research,
enquire into, look into, examine, study, review, check,
scrutinize,
analyse,
ANTONYMS give up.
!
delve
into,
dig
into,
probe.!
deny |dɪˈnʌɪ|
verb (denies, denying, denied)
1 [ with obj. ] state that one refuses to admit the truth or
existence of: both firms deny any responsibility for the
tragedy.
• refuse to admit the truth of (a concept or proposition
that is supported by the majority of scientific or historical
evidence): an anti-environmentalist campaign group that
denies climate change.
2 [ with two objs ] refuse to give (something requested or
desired) to (someone): the inquiry was denied access to
intelligence sources.
• (deny oneself) refuse to let oneself have something
that one desires: he had denied himself sexually for years.
• [ with obj. ] archaic refuse access to (someone). the
servants are ordered to deny him.
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French deni-, stressed
stem of deneier, from Latin denegare, from de- ‘formally’
+ negare ‘say no’.
!!
deny
verb
1 the report was denied by several witnesses: contradict,
repudiate, gainsay, declare untrue, dissent from, disagree
with, challenge, contest, oppose; retract, take back, back-
pedal; disprove, debunk, explode, discredit, refute, rebut,
invalidate, negate, nullify, quash; informal shoot full of
holes, shoot down (in flames); Law disaffirm; rare
controvert, confute, negative. ANTONYMS confirm.
2 he found it difficult to deny the request: refuse, turn down,
reject, rebuff, repulse, decline, veto, dismiss; informal
knock back, give the thumbs down to, give the red light
to, give the brush-off to. ANTONYMS accept.
3 she was told that she must deny her father and mother:
renounce, turn one's back on, forswear, eschew,
repudiate, disavow, disown, wash one's hands of, reject,
discard, cast aside, cast off, abandon, surrender, give up,
!!
relinquish;
archaic
forsake;
rare
abjure,
abnegate.
ANTONYMS embrace.
EASILY CONFUSED WORDS
deny or refute?
See refute.
These notes clear up confusion between similar-looking
pairs.
perfect
adjective |ˈpəːfɪkt|
1 having all the required or desirable elements, qualities,
or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be: she strove
to be the perfect wife | life certainly isn't perfect at the
moment.
• free from any flaw or defect in condition or quality;
faultless: the equipment was in perfect condition.
• precisely accurate; exact: a perfect circle.
!!
• highly suitable for someone or something; exactly
right: Giles was perfect for her—ten years older and with his
own career.
• dated thoroughly trained in or conversant with: she was
perfect in French.
2 [ attrib. ] absolute; complete (used for emphasis): a
perfect stranger | all that Joseph said made perfect sense to me.
3 Mathematics (of a number) equal to the sum of its
positive divisors, e.g. the number 6, whose divisors (1, 2,
3) also add up to 6.
4 Grammar (of a tense) denoting a completed action or a
state or habitual action which began in the past. The
perfect tense is formed in English with have or has and
the past participle, as in they have eaten and they have been
eating (present perfect), they had eaten (past perfect), and
they will have eaten (future perfect).
5 Botany (of a flower) having both stamens and carpels
present and functional.
!!
• Entomology (of an insect) fully adult and (typically)
winged.
6 Botany denoting the stage or state of a fungus in which
the sexually produced spores are formed.
verb |pəˈfɛkt| [ with obj. ]
make (something) completely free from faults or defects;
make as good as possible: he's busy perfecting his bowling
technique.
• archaic bring to completion; finish. then urg'd, she
perfects her illustrious toils.
• complete (a printed sheet of paper) by printing the
second side. the heap was normally printed as white paper in
the morning, turned at the midday break, and perfected in the
afternoon.
• Law satisfy the necessary conditions or requirements
for the transfer of (a gift, title, etc.). equity will not perfect
an imperfect gift.
noun |ˈpəːfɪkt| (the perfect) Grammar
the perfect tense.
!!
DERIVATIVES
perfecter |ˈpəːfɛktə| noun,
perfectibility |pəˌfɛktɪˈbɪlɪti| noun,
perfectible |pəˈfɛktɪb(ə)l| adjective,
perfectness noun
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French perfet, from
Latin perfectus ‘completed’, from the verb perficere, from
per- ‘through, completely’ + facere ‘do’.
perfect
adjective |(stress on the first syllable)|
1 she strove to be the perfect wife: ideal, model, without
fault, faultless, flawless, consummate, quintessential,
exemplary, best, best-example, ultimate, copybook.
2 it was a perfect holiday: superb, exquisite, superlative,
excellent, wonderful, marvellous, beautiful, sublime,
magnificent,
idyllic,
blissful,
utopian;
unrivalled,
unequalled, matchless, unparalleled, beyond compare,
without equal, second to none, too good to be true,
!!
unmatched,
inimitable,
incomparable,
unexcelled,
nonpareil,
unsurpassed,
peerless,
unsurpassable;
informal out of this world, terrific, fantastic, fabulous,
great, super, heavenly, glorious, gorgeous, stellar, divine,
phenomenal,
sensational,
dreamy,
fab,
fabby,
fantabulous, awesome, to die for, magic, ace; Brit.
informal brilliant, brill, bosting; rare unexampled,
indefectible.
3 an E-type Jaguar in perfect condition: flawless, mint, as
good as new, pristine, impeccable, immaculate, superb,
superlative, optimum, prime, optimal, peak, excellent,
faultless, as sound as a bell, unspoilt, unblemished,
undamaged, spotless, unmarred, unimpaired; informal
tip-top, A1.
4 a perfect copy: exact, precise, accurate, faithful, correct,
unerring, right, close, true, strict; Brit. informal spot on;
N. Amer.
informal
on
imperfect, faulty, defective.
!
the
money. ANTONYMS!
5 the perfect Christmas present for golfers everywhere: ideal,
just right, right, appropriate, fitting, fit, suitable, apt,
made to order, tailor-made; very; Brit. informal spot on,
just the job.
6 she felt a perfect idiot: absolute, complete, total, real, out-
and-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, downright, utter,
sheer, consummate, unmitigated, unqualified, veritable,
in every respect, unalloyed; Brit. informal right;
Austral./NZ informal fair; archaic arrant.
verb
|(stress on the second syllable)|he's busy perfecting his
bowling technique: improve, make perfect, bring to
perfection, better, polish (up), burnish, hone, refine,
consummate,
put
the
finishing/final
touches
ameliorate, brush up, fine-tune; rare meliorate.
joyous |ˈdʒɔɪəs|
adjectivechiefly literary
full of happiness and joy: scenes of joyous celebration.
!
to,!
DERIVATIVES
joyously adverb,
joyousness noun
joyful
adjective
1 his joyful mood: cheerful, happy, jolly, merry, bright,
sunny, joyous, light-hearted, in good spirits, in high
spirits,
sparkling,
bubbly,
effervescent,
exuberant,
ebullient, cock-a-hoop, breezy, airy, cheery, sprightly,
jaunty, smiling, grinning, beaming, laughing, mirthful,
radiant; jubilant, overjoyed, beside oneself with joy,
thrilled, ecstatic, euphoric, blissful, on cloud nine/seven,
elated, delighted, glad, gleeful, gratified; jovial, genial,
good-humoured, happy-go-lucky, carefree, unworried,
untroubled, without a care in the world, full of the joys
of spring; buoyant, optimistic, hopeful, full of hope,
positive; content, contented; informal upbeat, chipper,
chirpy, peppy, smiley, sparky, over the moon, on top of
!!
the world; N. Amer. informal peart; dated gay; Austral./
NZ informal wrapped; literary jocund, gladsome, blithe,
blithesome; archaic of good cheer. ANTONYMS sad,
miserable.
2 the joyful news about his forthcoming marriage: pleasing,
glad, happy, good, cheering, gladdening, gratifying,
welcome, heart-warming, delightful; literary gladsome.
ANTONYMS distressing.
3 a joyful occasion: happy, cheerful, merry, jolly, festive,
celebratory,
joyous;
dated
gay. ANTONYMS
sad,
depressing.
amicable |ˈamɪkəb(ə)l|
adjective
characterized by friendliness and absence of discord: an
amicable settlement of the dispute | the meeting was relatively
amicable.
DERIVATIVES
amicability |amɪkəˈbɪlɪti| noun,
!!
amicableness noun,
amicably adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘pleasant,
benign’, applied to things): from late Latin amicabilis,
from Latin amicus ‘friend’.
amicable
adjective
we have always enjoyed a very amicable relationship: friendly,
good-natured, cordial, civil, courteous, polite, easy, easy-
going, neighbourly, brotherly, fraternal, harmonious,
cooperative, civilized; non-hostile, peaceable, peaceful.
ANTONYMS unfriendly, hostile.
diffuse
verb |dɪˈfjuːz|
spread over a wide area or between a large number of
people: [ no obj. ] : technologies diffuse rapidly | [ with
!!
obj. ] : the problem is how to diffuse power without creating
anarchy.
• Physics intermingle with another substance by
movement, typically in a specified direction or at
specified speed: [ no obj. ] : oxygen molecules diffuse
across the membrane | [ with obj. ] : gas is diffused into the
bladder.
• [ with obj. ] cause (light) to spread evenly to reduce
glare and harsh shadows.
adjective |dɪˈfjuːs|
1 spread out over a large area; not concentrated: the
diffuse community which centred on the church | the light is
more diffuse.
• (of disease) not localized in the body: diffuse hyperplasia.
2 lacking clarity or conciseness: the second argument is
more diffuse.
DERIVATIVES
diffusely |dɪˈfjuːsli| adverb,
diffuseness |dɪˈfjuːsnɪs| noun
!!
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin diffus- ‘poured
out’, from the verb diffundere, from dis- ‘away’ + fundere
‘pour’; the adjective via French diffus or Latin diffusus
‘extensive’, from diffundere .
usage: The verbs diffuse and defuse sound similar but
have different meanings. Diffuse means, broadly,
‘disperse’, while the non-literal meaning of defuse is
‘reduce the danger or tension in’. Thus sentences such as
Cooper successfully diffused the situation are regarded as
incorrect, while Cooper successfully defused the situation
would be correct. However, such uses of diffuse are
widespread, and can make sense: the image in, for
example, only peaceful dialogue between the two countries
could diffuse tension is not of making a bomb safe but of
reducing
something
dangerous
dispersing them harmlessly.
diffuse
verb
!
to
particles
and!
the light of the moon was diffused by cloud | such ideas were
diffused widely in the 1970s: spread, spread out, spread
around,
send
out,
scatter,
disperse;
disseminate,
distribute, dispense, put about, circulate, communicate,
impart,
purvey,
promulgate;
propagate,
literary
bruit
transmit,
abroad.
broadcast,
ANTONYMS
concentrate; collect.
adjective
1 skylights give a diffuse illumination through the rooms:
spread
out,
diffused,
scattered,
dispersed,
not
concentrated. ANTONYMS concentrated.
2 Tania's narrative is rather diffuse: verbose, wordy, prolix,
long-winded,
discursive,
maundering,
overlong,
rambling,
digressive,
long-drawn-out,
wandering,
circuitous,
protracted,
meandering,
roundabout,
circumlocutory, periphrastic; loose, vague; informal
windy, gassy; Brit. informal waffling; rare pleonastic,
circumlocutionary, ambagious, logorrhoeic. ANTONYMS
succinct.
!!
EASILY CONFUSED WORDS
diffuse or defuse?
The verbs diffuse and defuse are quite different in
meaning, though they are sometimes confused on
account of their similarity in sound. Diffuse means
‘scatter,
spread
widely’
(power
is
diffused
and
decentralized). Defuse, on the other hand, means ‘reduce
the danger or tension in’ (the agreement was designed to
defuse a dangerous rivalry).
These notes clear up confusion between similar-looking
pairs.
abuse
verb |əˈbjuːz| [ with obj. ]
1 use (something) to bad effect or for a bad purpose;
misuse: the judge abused his power by imposing the fines.
!!
• make excessive and habitual use of (alcohol or drugs,
especially illegal ones). at various times in her life she
abused both alcohol and drugs.
2 treat with cruelty or violence, especially regularly or
repeatedly: riders who abuse their horses should be
prosecuted.
• assault (someone, especially a woman or child)
sexually: he was a depraved man who had abused his two
young daughters | (as adj.abused) : abused children.
• (abuse oneself) euphemistic masturbate.
• use or treat in such a way as to cause damage or harm:
he had been abusing his body for years.
3 speak to (someone) in an insulting and offensive way:
the referee was abused by players from both teams.
noun |əˈbjuːs| [ mass noun ]
1 the improper use of something: alcohol abuse | [ count
noun ] : an abuse of public funds.
• unjust or corrupt practice: protection against fraud and
abuse | [ count noun ] : human rights abuses.
!!
2 cruel and violent treatment of a person or animal: a
black eye and other signs of physical abuse.
• violent treatment involving sexual assault, especially
on a regular basis. young people who have suffered sexual
abuse.
3 insulting and offensive language: waving his fists and
hurling abuse at the driver.
DERIVATIVES
abuser noun drug abusers
ORIGIN late Middle English: via Old French from Latin
abus- ‘misused’, from the verb abuti, from ab-
‘away’ (i.e. ‘wrongly’) + uti ‘to use’.
abuse
verb
1 the judge abused his power by imposing the fines: misuse,
misapply, misemploy, mishandle; exploit, pervert, take
advantage of.
!!
2 he was accused of abusing children: mistreat, maltreat, ill-
treat, treat badly, ill-use, misuse; handle/treat roughly,
knock about/around, manhandle, mishandle, maul,
molest, interfere with, indecently assault, sexually abuse,
sexually assault, grope, assault, hit, strike, beat; injure,
hurt, harm, damage; wrong, bully, persecute, oppress,
torture;
informal
beat
up,
rough
up,
do
over.
ANTONYMS look after.
3 the referee was abused by players from both teams: insult, be
rude to, swear at, curse, call someone names, taunt,
shout at, scold, rebuke, upbraid, reprove, castigate,
inveigh against, impugn, slur, revile, smear, vilify,
vituperate against, slander, libel, cast aspersions on,
offend,
slight,
disparage,
denigrate,
defame;
Brit.
informal slag off; N. Amer. informal trash-talk; archaic
miscall. ANTONYMS compliment, flatter.
noun
!!
1 this law is not going to stop the abuse of power: misuse,
misapplication,
misemployment,
mishandling;
exploitation, perversion.
2 the abuse of children is a major social problem:
mistreatment,
maltreatment,
ill-treatment,
ill-use,
misuse; rough treatment, manhandling, mishandling,
molestation, interference, indecent assault, sexual abuse,
sexual assault, assaulting, hitting, striking, beating;
injury,
hurt,
harm,
damage;
wronging,
bullying,
persecution, oppression, torture; informal beating up,
roughing up, doing over. ANTONYMS care.
3 the scheme is open to political control and administrative
abuse:
corruption,
injustice,
wrongdoing,
wrong,
misconduct, delinquency, misdeed(s), offence(s), crime,
fault, sin.
4 torrents of abuse: insults, curses, jibes, slurs, expletives,
swear words; swearing, cursing, name-calling, scolding;
rebukes, upbraiding, reproval, invective, castigation,
revilement, vilification, vituperation, slander, libel,
!!
slights,
disparagement,
denigration,
defamation;
informal slanging, a slanging match, mud-slinging,
disrespect; Brit. informal verbal(s); N. Amer. informal
trash talk; archaic contumely. ANTONYMS compliments,
flattery.
examine |ɪgˈzamɪn, ɛg-|
verb [ with obj. ]
1 inspect (someone or something) thoroughly in order to
determine their nature or condition: a doctor examined me
and said I might need a caesarean | this forced us to examine
every facet of our business.
2 test the knowledge or proficiency of (someone) by
requiring them to answer questions or perform tasks: the
colleges set standards by examining candidates.
3 Law formally question (a defendant or witness) in
court. Compare with cross-examine.
DERIVATIVES
!!
examinable adjective,
examinee |-ˈniː| noun
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French examiner,
from Latin examinare ‘weigh, test’, from examen
‘examination’.
examine
verb
1 fraud squad officers wanted to examine the bank records:
inspect, survey, scrutinize, look at, look into, enquire
into, study, investigate, scan, sift, delve into, dig into,
explore, probe, check out, consider, appraise, weigh,
weigh up, analyse, review, vet; subject to an examination.
2 students were examined after nine months' instruction: test,
quiz, question, set an examination for; assess, appraise.
3 they must name in advance all the witnesses to be examined:
interrogate, put questions to, ask questions of, quiz,
question, cross-examine, cross-question; catechize, give
!!
the third degree to, probe, sound out; informal grill,
pump, put through the wringer, put through the mangle.
overuse
verb |əʊvəˈjuːz| [ with obj. ]
use too much: young children sometimes overuse ‘and’ in
their writing.
noun |əʊvəˈjuːs| [ mass noun ]
excessive use: overuse of natural resources.
overused
adjective
hackneyed, overworked, worn out, time-worn, worn,
tired, played out, stereotyped, clichéd, threadbare, stale,
trite,
banal,
stock,
hack,
unoriginal,
platitudinous. ANTONYMS fresh, original.
peruse |pəˈruːz|
!
derivative,!
verb [ with obj. ] formal
read (something), typically in a thorough or careful way:
he has spent countless hours in libraries perusing art history
books and catalogues. I perused several online reviews.
• examine carefully or at length: Laura perused a
Caravaggio.
DERIVATIVES
peruser noun
ORIGIN late 15th cent. (in the sense ‘use up, wear out’):
perhaps from per-‘thoroughly’ + use, but compare with
Anglo-Norman French peruser ‘examine’.
usage: Note that peruse means ‘read’, typically with an
implication of thoroughness and care. It does not mean
‘read through quickly; glance over’, as in documents will
be perused rather than analysed thoroughly.
read
verb
!!
1 he sat reading the evening newspaper: peruse, study,
scrutinize, look through; pore over, devour, be absorbed
in, bury oneself in; wade through, plough through; run
one's eye over, cast an eye over, leaf through, scan, glance
through, flick through, skim through, thumb through,
flip through, browse through, dip into; archaic con.
2 ‘Listen to this,’ he said and read a passage of the letter: read
out, read aloud, say aloud, recite, declaim.
3 I can't read my own writing: decipher, make out, make
sense of, interpret, understand, comprehend.
4 his remark could be read as a dig at Forsyth: interpret, take,
take to mean, construe, see, explain, understand.
5 the thermometer read 0°C: indicate, register, record,
display, show, have as a reading, measure.
6 I can't read your future, you know: foresee, predict,
forecast, foretell, prophesy, divine, prognosticate; archaic
augur, presage.
7 he went on to read modern history at Oxford: study, do,
take; N. Amer. & Austral./NZ major in.
!!
PHRASES
read something into something officials cautioned against
reading too much into the statistics: infer from, interpolate
from, assume from, attribute to; read between the lines,
get hold of the wrong end of the stick.
read someone the riot act they read me the riot act on
fighting and grounded me: reprimand, rebuke, scold,
admonish, reprove, upbraid, chastise, chide, censure,
castigate, lambaste, berate, lecture, criticize, take to task,
give a piece of one's mind 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.
!!
read up on Chris had read up on this particular method of
teaching children to write: study, get up; informal bone up
on; Brit. informal mug up on, swot; archaic con.
take as read it is taken as read that our products must be
good: presuppose, take for granted, presume, assume,
take it, suppose, surmise, think, accept, consider,
postulate, posit.
noun
I settled down for a read of ‘The Irish Press’: perusal, study,
scan, scrutiny; look (at), browse (through), glance
(through), leaf (through), flick (through), skim (through).
WORD LINKS
legible readable
illegible unreadable
literacy ability to read
illiteracy inability to read
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.
!!
illogical |ɪˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l|
adjective
lacking sense or clear, sound reasoning: an illogical fear of
the supernatural.
DERIVATIVES
illogicality |-ˈkalɪti| noun (pl.illogicalities) ,
illogically adverb
illogical
adjective
he drew a strange and illogical conclusion: irrational,
unreasonable,
groundless,
unsound,
unjustifiable,
unreasoned,
unjustified;
unfounded,
incorrect,
erroneous, wrong, invalid, spurious, faulty, flawed,
fallacious, unscientific, inconsistent, unproved; specious,
sophistic, casuistic; absurd, preposterous, untenable,
implausible, impossible, beyond belief, beyond the
bounds
!
of
possibility;
senseless,
meaningless,!
nonsensical, insane, ridiculous, idiotic, stupid, foolish,
silly, inane, imbecilic; informal crazy, off beam, way out,
full of holes; Brit. informal daft, barmy. ANTONYMS
logical.
impenetrable |ɪmˈpɛnɪtrəb(ə)l|
adjective
impossible to pass through or enter: a dark, impenetrable
forest.
•
impossible
to
understand:
her
expression
was
impenetrable | impenetrable jargon.
• Physics (of matter) incapable of occupying the same
space as other matter at the same time.
DERIVATIVES
impenetrability |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun,
impenetrably adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English: via French from Latin
impenetrabilis, from in- ‘not’ + penetrabilis ‘able to be
pierced’, from the verb penetrare (see penetrate) .
!!
impending
adjective
she had a strange feeling of impending danger: imminent, at
hand, close, close at hand, near, nearing, approaching,
coming, forthcoming, upcoming, to come, on the way,
about to happen, upon us, in store, in the offing, in the
pipeline, on the horizon, in the air, in the wind, brewing,
looming, looming large, threatening, menacing; informal
on the cards.
haphazard |hapˈhazəd|
adjective
lacking any obvious principle of organization: the music
business works in a haphazard fashion.
DERIVATIVES
haphazardly adverb,
haphazardness noun
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from hap + hazard.
!!
haphazard
adjective
things were strewn around in a haphazard fashion: random,
unplanned, unsystematic, unmethodical, disorganized,
disorderly, irregular, indiscriminate, chaotic, hit-and-
miss, arbitrary, orderless, aimless, undirected, careless,
casual, slapdash, slipshod; chance, accidental; informal
higgledy-piggledy. ANTONYMS methodical; systematic.
audacious |ɔːˈdeɪʃəs|
adjective
1 showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks: a
series of audacious takeovers.
2 showing an impudent lack of respect: he made an
audacious remark.
DERIVATIVES
audaciously adverb,
!!
audaciousness noun
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin audax, audac-
‘bold’ (from audere ‘dare’) + -ious.
audacious
adjective
1 the audience were left gasping at his audacious exploits:
bold,
daring,
unflinching,
fearless,
courageous,
intrepid,
valiant,
brave,
unafraid,
valorous,
heroic,
dashing, plucky, daredevil, devil-may-care, death-or-
glory,
reckless,
venturesome,
wild,
madcap;
enterprising,
adventurous,
dynamic,
spirited,
mettlesome; informal game, gutsy, spunky, ballsy, have-
a-go,
go-ahead;
rare
venturous,
temerarious.
ANTONYMS timid.
2 Des made some audacious remark to her: impudent,
impertinent, insolent, presumptuous, forward, cheeky,
irreverent, discourteous, disrespectful, insubordinate, ill-
mannered, bad-mannered, unmannerly, rude, crude,
!!
brazen, brazen-faced, brash, shameless, pert, defiant,
bold, bold as brass, outrageous, shocking, out of line;
informal brass-necked, cocky, lippy, mouthy, fresh, flip;
Brit. informal saucy, smart-arsed; N. Amer. informal
sassy,
nervy,
smart-assed;
archaic
malapert,
contumelious; rare tossy, mannerless. ANTONYMS
polite.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD
audacious, bold, daring
See bold.
These notes show fine distinctions in meaning between
closely related synonyms to help you find the best word.
impervious |ɪmˈpəːvɪəs|
adjective
1 not allowing fluid to pass through: an impervious layer of
basaltic clay.
2 (impervious to) unable to be affected by: he worked,
apparently impervious to the heat.
!!
DERIVATIVES
imperviously adverb,
imperviousness noun
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin impervius (from in-
‘not’ + pervius ‘pervious’) + -ous.
impervious
adjective
1 he seemed impervious to the chill wind | she is
impervious to his suggestions: unaffected by, untouched
by, immune to, invulnerable to, insusceptible to, not
susceptible to, proof against, unreceptive to, closed to,
resistant to, indifferent to, heedless of, unresponsive to,
oblivious to, unmoved by, deaf to. ANTONYMS
receptive to, susceptible to.
2
an
impervious
impenetrable,
damp-proof
impregnable,
course:
impermeable,
waterproof,
watertight,
water-resistant, water-repellent; sealed, hermetically
sealed; rare imperviable. ANTONYMS permeable.
!!
suppliant |ˈsʌplɪənt|
noun
a person making a humble or earnest plea to someone in
power or authority.
adjective
making or expressing a plea, especially to someone in
power or authority: their faces were wary and suppliant.
DERIVATIVES
suppliantly adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English (as a noun): from French,
‘beseeching’, present participle of supplier, from Latin
supplicare (see supplicate) .
suppliant
noun
she and the others who addressed high-ranking officials were
not
mere
suppliants:
petitioner,
pleader,
beseecher,
supplicant, beggar, appellant, suitor, applicant, claimant.
!!
adjective
the faces around her were suppliant: pleading, begging,
beseeching, imploring, entreating, supplicating, craving,
on bended knee.
recreant |ˈrɛkrɪənt| archaic
adjective
1 cowardly. what a recreant figure must he make.
2 unfaithful to a belief; apostate.
noun
1 a coward. the recreant acted with outward boldness.
2 a person who is unfaithful to a belief; an apostate.
DERIVATIVES
recreancy noun,
recreantly adverb
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French, literally
‘surrendering’, present participle of recroire, from
medieval Latin (se) recredere ‘surrender (oneself)’, from
re- (expressing reversal) + credere ‘entrust’.
!!
litigant |ˈlɪtɪg(ə)nt|
noun
a person involved in a lawsuit.
adjective [ postpositive ] archaic
involved in a lawsuit: the parties litigant.
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from French, from Latin
litigant- ‘carrying on a lawsuit’, from the verb litigare
(see litigate) .
litigant
noun
a litigant in civil proceedings: litigator, opponent in law,
opponent, contestant, contender, disputant, plaintiff,
claimant, complainant, petitioner, appellant, respondent,
party, interest, defendant, accused.
coward |ˈkaʊəd|
noun
!!
a person who is contemptibly lacking in the courage to
do or endure dangerous or unpleasant things. they had
run away—the cowards!
adjective
1 literary excessively afraid of danger or pain.
2 Heraldry (of an animal) depicted with the tail between
the hind legs.
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French couard, based
on Latin cauda ‘tail’, possibly with reference to a
frightened animal with its tail between its legs, reflected
in sense 2 of the adjective (early 16th cent.).
coward
noun
the cowards turned back as soon as it looked dangerous:
weakling, milksop, namby-pamby, mouse; informal
chicken, scaredy-cat, fraidy-cat, yellow-belly, sissy, big
baby; Brit. informal big girl's blouse; N. Amer. informal
!!
candy-ass, pussy; Austral./NZ informal dingo, sook;
informal, dated funk; archaic poltroon, craven, recreant,
caitiff. ANTONYMS hero.
resist |rɪˈzɪst|
verb [ with obj. ]
withstand the action or effect of: antibodies help us to resist
infection.
• try to prevent by action or argument: we will resist
changes to the treaty.
• refrain from doing (something tempting or unwise): I
couldn't resist buying the blouse.
• [ no obj. ] struggle or fight back when attacked: without
giving her time to resist, he dragged her off her feet.
noun
a resistant substance applied as a coating to protect a
surface during a process, for example to prevent dye or
!!
glaze adhering. new lithographic techniques require their
own special resists. [ mass noun ] : the exposed areas of resist
will soften.
DERIVATIVES
resister noun,
resistibility |-ˈbɪlɪti| noun,
resistible adjective
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French resister or
Latin resistere, from re- (expressing opposition) + sistere
‘stop’ (reduplication of stare ‘to stand’). The current
sense of the noun dates from the mid 19th cent.
resist
verb
1 the vine's hard wood helps it resist cold winters: withstand,
be proof against, hold out against, combat, counter;
weather, endure, outlast; repel, be resistant to, be
impervious
to,
be
impermeable
to,
ANTONYMS be harmed by, be susceptible to.
!
keep
out.!
2 those resisting attempts to upgrade the building may be
evicted: oppose, fight against, refuse to accept, be hostile
to, object to, be anti, take a stand against, defy, go
against, set one's face against, kick against, baulk at;
obstruct, impede, hinder, block, thwart, frustrate, inhibit,
restrain; stop, halt, prevent, check, stem, curb; dig in
one's heels; archaic reluct. ANTONYMS accept, welcome.
3 I resisted the urge to retort: refrain from, abstain from,
keep from, forbear from, desist from, forgo, avoid; not
give in to, restrain oneself from, prevent oneself from,
stop oneself from, check oneself. ANTONYMS succumb
to, give in to.
4 she tried to resist him, but she hadn't the strength: struggle
with/against, fight (against), put up a fight against,
battle against, stand up to, withstand, stand one's
ground against, hold one's ground against, hold off, hold
out against, contend with, confront, face up to; fend off,
keep at bay, ward off, keep at arm's length. ANTONYMS
submit, yield.
!!
PHRASES
cannot resist he is a man who cannot resist a challenge: love,
adore, relish, be addicted to, have a weakness for, be
very partial to, be very keen on, be very fond of, like;
delight in, enjoy, take great pleasure in; informal have a
thing about, be mad about, be hooked on, get a kick out
of, get a thrill out of. ANTONYMS hate.
attack |əˈtak|
verb [ with obj. ]
1 take aggressive military action against (a place or
enemy forces) with weapons or armed force: in February
the Germans attacked Verdun | [ no obj. ] : the terrorists did
not attack again until March.
• act against (someone or something) aggressively in an
attempt to injure or kill: a doctor was attacked by two
youths.
• (of a disease, chemical, or insect) act harmfully on: HIV
is thought to attack certain cells in the brain.
!!
2 criticize or oppose fiercely and publicly: he attacked the
government's defence policy.
3 begin to deal with (a problem or task) in a determined
and vigorous way: a plan of action to attack unemployment.
4 [ no obj. ] (in sport) make a forceful attempt to score a
goal or point or otherwise gain an advantage against an
opposing team or player: Crystal Palace attacked swiftly
down the left | (as adj.attacking) : Leeds showed some good
attacking play.
• [ with obj. ] Chess move into or be in a position to
capture (an opponent's piece or pawn). the white queen
attacks the black rook.
noun
1 an aggressive and violent act against a person or place:
he was killed in an attack on a checkpoint | three classrooms
were gutted in the arson attack | the north-western suburbs
came under attack in the latest fighting.
• [ mass noun ] destructive action by a disease, chemical,
or insect: the tissue is open to attack by fungus.
!!
• a determined attempt to tackle a problem or task: an
attack on inflation.
• [ mass noun ] forceful and decisive style in performing
music or another art: the sheer attack of Hendrix's playing.
2 an instance of fierce public criticism or opposition: he
launched a stinging attack on the Prime Minister.
3 a sudden short bout of an illness or stress: an attack of
nausea | an asthma attack.
4 (in sport) an aggressive attempt to score a goal or point
or otherwise gain an advantage. a Cardiff attack broke
down inside Llanelli's 22. [ mass noun ] : United hardly did a
thing in attack.
• Brit.the players in a team who are in the position of
trying to score a goal or win points: Baxter was recalled to
the attack.
• Chess a threat to capture an opponent's piece or pawn.
the move opens up an attack from the black bishop against
White's knight.
!!
ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from French attaque (noun),
attaquer (verb), from Italian attacco ‘an attack’,
attaccare ‘join battle’, based on an element of Germanic
origin (see attach) .
attack
verb
1 Christopher had been brutally attacked: assault, beat, beat
up, batter, thrash, pound, pummel, assail, set upon, fall
upon, set about, strike at, let fly at, tear into, lash out at;
ambush, mug, pounce on; informal jump, paste, do over,
work over, knock about/around, rough up, lay into, lace
into, sail into, pitch into, get stuck into, beat the living
daylights out of, let someone have it; Brit. informal have
a go at, duff someone up; N. Amer. informal beat up on,
light into.
2 by eight o'clock the French had still not attacked: begin an
assault, charge, pounce, strike, begin hostilities, ambush;
!!
bombard, shell, blitz, strafe, fire on/at; rush, storm.
ANTONYMS defend.
3 the clergy have consistently attacked government policies:
criticize, censure, condemn, castigate, chastise, lambaste,
pillory, savage, find fault with, fulminate against, abuse;
berate,
reprove,
rebuke,
reprimand,
admonish,
remonstrate with, reproach, take to task, haul over the
coals, impugn, harangue, blame, revile, vilify, give
someone a bad press; informal knock, slam, take to
pieces, pull apart, crucify, bash, hammer, lay into, tear
into, sail into, roast, give someone a roasting, cane, blast,
bawl out, dress down, rap over the knuckles, have a go
at, give someone hell; Brit. informal carpet, slate, slag off,
rubbish, monster, rollick, give someone a rollicking, give
someone a rocket, tear someone off a strip, tear a strip off
someone; N. Amer. informal chew out, ream out,
pummel, cut up; Austral./NZ informal bag; Brit. vulgar
slang bollock, give someone a bollocking; dated rate;
!!
archaic slash; rare excoriate, objurgate, reprehend.
ANTONYMS praise.
4 they have started to attack the problem of threatened species:
attend to, address, see to, deal with, grapple with,
confront, direct one's attention to, focus on, concentrate
on, apply oneself to; buckle down to, get to work on, go
to work on, set to work on, set about, get started on,
undertake, embark on; informal get stuck into, get
cracking on, get weaving on, have a crack at, have a go
at, have a shot at, have a stab at.
5 the virus attacks the liver, heart, and lungs: affect, have an
effect on, strike, strike at, take hold of, infect; damage,
injure. ANTONYMS protect.
noun
1 they were killed in an attack on their home: assault,
onslaught, offensive, strike, blitz, raid, sortie, sally,
storming, charge, rush, drive, push, thrust, invasion,
incursion, inroad; act of aggression; historical razzia;
archaic onset.
!!
2 she wrote a ferociously hostile attack on him: criticism,
censure, rebuke, admonition, admonishment, reprimand,
reproval;
condemnation,
denunciation,
revilement;
invective, vilification; tirade, diatribe, rant, polemic,
broadside,
harangue,
verbal
onslaught,
stricture;
informal knocking, telling-off, dressing-down, rap over
the knuckles, earful, roasting, rollicking, caning; Brit.
informal rocket, wigging, slating, ticking-off, carpeting,
bashing, blast; Brit. vulgar slang bollocking; dated rating;
rare philippic. ANTONYMS commendation, defence.
3 she had suffered an acute asthmatic attack: fit, seizure,
spasm, convulsion, paroxysm, outburst, flare-up; bout,
spell, dose; rare access.
survive |səˈvʌɪv|
verb [ no obj. ]
continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or
hardship: against all odds the child survived.
!!
• [ with obj. ] continue to live or exist in spite of (an
accident or ordeal): he has survived several assassination
attempts.
• [ with obj. ] remain alive after the death of (a particular
person): he was survived by his wife and six children | (as
adj.surviving) : there were no surviving relatives.
• manage to keep going in difficult circumstances: she
had to work day and night and survive on two hours' sleep.
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French sourvivre,
from Latin supervivere, from super- ‘in addition’ + vivere
‘live’.
survive
verb
1 one passenger survived by escaping through a hole in the
fuselage: remain alive, live, sustain oneself, cling to life,
pull through, get through, hold on, hold out, make it,
keep body and soul together.
!!
2 they're determined to ensure the theatre survives: continue,
remain, last, persist, endure, live on, persevere, abide, go
on, keep on, carry on, stay around, linger, be extant,
exist, be.
3 he was survived by Alice and their six sons: outlive,
outlast, live (on) after, live longer than, remain alive after.
respond |rɪˈspɒnd|
verb
1 [ reporting verb ] say something in reply: [ no obj. ] : she
could not get Robert to respond to her words | [ with
clause ] : he responded that it would not be feasible | [ with
direct speech ] : ‘It's not part of my job,’ Belinda responded.
• (of a congregation) say or sing the response in reply to
a priest.
2 [ no obj. ] (of a person) do something as a reaction to
someone or something: she responded to his grin with a
smile.
!!
• react quickly or positively to a stimulus or treatment:
his back injury has failed to respond to treatment.
• [ with obj. ] Bridge make (a bid) in answer to one's
partner's preceding bid. to partner's opening one heart it is
dangerous to respond two clubs. [ no obj. ] : East would have
responded holding a high spade honour plus an ace.
noun
1 Architecture a half-pillar or half-pier attached to a wall
to support an arch, especially at the end of an arcade.
2 (in church use) a response to a versicle; a responsory.
DERIVATIVES
respondence noun( archaic)
responder noun
ORIGIN late Middle English (as a noun): from Old
French,
from
respondre
‘to
answer’,
from
Latin
respondere, from re- ‘again’ + spondere ‘to pledge’. The
verb dates from the mid 16th cent.
respond
!!
verb
1 they do not respond to questions: answer, reply to, say
something in response to; acknowledge, greet, counter;
make a response, make a rejoinder, make a riposte, make
reply, come back. ANTONYMS ask; ignore.
2 ‘No,’ she responded: say in response, answer, reply,
rejoin, retort, return, riposte, counter, fling back, hurl
back, retaliate, come back.
3 Western countries have been slow to respond to appeals:
react to, act in response to, make a response; hit back at,
take the bait, rise to the bait, reciprocate, return the
favour, retaliate, give as good as one gets, give tit for tat.
ANTONYMS make, ignore.
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.
DERIVATIVES
manifestly 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
verb
1 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,
corroborate,
establish,
verify,
confirm;
ANTONYMS mask; deny.
!
evidence,
substantiate,
literary
betoken.!
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.
veneration |vɛnəˈreɪʃ(ə)n|
noun [ mass noun ]
great respect; reverence: the traditional veneration of saints.
veneration
noun
in parts of India the snake is an object of veneration:
reverence,
exaltation,
respect,
worship,
adulation,
adoration,
glorification,
homage,
extolment,
idolization, devotion; honour, esteem, regard, high
!!
regard, praise; respectfulness, worshipfulness, obeisance,
submission,
deference,
awe;
rare
laudation,
magnification. ANTONYMS disrespect.
disbelief |dɪsbɪˈliːf|
noun [ mass noun ]
inability or refusal to accept that something is true or
real: Laura shook her head in disbelief.
• lack of faith: I'll burn in hell for disbelief.
disbelief
noun
1 she stared at him in disbelief: incredulity, incredulousness,
lack of belief, lack of credence, lack of conviction,
scepticism, doubt, doubtfulness, dubiety, dubiousness,
questioning, cynicism, suspicion, distrust, mistrust,
wariness, chariness; bewilderment, bafflement, surprise,
shock, stupefaction, confusion, perplexity. ANTONYMS
belief, credence.
!!
2 I'll burn in hell for disbelief: atheism, unbelief,
godlessness,
ungodliness,
impiety,
irreligion,
agnosticism, nihilism. ANTONYMS faith.
desecration |ˌdɛsɪˈkreɪʃn|
noun [ mass noun ]
the action of desecrating something: the desecration of a
grave. the desecration of swathes of Scotland's landscape.
desecration
noun
the desecration of the church: violation, profanation,
sacrilege; pollution, contamination, infection, befouling;
defilement, debasement, degradation, degrading,
dishonour, dishonouring, blasphemy; vandalism,
damaging, destruction,
veneration; sanctification.
particular |pəˈtɪkjʊlə|
!
defacement.
ANTONYMS!
adjective
1 [ attrib. ] used to single out an individual member of a
specified group or class: the action seems to discriminate
against a particular group of companies.
• Logic denoting a proposition in which something is
asserted of some but not all of a class. Contrasted with
universal.
2 [ attrib. ] especially great or intense: when handling or
checking cash the cashier should exercise particular care.
3 insisting that something should be correct or suitable in
every detail; fastidious: she is very particular about
cleanliness.
noun
1 a detail: he is wrong in every particular.
• (particulars) detailed information about someone or
something: a clerk took the woman's particulars.
2 Philosophy an individual item, as contrasted with a
universal
quality.
universals
can
be
simultaneously
exemplified by different particulars in different places.
!!
PHRASES
in particular especially (used to show that a statement
applies to one person or thing more than any other): he
socialized with the other young people, one boy in particular.
ORIGIN
late
Middle
English:
from
Old
French
particuler, from Latin particularis ‘concerning a small
part’, from particula ‘small part’.
particular
adjective
1 the action seems to discriminate against a particular group of
companies: specific, certain, distinct, separate, isolated;
single, individual, peculiar, discrete, definite, express,
precise. ANTONYMS general.
2 an issue of particular importance: special, extra special,
especial,
exceptional,
uncommon,
notable,
unusual,
marked,
noteworthy,
singular,
remarkable,
outstanding, unique; formal peculiar. ANTONYMS
ordinary.
!!
3 he was particular about what he ate: fussy, fastidious,
meticulous, punctilious,
painstaking, exacting,
particular,
discriminating,
demanding,
over-fastidious,
finicky,
selective,
critical,
faddish,
over-
finical,
dainty; informal pernickety, choosy, picky; Brit. informal
faddy; archaic nice. ANTONYMS careless, easy-going,
laid-back.
4 he gave a long and particular account of his journey:
detailed,
blow-by-blow,
itemized,
item-by-item,
thorough, minute, exact, explicit, precise, faithful, close,
circumstantial, painstaking, meticulous, punctilious,
particularized.
noun
the two contracts will be the same in every particular: detail,
item, point, fine point, specific, specification, element,
aspect, respect, regard, particularity, fact, feature,
circumstance, thing.
PHRASES
!!
in particular 1 she wasn't talking about anyone in particular:
specific, special. 2 beer drinkers in particular were hit by
prices rising faster than inflation: particularly, specifically,
to be specific, especially, specially.
yield |jiːld|
verb
1 [ with obj. ] produce or provide (a natural, agricultural,
or industrial product): the land yields grapes and tobacco.
• produce or generate (a result, gain, or financial return):
this method yields the same results | such investments yield
direct cash returns.
2 [ no obj. ] give way to arguments, demands, or
pressure: the Western powers now yielded when they should
have resisted | he yielded to the demands of his partners.
• [ with obj. ] relinquish possession of: they might yield
up their secrets | they are forced to yield ground.
• [ with obj. ] concede (a point of dispute): I yielded the
point.
!!
• chiefly N. Amer.give right of way to other traffic.
3 [ no obj. ] (of a mass or structure) give way under force
or pressure: he reeled into the house as the door yielded.
noun
an amount produced of an agricultural or industrial
product: the milk yield was poor.
• a financial return: an annual dividend yield of 20 per cent.
DERIVATIVES
yielder noun
ORIGIN Old English g(i)eldan‘pay, repay’, of Germanic
origin. The senses ‘produce, bear’ and ‘surrender’ arose
in Middle English.
yield
verb
1 too many projects yield poor returns: produce, bear, give,
supply, provide, afford, return, bring in, pull in, haul in,
gather in, fetch, earn, net, realize, generate, furnish,
bestow, pay out, contribute; informal rake in.
!!
2 she yielded her seat to the doctor: relinquish, surrender,
part with, deliver up, hand over, turn over, give over;
make over, bequeath, remit, cede, leave, sacrifice.
ANTONYMS retain.
3 the younger child was forced to yield: surrender, capitulate,
submit, relent, admit defeat, accept defeat, concede
defeat, back down, climb down, quit, give in, give up the
struggle, lay down one's arms, raise/show the white
flag, knuckle under; be overcome, be overwhelmed, be
conquered, be beaten, fall victim; informal throw in the
towel, throw in the sponge, cave in.
4 he yielded to the plea of his dying godson: accede to,
submit to, bow down to, defer to, comply with, conform
to, agree to, consent to, go along with, be guided by,
heed, note, pay attention to; grant, permit, allow,
sanction, warrant. ANTONYMS resist, defy.
5 the floorboards yielded underfoot: bend, give, flex, be
flexible, be pliant.
noun
!!
risky investments usually have higher yields: profit, gain,
return, reward, revenue, dividend, proceeds, receipts,
earnings, takings; product, production, produce, output,
crop, harvest; N. Amer. take; informal pickings; Brit.
informal bunce.
place |pleɪs|
noun
1 a particular position, point, or area in space; a location:
I can't be in two places at once | the monastery was a peaceful
place | that street was no place for a lady | figurative : he
would always have a special place in her heart.
• a particular area on a larger surface: he lashed out and
cut the policeman's hand in three places.
• a building or area used for a specified purpose or
activity: the town has many excellent eating places | a place
of worship.
• informal a person's home: what about dinner at my place?
!!
• a point in a book or other text reached by a reader at a
particular time: I must have lost my place in the script.
2 a portion of space designated or available for or being
used by someone: they hurried to their places at the table |
Jackie had saved her a place.
• a vacancy or available position: he was offered a place at
Liverpool University.
• the regular or proper position of something: she put the
book back in its place.
• a person's rank or status: occupation structures a person's
place in society.
• [ usu. with negative ] a right or privilege resulting from
someone's role or position: I'm sure she has a story to tell,
but it's not my place to ask.
• the role played by or importance attached to someone
or something in a particular context: the place of computers
in improving office efficiency.
3 a position in a sequence or series, typically one ordered
on the basis of merit: his score left him in ninth place.
!!
• Brit.any of the first three or sometimes four positions in
a race (used especially of the second, third, or fourth
positions).
• N. Amer.the second position, especially in a horse race.
• the degree of priority given to something: accurate
reportage takes second place to lurid detail.
• the position of a figure in a series indicated in decimal
or similar notation, especially one after the decimal
point: calculate the ratios to one decimal place.
4 [ in place names ] a square or short street: the lecture
theatre is in New Burlington Place.
• a country house with its grounds.
verb [ with obj. ]
1 [ with obj. and adverbial ] put in a particular position: a
newspaper had been placed beside my plate.
• cause to be in a particular situation: enemy officers were
placed under arrest | you are not placing yourself under any
obligation.
!!
• allocate or assign (an abstract quality) to something:
they place a great deal of emphasis on positive thought.
• (be placed) have a specified degree of advantage or
convenience
as
a
result
of
one's
position
or
circumstances: [ with infinitive ] : the company is well
placed to seize the opportunity.
2 find a home or employment for: the children were placed
with foster-parents.
• dispose of (something, especially shares) by selling to a
customer. the shares were placed last November.
• arrange for the recognition and implementation of (an
order, bet, etc.): they placed a contract for three boats.
• order or obtain a connection for (a telephone call)
through an operator. she placed a call to her husband to
break the news.
3 [ with obj. and adverbial ] identify or classify as being
of a specified type or as holding a specified position in a
sequence or hierarchy: a survey placed the company 13th for
achievement.
!!
• [ with obj. ] [ usu. with negative ] be able to remember
or identify (someone or something): she eventually said she
couldn't place him.
• (be placed) Brit.achieve a specified position in a race:
he was placed eleventh in the long individual race.
• [ no obj. ] be among the first three or four in a race (or
the first three in the US). he won three times and placed three
times. (be placed) : the horse, Bahuddin, was not placed at
Lingfield.
4 Rugby & American Football score (a goal) by a place
kick.
PHRASES
give place to be succeeded or replaced by. the farmlands
gave place to bare, scree-covered slopes. anarchy eventually
gave place to patrician capitalism.
go places informal travel. • be increasingly successful: a
pop star who's definitely going places.
in place 1 working or ready to work; established:
contingency plans should be in place | the rules which we
!!
shall put in place in the months ahead meet these criteria. 2
N. Amer.on the spot; not travelling any distance.
in place of instead of. eat raisins in place of junk food
desserts.
keep someone in his (or her) place keep someone from
becoming presumptuous.
out of place not in the proper position; disarranged. not a
hair was out of place in her painstakingly crimped coiffure. •
in a setting where one is or feels inappropriate or
incongruous. the glamorous woman seemed radically out of
place in the launderette.
a place in the sun a position of favour or advantage.
put oneself in another's place consider a situation from
another's point of view. put yourself in her place—she's got
a lot to cope with.
put someone in his (or her) place deflate or humiliate
someone regarded as being presumptuous.
take place occur: people laid flowers at the spot where the
crash took place.
!!
take one's place take up one's usual or recognized
position.
take the place of replace.
DERIVATIVES
placeless adjective
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French, from an
alteration of Latin platea ‘open space’, from Greek
plateia (hodos) ‘broad (way)’.
entirely
adverb
1 his solution was entirely out of the question: absolutely,
completely, totally, fully, wholly; altogether, utterly,
quite, in every respect, in every way, in all respects, {lock,
stock, and barrel}; unreservedly, without reservation,
without exception, thoroughly, perfectly, downright, one
hundred per cent, every inch; to the hilt, to the core, all
the way; informal bang, dead, totes. ANTONYMS
partially, slightly.
!!
2 the gift was entirely for charitable purposes: solely, only,
exclusively,
purely,
merely,
simply,
just,
alone.
ANTONYMS partially.
entirely |ɪnˈtʌɪəli, ɛn-|
adverb
completely (often used for emphasis): the traffic seemed to
consist entirely of black cabs | [ as submodifier ] : we have
an entirely different outlook.
• solely: eight coaches entirely for passenger transport.
comprehensive |kɒmprɪˈhɛnsɪv|
adjective
1 including or dealing with all or nearly all elements or
aspects of something: a comprehensive list of sources.
• of large content or scope; wide-ranging: a comprehensive
collection of photographs.
• (of a victory or defeat) achieved or suffered by a large
margin: a comprehensive victory for Swansea.
!!
• (of motor-vehicle insurance) providing cover for most
risks, including damage to the policyholder's own
vehicle.
2 Brit.relating to or denoting a system of secondary
education in which children of all abilities from a
particular
area
are
educated
in
one
school:
a
comprehensive school.
3 archaic relating to understanding.
nounBrit.
a comprehensive school. he trained as an accountant after
leaving the local comprehensive. when I was 14 I was at
comprehensive.
DERIVATIVES
comprehensively adverb,
comprehensiveness noun
ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from French compréhensif, -ive,
from
late
Latin
comprehensivus,
comprehendere ‘grasp mentally’.
!
from
the
verb!
comprehensive
adjective
a comprehensive review of UK defence policy: inclusive, all-
inclusive, complete; thorough, full, extensive, all-
embracing, overarching, umbrella, exhaustive, in-depth,
encyclopedic, universal, catholic, eclectic; far-reaching,
radical, sweeping, across the board, blanket, wholesale;
broad, wide, wide-ranging, broad-ranging; widespread,
nationwide,
compendious;
countrywide,
informal
coast-to-coast;
wall-to-wall.
detailed,
ANTONYMS
partial, selective, limited.
general |ˈdʒɛn(ə)r(ə)l|
adjective
1 affecting or concerning all or most people or things;
widespread: books of general interest | the general opinion
was that prices would fall.
!!
• not specialized or limited in range of subject,
application, activity, etc.: brush up on your general
knowledge.
• (of a rule, principle, etc.) true for all or most cases.
• normal or usual: it is not general practice to confirm or
deny such reports.
2 considering or including only the main features or
elements of something; not exact or detailed: the
arrangements were outlined in very general terms | a general
introduction to the subject.
3 [ often in titles ] chief or principal: the Director General of
the BBC | the general manager.
noun
1 a commander of an army, or an army officer of very
high rank.
• a high rank of officer in the army and in the US air
force, above lieutenant general and below field marshal,
general of the army, or general of the air force.
• informal short for lieutenant general or major general.
!!
• the head of a religious order organized on quasi-
military lines, e.g. the Jesuits, the Dominicans, or the
Salvation Army.
2 (the general) archaic the general public.
PHRASES
as a general rule in most cases.
in general 1 usually; mainly: in general, Alexander was a
peaceful, loving man. 2 as a whole: our understanding of
culture in general and of literature in particular.
ORIGIN Middle English: via Old French from Latin
generalis, from genus, gener- ‘class, race, kind’. The noun
primarily denotes a person having overall authority: the
sense ‘army commander’ is an abbreviation of captain
general, from French capitaine général ‘commander-in-
chief’.
general
adjective
!!
1 they are moderately priced and suitable for general use:
widespread,
common,
extensive,
universal,
wide,
popular, public, mainstream, prevalent, prevailing, rife,
established, well established, conventional, traditional,
traditionalist, orthodox, accepted; in circulation, in force,
in vogue. ANTONYMS restricted.
2 a general pay increase: comprehensive, overall, across the
board,
blanket,
umbrella,
mass,
total,
complete,
wholesale, sweeping, panoramic, broad, broad-ranging,
extended, inclusive, all-inclusive, all-round, generic,
outright,
encyclopedic,
indiscriminate,
catholic;
universal, global, worldwide, international, nationwide,
countrywide,
coast-to-coast,
company-wide.
ANTONYMS localized.
3 a general store | general knowledge: miscellaneous,
mixed, assorted, variegated, diversified, composite,
heterogeneous. ANTONYMS specialist.
4 it is the general practice for players to receive all the prize
money: usual, customary, habitual, traditional, normal,
!!
conventional,
typical,
standard,
regular;
familiar,
accepted, prevailing, routine, run-of-the-mill, fixed, set,
established, confirmed, everyday, ordinary, common,
stock, well worn, time-honoured; popular, favourite.
ANTONYMS exceptional.
5 most guidebooks give only a general description of the island:
broad, imprecise, inexact, rough, sweeping, overall,
loose,
basic,
approximate,
non-specific,
unspecific,
vague, hazy, fuzzy, woolly, ill-defined, indefinite,
unfocused; N. Amer. informal ballpark; rare undetailed.
ANTONYMS detailed.
PHRASES
in general 1 he was in general an excellent friend: generally,
normally, as a (general) rule, in the general run of things,
by and large, more often than not, almost always, in the
main, mainly, mostly, for the most part, in most cases,
most of the time, predominantly, on the whole; usually,
habitually, customarily, standardly, routinely, regularly,
typically,
!
ordinarily,
commonly,
conventionally,!
traditionally, historically. ANTONYMS occasionally. 2 we
want the public in general to understand the public health
issues: as a whole, as a body, generally, at large, in the
main. ANTONYMS in particular, specifically.
elaborate
adjective
1 an elaborate political system: complicated, detailed,
intricate,
complex,
involved,
tortuous,
convoluted,
serpentine, tangled, knotty, confusing, bewildering,
baffling; painstaking, careful; inextricable, entangled,
impenetrable,
Byzantine,
Daedalian,
Gordian;
rare
involute, involuted. ANTONYMS simple.
2 an elaborate plasterwork ceiling: ornate, decorated,
embellished,
adorned,
ornamented,
fancy,
over-
elaborate, fussy, busy, ostentatious, extravagant, showy,
baroque, rococo, florid, wedding-cake, gingerbread;
informal flash, flashy. ANTONYMS plain.
verb
!!
both sides refused to elaborate on their reasons: expand on,
enlarge on, add to, flesh out, add flesh to, put flesh on
the bones of, add detail to, expatiate on; supplement,
reinforce, augment, extend, broaden, develop, fill out,
embellish, enhance, amplify, refine, improve.
elaborate
adjective |ɪˈlab(ə)rət|
involving many carefully arranged parts or details;
detailed and complicated in design and planning:
elaborate security precautions | elaborate wrought-iron gates.
• (of an action) lengthy and exaggerated: he made an
elaborate pretence of yawning.
verb |ɪˈlabəreɪt|
1 [ with obj. ] develop or present (a theory, policy, or
system) in further detail: the theory was proposed by Cope
and elaborated by Osborn.
• [ no obj. ] add more detail concerning what has already
been said: he would not elaborate on his news.
!!
2 [ with obj. ] Biology (of a natural agency) produce (a
substance) from its elements or simpler constituents.
many amino acid and peptide hormones are elaborated by
neural tissue.
DERIVATIVES
elaborately |-rətli| adverb,
elaborateness |-rətnɪs| noun,
elaboration |-ˈreɪʃ(ə)n| noun,
elaborative |-rətɪv| adjective,
elaborator |-reɪtə| noun
ORIGIN late 16th cent. (in the sense ‘produced by effort
of labour’, also in sense 2 of the verb): from Latin
elaborat- ‘worked out’, from the verb elaborare, from e-
(variant of ex-)‘out’ + labor ‘work’.
pull (one's) punches [ usu. with negative ] be less
forceful, severe, or violent than one could be: a smooth-
tongued critic who doesn't pull his punches.
pull |pʊl|
!!
verb [ with obj. ]
1 [ usu. with adverbial ] exert force on (someone or
something) so as to cause movement towards oneself: he
pulled her down on to the couch | [ with obj. and
complement ] : I pulled the door shut behind me |
figurative : they are pulled in incompatible directions by
external factors and their own beliefs | [ no obj. ] : the little
boy pulled at her skirt.
• (of an animal or vehicle) be attached to the front and be
the source of forward movement of (a vehicle): the
carriage was pulled by four horses.
• [ no obj. ] (of an engine) exert propulsive force; deliver
power: the engine warmed up quickly and pulled well.
• [ with obj. and adverbial ] remove or extract
(something) by grasping and exerting force on it: she
pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket | he pulled on his boots
| I pulled up some onions.
• [ with adverbial of direction ] (pull oneself) move in a
specified direction with effort, especially by taking hold
!!
of something and exerting force: he pulled himself into the
saddle.
• damage (a muscle, ligament, etc.) by abnormal strain.
he pulled a calf muscle in the first half of the game and had to
be replaced.
• informal bring out (a weapon) for use against
someone: it's not every day a young woman pulls a gun on a
burglar.
• Brit.draw (beer) from a barrel to serve. he ordered three
beers and the barman pulled them.
• [ no obj. ] (pull at/on) inhale deeply while smoking (a
pipe, cigarette, or cigar). she pulled on her cigarette and blew
the smoke at him.
2 [ no obj., with adverbial ] move steadily in a specified
direction or manner: the bus was about to pull away | the
boy pulled ahead and disappeared round the corner.
• [ no obj., with adverbial of direction ] move one's body
in a specified direction, especially against resistance: she
tried to pull away from him.
!!
3 attract (someone) as a customer; cause to show interest
in something: anyone can enter the show if they have a good
act and the ability to pull a crowd | tourist attractions which
pull in millions of foreign visitors.
• Brit. informal succeed in attracting sexually: I used my
sense of humour to pull girls.
• informal carry out or achieve (something clever or
duplicitous): the magazine pulled its trick of producing the
right issue at the right time.
4 informal cancel or withdraw (an entertainment or
advertisement): the gig was pulled at the first sign of
difficulty.
• N. Amer.withdraw or disqualify (a player) from a
game. four of the leading eight runners were pulled.
• arrest: I am never likely to get pulled for speeding.
• check the speed of (a horse), especially so as to make it
lose a race.
5 Cricket play (the ball) round to the leg side from the
off.
!!
• Golf & Baseball strike (the ball) in the direction of one's
follow-through so that it travels to the left (or, with a left-
handed player, the right).
6 [ no obj. ] American Football (of a lineman) withdraw
from and cross behind the line of scrimmage to block
opposing players and clear the way for a runner. he may
be their best ever lineman—he can run and pull with the best.
7 print (a proof).
8 Computing retrieve (an item of data) from the top of a
stack.
noun
1 an act of pulling something: give the hair a quick pull and
it comes out by the roots.
• a handle to hold while pulling. the car didn't have
external door handles, just pulls inside.
• a deep draught of a drink. he unscrewed the cap from the
flask and took another pull.
• an act of inhaling while smoking a pipe, cigarette, or
cigar: he took a pull on his cheroot.
!!
• [ in sing. ] Brit.an act of moving steadily or with effort:
a pull for ten minutes brought me to the summit.
• an injury to a muscle or ligament caused by abnormal
strain: he was ruled out of the game with a hamstring pull.
2 [ in sing. ] a force drawing someone or something in a
particular direction: the pull of the water tore her away |
figurative : the pull of her home town was a strong one.
• [ count noun ] something exerting an influence or
attraction: one of the pulls of urban life is the opportunity of
finding employment.
• [ mass noun ] ability to exercise influence: the team
might be seeded because of their pull within soccer's
international body.
• Brit. informal an attempt to attract someone sexually:
an eligible bachelor on the pull.
3 Sport a pulling stroke.
4 a printer's proof.
PHRASES
!!
like pulling teeth informal used to convey that
something is extremely difficult to do: it had been like
pulling teeth to extract these two small items from Moore.
pull a boner see boner.
pull a face (or faces) see face.
pull a fast one see fast 1 .
pull one's head in Austral./NZ informal mind one's
own business. he got mad and told her to pull her head in.
pull someone's leg deceive someone playfully; tease
someone. getting married—are you pulling my leg?
pull the other one (it's got bells on)Brit. informal used
to express a suspicion that one is being deceived or
teased: Your boat was sunk by a swordfish? Pull the other
one!
pull out all the stops see stop.
pull the plug informal prevent something from
happening or continuing: the company pulled the plug on
the deal.
!!
pull (one's) punches [ usu. with negative ] be less
forceful, severe, or violent than one could be: a smooth-
tongued critic who doesn't pull his punches.
pull rank see rank 1 .
pull one's socks up see sock.
pull strings make use of one's influence and contacts to
gain an advantage unofficially or unfairly. he tried to pull
strings with people he knew to avoid being called up.
pull the strings be in control of events or of other
people's actions. it's uncomfortable to know that someone
else is pulling the strings.
pull together cooperate in a task or undertaking.
employees and managers began to pull together as a team.
pull oneself together recover control of one's emotions.
you've got to pull yourself together and find a job.
pull someone/thing to pieces see piece.
pull one's weight do one's fair share of work. he must
pull his weight or leave.
pull wires US another way of saying pull strings above.
!!
pull the wool over someone's eyes see wool.
PHRASAL VERBS
pull back (or pull someone/thing back) 1 retreat or
cause troops to retreat from an area: the pact called on the
rival forces to pull back and allow a neutral force to take
control. • (pull back) withdraw from an undertaking: the
party pulled back from its only positive policy. 2 Sport
improve or restore a team's position by scoring a goal: he
pulled back a goal three minutes before half time | Rovers
pulled back to 4–3 with a goal two minutes from time.
pull something down 1 demolish a building. the house
was pulled down and the site redeveloped. 2 informal earn a
sum of money: he was pulling down sixty grand a year.
pull in Brit. 1 (of a vehicle) move to the side of or off the
road: he pulled in at the kerb. 2 (of a bus or train) arrive to
take passengers. he was ready and waiting half an hour
before the express pulled in.
pull someone/thing in 1 succeed in securing or
obtaining something: the party pulled in 10 per cent of the
!!
vote. • informal earn a sum of money: you could pull in
£100,000. 2 informal arrest someone: I'd pull him in for
questioning. 3 use reins to check a horse.
pull something off informal succeed in achieving or
winning something difficult: he pulled off a brilliant first
round win.
pull out 1 withdraw from an undertaking: he was forced to
pull out of the championship because of an injury. • retreat
or cause to retreat from an area: the army pulled out,
leaving the city in ruins | (pull someone out) : the CIA had
pulled its operatives out of Tripoli. 2 (of a bus or train) leave
with its passengers. the train pulled out of the station at
2.05. 3 (of a vehicle) move out from the side of the road,
or from its normal position in order to overtake: as he
turned the corner a police car pulled out in front of him.
pull over (of a vehicle) move to the side of or off the
road. I decided to pull over on to the hard shoulder.
pull someone over (of the police) cause a driver to pull
off the road: he was pulled over for speeding.
!!
pull round chiefly Brit.recover from an illness. he was
beginning to pull round after his operation.
pull through (or pull someone/thing through)get
through an illness or other dangerous or difficult
situation: the illness is difficult to overcome, but we hope
she'll pull through.
pull up 1 (of a vehicle) come to a halt: he pulled up outside
the cottage. 2 increase the altitude of an aircraft.
pull someone up cause someone to stop or pause; check:
the shock of his words pulled her up short. • Brit.reprimand
someone. she never failed to pull us up and tell us to stop.
DERIVATIVES
puller noun
ORIGIN Old English pullian‘pluck, snatch’; origin
uncertain; the sense has developed from expressing a
short sharp action to one of sustained force.
on the same page USin agreement. everybody's on the
same page for once.
!!
page 1 |peɪdʒ|
noun
one or both sides of a sheet of paper in a book, magazine,
newspaper, or other collection of bound sheets. a book of
not less than 40 pages. he was turning the pages of his Sunday
newspaper.
• the material written or printed on a page: she silently
read several pages.
• [ with modifier ] a page of a newspaper or magazine
set aside for a particular topic: the Letters Page.
• Computing a section of stored data, especially that
which can be displayed on a screen at one time.
• a significant event or period considered as a part of a
longer history: the vote will form a page in the world's
history.
verb
!!
1 [ no obj. ] (page through) look through the pages of (a
book, magazine, etc.): she was paging through a pile of
Sunday newspapers.
• Computing move through and display (text) one page
at a time. a text file reader enables you to page through the
authors text file using indexes.
2 [ with obj. ] (usu. as nounpaging) Computing divide (a
piece of software or data) into sections, keeping the most
frequently accessed in main memory and storing the rest
in virtual memory.
3 [ with obj. ] assign numbers to the pages in (a book or
periodical); paginate.
PHRASES
on the same page USin agreement. everybody's on the
same page for once.
DERIVATIVES
paged adjective [ in combination ] : a many-paged volume
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from French, from Latin pagina,
from pangere ‘fasten’.
!!
in the air felt by a number of people to be happening or
about to happen: panic was in the air | you can tell there's
an election in the air.
back to the drawing board used to indicate that an idea,
scheme, or proposal has been unsuccessful and that a
new one must be devised: the government must go back to
the drawing board and review the whole issue of youth
training.
drawing board
noun
a large flat board on which paper may be spread for
artists or designers to work on.
PHRASES
back to the drawing board used to indicate that an idea,
scheme, or proposal has been unsuccessful and that a
new one must be devised: the government must go back to
!!
the drawing board and review the whole issue of youth
training.
on the drawing board (of an idea, scheme, or proposal)
under consideration and not yet ready to put into
practice: there are plans to enlarge the runway, but at present
all this remains on the drawing board.
adolescence |adəˈlɛs(ə)ns|
noun [ mass noun ]
the period following the onset of puberty during which a
young person develops from a child into an adult. Mary
spent her childhood and adolescence in Europe. during
adolescence teenagers often experience violent mood swings.
ORIGIN late Middle English: from French, from Latin
adolescentia, from adolescere ‘grow to maturity’ (see
adolescent) .
adolescence
noun
!!
they spent their adolescence hanging out together: teenage
years, teens, youth, young adulthood, young days, early
life; pubescence, puberty; rare juvenescence, juvenility.
reticent |ˈrɛtɪs(ə)nt|
adjective
not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily: she was
extremely reticent about her personal affairs.
DERIVATIVES
reticently adverb
ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from Latin reticent- ‘remaining
silent’, from the verb reticere, from re- (expressing
intensive force) + tacere ‘be silent’.
reticent
adjective
Smith was extremely reticent about his personal affairs:
reserved, withdrawn, introverted, restrained, inhibited,
diffident, shy, modest, unassuming, shrinking, distant,
!!
undemonstrative,
wouldn't
say
boo
to
a
goose;
uncommunicative, unforthcoming, unresponsive, tight-
lipped, close-mouthed, close-lipped, quiet, taciturn,
silent, guarded, secretive, private, playing one's cards
close to one's chest; informal mum. ANTONYMS
expansive, garrulous.
translucent |transˈluːs(ə)nt, trɑːns-, -nz-|
adjective
(of a substance) allowing light, but not detailed shapes,
to
pass
through;
semi-transparent:
her
beautiful
translucent skin.
DERIVATIVES
translucence noun,
translucency noun,
translucently adverb
ORIGIN late 16th cent. (in the Latin sense): from Latin
translucent- ‘shining through’, from the verb translucere,
from trans- ‘through’ + lucere ‘to shine’.
!!
translucent
adjective
a mantle of translucent ice: semi-transparent, pellucid,
diaphanous, colourless, glassy, glass-like, gossamer,
clear, crystalline, see-through, limpid, transparent; rare
transpicuous, translucid. ANTONYMS opaque.
WORD TOOLKIT
translucent
See diaphanous.
Word Toolkits illustrate the difference between close
synonyms by means of words typically used with them.
obsolescent |ˌɒbsəˈlɛs(ə)nt|
adjective
becoming obsolete: obsolescent equipment | obsolescent
slang.
DERIVATIVES
obsolesce verb existing systems begin to obsolesce,
!!
obsolescence noun
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from Latin obsolescent- ‘falling
into disuse’, from the verb obsolescere .
obsolescent
adjective
industries regarded by policy makers as obsolescent: dying
out, becoming obsolete, going out of use, going out of
fashion, on the decline, declining, waning, on the wane,
disappearing, past its prime, ageing, moribund, on its
last legs, out of date, outdated, old-fashioned, outmoded;
informal on the way out, past it.
cocktail |ˈkɒkteɪl|
noun
!!
1 an alcoholic drink consisting of a spirit or spirits mixed
with other ingredients, such as fruit juice or cream: [ as
modifier ] : a cocktail bar.
• a mixture of substances or factors, especially when
dangerous or unpleasant: he was killed by a cocktail of drink
and drugs.
2 a dish consisting of small pieces of food, typically
served cold as an hors d'oeuvre: a prawn cocktail.
ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from cock 1 + tail 1 . The original
use was as an adjective describing a creature with a tail
like that of a cock, specifically a horse with a docked tail;
hence (because hunters and coach-horses were generally
docked) a racehorse which was not a thoroughbred,
having a cock-tailed horse in its pedigree (early 19th
cent.). Sense 1 (originally US, also early 19th cent.) is
perhaps analogous, from the idea of an adulterated
spirit.
mocktail |ˈmɒkteɪl|
!!
nounchiefly N. Amer.
a non-alcoholic drink consisting of a mixture of fruit
juices or other soft drinks.
ORIGIN 1930s: blend of mock (adjective) and cocktail.
bisque 1 |bɪsk, biːsk|
noun [ mass noun ]
a rich shellfish soup, typically made from lobster.
ORIGIN French, ‘crayfish soup’.
bisque 2 |bɪsk|
noun
an extra turn or stroke allowed to a weaker player in
croquet.
ORIGIN mid 17th cent. (originally a term in real tennis):
from French, of unknown ultimate origin.
bisque 3 |bɪsk|
noun
another term for biscuit ( sense 2).
!!
liquor |ˈlɪkə|
noun [ mass noun ]
1 alcoholic drink, especially distilled spirits.
2 a liquid produced or used in a process, in particular:
• liquid in which something has been steeped or cooked.
• liquid which drains from food during cooking.
• the liquid from which a substance has been crystallized
or extracted.
• water used in brewing.
verb [ with obj. ]
1 dress (leather) with grease or oil.
2 steep (something, especially malt) in water.
PHRASAL VERBS
be/get liquored up N. Amer. informal be or get drunk. he
got liquored up again on Friday.
ORIGIN Middle English (denoting liquid or something
to drink): from Old French lic(o)ur, from Latin liquor;
related to liquare ‘liquefy’, liquere ‘be fluid’.
!!
prophecy |ˈprɒfɪsi|
noun (pl.prophecies)
a prediction of what will happen in the future: a bleak
prophecy of war and ruin.
• [ mass noun ] the faculty or practice of prophesying:
the gift of prophecy.
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French profecie, via
late Latin from Greek prophēteia, from prophētēs (see
prophet) .
prophecy
noun
1 her prophecy is coming true: prediction, forecast,
prognostication, prognosis, divination, augury; rare
prognostic.
2 the gift of prophecy: foretelling the future, forecasting the
future, fortune telling, crystal-gazing, prediction, second
sight,
!
clairvoyance,
prognostication,
divination,!
soothsaying;
rare
vaticination,
augury,
sortilege,
auspication.
contingency |kənˈtɪndʒ(ə)nsi|
noun (pl.contingencies)
a future event or circumstance which is possible but
cannot be predicted with certainty: a detailed contract
which attempts to provide for all possible contingencies.
• a provision for a possible event or circumstance: stores
were kept as a contingency against a blockade.
• an incidental expense. allow an extra fifteen per cent on
the budget for contingencies.
• [ mass noun ] the absence of certainty in events: the
island's public affairs can occasionally be seen to be invaded by
contingency.
• [ mass noun ] Philosophy the absence of necessity; the
fact of being so without having to be so.
ORIGIN mid 16th cent. (in the philosophical sense): from
late Latin contingentia (in its medieval Latin sense
!!
‘circumstance’),
from
contingere
‘befall’
(see
contingent) .
contingency
noun
a detailed contract which attempts to provide for all possible
contingencies:
eventuality,
(chance)
event,
incident,
happening, occurrence, juncture, possibility, accident,
chance, emergency; uncertainty; rare fortuity.
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
abstraction,
distraction,
!
thought,
brown
absent-mindedness,
forgetfulness,
study,
absence
brooding;
of
inattentiveness,
mind,
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.
preoccupation |prɪˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃ(ə)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
beforehand’ (see preoccupy) .
!
praeoccupare
‘seize!
penchant |ˈpɒ̃ ʃɒ̃ |
noun [ usu. in sing. ]
a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to
do something: he has a penchant for adopting stray dogs.
ORIGIN late 17th cent.: from French, ‘leaning, inclining’,
present participle of the verb pencher .
taste
noun
1 a blue cheese with a distinctive sharp taste: flavour, savour,
relish, tang, smack.
2 would you care for a taste of brandy? mouthful, drop, bit,
spoonful, sample, sip, nip, swallow, touch, sprinkle,
trickle, soupçon; dash, pinch, morsel, bite, nibble, titbit,
shred, modicum.
3 it was a bit sweet for my taste: palate, sense of taste, taste
buds, appetite, stomach.
!!
4 a millionairess with a taste for adventure: liking, love,
fondness,
predilection,
disposition,
fancy,
desire,
inclination,
proneness;
preference,
partiality,
hankering,
penchant,
leaning, bent,
appetite, thirst,
hunger, relish, soft spot, weakness. ANTONYMS dislike.
5 it was then that I had my first taste of prison: experience,
impression,
sample;
exposure
to,
contact
with,
involvement with, familiarity with, participation in.
6 the house was furnished with taste: judgement,
discrimination, discernment, tastefulness, cultivation,
culture, refinement, polish, finesse, elegance, grace, style,
stylishness. ANTONYMS tastelessness.
7 we may reject advertisements on grounds of taste: decorum,
propriety,
tactfulness,
correctness,
diplomacy,
etiquette,
delicacy,
politeness,
nicety,
tact,
sensitivity,
discretion, tastefulness; Frenchpolitesse.
verb
1 Adam tasted the wine and nodded to the waiter: sample,
test, try, check, examine, savour; sip, sup, nibble.
!!
2 he could taste the blood in his mouth: perceive, discern,
make out, distinguish, differentiate.
3 a kind of beer that tasted of cashews: have a flavour,
savour, smack, be reminiscent; suggest.
4 it'll be good to taste real coffee again: consume, drink, eat,
partake of, devour.
5 he tasted defeat for the first time: experience, undergo,
encounter, meet, come face to face with, come up against;
know, have knowledge of, sample, try.
WORD LINKS
gustative, gustatory relating to the sense of taste
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.
inclination |ɪnklɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n|
noun [ mass noun ]
1 a person's natural tendency or urge to act or feel in a
particular way; a disposition: John was a scientist by
!!
training and inclination | Fanny showed little inclination to
talk about anything serious | [ count noun ] : he was free to
follow his inclinations.
• (inclination for/to/towards) an interest in or liking for
(something): my inborn inclination for things with moving
parts.
2 the fact or degree of sloping: changes in inclination of the
line on the graph.
• the angle at which a straight line or plane is inclined to
another.
• the dip of a magnetic needle.
• Astronomy the angle between the orbital plane of a
planet, comet, etc. and the ecliptic, or between the orbital
plane of a satellite and the equatorial plane of its
primary. cometary orbits vary widely in inclination.
3 an act of inclining the body or head: the questioner's
inclination of his head.
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin inclinatio(n-),
from inclinare ‘bend towards’ (see incline) .
!!
inclination
noun
1 his political inclinations often got him into trouble | she
showed no inclination to leave: tendency, propensity,
proclivity,
predilection,
leaning;
weakness,
predisposition,
proneness;
disposition,
desire,
wish,
readiness, impulse; bent; archaic list, humour; rare
velleity. ANTONYMS aversion, disinclination.
2 she had no inclination for housework: liking, penchant,
partiality, preference, appetite, fancy, fondness, affection,
love; interest, affinity; stomach, taste; informal yen; rare
appetency. ANTONYMS dislike.
3 an inclination of his head: bowing, bow, bending, nod,
nodding, lowering, dip.
4 an inclination in excess of 90 degrees: gradient, incline,
slope, pitch, ramp, bank, ascent, rise, acclivity, descent,
declivity; slant, lift, tilt; cant, camber, bevel; angle.
!!
propensity |prəˈpɛnsɪti|
noun (pl.propensities)
an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a
particular way: his propensity for violence | [ with
infinitive ] : their innate propensity to attack one another.
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from archaic propense (from Latin
propensus ‘inclined’, past participle of propendere, from
pro- ‘forward, down’ + pendere ‘hang’) + -ity.
propensity
noun
her propensity to jump to conclusions | his propensity for
accidents:
tendency,
inclination,
predisposition,
proneness, proclivity, readiness, susceptibility, liability,
disposition; aptness, penchant, leaning, predilection,
bent, habit, weakness.
emergency
noun
!!
your quick response in an emergency could be a lifesaver:
crisis, urgent situation, extremity, exigency; accident,
disaster,
catastrophe,
calamity;
difficulty,
plight,
predicament, tight spot, tight corner, mess; quandary,
dilemma;
unforeseen
circumstances,
dire/desperate
straits, danger; informal scrape, jam, fix, pickle, spot,
hole, hot water, crunch, panic stations.
adjective
1 an emergency meeting: urgent, crisis; impromptu,
extraordinary.
2 an emergency exit: alternative, substitute, replacement,
spare, extra, standby, auxiliary, reserve, backup, fill-in,
fallback, in reserve. ANTONYMS main, primary.
emergency |ɪˈməːdʒ(ə)nsi|
noun (pl.emergencies)
1 a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation
requiring immediate action: personal alarms for use in an
!!
emergency | [ mass noun ] : survival packs were carried in
case of emergency.
• [ as modifier ] arising from or used in an emergency: an
emergency exit.
• a person with a medical condition requiring immediate
treatment. the hospital treated two hundred emergencies.
• N. Amer.the department in a hospital which provides
immediate treatment: a doctor in emergency cleaned the
wound.
2 (the Emergency) Irish historical the Second World War.
3 Austral./NZa reserve runner in horse racing.
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from medieval Latin emergentia,
from Latin emergere ‘arise, bring to light’ (see emerge) .
insurance |ɪnˈʃʊər(ə)ns|
noun [ mass noun ]
1 an arrangement by which a company or the state
undertakes to provide a guarantee of compensation for
specified loss, damage, illness, or death in return for
!!
payment of a specified premium: many new borrowers take
out insurance against unemployment or sickness.
• the business of providing insurance: Howard is in
insurance.
• money paid for insurance. my insurance has gone up.
• money paid out as compensation under an insurance
policy: when will I be able to collect the insurance?
2 a thing providing protection against a possible
eventuality: jackets were hung on the back of their chairs,
insurance against an encounter with air-conditioning |
[ count noun ] : a marquee was hired as an insurance
against the weather.
ORIGIN late Middle English (originally as ensurance in
the sense ‘ensuring, assurance, a guarantee’): from Old
French enseurance, from enseurer (see ensure). Sense 1
dates from the mid 17th cent.
usage: There is a technical distinction between insurance
and assurance in the context of life insurance: see usage
at assurance.
!!
insurance
noun
1 insurance on his new car was going to cost him £750:
assurance,
indemnity,
indemnification,
(financial)
protection, security, surety, cover.
2 the high defence expenditure was considered a reasonable
insurance against a third World War: protection, defence,
safeguard, safety measure, shelter, security, precaution,
provision, preventive measure, immunity; guarantee,
warranty; informal backstop.
kinship |ˈkɪnʃɪp|
noun [ mass noun ]
blood relationship.
• [ count noun ] a sharing of characteristics or origins:
they felt a kinship with architects.
kinship
!!
noun
1 ties of descent and kinship: relationship, relatedness,
being related, family ties, family connections, blood
relationship, blood ties, common ancestry, common
lineage, kindred, connection; formal consanguinity,
propinquity.
2 she could not feel kinship with people who were not decisive:
affinity,
sympathy,
kindred,
rapport,
harmony,
understanding, alliance, association, empathy, closeness,
fellow
feeling,
bond,
community,
communion,
compatibility, link, accord, friendship, togetherness;
similarity, likeness, parallel, parallelism, connection,
correspondence, concordance, equivalence, agreement,
symmetry, analogy, uniformity.
patrilineal |ˌpatrɪˈlɪnɪəl|
adjective
!!
relating to or based on relationship to the father or
descent through the male line: in Polynesia inheritance of
land was predominantly patrilineal.
ORIGIN early 20th cent.: from Latin pater, patr- ‘father’
+ lineal.
matrilineal |ˌmatrɪˈlɪnɪəl|
adjective
of or based on kinship with the mother or the female
line. a society founded on the matrilineal kinship principle.
DERIVATIVES
matrilineally adverb
ORIGIN early 20th cent.: from Latin mater, matr-
‘mother’ + lineal.
familial |fəˈmɪljəl|
adjective
relating to or occurring in a family or its members: the
familial Christmas dinner.
!!
ORIGIN early 20th cent.: from French, from Latin familia
‘family’.
syllable |ˈsɪləb(ə)l|
noun
a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or
without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a
part of a word; for example, there are two syllables in
water and three in inferno.
• a character or characters representing a syllable.
• [ usu. with negative ] the least amount of speech or
writing; the least mention of something: I'd never have
breathed a syllable if he'd kept quiet.
verb [ with obj. ]
pronounce (a word or phrase) clearly, syllable by
syllable.
PHRASES
in words of one syllable using very simple language;
expressed plainly.
!!
DERIVATIVES
syllabled adjective [ usu. in combination ] : many-
syllabled words
ORIGIN late Middle English: from an Anglo-Norman
French alteration of Old French sillabe, via Latin from
Greek sullabē, from sun- ‘together’ + lambanein ‘take’.
sibilant |ˈsɪbɪl(ə)nt|
adjective
1 making or characterized by a hissing sound: his sibilant
whisper.
2 Phonetics (of a speech sound) sounded with a hissing
effect, for example s, sh.
nounPhonetics
a sibilant speech sound.
DERIVATIVES
sibilance noun
sibilantly adverb
!!
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin sibilant- ‘hissing’,
from the verb sibilare .
letter |ˈlɛtə|
noun
1 a character representing one or more of the sounds
used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet: a
capital letter.
• (letters) Brit. informal the initials of a degree or other
qualification: your personality matters far more than letters
after your name.
• USa school or college initial as a mark of proficiency,
especially in sport: [ as modifier ] : a letter jacket.
2 a written, typed, or printed communication, sent in an
envelope by post or messenger: he sent a letter to Mrs
Falconer.
• (letters) a legal or formal document.
!!
3 (the letter) the precise terms of a statement or
requirement; the strict verbal interpretation: we must keep
the spirit of the law as well as the letter.
4 (letters) literature: the world of letters.
• archaic scholarly knowledge; erudition.
5 [ mass noun ] Printing a style of typeface.
verb
1 [ with obj. ] inscribe letters or writing on: her name was
lettered in gold.
• classify with letters: he numbered and lettered the
paragraphs.
2 [ no obj. ] US informal be given a school or college
initial as a mark of proficiency in sport. in high school she
lettered in soccer, basketball and softball.
PHRASES
to the letter with adherence to every detail: the method
was followed to the letter.
!!
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French lettre, from
Latin litera, littera ‘letter of the alphabet’, (plural)
‘epistle, literature, culture’.
letter
noun
1 a gold chain which spelled out Zara in half-inch letters:
alphabetical character, character, sign, symbol, mark,
type, figure, device, rune; technical grapheme.
2 she received a letter from the king: written message,
message, written communication, communication, note,
line,
missive,
epistle,
dispatch,
report,
bulletin;
correspondence, news, information, intelligence, word;
post, mail.
3 (letters) a man of letters: learning, scholarship, erudition,
education, knowledge, book learning, academic training;
intellect,
intelligence,
enlightenment,
illumination,
wisdom, sagacity, culture, cultivation; literature, books,
humanities, belles-lettres.
!!
PHRASES
to the letter he followed her instructions to the letter: strictly,
precisely,
religiously,
exactly,
accurately,
punctiliously,
closely,
literally,
with
faithfully,
a
literal
interpretation, with strict attention to detail, word for
word, letter for letter, verbatim, in every detail, by the
book. ANTONYMS in general terms, approximately.
WORD LINKS
literal relating to alphabetical letters
epistolary relating to letters (correspondence)
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.
syllable |ˈsɪləb(ə)l|
noun
a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or
without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a
!!
part of a word; for example, there are two syllables in
water and three in inferno.
• a character or characters representing a syllable.
• [ usu. with negative ] the least amount of speech or
writing; the least mention of something: I'd never have
breathed a syllable if he'd kept quiet.
verb [ with obj. ]
pronounce (a word or phrase) clearly, syllable by
syllable.
PHRASES
in words of one syllable using very simple language;
expressed plainly.
DERIVATIVES
syllabled adjective [ usu. in combination ] : many-
syllabled words
ORIGIN late Middle English: from an Anglo-Norman
French alteration of Old French sillabe, via Latin from
Greek sullabē, from sun- ‘together’ + lambanein ‘take’.
!!
camouflage |ˈkaməflɑːʒ|
noun [ mass noun ]
the disguising of military personnel, equipment, and
installations by painting or covering them to make them
blend in with their surroundings: on the trenches were
pieces of turf which served for camouflage.
• clothing or materials used as camouflage: figures dressed
in army camouflage.
• the natural colouring or form of an animal which
enables it to blend in with its surroundings: the whiteness
of polar bears provides camouflage.
• actions or devices intended to disguise or mislead:
much of my apparent indifference was merely protective
camouflage.
verb [ with obj. ]
hide or disguise the presence of (a person, animal, or
object) by means of camouflage: the caravan was
camouflaged with netting and branches from trees.
!!
• conceal the existence of (something undesirable):
grievances should be discussed, not camouflaged.
ORIGIN First World War: from French, from camoufler
‘to disguise’ (originally thieves' slang), from Italian
camuffare ‘disguise, deceive’, perhaps by association
with French camouflet ‘whiff of smoke in the face’.
camouflage
noun
1 on the trenches were pieces of turf which served for
camouflage: disguise, concealment.
2 an animal may adapt its camouflage to fit into a new
environment:
protective
colouring;
technical
cryptic
colouring, cryptic coloration, mimicry.
3 much of my apparent indifference was merely protective
camouflage: facade, front, false front, smokescreen, cover-
up, disguise, mask, cloak, blind, screen, masquerade,
concealment, dissimulation, pretence; subterfuge.
verb
!!
the caravan was camouflaged with netting and branches:
disguise, hide, conceal, keep hidden, mask, screen, veil,
cloak, cover, cover up, obscure, shroud.
goody-goody informal
noun
a smug or ostentatiously virtuous person.
adjective
smug or ostentatiously virtuous.
goody-goody
adjective
informal the goody-goody prefects will probably tell the
headmistress: self-righteous, sanctimonious, pious; prim
and proper, prim, proper, strait-laced, prudish, priggish,
puritanical, moralistic, prissy, mimsy, niminy-piminy,
shockable,
Victorian,
old-maidish,
schoolmistressy,
schoolmarmish, governessy; informal starchy, square,
!!
fuddy-duddy,
stick-in-the-mud;
rare
Grundyish,
Pecksniffian.
wholehearted |həʊlˈhɑːtɪd|
adjective
showing or characterized by complete sincerity and
commitment: you have my wholehearted support.
DERIVATIVES
wholeheartedly adverb,
wholeheartedness noun
wholehearted
adjective
you have my wholehearted support: committed, positive,
emphatic, devoted, dedicated, enthusiastic, unshakeable,
unflinching,
unswerving,
constant,
staunch,
loyal,
stalwart; unqualified, unreserved, unlimited, without
reservations, unconditional, categorical, unequivocal,
!!
unambiguous, unrestricted, unmitigated, unadulterated,
undiluted, unalloyed, unstinting; complete, full, total,
absolute,
undivided,
thoroughgoing,
utter,
entire,
solid,
outright,
thorough,
out-and-out.
ANTONYMS half-hearted, qualified, partial.
simpleton |ˈsɪmp(ə)lt(ə)n|
noun
a foolish or gullible person. stop grinning at me like a
simpleton.
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from simple, on the pattern of
surnames derived from place names ending in -ton.
simpleton
noun
there will always be those in business who persist in treating
their customers like simpletons: fool, nincompoop, dunce,
dullard, ignoramus; informal idiot, imbecile, moron,
cretin, halfwit, thicko, thickhead, nitwit, dope, dimwit,
!!
dumbo, dummy, donkey, stupid, stupe; Brit. informal
twit, nit, numpty, twerp, clot, muggins, juggins, silly
billy; Scottish informal nyaff, sumph, gowk; Irish
informal gobdaw; N. Amer. informal sap, schmuck,
lamer; Brit. vulgar slang knobhead; N. Amer. vulgar
slang asshat. See also fool.
pervasive |pəˈveɪsɪv|
adjective
(especially of an unwelcome influence or physical effect)
spreading widely throughout an area or a group of
people: ageism is pervasive and entrenched in our society.
DERIVATIVES
pervasively adverb,
pervasiveness noun
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from Latin pervas- ‘passed
through’ (from the verb pervadere) + -ive.
pervasive
!!
adjective
a pervasive smell of staleness | ageism is pervasive in our
society: prevalent, penetrating, pervading, permeating,
extensive, ubiquitous, omnipresent, present everywhere,
rife, widespread, general, common, universal, pandemic,
epidemic, endemic, inescapable, insidious; immanent;
rare permeative, suffusive, permeant.
convinced |kənˈvɪnst|
adjective
completely certain about something: she was not entirely
convinced of the soundness of his motives | [ with clause ] :
I am convinced the war will be over in a matter of months.
• [ attrib. ] firm in one's belief with regard to a particular
cause or issue: a convinced pacifist.
convince |kənˈvɪns|
verb [ with obj. ]
cause (someone) to believe firmly in the truth of
something: Robert's expression had obviously convinced her
!!
of his innocence | [ with obj. and clause ] : we had to
convince politicians that they needed to do something.
• [ with obj. and infinitive ] persuade (someone) to do
something: she convinced my father to branch out on his
own.
DERIVATIVES
convincer noun,
convincible adjective
ORIGIN mid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘overcome, defeat in
argument’): from Latin convincere, from con- ‘with’ +
vincere ‘conquer’. Compare with convict.
usage: Convince used (with an infinitive) as a synonym
for persuade first became common in the 1950s in the
US, as in she convinced my father to branch out on his own.
Some traditionalists deplore the blurring of distinction
between convince and persuade, maintaining that
convince should be reserved for situations in which
someone's belief is changed but no action is taken as a
result ( he convinced me that he was right) while persuade
!!
should be used for situations in which action results ( he
persuaded me rather than he convinced me to seek more
advice). In practice the newer use is well established.
convince
verb
1 Wilson convinced me that I was wrong: persuade, satisfy,
prove to, cause to feel certain; assure, reassure; put/set
someone's mind at rest, dispel someone's doubts.
2 eventually, I convinced her to marry me: induce, prevail
on, get, talk round, bring around, win over, sway;
persuade, cajole, inveigle.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD
convince, persuade, induce
All these words refer to causing someone to do
something that you wish them to do.
■ Convince refers primarily to getting someone to
believe something by presenting them with arguments or
evidence (he managed to convince the police that his story
!!
was true). The word can also mean ‘persuade’ (she
convinced my father to branch out on his own), but this use is
disapproved of by some people.
■ Persuade refers primarily to getting someone to do
something through reasoning or argument, possibly
against their better judgement or personal preference (he
persuaded Tom to accompany him | she was persuaded to
return to work). Persuade can also be used of causing
someone to accept a belief, but persuading someone that
something is the case may take considerable argument
(he persuaded her that nothing was going on | we need to be
persuaded of the case).
■ Induce is used only of getting someone to do
something. It is a forceful word, suggesting a good deal
of effort or sacrifice on the part of the inducer, and often
the use of bribes or threats rather than argument (we had
to give the driver a huge tip to induce him to carry the
luggage).
!!
These notes show fine distinctions in meaning between
closely related synonyms to help you find the best word.
scrutiny |ˈskruːtɪni|
noun (pl.scrutinies) [ mass noun ]
critical observation or examination: every aspect of local
government was placed under scrutiny.
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin scrutinium,
from scrutari ‘to search’ (originally ‘sort rubbish’, from
scruta ‘rubbish’). Early use referred to the taking of
individual votes in an election procedure.
scrutiny
noun
Frick
continued
his
scrutiny
of
the
room:
careful
examination, inspection, survey, scan, study, perusal;
search,
investigation,
exploration,
research,
probe,
enquiry, check, audit, review, analysis, dissection;
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informal going-over, look-see, once-over. ANTONYMS
glance, cursory look.
sieve |sɪv|
noun
a utensil consisting of a wire or plastic mesh held in a
frame, used for straining solids from liquids, for
separating coarser from finer particles, or for reducing
soft solids to a pulp. purée the potatoes through a sieve. rinse
the lentils in a sieve under running water.
• used figuratively with reference to the fact that a sieve
does not hold all its contents: she's forgotten all the details
already, she's got a mind like a sieve.
verb [ with obj. ]
put (a food substance or other material) through a sieve.
sieve the flour and sugar together in a bowl. (as adj. sieved) :
dredge with sieved icing sugar.
!!
• (usu. sieve something out) remove (unwanted items):
filters sieve large particles out of the water to prevent them
from harming the pumps.
• [ no obj. ] (sieve through) examine in detail: lawyers had
sieved through her contract.
DERIVATIVES
sieve-like adjective
ORIGIN Old English sife (noun), of West Germanic
origin; related to Dutch zeef and German Sieb .
sieve
noun
use a sieve to strain the mixture: strainer, sifter, filter,
colander, riddle, screen, muslin cloth; archaic griddle.
verb
1 sieve the mixture into a bowl: strain, sift, screen, filter,
riddle; archaic bolt, griddle.
2 a hoard of coins was carefully sieved from the ash: separate
out, filter out, sift, sort out, isolate, divide, part,
segregate, put to one side, weed out, remove, extract.
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bona fides |ˌbəʊnə ˈfʌɪdiːz|
noun [ mass noun ]
a person's honesty and sincerity of intention: he went to
great lengths to establish his liberal bona fides.
• [ treated as pl. ] informal documentary evidence
showing that a person is what they claim to be;
credentials. he set about checking Loretta's bona fides.
ORIGIN Latin, literally ‘good faith’.
overflow
verb |əʊvəˈfləʊ| [ no obj. ]
(especially of a liquid) flow over the brim of a receptacle:
chemicals overflowed from a storage tank | [ with obj. ] : the
river overflowed its banks.
• (of a container) be so full that the contents go over the
sides: boxes overflowing with bright flowers | (as
adj.overflowing) : an overflowing ashtray.
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• (of a space) be so crowded that people spill out: the
waiting area was overflowing.
• [ with obj. ] flood or flow over (a surface or area): her
hair overflowed her shoulders.
• (overflow with) be very full of (an emotion or quality):
her heart overflowed with joy.
noun |ˈəʊvəfləʊ|
1 [ mass noun ] the flowing over of a liquid: there was
some overflow after heavy rainfall | [ count noun ] : an
overflow of sewage.
• [ in sing. ] the excess or surplus not able to be
accommodated by an available space: to accommodate the
overflow five more offices have been built.
2 (also overflow pipe)(in a bath or sink) an outlet for
excess water.
3 [ mass noun ] Computing the generation of a number
or other data item which is too large for the assigned
location or memory space.
PHRASES
!!
full to overflowing completely full. the order book was full
to overflowing. a knapsack full to overflowing with clothes.
ORIGIN Old English oferflōwan (see over-,flow) .
overflow
verb
cream overflowed the edges of the shallow dish: spill over,
flow over, run over, brim over, well over, slop over, slosh
over, pour forth, stream forth, flood, discharge, surge,
debouch.
noun
1 a ball valve failure would lead to tank overflow in the loft:
overspill, spill, spillage, flood, flooding, inundation,
excess water.
2 to accommodate the overflow, five more offices have been
built: surplus, excess, additional people/things, extra
people/things, remainder, overabundance, overspill.
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