eliminate

eliminate (canonical)
eliminates (third-person singular)
eliminated (past)
eliminated (past participle)
eliminating (present participle)

If you eliminate something, you make it go away or disappear, or you kill it.

The recent fixes have eliminated the problems we were having.

Canada was eliminated in the first round of the world cup.

He was at risk of being eliminated by the other gang members.


revision

A revision is a change or edit a to language, a plan, etc.

This book needs a lot of revision before it can be published.

She revised what she said so that she was not saying something bad about him.

The plan has undergone a number of complete revisions.

A revision is a piece of writing or plan that has changed or will change.

The software includes the latest revisions to the HTML standards.

In the UK, revision is the process of studying something again.

I need to do more revision for the test.


publication

publication (singular)
publications (plural)

Publication is the act of making a book or other thing publicly known or available where the public can use it.

The Report itself and the debate that followed its publication have been useful.

This letter is personal and not for publication.

A publication is a book, magazine, paper, song, etc. that has been or will be published.

Women's Strategies from Around the World, is a new publication from the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).


edible

edible (positive)
more edible (comparative)
most edible (superlative)

Something is called edible if it can be eaten by humans and animals without danger to their health.

These mushrooms are edible.


edible

An edible is something that you can eat.

The apple is an edible.


abstract

abstract (positive)
more abstract (comparative)
most abstract (superlative)

If something is abstract, you cannot touch it, and it is difficult to imagine or think about.

A lot of abstract painting uses harsh shapes and most people do not like it.

More abstract ideas like "democracy" are not possible for animals.

Houses and books are things you can touch. Honesty, patience and courage are abstract.

If something is abstract, it is general.

If something is abstract, it is thought of as apart from any other use with an object; it is removed from it; it is separate or abstracted.

If something is abstract, it is not practical or realistic; it is not concrete; it is theoretical; it is vague.

If something is abstract, it does not have all of the facts; it is not factual.


abstract

An abstract is a short text that tells you the main ideas of a longer text, especially of scientific papers; it is a summary of something longer.

The abstract of Isaac Newton's laws of gravity may be no more than 150 words.

An abstract is an abstraction; it is an abstract word.

An abstract is a piece of art that is made in the abstract fashion of art.

An abstract is a powdered solid extract of a vegetable that is then mixed with the sugar of milk.


abstract

abstract (canonical)
abstracts (third-person singular)
abstracted (past)
abstracted (past participle)
abstracting (present participle)

If you abstract something, you summarize it; you abridge it.

If you abstract something, you separate it; you remove it.

If you abstract something, you withdraw it.

If you abstract something, you make abstractions of it in art.

If you abstract something, you take it away from someone without permission; you steal it.

If you abstract something, you think about it separate from everything else; you consider it abstractly.

If you abstract something, you go through the process or abstraction.


obedience

obedience (singular)
obediences (plural)

Obedience is very important in any army.

behavior in which you do what good person, father, boss, teacher, tells you to do.


survive

survive (canonical)
survives (third-person singular)
survived (past)
survived (past participle)
surviving (present participle)

If you survive something, you experience it and you did not die.

They survived the war but died two years later.

Some of the factory's equipment from 1827 still survives.

I went to a lecture on surviving in dangerous situations.

These last few months have been hard, but we'll survive.


fluctuation

fluctuation (singular)
fluctuations (plural)

A fluctuation is when something changes back and forth quickly.

The price of wheat stayed the same, but there were a lot of fluctuations in the price of rice.

Every time a cloud goes past, there is a fluctuation in the amount of sunshine.


sarcasm

humor that is not serious but is meant to mimic. Saying something you don't mean, to be funny or to make someone feel bad.

"No, I don't want any food, I'm just standing here holding an empty plate to make my fingers stronger," he said with sarcasm.


medium

A medium amount is an amount that is not small and not large, but in the middle.

Would you like a small, medium or large drink?


medium

medium (singular)
mediums or media (plural)

A medium is stuff that something moves through.

Light can go through different media: air, water, glass.

Sound waves slow down when they go through this kind of medium.

A medium is a person who hears ideas that come from people who are dead. (plural mediums)

We all closed our eyes, and the medium said "I hear your father speaking."

I don't believe those mediums can really hear anything.


effective

effective (positive)
more effective (comparative)
most effective (superlative)

An effective strategy, treatment, method, etc is one that works well as planned.

Teachers are using instructional strategies that are most effective in helping students learn.

If you have effective command, consent, control, etc., you have it in practice but not officially.

The students had effective control over what the teacher would include on the test.

If a law, agreement, change, etc. becomes effective, it officially begins.

The new rules about ball size are effective next season.


effective

You use effective to tell when something starts officially.

Effective next week, all employees will wear the new uniform.


coincide

coincide (canonical)
coincides (third-person singular)
coincided (past)
coincided (past participle)
coinciding (present participle)

Two things coincide with each other if they're both in the same place or at the same time.

The time of your party coincides with my niece's wedding, so I can't come.

The end of one side of a triangle coincides with the end of another side, making a corner.


reverse

reverse (canonical)
reverses (third-person singular)
reversed (past)
reversed (past participle)
reversing (present participle)

If you reverse something, you make it act or move opposite to before (in the other direction).

The new president reversed the decision to expand the factory.

There were many new jobs in the early 90s, but then the cycle was completely reversed, and thousands of people were out of work.

She reversed the car into the parking space.

When my mom got sick, our roles were reversed and I began to care for her.

Now reverse your position by raising your right hand and lowering your left.


reverse

The reverse of something is its opposite.

Female professors are often married to male professors, but the reverse is not as common.

In a machine, reverse is a setting that makes it act or move opposite to before.

As the plane landed, the engines went into reverse, helping us to stop.

When the Chinese started selling cars, the Japanese automobile industry went into rapid reverse.

The reverse of something is it's other side.

Details can be found on the reverse of this paper.


ambiguous

ambiguous (positive)
more ambiguous (comparative)
most ambiguous (superlative)

If something is ambiguous, it has more than one possible meaning, state, or explanation.

I think he fills his speeches with ambiguous words on purpose.

The goal of the challenge remains rather ambiguous.


regardless

If x happens regardless of y, y does not change x.

She left, regardless of him asking her to stay.


ultimately

We will all help, but it is you who are ultimately responsible.

The events of 1962 ultimately lead to the end of his government.

Ultimately, the choice depends on what you like.


successive

Successive things follow in order, one after another.

Successive governments have refused to make the changes.

Edward Kawak won in four successive years (1982–1985).

Cancers were developing at younger and younger ages with each successive generation in each family.


agree

agree (canonical)
agrees (third-person singular)
agreed (past)
agreed (past participle)
agreeing (present participle)

When two people agree about something, they have the same ideas. They both think the same things are true.

We agree that it will probably rain this afternoon.

When two people agree to do some things, they say something like "if you do this, then I will do that." After they agree, then they must do the things they said.

We agreed to pay him $100 to paint the walls.


random

random (positive)
more random (comparative)
most random (superlative)

If something is random, there is no purpose, reason, or pattern.

I have to sit there like typing in random keywords to see if it's a keyword.

Why don't you get organised instead of just contacting random people.

If a process is random, every option has an equal chance of happening.

20 per cent of the random sample of the libraries were public in any normal sense of the word.

Banks use random numbers to make codes to keep your computer banking safe and secret.


user

A user is someone with an account and username that lets them log in to a computer and do things on the computer.


temporary

temporary (positive)
more temporary (comparative)
most temporary (superlative)

Something is temporary if it's only for a short time.

A tent was our temporary home after our house burned down in the fire.

The middle of the floor is a temporary place for these books until I find room for them on the shelf.


eat

eat (canonical)
eats (third-person singular)
ate (past)
eaten (past participle)
eating (present participle)

If you eat something, usually food, you put it in your mouth, chew it, and swallow it.

I always eat too much good when it's Thanksgiving.

My 2 year old accidentally ate chalk that she found on the table.

If you eat the cost of something, you pay for it.

The supplier will have to eat the cost of returning the goods.

If you eat someone, you give them sex with your mouth (oral sex)


innovation

innovation (singular)
innovations (plural)

Innovation is the process of making something new and original.

Our company has stayed in the lead largely by encouraging innovation.

An innovation is something new and original.

The number of technical innovations is growing at a faster and faster rate.

/ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/


denote

denote (canonical)
denotes (third-person singular)
denoted (past)
denoted (past participle)
denoting (present participle)

If x denotes y, x is a sign of or has the meaning of y.

The term "sales mix" is used to denote the percentage of total sales of each product.

In this text, ungrammatical sentences are denoted by an asterisk (*).


restraint

restraint (singular)
restraints (plural)

Restraint is the quality people show when they don't do something they shouldn't do.

You already ate too much cake. Now please show some restraint.

A restraint is a strap or other thing that holds a person in place, like a seatbelt in a car or handcuffs that the police use to hold someone.

A baby needs the right kind of restraint to ride safely in a car.

A restraint is something that stops people from doing something.

A legal restraint prevents him from going to meet his ex-girlfriend.


background

background (singular)
backgrounds (plural)

The background is what can be seen or heard behind other things that are closer or louder.

I was talking to Mary, but I heard the phone ringing in the background.

The play was good, and I especially liked the backgrounds that were used.

The background of a person is his/her history.

The police checked his background to see if he had been in jail.


background

background (canonical)
backgrounds (third-person singular)
backgrounded (past)
backgrounded (past participle)
backgrounding (present participle)


termination

termination (singular)
terminations (plural)

Termination is the act of ending something.

We will continue to do business in Asia after termination of the Japan program.

The termination is the end point, time or limit of something.

Three years after the termination of war in 1945, France was fighting another war in Indo-China.

The company will cut costs through the termination of 150 employees.

Termination is the act of killing something.

The group is against the termination of these sick babies.

A termination is a suffix or the end of a word.

The termination of a verb in the past tense is usually "ed".


incompatible

incompatible (positive)
more incompatible (comparative)
most incompatible (superlative)

Two things are incompatible with each other if they don't fit together or don't work well together.

The husband and wife were not happy together because they were incompatible.

I can't fit this wire into my computer because the end is incompatible with the part of the computer for plugging things in.

/ˌɪŋkəmˈpætɪbəl/


diminish

diminish (canonical)
diminishes (third-person singular)
diminished (past)
diminished (past participle)
diminishing (present participle)

When something diminishes it gets smaller or less important or makes something that way.

The way you talked just now diminished my respect for you.

The amount of water in the lake is diminishing because there has been no rain.


preliminary

preliminary (positive)
more preliminary (comparative)
most preliminary (superlative)

If something is preliminary, it is a preparation for a main matter.


preliminary

preliminary (singular)
preliminaries (plural)

A preliminary is a preparation for a main matter.


preliminary

Preliminary to the main discussions, perhaps we could introduce ourselves.


people

person (singular)
persons or people (plural)

The plural form of person; more than one (kind of) person.

Who are these people at the party?

A people is a group of men, women, and children with a shared culture, history, and language.

Although Lebanon and Syria are two countries they are one people.

This people shares some characteristics with the aborigines.


people

people (canonical)
peoples (third-person singular)
peopled (past)
peopled (past participle)
peopling (present participle)

If a place is peopled, people live there.

It's a wonderful country peopled with amazing cooks and dancers.

If you people a story, movie, etc. you fill it with people.

He liked to people his books with simple folk.


advocate

An advocate is someone who recommends something.

She is a strong advocate for children's right to education.

An advocate is someone who speaks for someone else, especially a lawyer in court.

Volunteers are needed to act as advocates for people with mental health problems.

Only qualified lawyers may act as advocates in the Crown Court.


advocate

advocate (canonical)
advocates (third-person singular)
advocated (past)
advocated (past participle)
advocating (present participle)

If you advocate something, you recommend it.

We wish for freedom, but cannot advocate the use of violence.

The Government wants to adopt the approach advocated by Professor David Pearce.


foreign

foreign (positive)
more foreign (comparative)
most foreign (superlative)

Foreign means something that comes from a different place or country. Foreign people are known as foreigners.

Sven has a foreign accent.

Foreign can mean something that is not familiar or not characteristic.

Greed was as foreign to him as a Frenchman in China.


exploitation

exploitation (singular)
exploitations (plural)

Exploitation is the use of something, usually for profit.

The commercial exploitation of Alaska for oil could lead to serious environmental problems.

Exploitation is the use or treatment of someone unfairly.

Today, most countries have laws against the exploitation of children in factories.


prohibit

prohibit (canonical)
prohibits (third-person singular)
prohibited (past)
prohibited (past participle)
prohibiting (present participle)

If you prohibit something, you say that it must not be done.

The laws were changed to prohibit the use of certain tools.

Company policy is to prohibit dogs from entering the store.

If x prohibits y, y is not possible because of x.

The use of a password prohibits access to outsiders.


contrary

If an act or idea is contrary to something, it is against it.

The president's actions are contrary to the constitution and therefore illegal.

You use contrary to x when x is different from the truth.

Contrary to popular belief, the oil companies cannot control the price of crude.

What she told me was contrary to everything I had ever heard.

Contrary to popular myth, women are not worse drivers than men.


contrary

contrary (positive)
more contrary (comparative)
most contrary (superlative)

A contrary view, sentence, etc. is opposite to other ones.

The contrary view is that these kind of projects are a waste of money.

The only thoughts he had were contrary ones.

A contrary person tries to be different from other people or does not often agree with others.

The contrary is the opposite of an idea, sentence, etc.

It is best to believe people are good, at least until the contrary is shown.

This is not necessarily bad; on the contrary, it is sometimes quite useful.


virtually

Once you put it on, it is virtually impossible to remove.

Car theft became so common that private cars virtually disappeared from the area.


inspection

inspection (singular)
inspections (plural)

An inspection is a careful look at something, usually for problems.

Before the flight, the pilot did a complete inspection of the airplane.

It seemed that he had not been paid, but upon closer inspection it was found that he had indeed.

An inspection of the prison was planned for next week.


quotation

quotation (singular)
quotations (plural)

A quotation is a sentence or phrase that was said by someone and is now being used or referred to by somebody else. Quotations can be from books, movies, speeches, television shows, songs, etc.

This chapter began with a quotation from Monica Furlong.

Consider the following quotation from the Bible: Job 16:18: "O earth, cover not thou my blood."

Quotation is the act of using somebody else's exact words.

A quotation is a report of the cost or value of something.


duty

Parents have the duty to educate their children.

A tax placed on imports or exports; a tariff, customs duty, excise duty.

Import duty and taxes are due when importing goods into the United States.


reinforce

reinforce (canonical)
reinforces (third-person singular)
reinforced (past)
reinforced (past participle)
reinforcing (present participle)

If you reinforce something, you make it stronger.

Recent mistakes only reinforce the view that nobody cares.

Hitting a child can reinforce his tendency to use violence.

This meeting has helped to further reinforce the links between the colleges.

The steel is used to reinforce the building's walls.

The extra men will reinforce the army in Iraq.


cowardice

cowardice (singular)
cowardices (plural)

Someone who shows cowardice is being afraid, not having courage, not doing something they should do because they are afraid.

He showed cowardice when he ran away and left his friend to fight the other children.


absent

If something is absent, it means to be not in a place or missing.

John is absent from school today.


absent

absent (canonical)
absents (third-person singular)
absented (past)
absented (past participle)
absenting (present participle)

When you absent yourself from something, you do not turn up for it and not appear.

John absented himself from the meeting as he had something on.


absent

Absent any problems, we should be finished in two hours.


foundation

foundation (singular)
foundations (plural)

The foundation of something is the basic ideas or work behind it.

These early inventions laid the foundations of modern radio technology.

Her education gave her a solid foundation in all the major subjects.

The foundation of a building is the solid base that is under it and that supports it.

They dug solid foundations, spending a lot of time pouring concrete into four pits.

A foundation is an organisation that collects money to do good things.

The Open Software Foundation has opened up laboratories to test software.

The foundation of a group, business, country, etc. is the act of starting it.

The company has double in size every year since its foundation.

Foundation is the first layer of cream or makeup.

Dot the foundation over the face-on the nose, the cheeks, the chin and spread working from the face outwards.


implicit

implicit (positive)
more implicit (comparative)
most implicit (superlative)

A meaning that is implicit is understood or given but not directly.

There is an implicit assumption that women should be acting more like men.

Though teachers may not formulate aims consciously, they will be implicit in the teaching.

A belief that is implicit is complete and without question.

Jonadab was used to implicit obedience from his children and was surprised at his son's answer.


horizontally

horizontally (positive)
more horizontally (comparative)
Superlativemost horizontally

The pictures were arranged horizontally around the room.

Johnnie's hat sailed horizontally out the window.


thereby

He pulled it closer to him, thereby making it far easier to get up.

Food product quality is more easily maintained thereby reducing spoilage losses.

Water reflects less light than ice, thereby allowing the oceans to absorb more heat from the sun.

I'm concerned by attempts to limit this right and thereby to limit our freedom.

Having missed the first bit, he listened closely to catch the rest, hoping thereby to reply sensibly.

This change would prevent the team (and thereby the school) from advancing.


depravity

depravity (singular)
depravities (plural)

The state or condition of being depraved; moral debasement.

He was a very bad man, lost in depravity.

Susan's depravity was her husband's murder.

evil that is part of human nature, contamination by sin.

Our depravity is the result of Adam's fall.


abandon

abandon (canonical)
abandons (third-person singular)
abandoned (past)
abandoned (past participle)
abandoning (present participle)

If you abandon something, you go away from it with no plan to return.

Many teens abandon all chances of a successful future when they drop out of school.

After much thought, they abandoned the idea as being too difficult.

The government abandons after-school programs when money is tight.

If you abandon something, you give up control of it.

They danced wildly down the street, abandoning themselves to the night and the moon.

The woodcutter and his wife considered abandoning Hansel and Gretel in the forest.


abandon

Abandon is a state where you do not control yourself.

In these games, kids shoot and blow each other up with reckless abandon.

The man dove into the pool with reckless abandon.


clear

clear (positive)
clearer (comparative)
clearest (superlative)

A clear idea is an idea that is easy to understand.

OK, so you need the key. I see. That's clear now.

Now it's clear as a bell to me why you want to stay here.

If it is clear that something is a certain way, there can be no mistake about it.

The women made it clear that they were doing this only because they wanted to.

It soon became perfectly clear that he was not going to get better.

It's clear from looking at you that you couldn't lift it; you're too small.

This is a clear example of an idea that works.

If you are clear about something, you understand it well.

Mike, I want to be clear about what you said, so can you tell me again.

I'm sorry, but I'm not clear about what I'm supposed to do.

If you are clear about something, you make it easy for people to understand you.

The coach had been very clear about what he wanted them to do.

They haven't been so clear about how much water is in there.

If your head or your thinking is clear, then you can think well.

After his coffee and a quick walk, his head felt clear.

On Monday, he looked confused and didn't say much, but the next day, his thinking seemed more clear.

If something is clear, people can see through it.

The window is made of clear glass.

The water wasn't clear enough to see the bottom.

If something is clear, it has nothing that gets in your way.

I try to drive to work only when the roads are clear.

It's supposed to be clear and sunny today.

That table's not clear yet. Can you get the stuff off it?

The skies were clear of clouds.

If something is clear, it is easy to see or hear.

The picture wasn't clear enough to see whose face it was.

At first, the radio was noisy, but we moved and then we got clear, rich sound.

If your skin is clear, it has no spots on it.

Her deep honey skin was clear except for the small mark on her left cheek.

If your eyes are clear, they are healthy, bright, and lively.

His eyes were sharp and clear, and full of fun.

These are priced so high that the manufacturers pocket $8,000 clear profit per $30,000 unit.

If you have a clear conscience or your conscience is clear, you do not feel guilty.

I sleep perfectly at night. I have a clear conscience. I don't have blood on my hands.


clear

clear (canonical)
clears (third-person singular)
cleared (past)
cleared (past participle)
clearing (present participle)

If you clear something, you move or remove things that you don't want there.

You clear the table and I'll get coffee ready.

We'll have to clear out the garage to make room for the new car.

My grandparents cleared this land so that we could live and farm here.

I worked for ten minutes to clear a path in the snow from the door to the road.

About 13 million hectares of forest were cleared each year.

After the fire, it took some time for the air to clear.

Above her, the black sky cleared, until she could see the thousands of stars all across it.

The window fogged and cleared as she breathed on it.

If something clears, it goes away, leaving the place it was clear.

After the fire, it took some time for the smoke to clear.

He couldn't see well as car drove up the dirt road, but after the dust had cleared, he could see it was his father.

If you clear your throat, you cough lightly to make speaking easier.

Tears filled her eyes again, and she cleared her throat. "As soon as I can, I'll get on a plane and meet you."

If you clear the air, or if the air clears, you talk about a problem so that nobody has doubts or bad feelings.

I think it's important for me to tell you what has happened and clear the air about this matter.

If you clear somebody to do something, you give them permission.

His personal plane had been cleared to land at the airport.

If your head, mind, thinking, etc. clears then you become able to think well.

The coffee helped to clear her head, and she sat down to think.

If you clear something, you get over it without touching it or without a problem.

The bike got air and cleared the water by a meter.

If you clear somebody of something bad you show that they did not do it.

After clearing him of any wrongdoing, the police set him free.

If you clear a hurdle, you solve one of a number of problems.

The case has many more hurdles to clear before it can go to trial.

The winner had to clear plenty of hurdles before beating Clement.

After the dust clears is some time later, when there is no more trouble or confusion.

It took a few weeks, but after the dust had cleared, and everybody had gone home, he realized he had enjoyed it.

If a cheque clears, then the money is ready to be used.

If you clear a certain amount of money, you make that as profit (after expenses).

If you clear the ball or puck, you move it away from your own goal.


clear

Out of, away from, especially too far away to be noticed or caught.

After a short walk, we were clear of the town.

The fish was so heavy that he couldn't get it clear of the water.

After their fight, he steered clear of her for a week.

It was so crowded that they had to fight their way out and clear of the people.

So far, the company has stayed clear of trouble.

Two more wins would put them clear of the Giants.

Just clear of the school yard, students were smoking.


clear

You could see clear across the water, all the way to the church 60 km away on the other side.


dynamic

dynamic (positive)
more dynamic (comparative)
most dynamic (superlative)

If something is dynamic, it is changing, usually quickly.

Communication is a dynamic process in which the changing situation affects what you say and how you say it.

If someone is dynamic, they take charge and get things done; they have a lot of energy.

He was a good worker, but often unnoticed because of his more dynamic coworkers.

Picasso obviously had a more forceful and dynamic personality than Braque.

We tested the bar's strength in both static and dynamic tests.

A dynamic verb describes an action with a clear end point.

Dynamic, but not stative, verbs can take progressive aspect.


dynamic

The dynamics of a situation or group are the ways in which everything effects everything else.

We talk about what doctor should do without any real understanding of the dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship.

Team dynamics also have an influence on the outcomes and the contribution of members.

Dynamics is a kind of mathematics that deals with motion and forces that cause changes in a system.

They built a computer model based on the mathematics of fluid dynamics.

Dynamics are changes in the loudness of music.

The dynamics of the performance are lost in this poor recording.

A dynamic is a force that causes change.

This is where we need the dynamic of God's transforming presence.

This view puts the dynamic of police racism in the norms and values through which the police define their roles.


vision

Vision is being able to see with your eyes.

Now I'm old and my vision is not very good, so I don't drive a car any more.

Vision is being able to think of good ideas for the future.

This woman will be a good leader of our company because she has great vision about the future of our company.

The president needs to create ideas, to create a vision for the country.


devote

devote (canonical)
devotes (third-person singular)
devoted (past)
devoted (past participle)
devoting (present participle)

If someone devotes time or energy to something, they feel that it is important and they spend a lot of time or energy on it.

I devoted ten years of my life to writing that book.

She decided to devote her life to nursing.


ductile

ductile (positive)
more ductile (comparative)
most ductile (superlative)

If something is ductile, it can be stretched into wire, usually metal.

If something is ductile, it can easily be molded into a new shape.

If someone is ductile, they are easily lead; they are prone to follow.


think

think (canonical)
thinks (third-person singular)
thought (past)
thought (past participle)
thinking (present participle)

If you think that something is or may be true, you feel that it is or may be true.

You know you can't do that. What were you thinking?

Some people think this is a good idea, but I don't think so.

I think the best thing to do now is to go home.

I just thought you might want some coffee.

I really think you should stop seeing her.

What do you think about the new teacher?

Vancouver is thought to be a good place to live.

I think he's a doctor.

I think she wants us to go that way.

I thought I saw something.

"Is this right?" "I think so."

If you think about something, you use your mind to give it your attention.

"What's the best way?" "I'm not sure. Let me think."

All day I was thinking about my sister in Lisbon.

I don't want to think about that right now.

Just think how nice it will be when we're finished.

You use think when you have words or ideas in your mind without saying them out loud.

"It's no good," she thought.

You use think in suggestions and requests.

I was thinking we could go out tonight.

Do you think you could help me here?

If you don't think to do something, you don't remember to do it.

I didn't think to ask her.

I can't think where my keys are.


think

If you say you'll have a think about something, it means you'll give it your attention.


clarity

She dreamed, with great clarity, that she had seen her own death.

Lack of clarity on the part of the teacher will cause confusion among the students.


displacement

displacement (singular)
displacements (plural)

Displacement is when something is made to move out of its place.

The war has caused the displacement of tens of thousands of people.

The displacement of folk music by western pop music has happened in many countries.

Displacement is the amount of liquid or gas that is moved when something floats in it.


forty

He was forty minutes late.


forty

four tens is forty.


vertically

The cliffs fell vertically down to the sea.

The rocket shot vertically into the sky.


panel

A panel is a flat piece of wood or other material, used as part of a wall or on the side of something.

The house has aluminium panels covering the outside.

A panel is a group of people who come together at a table to talk or to judge, usually in front of many other people.

The panel made a decision that Paul had won the dance contest.

I went to listen to a panel talking about global warming.


panel

panelled (past)
panelled (past participle)
panelling (present participle)
panel (canonical)
panels (third-person singular)
paneled (past)
paneled (past participle)
paneling (present participle)


automatically

If something happens automatically, it happens without the need for a person to start it or do anything more.

The door closed and locked automatically behind him.

If you sign up for this, you'll automatically be entered in a contest to win a car.

If you do something automatically, you do it without thinking about it.

If a man and woman spend time together, you shouldn't automatically assume they're lovers.

"You're welcome," she said automatically.


encounter

encounter (singular)
encounters (plural)

An encounter is a meeting, usually one that you don't expect.

I had a pleasant encounter yesterday: an old friend of mine visited me.

My job was really the result of a chance encounter with an old friend, now my boss.

An encounter is when two people or groups meet to play a game or fight a battle.

I hope there will be no encounter with other soldiers tomorrow.

This is the fifth World Cup encounter between these two teams.


encounter

encounter (canonical)
encounters (third-person singular)
encountered (past)
encountered (past participle)
encountering (present participle)

If you encounter problems, difficulties, etc., you experience them.

When he did encounter problems, he always knew how to fix them.

If you encounter someone, you meet someone, usually unexpectedly.

In the store I encountered my teacher.

If you encounter someone, you meet them to play a game or fight a battle.

At night the battle ship encountered enemy planes.


endemic

endemic (positive)
more endemic (comparative)
most endemic (superlative)

Endemic means that a species (or other taxon) belongs to something else. If an animal is endemic to a place (or habitat), it only exists in that habitat.

Some trout are endemic to Lake Baikal.


portion

We need to put more signs up in this portion of the city.

A portion is an amount of food for one person.

Each portion has six meatballs.


portion

portion (canonical)
portions (third-person singular)
portioned (past)
portioned (past participle)
portioning (present participle)

If you portion something out, you give parts of it to different people.

They portioned out the water among them.


isolate

isolate (canonical)
isolates (third-person singular)
isolated (past)
isolated (past participle)
isolating (present participle)

If you isolate something, you make it so that it does not or cannot contact certain other things.

We want to isolate ourselves from everyday worries.

The prisoner was isolated to protect him from attack.

Britain is isolated from the rest of Europe by the Channel.


isolate

An isolate is something that does not or cannot contact certain other things.

A total of 296 isolates were recovered from 105 patients, 79 (75%) of whom were infected with mycobacteria.

An isolate is a language that has no known relatives.


pose

What kind of pose is best for this photograph?


pose

pose (canonical)
poses (third-person singular)
posed (past)
posed (past participle)
posing (present participle)

The emcee will pose the tie-breaking question.

Will you pose for a photograph?

Have you posed for your portrait?

Some celebs spend too much time posing for photographs.


write

write (canonical)
writes (third-person singular)
wrote (past)
written (past participle)
writing (present participle)

If you write a book, an article, a computer program, a piece of music, etc., you create it.

My dream is to write a children's book.

Mozart wrote over 600 pieces of music during his lifetime.

He can't write. He's a terrible writer.

In the article, the author writes that these things need to change.

If you write, you use letters, numbers, or other marks on paper or on a computer to show words.

Can you write your name and phone number here for me?

Our teacher taught us to write beautifully.

It's amazing how many people can't read and write.

Do you have any paper to write on?

Listen to what I say and write it down.

If you write, you send a letter to someone.

Please, phone or write me when you have some time.

She would write to Mom every week and give her all the details.

(computer) If a computer writes, it records something in its memory or on a disk.

Old computers were much slower at writing files.


jihad

A jihad is a personal fight with yourself to become a better person.

A jihad is a holy war by Muslims to stop people from keeping down other people by force.

The Muslims have started a jihad against the Israelis.


comprise

comprise (canonical)
comprises (third-person singular)
comprised (past)
comprised (past participle)
comprising (present participle)

The United States comprises Hawaii and Alaska.

If x comprises y, y is all the things that, together, make x.

The United States comprises 50 states.

If x comprises y, x is all the things that, together, make y.

Fifty states comprise The United States.

The United States is comprised of 50 states.


favorite

My favorite brand is the brand I like most.

Ford is my favorite brand of truck.


favorite

A favorite is a thing or person that someone likes the most. It is a thing that someone prefers, or likes more than any other.

chocolate ice cream is my favorite.

When kings and other royalty have favorites, these are people they trust.

He was a favorite of the king.


invisible

Something is invisible when we can not see it.

infrared light is invisible to animals and humans.

The magician made the woman invisible.


compile

compile (canonical)
compiles (third-person singular)
compiled (past)
compiled (past participle)
compiling (present participle)

Someone compiles some things or ideas when they bring them together into one place.

I need to compile a list of reasons not to go ahead with the project.

She compiled a good set of books to read about the history of that place.


widespread

widespread (positive)
more widespread (comparative)
most widespread (superlative)

If something is widespread, it happens or exists in many situations or places.

This particular bird is only found here, but similar species are very widespread.

There is a widespread belief that when we are born we are like a blank sheet of paper.


detect

detect (canonical)
detects (third-person singular)
detected (past)
detected (past participle)
detecting (present participle)

If you detect something, you use your senses to find or notice it.

Some insects can detect changes in temperature as small as 0.003 degrees Celsius.

These animals have a smell that even a human nose can easily detect.

The chemical has been detected in lakes and rivers, in fish and birds, and in human breast milk.

Our instruments are not sensitive enough to detect it.


incumbent

incumbent (singular)
incumbents (plural)

An incumbent is a person who currently holds a type of position, often in politics.

She was an incumbent in the last election for the office she holds.


incumbent

If someone is incumbent, they are in a political position now.

They are incumbent in this election because they are in office.


mode

A mode is a specific way of doing something.

The study combines two different research modes: oral history and written history.

The machine is in warm-up mode right now.

A modern city offers many different modes of transport from bicycle lanes to high speed trains.

Modern medicine must be seen as part of the capitalist mode of production.

There is a difference in English between casual and formal modes of speech.

She was always dressed in the latest mode.

A mode is a specific type or form of something.

Heat is a mode of energy transfer, like work, not a substance or other seawater property.

The Mixolydian mode is a good way for inducing a bluesey kind of mood.

The mode is the number that occurs most often in a group of numbers.

In a normal distribution, with large sets, the mean, median and mode will typically be the same value.

A mode is specific a kind of clause that shows how the speaker feels about it. Modes show whether something is true, probably true, a wish, etc. Usually called mood.

In Finnish, for example, the conditional mode is used both in the main clause and the subordinate.

The mode of a rock is the different minerals in it.

A mode is a specific pattern of wave movement.

Under normal circumstances, there is no coupling between the two modes, which have different propagation constants.


eighty

ordinal eightieth) Eighty is the number 80.

There were about eighty people at the party.


eighty

seventy plus ten is eighty.


giant

A giant is a very big man or woman, often in fairy tales.

Jack climbed the beanstalk and found a land ruled by a giant.


giant

He bought a giant doll at the fair.


route

A route is the way someone goes from one place to another place.

Could you tell me a route to the store from here?

The road was rough. I should have taken a different route.


route

route (canonical)
routes (third-person singular)
routed (past)
routed (past participle)
routing (present participle)

To send something or someone on a specific route.

While the road was being fixed, the workers routed the cars along a different road.

This computer routes email to the main computer.


isolated

If you isolate something, you make it so that it does not or cannot contact certain other things.

We went to isolate ourselves from everyday worries.

The prisoner was isolated to protect him from attack.

Britain is isolated from the rest of Europe by the Channel.


isolated

isolated (positive)
more isolated (comparative)
most isolated (superlative)

As she got older and her friends moved away, she became more and more isolated.


convert

convert (canonical)
converts (third-person singular)
converted (past)
converted (past participle)
converting (present participle)

If you convert something, you change it so that it has a different function or form.

They wanted to convert the room into a study.

The factory was powered originally by water, then converted to steam in 1811.

The electric engine is extremely efficient at converting electrical energy into movement.


convert

A convert is a person who changed their beliefs or religion.

Mr Kinnock is a relatively recent convert to Buddhism.

And we must not discount those who became converts to the new religion.


conformity

Conformity is the state of being or becoming similar to other members of a group.

In high school, students who do not show a high degree of conformity are often not accepted by other students.

Often the teaching of writing is really the teaching of social conformity: students must write like everyone else.

Conformity is the state of following rules or expectations.

The army is there to ensure conformity with the UN resolutions.


phenomenon

phenomenon (singular)
phenomena or phenomenons (plural)

A phenomenon is a fact or event that you can observe (see or hear or sense), especially one that is not fully understood.

But this explanation is not enough to explain the observed phenomena.

Football violence is not a particularly new phenomenon, and it isn't only a British problem.

These scientists study such phenomena as storms and changing climate.

A phenomenon is a person, show, book, etc. that is very popular.

'N Sync was something of a pop music phenomenon in the late 90s.

Snakes as pets are not a new phenomenon, but they do seem to be growing more popular.


guarantee

guarantee (singular)
guarantees (plural)

A guarantee is a formal promise that a product will be fixed or replaced or money will be repaid if it breaks or doesn't work.

The phone is covered by a six-month guarantee on parts and labour.

A guarantee is a formal promise that something will happen or be done.

The builders will now give performance and completion guarantees and will cover the costs of any problems.

Constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech are common in democracies.

The plan only operates for five years, with no guarantee of continuation.

/ˌɡærənˈtiː/

/ˌɡɛərənˈtiː/


guarantee

guarantee (canonical)
guarantees (third-person singular)
guaranteed (past)
guaranteed (past participle)
guaranteeing (present participle)

If you guarantee something, you promise to fixed or replace it or repay money if it breaks or doesn't work.

All of our products are guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship for 3yrs from date of purchase.

If you guarantee something, you make a formal promise that something will happen or be done.

the European Convention on Human Rights, guarantees the right to give and receive information.

When you put your money with us, your savings are 100% guaranteed.

The Americans said they could not guarantee his safety in Iraqi airspace.

If you go fishing with me, you're almost guaranteed success.

/ˌɡærənˈtiː/

/ˌɡɛərənˈtiː/


trigger

A trigger is the part of a gun that you push with one finger when you want to make the gun shoot.

I didn't want to make him angry, because he had his finger on the trigger.

A trigger is a little thing that makes something bigger happen.

Bad smells are one of the triggers for my headaches.


trigger

trigger (canonical)
triggers (third-person singular)
triggered (past)
triggered (past participle)
triggering (present participle)

A little thing triggers a big thing to happen when it causes it.

Those angry words triggered the beginning of the war.


mature

mature (positive)
more mature (comparative)
most mature (superlative)

Someone is mature if they act like an adult.

You're not mature enough to do this job.

A living thing is mature if it has stopped growing physically.

A mature female is about 30 kg.

Some kinds of food, such as wine, cheese, or fruit are mature when they are ready to eat or drink.

Colleges are accepting more mature students and fewer kids out of high school.

If something is mature, it is fully developed.

Television is a mature technology.

If movies, books, etc. are mature, they are meant for adults because they contain violence, sex, etc.


mature

mature (canonical)
matures (third-person singular)
matured (past)
matured (past participle)
maturing (present participle)

If something matures, it becomes fully developed.

Along the way she has also matured into a beautiful young woman.

These problems have been solved as the technology has matured.


handshake

handshake (singular)
handshakes (plural)

A handshake is when two people hold hands for a few seconds and move them up and down before letting go. It is often used like a greeting (like saying "hello" or "goodbye" when people meet) or to say that two people have agreed on something.

When I meet someone, I give a firm handshake.


contemporary

contemporary (positive)
more contemporary (comparative)
most contemporary (superlative)

If something is contemporary it is related to this time (now). Technically, this is an incorrect usage; better is to use "modern", "now" or "present-day".

The artist has a great knowledge of the sources of historical and contemporary art.

If x is contemporary with y, they happened at about the same time.

They are sources that are contemporary or near contemporary with the period being studied.


contemporary

contemporary (singular)
contemporaries (plural)

Somebody's contemporary is a person who lived at or near the same time.

This is what made Marx so different from his socialist contemporaries.


absolute

An absolute is something that will always exist.

Death is considered to be an absolute.


absolute

absolute (positive)
more absolute (comparative)
most absolute (superlative)

If something is absolute, it is complete or total.

The light went out and he was in absolute darkness.

The sergeant has absolute power. His soldiers must obey him.


grandchild

grandchild (singular)
grandchildren (plural)

A grandchild is the grandson or granddaughter of someone. It is the child of someone's child.

Jemima is my grandmother. She is my father's mother. I am her grandchild.


extract

An extract is something that has been taken out of something else, usually something that it was part of.

Just because a cream contains plant extracts doesn't mean it's good for your skin.

I'll read a short extract from his speech.

Many scientists were interested in other tissue extracts.


extract

extract (canonical)
extracts (third-person singular)
extracted (past)
extracted (past participle)
extracting (present participle)

If you extract something, you take it out of something else.

Computers are becoming more useful in helping us extract useful information from the data.

The dentist will have to extract two of my teeth.

The roots of the plant extract water from the earth.


guaranty

A guaranty is a formal promise that a product will be fixed or replaced or money will be repaid if it breaks or doesn't work.

The phone is covered by a six-month guaranty on parts and labour.

A guaranty is a formal promise that something will happen or be done.

The builders will now give performance and completion guaranties and will cover the costs of any problems.

Constitutional guaranties of freedom of speech are common in democracies.

The plan only operates for five years, with no guaranty of continuation.

/ˌɡærənˈtiː/

/ˌɡɛərənˈtiː/


guaranty

guaranty (canonical)
guaranties (third-person singular)
guarantied (past)
guarantied (past participle)
guarantying (present participle)

If you guaranty something, you promise to fixed or replace it or repay money if it breaks or doesn't work.

All of our products are guarantied against defects in materials and workmanship for 3yrs from date of purchase.

If you guaranty something, you make a formal promise that something will happen or be done.

the European Convention on Human Rights, guaranties the right to give and receive information.

When you put your money with us, your savings are 100% guarantied.

The Americans said they could not guaranty his safety in Iraqi airspace.

If you go fishing with me, you're almost guarantied success.

/ˌɡærənˈtiː/

/ˌɡɛərənˈtiː/


significantly

The price of gas dropped significantly today, causing drivers to line up at the pumps to fill up.

His face looked significantly different.

He was, significantly, at the shop just before the accident.

He looked at her significantly.


commence

commence (canonical)
commences (third-person singular)
commenced (past)
commenced (past participle)
commencing (present participle)

The school year commenced on Sept. 4.


accumulation

accumulation (singular)
accumulations (plural)

An accumulation of something, is a number or amount of it that has come together over time.

The failure to pump leads to an accumulation of blood in the heart.

There was an accumulation of dirt on the part of the floor people were walking on.

Accumulation is the process of bringing things together.

The process of salt accumulation in the soil speeds up under poor watering conditions.

Private investment helped to boost capital accumulation.


spic

Spic is an insulting word for a Latino or Hispanic person.


predominantly

The predominantly male, white judges treat men and women differently.

Her work during this period was predominantly concerned with children learning to read.


appendix

appendix (singular)
appendices or appendixes (plural)

An appendix is a part at the back of a book that has extra information.

See Appendix B for a list of irregular verbs.

An appendix lists all 221 equations used by the program.

Your appendix is a small part of your body that is attached to your large intestine.

It was common for children to die from a burst appendix.


set

set (canonical)
sets (third-person singular)
set (past)
set (past participle)
setting (present participle)

If you set something somewhere, you put something into a place.

She sets the lamp on the floor.

I was setting glasses on the table when I heard a noise.

If you set something, you put it into some state or condition.

After changing the batteries, you have to set the clock again.

They set the house on fire

His utter naturalness at once set me at ease.

He sets the CD player to play.

The guard had never set a prisoner free before.

If you set something, you define it or to fix its value.

The teacher set a time limit of two minutes for this exercise.

The date for the exam was set to next Thursday.

The microwave was set to 400 watts.

If you set the table, you put dishes, forks and knives on it.

I set the table for five people, but only three came.

When the sun or moon sets, it moves toward the horizon.

The sun sets every evening.

If something sets, it dries and becomes solid.

The concrete needs to set before a car can drive on it.

This glue needs two hours to set.

The past tense and past participle of set.


set

Something that is set is fixed. It cannot be changed easily.

Don't argue! The rules are set.

The time for the race is set.

Are you set?


set

The set is the scenery for a theatrical work such as a play, ballet, musical, etc.

The Metropolitan Opera's set for Aida is spectacular.

I was painting a wall on the set when the director arrived.

A set is a group of things that are similar or can be used together.

This chess set is too expensive to play chess with it.

I have a set of porcelain figurines depicting characters from Shakespeare's plays.

A set is a group of things, where every single one of them has a certain purpose. All of them are needed to perform a certain operation.

To play poker, you need a set of playing cards and chips.

A mason has a set of tools.

Persons that have something in common may be called a set.

That rich chick is a member of the Jet Set.

Girls who wear sweaters on Wednesday in my school belong to the sweater set.

The Long Island Horsey Set plays polo on weekends.

A set is a machine which gets radio or television programs.

This television set is broken.

This radio set can receive programs from Australia.

In many sports, a number of sets make up a game. An example of this would be in tennis or table tennis.

The tennis player won the first two sets, but lost the game.


hear

hear (canonical)
hears (third-person singular)
heard (past)
heard (past participle)
hearing (present participle)

If you hear a sound, you notice it with your ear.

I heard music coming from the next room.

Speak louder, I cannot hear you!


opinionated

opinionated (positive)
more opinionated (comparative)
most opinionated (superlative)

If you are opinionated, you have opinions, especially strong opinions.

She has strong feelings about many topics; she is an opinionated person.


pay

pay (canonical)
pays (third-person singular)
paid (past)
paid (past participle)
paying (present participle)

If you pay, you give money for something.

Bess worked for eight hours and they paid her a hundred dollars.


pay

Your pay is money you receive after doing something.

Go to the office to receive your pay.


device

She has a device in her kitchen for cutting garlic.

A device is a machine or part attached to a computer, such as a keyboard, mouse, printer etc.

The mouse is an important device for using the computer.

A device is a clever way of doing something.


fare

A fare is money that you pay for public transportation; that is, to ride on a bus, taxi, train or airplane.

The city is planning to increase its bus fares again.


livers

The plural form of liver; more than one (kind of) liver.

Livers produce bile.


highlight

highlight (canonical)
highlights (third-person singular)
highlighted (past)
highlighted (past participle)
highlighting (present participle)

If you highlight something, you make it more noticeable or obvious.

I usually use a pen to highlight the important section in my textbook.

Let me just highlight this point since many people misunderstand it.

If you highlight your hair, you make some parts a lighter colour.


highlight

highlight (singular)
highlights (plural)

A highlight is a particularly good part.

The chicken was the highlight of the dinner, just amazing.

I didn't see the game, but I watched the highlights on the news.

The shirt was blue with yellow highlights.


enter

enter (canonical)
enters (third-person singular)
entered (past)
entered (past participle)
entering (present participle)

I entered the building through the side door.

Please pay the fare before you enter.

I entered all the necessary information but it still won't work.


enter

"Enter" is a key on a computer keyboard.


horizontal

horizontal (positive)
more horizontal (comparative)
most horizontal (superlative)

Something that is lying down or "straight across" is horizontal. In a horizontal direction means straight across.

The road across the Nullabor plain is horizontal.

Dad hung a swing from a horizontal branch.

Horizontal stripes on a shirt make a person look wider.

To be horizontal means to have something to do with the horizon.

/ˌhɔːrəˈzɑːntəl/


penny

penny (singular)
pence or pennies (plural)

A penny is a small coin of little value; 100 pennies (or 100 pence) make a pound, a dollar, a euro, etc.

This sweet only costs a penny.

If you have two pennies, you have two pence.


androgyny

androgyny (singular)
androgynies (plural)

Androgyny is having both masculine and feminine characteristics.

Androgyny is looking neither masculine nor feminine.


librarian

librarian (singular)
librarians (plural)

A librarian is a person who manages a library.

You can ask the librarian to help you find the book.


heir

An heir is the person who gets the property or money when someone dies.

Jack was his only heir, so he will get all the money.


bear

A bear is a big animal with a short tail. They either eat only meat or meat and plants. There are many different types of bears, for example brown bears and polar bears.

Polar bears are white.

Grizzly bears live in North America.

Someone who acts rough and lacks manners could be called a bear.

A large, hairy, homosexual man is called a bear.


bear

born (past participle)
bear (canonical)
bears (third-person singular)
bore (past)
borne (past participle)
bearing (present participle)

This wall bears half the weight of the roof.

The chieftain bears a spear.

If someone bears something bad, they accept it or deal with it.

He has to bear insults because of his appearance.

I cannot bear looking at the news.

The pain is so bad, I can hardly bear it.

If a baby is born, it comes out of its mother.

The woman bore a little boy.

He was born on October 22, 1983.

If something is born, it is newly created.

This idea was born out of boredom.

If something bears fruit, flowers, etc., it grows them.

This apple tree is 100 years old, it does not bear apples anymore.

Peter bears a small scar on his forehead.

The flag bore a white lion.

The sign bears the words "Hey there!".


behalf

If you do something on someone's behalf, you do it for them or as their representative.

We give you this award on behalf of a grateful nation.

We have to leave, but would you please apologize to Steve on our behalf?

If you're not there, they'll make the decision on your behalf.


blank

blank (canonical)
blanks (third-person singular)
blanked (past)
blanked (past participle)
blanking (present participle)

If you blank something, you make it empty.


blank

blank (positive)
blanker (comparative)
blankest (superlative)

If a piece of paper or something else is blank, it has nothing written on it.

I asked Bill for a blank piece of paper, but he gave me one with writing on it.

I thought he would sign the check, but he left it blank.

The computer screen was completely blank because the computer was off.


blank

A blank is a space or line on a piece of paper or somewhere else where a word or phrase is supposed to be.

Fill in the blanks on the legal form.

A blank is a cartridge that contains gunpowder but does not have a bullet. It used usually used for training or as a signal.


insert

insert (canonical)
inserts (third-person singular)
inserted (past)
inserted (past participle)
inserting (present participle)

The company inserted a new clause into the contract.

Insert a wood screw into each hole.

Doctors removed part of his brain and inserted a silver plate.

A song was inserted into the opening ceremonies.


insert

An insert is something that is put into something else.

The bathing suit top comes with foam inserts to make your breasts look bigger.

The three-page advertisement was included as an insert in today's newspaper.


quote

quote (canonical)
quotes (third-person singular)
quoted (past)
quoted (past participle)
quoting (present participle)

Did he quote me in the newspaper?


quote

A quote is somebody's exact words used by somebody else.

In the following quote, a young woman describes her experience with drugs.

I might also include a quote from Shakespeare: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players".

A quote is a report of the cost or value of something.


wage

Wages is the money a person is paid for doing their job.

Only 6 percent of the wage earners in this country earn more than $ 100,000.

They are working for minimum wage or $5 an hour.

The workers were demanding higher wages.

The average hourly wage rose only 2.8% last year.


wage

wage (canonical)
wages (third-person singular)
waged (past)
waged (past participle)
waging (present participle)

If you wage a battle, war, or campaign for or against something, you fight or work hard for or against it.

After his death in 1990, a five-year battle was waged in court for control of the $72 million estate.

The Iranians hate Iraq for the war that they waged against them for eight years.

This is the beginning of a long legal battle, similar to the campaign waged against the tobacco industry.


refine

refine (canonical)
refines (third-person singular)
refined (past)
refined (past participle)
refining (present participle)

When someone refines something, they make it better.

We need to refine our way of organizing this office.

When people refine a food or other thing, they make it purer.

They take sugar cane and refine it to make white sugar.


philanthropy

philanthropy (singular)
philanthropies (plural)

Philanthropy is the giving away of money for charity.

The man that lived in that mansion was admired for his philanthropy. He would often donate millions to charities.


deny

deny (canonical)
denies (third-person singular)
denied (past)
denied (past participle)
denying (present participle)

If you deny something, you say it didn't happen or isn't true.

He denied charges that Vietnamese troops participated in the fighting.

There can be no denying that the Cobra is an extremely exciting car to drive.

The report that came out earlier today has been denied by the White House.

If you deny somebody something, you stop them from having or doing it.

A quick dive by the goal keeper denies Beckham the goal.

Why would you go to work and deny yourself a little rest?


mutual

mutual (positive)
more mutual (comparative)
most mutual (superlative)

If something is mutual x does it to y, and y does it to x.

The working relationship between the two men was based on a mutual respect.

She hated him, and the feeling was mutual.

A mutual friend, agreement, etc. is one that is shared between two or more people.

I learned of her accident through a mutual friend.


intensity

intensity (singular)
intensities (plural)

The intensity of something is the amount of it in a given time or space.

These flowers suffer from high intensity of sunlight.

It all depends on the intensity of the work, not the amount.

Intensity is a high level of power, strength, feeling, etc.

Marie understood the intensity of the old woman's hatred.

The intensity of the pain made him scream.

She spoke with a new intensity.


commodity

commodity (singular)
commodities (plural)

A commodity is something that is bought or sold.

The price of corn and other farming commodities has dropped by 10%.

There have been big changes in commodity prices and exchange rates over the past decade.

Margaret had regarded her body as a tradeable commodity.

A commodity is a valuable quality or thing.

Hope may become a very rare commodity.


uniform

A uniform is clothing that is very similar and worn by a group of people.

All the young army men wore identical uniforms and badges of rank.

School uniform was always worn, which for the boys meant khaki shirts and trousers.

When I was a child, I was afraid of men in uniform: policemen, firemen, even the milkman.


uniform

uniform (positive)
more uniform (comparative)
most uniform (superlative)

If something is uniform, there is no variation in it.

It was designed to be uniform from one end to the other.

The increase in grades has been uniform across all subjects except math.


speaking

speak (canonical)
speaks (third-person singular)
spoke (past)
spoken (past participle)
speaking (present participle)


speaks

speak (canonical)
speaks (third-person singular)
spoke (past)
spoke (past participle)
speaking (present participle)

The third-person singular form of speak.

I find it difficult to understand him because he speaks with such a heavy accent.


accompany

accompany (canonical)
accompanies (third-person singular)
accompanied (past)
accompanied (past participle)
accompanying (present participle)

If one thing accompanies something else, it comes or goes with it, or they happen together.

She accompanied me to the hospital after my accident.

Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

The text accompanying the illustrations is brief but helpful.

If person A accompanies person B on a musical instrument, B sings or plays the main part while A plays along.

Joe Falcon sings and plays the accordion and is accompanied by Cleoma Breaux on guitar.


batter

A batter is somebody who is supposed to hit a ball with a bat.

A batter is a mixture of flour and liquid (usually eggs and water).


batter

batter (canonical)
batters (third-person singular)
battered (past)
battered (past participle)
battering (present participle)

If you batter someone or something, you hit or beat it.

The battered child was brought to the attention of the police.


plus

Two plus two is four. (2+2=4)

The TV is $299 plus tax.

The margin of error is plus or minus one per cent.

The farm has over 5,000 horses, plus a few cats and dogs.

You use plus after a number to mean more than or over.

The country has a population of 3 million plus.

He got a B+ on his test.


plus

plus (singular)
pluses or plusses (plural)

I know you don't like it, but there are big pluses about living here.

On the plus side though, it is small and easy to use.

You don't have to write the plus in front of positive numbers, but always write the minus in front of negative numbers.


plus

I like singing, reading, and tennis plus playing soccer.

used to show what happened after something else

The alarm went off plus I woke up.


beat

beat (canonical)
beats (third-person singular)
beat (past)
beaten (past participle)
beating (present participle)

If you beat someone or something, you hit it, usually many times.

It made a loud noise when he beat the drum.

I had to leave and divorce my husband, because he kept beating and choking me.

If you beat a person or a team, you win and they lose.

The best team usually beats the worst one.


infrastructure

infrastructure (singular)
infrastructures (plural)

A place's infrastructure is the basic public works such as roads, electricity & water supply, and schools, that allow it to function.

The construction of the BAM railway will provide an infrastructure for exports to Japan and the US.

The new bridge will be one of Europe's largest ever infrastructure projects.

The infrastructure is the basic ideas and systems that support an organisation or a project.

The hardware-software system provides an infrastructure for messaging applications across the company.


increasing

increase (canonical)
increases (third-person singular)
increased (past)
increased (past participle)
increasing (present participle)

His money is increasing because he makes good business deals.

He is worried about his increasing debt: it keeps getting bigger and bigger.


manipulation

manipulation (singular)
manipulations (plural)

Manipulation is the act of controlling someone or something, usually through pressure or in dishonest ways.

The political manipulation of statistics to confuse people is common.

In data manipulation on a parallel computer all bits of a word are processed at the same time.

All too often, guilt is also a form of manipulation – a way of hurting or punishing others.

Manipulation is the act of using your hands skillfully to move, play or operate something.

He tried to remove the piece by gentle manipulation from the outside.


practitioner

practitioner (singular)
practitioners (plural)

A practitioner is a person who works in a profession or following a particular style or belief, especially related to health care.

Acupuncture practitioners use fine needles to stimulate specific points of the body.

The book should be useful for new and experienced practitioners of yoga.


guideline

guideline (singular)
guidelines (plural)

A guideline is a formal suggestion about how something should be done, but it is not a rule.

If you are a new driver you should try to follow these basic safety guidelines.

Our new guidelines will also say that we must be careful treat everyone equally.

The general guidelines for healthy eating stay the same.

A guideline is a line on a page that helps you see where to write or how to draw something.

A guideline is a rope or string that shows you where to go.


overlap

overlap (canonical)
overlaps (third-person singular)
overlapped (past)
overlapped (past participle)
overlapping (present participle)

Something overlaps on another thing if part of it is on top of, or at the same time as, the other thing.

The shingles of a roof need to overlap to keep rain out.

The shifts of the two workers (periods of time when they're working) need to overlap so that one worker can tell the other one what is happening.


overlap

The act of overlapping. The amount that two things overlap on each other.

More overlap keeps the rain out better, but needs more shingles to cover the roof.


challenging

challenging (positive)
more challenging (comparative)
most challenging (superlative)

If something is challenging, it is not easy but it can be done.

For a longer, wilder and more challenging route, you can explore the beautiful mountains around Goatfell.

All actors will agree that Hamlet is a very challenging role.

/ˈtʃæləndʒɪŋ/


challenging

challenge (canonical)
challenges (third-person singular)
challenged (past)
challenged (past participle)
challenging (present participle)

/ˈtʃæləndʒɪŋ/


supplementary

supplementary (positive)
more supplementary (comparative)
most supplementary (superlative)

If something is supplementary, it is added on; it is not needed, but it is often useful.

Many immigrants are employed but also feel the need to seek supplementary income.

These software solutions are more supplementary than basic.


inevitably

(also a sentence adverb) You use this to say that something cannot be avoided.

A drop in the number of worker in a country inevitably leads to higher wages.

Inevitably, if you practice less, you will be less good.


unnamed

If something is unnamed, it does not have a name.


format

The format of some writing is the way it is organized: the size and colour of the letters, the way it is divided into parts, the kind of words used.

What format do you want the report written in?

The format of some writing is the kind of computer program you need to be able to read it.

I can't read that page you sent me. My computer doesn't read that format.

Something's format is its style, type, organisation, etc.

The format of the meeting will be quite casual.


format

format (canonical)
formats (third-person singular)
formatted (past)
formatted (past participle)
formatting (present participle)

Someone formats some writing when make it have a particular format.

How should I format the report?

Someone formats a computer disk when they prepare a disk for writing and reading.

You need to format the disk before you can copy those files onto it.


channel

A channel is a path that carries or directs flow or movement, especially of TV & radio signals and water.

He only watches two television news channels.

The bottom and sides ("banks") of a river or other place where water moves.

The natural or man-made deeper course through a reef, bar, bay, or any shallow body of water.

The part of a river where boats can pass.

We have to keep our boat in the channel.

A narrow body of water between two land masses.

The English Channel lies between France and England.

A connection between initiating and terminating nodes of a circuit.

The guard-rail provided the channel between the downed wire and the tree.

The part that connects a data source to a data sink.

A channel stretches between them.

A path for conveying electrical or electromagnetic signals.

We are using one of the 24 channels.

A path provided by a transmission medium via physical separation, such as by multipair cable.

The channel is created by bonding the signals from these four pairs.

A single path provided by a transmission medium via spectral or protocol separation, such as by frequency or time-division multiplexing.

Their call is being carried on channel 6 of the T-1 line.

A specific radio frequency or band of frequencies, usually in conjunction with a predetermined letter, number, or codeword, and allocated by international agreement.

KNDD is the channel at 107.7 MHz in Seattle.

A specific radio frequency or band of frequencies used for transmitting television.

NBC is on channel 11 in San Jose.

The portion of a storage medium, such as a track or a band, that is accessible to a given reading or writing station or head.

This chip in this disk drive is the channel device.

The way in a turbine pump where the pressure is built up.

The liquid is pressurized in the lateral channel.


channel

channeled (past)
channeled (past participle)
channeling (present participle)
channel (canonical)
channels (third-person singular)
channelled (past)
channelled (past participle)
channelling (present participle)

If you channel something, you direct its flow.

We will channel the cars to the left.

To take on the personality of another person.

When it is my turn to sing Karaoke, I am going to channel Ray Charles.


nominate

nominate (canonical)
nominates (third-person singular)
nominated (past)
nominated (past participle)
nominating (present participle)

To name someone for a role or position, including that of an office.

Jim nominated Tom to be the leader of their group

To name something for an award or prize.

The movie was nominated for an Academy Award.


appreciation

appreciation (singular)
appreciations (plural)

An appreciation of something is the ability to see it's value and understand it.

He now has a far greater appreciation of dogs and the people who handle them professionally.

The problems may have been due to a lack of appreciation of the different cultures.

Art appreciation can be learned, but it is very difficult to teach.

Appreciation is the feeling of being thankful.

I just wanted to send you this card to show my appreciation for your kindness last week.

"You look lovely," he said, and she laughed with appreciation.

Appreciation is the rise in value of something.

The appreciation of the Japanese yen against the US dollar has helped the American automobile industry.


spoken

speak (canonical)
speaks (third-person singular)
spoke (past)
spoken (past participle)
speaking (present participle)

I have spoken to her about the car.


household

household (singular)
households (plural)

A group of people who live together; the group may or may not be a family. A household may also be an individual living alone.

How many people are there in your household?


induce

induce (canonical)
induces (third-person singular)
induced (past)
induced (past participle)
inducing (present participle)

If you induce something, you make it happen.

Soft lighting is often used for in restaurants to induce a feeling of relaxation.

He was given a drug which would normally induce sleep, but it had no effect on him.


erosion

Erosion is the loss of land because of water and wind.

Farming increases soil erosion by breaking up soil structure, and reducing the number of plants.

Footpath erosion is a significant problem in all the UK's national parks.

The new plan should stop the erosion of support for the idea.

An erosion is a shallow lesion that is usually found on the skin or in tissue of the epithelium.


meetings

The plural form of meeting; more than one (kind of) meeting.

The group gets together in many meetings.


minimise

minimise (canonical)
minimises (third-person singular)
minimised (past)
minimised (past participle)
minimising (present participle)

If you minimise something, you make it as small as possible.

We should take all steps to minimise the risk of disease.

We are trying to minimise pollution by using bikes instead of our car.

These steps will help us to minimise the time and cost of transporting materials.


state

I am worried about her. She is in a constant state of depression.

Any sovereign nation (nation that rules itself) is a state.

The United States is a country with many sovereign nations united with each other.


state

state (canonical)
states (third-person singular)
stated (past)
stated (past participle)
stating (present participle)

To state something is to say it as a fact.

He stated that he hasn't slept in 2 days.

To state something is to let it be known.

Please state your name and place of business.


deviation

deviation (singular)
deviations (plural)

A deviation is difference or movement away from a standard.

They insist that there must be no deviation from that style.

Any deviations from the contract would have to be agreed by both parties.

A deviation is the difference between a number and the average of a set of values.


spoke

One of many rods that are between the center and outer surface of a wheel.


spoke

John spoke to me about his idea.


daughter-in-law

daughter-in-law (singular)
daughters-in-law or daughter-in-laws (plural)

The wife of a person's son. The opposite of a daughter-in-law would be a son-in-law, or a daughter's husband.


concurrent

concurrent (positive)
more concurrent (comparative)
most concurrent (superlative)

If two things are concurrent, they happen at the same time.

The software can handle up to 500 concurrent users.

He was given six concurrent three-month jail sentences for the attacks.

Concurrent with the war in Iraq the Americans was the war in Afghanistan.

If two things are concurrent, they agree in meaning.

The police got concurrent stories from five witnesses.

If three or more lines are concurrent, they are alongside one another (parallel).


petition

A petition is a written request to change something.

A petition is a list of signatures showing support for something or opposition against it.

Please sign our petition to get a new snack machine in the school cafeteria.

A petition is a written document that people sign to show that they want a person or organization to do or change something.

In honor of his memory, a petition has been sent to persuade the Postal Services Stamp Advisory Committee to put Willis Conover on a U.S. postage stamp.


petition

petition (canonical)
petitions (third-person singular)
petitioned (past)
petitioned (past participle)
petitioning (present participle)

To petition for something is to make a request for it, usually in writing.

You should petition for a shorter work week.


coherence

Coherence is the property of being connected, especially of ideas.

Even if the story lacks logical coherence, it is still a fun film to watch.

Teachers need to help the learner to achieve a genuine sense of coherence across the subjects.

We studied loneliness and coherence among Children with learning problems.


norm

A norm is the usual situation, amount, level, etc.

CDs are dying out and MP3s are becoming the norm.

His income is slightly above the norm for someone in his position.

Many teens find it very important to conform to group norms.


unify

unify (canonical)
unifies (third-person singular)
unified (past)
unified (past participle)
unifying (present participle)

If you unify something or a group of things, you bring them together as one.

When she explained it, all the different pieces of information and ideas came together for me in a unified whole.

There are many cultural, ethnic, historical, and geographical reasons why Ireland should be unified politically.

Music serves to identify and unify members of the group.


theme

A theme is a general idea that runs through a conversation, story, group of images, piece of music, etc.

For Mr Giuliani, crime is a main campaign theme.

The topic did not seem related to the main themes of his studies.

The American novel focusses on themes of male companionship and confrontation with death.

They became a household name in 1982 with the theme music for the hit TV series, "Harry's Game".


theme

theme (canonical)
themes (third-person singular)
themed (past)
themed (past participle)
theming (present participle)

If you theme something, you give it a theme.


homophone

homophone (singular)
homophones (plural)

A word that sounds like another word, even though they have different meanings.

"right" and "write" are homophones.

/ˈhɒməfəʊ̯n/


nature

We went on a nature walk.

Things that people did not make. The world or universe.

Nature contains many beautiful things.

The way something is without people causing it, or a quality people did not cause. Often, this is a part of your personality that is natural to you.

She has a very gentle nature.

It is the nature of dogs to eat meat.

Our natures don't match, we are just too different.


currency

A currency is the money from a particular country.

A person going abroad can obtain foreign currency notes and travellers' cheques from his own bank.

The US dollar ended lower against most other currencies in London.

Since then the exchange value of the currency has fallen by 78%.

If something has currency, it is generally accepted.

After the war, these new ideas began to gain currency.

A book's bibliography can be a good indicator of currency in the text.


henna

Henna is a reddish plant used for making tattoos and hair coloring.

People in north Africa and nearby regions often use henna in festivities and celebrations.

On her wedding day, Sam will wear henna on her hands and feet.


break

break (canonical)
breaks (third-person singular)
broke (past)
broken (past participle)
breaking (present participle)

If you break something, you make it come apart in a way that cannot easily be put back together, usually by force.

He injured his leg and broke his arm during the crash.

When my brother died, my family broke apart.

The airplane broke apart in the sky over Hawai'i.

When the ice broke underneath me, I said to myself, I'm in trouble.

If something such as a machine breaks, it stops working because something is wrong.

My car breaks down about once a week.

If you break a law, rule, promise, etc. you do something that you should not do.

The police can't do anything if no laws are broken.

These are the rules. Don't break the rules and I won't send you home.

If you break a surface, limit, record, etc., you go beyond it.

In 1954 he set a new record of 3:59.4, breaking the old record by more than five minutes.

Wilson broke barriers for women in journalism at a time when newsrooms were mostly male.

If you break free or out of something, you could not leave but now you leave.

The police are looking for some prisoners who broke out of the jail.

One of the dogs broke loose and ran at her.

When she closed the door, everyone broke into laughter.

If you break, you stop for a short time to rest.

We break for coffee at 10:00 every morning.

The day was breaking as they packed up the tent.

Dawn was just breaking when Helga Schneider climbed out of bed.

If you break something, you stop it suddenly.

The sound of the door closing broke the silence.

I didn't know my father, but with my son, I want to break that cycle of fathers leaving their sons.

The show had been so magical that people didn't want to leave the theater, didn't want to break the spell.

Smoking is such a hard habit to break.

Mike had to leave to break up a fight between Ronni and Bridget.

The rain finally broke on Monday evening.

If your voice breaks, it changes because you are almost crying.

"I wanted to say goodbye before he died", she said, her voice breaking.

If you break some money, you change a note into coins.

I don't want to break a twenty just to buy matches.


break

A break is a time when something stops before starting again.

We get a 15-minute break in the middle of the morning.

I'll phone you during my lunch break.

We're going to take a one-minute commercial break and we'll be right back.

A break (up) is an end of a relationship.

We didn't see each other for years after the break up.

A break is a space between something continuous.

The sun shone through a break in the clouds.

A break is a situation in which things are not as difficult.

That job opening up just when she finished school was a lucky break for her.

Give me a break.

The new law would give middle-income families a $2,000 tax break.

A break is a place where something is broken.

The break in his leg could be seen clearly on the x-ray.


intermediate

intermediate (positive)
more intermediate (comparative)
most intermediate (superlative)

If something is intermediate, it is between other things.

Most people who get beyond the beginner stage get stuck being intermediate.

These sounds can represent an intermediate stage between animal communication and language.

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-intermediate (adj, noun).wav


intermediate

intermediate (singular)
intermediates (plural)

An intermediate is someone who acts between other people.

An intermediate is something that is intermediate.


violate

violate (canonical)
violates (third-person singular)
violated (past)
violated (past participle)
violating (present participle)

To violate means to break something like a law.

A person violated the copyright of a book.


liver

A large organ in the body that makes bile, and controls chemicals in the blood.

The liver is one of the most important organs in our body.

We're having beef liver for dinner.


elect

elect (canonical)
elects (third-person singular)
elected (past)
elected (past participle)
electing (present participle)

If you elect to do something, you choose to do it or make a decision to do it.

I elected to take Geography this semester but I'll be taking Chemistry next semester.

If you elect someone, especially a candidate, you choose them in an election.

We elect a president every four years.

The new mayor was elected in last year.


paragraph

paragraph (singular)
paragraphs (plural)

A paragraph is one or more sentences that are written together with no line breaks separating them. Usually they are connected by a single idea.

She knew what it would say after reading the first paragraph.

The crash was reported in a single paragraph in the Edinburgh Evening News.


paragraph

paragraph (canonical)
paragraphs (third-person singular)
paragraphed (past)
paragraphed (past participle)
paragraphing (present participle)

If you paragraph something, you break it into paragraphs.

It's hard to read with no breaks. Can you paragraph it out a bit?


student

A student is person who studies a subject, especially in a school.

I am a student at the school.

She is a straight-A student from a good family.

He teaches learning-disabled (LD) students from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Many first-year law students don't make it to second year.

It became the most popular course on campus, enrolling 1400 students.

Teachers try to help each student, whether they are a gifted student or a student having trouble.

Thousands of academically strong students are rejected by universities every year.

The program is open to all undergraduates and graduate students at the university.

The school can deal with students with a variety of disabilities.

The faculty, staff and students need to work together.

They worries about the lack of achievement demonstrated by the students.

Learning takes place between students through interaction with one another.

A student person who is very interested in a subject.

He's a student of the game and can answer any baseball question you ask.


anticipate

anticipate (canonical)
anticipates (third-person singular)
anticipated (past)
anticipated (past participle)
anticipating (present participle)

If you anticipate something, you think or do something about it before it happens.

The seasonal changes in temperature are anticipated by birds through the changes of day length.

The airport will be expanded to meet anticipated growth in air traffic.

We do not anticipate any major problems with the new system.


ethical

ethical (positive)
more ethical (comparative)
most ethical (superlative)

An ethical issue, problem, etc. relates to questions of good or bad, right or wrong.

Doctors have to think about both the medical and ethical parts of the problem.

If something is ethical, it is good, not bad or wrong. Often, this is based on formal philosophy. Often, what is ethical is based on rules of a group or profession (kind of job).

Is it really ethical to eat meat?


cruciverbalist

cruciverbalist (singular)
cruciverbalists (plural)

A person who enjoys doing crossword puzzles.

Susan is a cruciverbalist; she does the newspaper crossword puzzle every day.


cease

cease (canonical)
ceases (third-person singular)
ceased (past)
ceased (past participle)
ceasing (present participle)

If you cease something, you stop doing it.

Around the time of the First World War, Clark brothers ceased operations, and the mill finally fell silent.

Beyond the window, the rain ceased, giving way to sunshine.


neglect

neglect (canonical)
neglects (third-person singular)
neglected (past)
neglected (past participle)
neglecting (present participle)

If you neglect someone, you do not take care of them.


neglect

Neglect is the failure of somebody to do a duty.


brought

bring (canonical)
brings (third-person singular)
brought (past)
brought (past participle)
bringing (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of bring.

You brought a book to me last week.

Steve brought the money to my office.


conversely

Conversely is used to say that one idea is the opposite of the other idea.

The over-confident driver may drive too fast. Conversely the under-confident person may also cause problems by driving too slowly.


once

We go to the house once a year.

She had only seen him once.

It's nice to be understood for once.

We get together once a month for coffee.

Not once have I said that.

It was hard to believe that once we had been friends.

The once great city had be destroyed.


once

Once I've finished cleaning up, we can leave.


hatchback

hatchback (singular)
hatchbacks (plural)

A car with a sloping, hinged rear door that opens upward.

He was driving his hatchback when he hit the bicyclist.

Could you open the hatchback so that I can put my golf clubs in the car?


breach

breach (canonical)
breaches (third-person singular)
breached (past)
breached (past participle)
breaching (present participle)

If you breach a duty, you do something that you should not do.

If an army or the police breach a barrier, a wall, etc., they were not able to enter it before but now they can.

The police breached the front door and searched the house.


breach

A breach is the act of breaching; for example, a breach of contract may occur when somebody does not do what they promised.

Water entered through a breach in the levee.


exhibit

exhibit (canonical)
exhibits (third-person singular)
exhibited (past)
exhibited (past participle)
exhibiting (present participle)

You exhibit something when you show it to others.

He exhibited the new product to the audience.


exhibit

An exhibit is something that is shown to others.

There is a new exhibit at the museum on the subject of Chinese history.


ago

I was there ten years ago.


buy

buy (canonical)
buys (third-person singular)
bought (past)
bought (past participle)
buying (present participle)

If you buy something, you give money and the thing becomes yours.

Could you buy some milk at the store?

We sold the house and bought a small apartment near Lincoln Center.

I stood in line all night to buy tickets for the show.

My kids don't want to wear the clothes I buy for them.

I can't afford to buy a new house.

In 1960, Willard bought the business from his father.

He bought the guitar for $150 on the internet.

If money buys something, it is enough money to pay for it.

$10 doesn't even buy a case of beer.

$100 buys a nice dinner or a hotel for the night.

If you buy (somebody) time, you stop something from happening soon so that you have time to prepare for it.

She went to the washroom to buy time. She didn't want to answer before Kate arrived.

Your mother won't buy the story about getting lost.

I can buy that your way works, but other ways might work too.


buy

A buy is something that someone has bought, usually for a cheap price.

This dress was a good buy. It was on sale.


internal organ

internal organ (singular)
internal organs (plural)

An internal organ is an organ of an animal that is inside the body, beneath the skin.

The stomach, heart, lungs, and liver are internal organs and are protected by layers of skin, fat and bones.


torso

Your torso is a part of your body between your neck and groin.

My torso hurts.


manual

manual (positive)
more manual (comparative)
most manual (superlative)

If something is manual, it is done with the hands or through physical work.

Unskilled manual workers are the most likely to lose their job when the economy changes.

One quarter of the accidents at work arise from manual lifting, handling and carrying.

Manual dexterity, detergents, etc. are for or related to hands.

Video games increase your manual dexterity and hand to eye co-ordination.


manual

I need to fix this machine, but I can't find the manual.


told

tell (canonical)
tells (third-person singular)
told (past)
told (past participle)
telling (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of tell.

How many times have I told you not to do that?


intestine

intestine (singular)
intestines (plural)

The place in the body where food is digested after the stomach.


movement

Movement is the act of moving, of changing place or position.

The European Union allows free movement of people between countries.

We have seen large movements of men and equipment in North Korea near the southern border.

It was so small that no movement was possible.

A movement, is a group of people who are all working for the same idea.

The labour movement protects the rights of the workers.

A movement is a part in a musical composition such as a sonata or symphony.

The first movement of the "Moonlight" Sonata is very famous.


allow

allow (canonical)
allows (third-person singular)
allowed (past)
allowed (past participle)
allowing (present participle)

If you allow something, you let it happen; you say it's OK.

We were not allowed to enter the building.

I allow food in my car.


rumour

A rumour is a story about somebody or something, that is told by other people, most of the time it is not true.

There is a rumour going around that John's been fired. Is it true?


rumour

rumour (canonical)
rumours (third-person singular)
rumoured (past)
rumoured (past participle)
rumouring (present participle)

If you rumour, you gossip; you tell someone a rumor.

It has been rumoured that John's moving soon. Is this true?


integral

integral (positive)
more integral (comparative)
most integral (superlative)

Integral parts, elements, etc. belong to a larger whole, often being necessary.

The parks and green spaces are an integral part of the city.

Regular training is regarded as integral to management.

Integral to this research was how the healthy body defends itself against bacteria.


integral

An integral is the result of a particular mathematical function.

F(x) is the integral of f(x) if (d[F(x)])/(dx)=f(x) .


age

Something's age is how long it has existed or been alive; how old something is.

The boy said he was age five.

Scott is showing his age.

The 1960s was a new age in music.


age

age (canonical)
ages (third-person singular)
aged (past)
aged (past participle)
aging (present participle)

Lillian has aged gracefully.


confine

confine (canonical)
confines (third-person singular)
confined (past)
confined (past participle)
confining (present participle)

If you confine someone or something to a particular topic or activity, you do not let them do other topics or activities.

Humphrey did not confine his activities just to the factory.

Her relatively short life was largely confined to Copenhagen.

If you confine somebody or something, you put them in a place that they cannot leave.

For the first twenty years he was confined in prison-like conditions.

The disease was confined to a small area within the Camperdown district.