# dict

Words: indiscipline
Meaning:
in.dis.ci.pline\n   indiscipline\n  If you refer to indiscipline in a group or team, you disapprove of the fact that they do not behave in a controlled way as they should.\nThere is growing evidence of indiscipline among the troops.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval\n  !=discipline


Words: indiscreet
Meaning:
in.dis.creet\n   indiscreet\n  If you describe someone as indiscreet, you mean that they do or say things in public which they should only do or say secretly or in private.\nHe is notoriously indiscreet about his private life...\n  ADJ\n  !=discreet


Words: indiscretion
Meaning:
in.dis.cre.tion\n   indiscretion  indiscretions\n  If you talk about someone’s indiscretion, you mean that they have done or said something that is risky, careless, or likely to upset people.\nOccasionally they paid for their indiscretion with their lives.\n  N-VAR


Words: indiscriminate
Meaning:
in.dis.crimi.nate\n   indiscriminate\n  If you describe an action as indiscriminate, you are critical of it because it does not involve any careful thought or choice.\nThe indiscriminate use of fertilisers is damaging to the environment.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  !=selective\n=>  in.dis.crimi.nate.ly\nThe men opened fire indiscriminately...\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj


Words: indispensable
Meaning:
in.dis.pen.sable\n   indispensable\n  If you say that someone or something is indispensable, you mean that they are absolutely essential and other people or things cannot function without them.\nShe was becoming indispensable to him.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n\n  = essential  !=dispensable


Words: indisposed
Meaning:
in.dis.posed\n   indisposed\n  If you say that someone is indisposed, you mean that they are not available because they are ill, or for a reason that you do not want to reveal. (FORMAL)\nThe speaker was regrettably indisposed.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n  = unwell


Words: indisputable
Meaning:
in.dis.put.able\n   indisputable\n  If you say that something is indisputable, you are emphasizing that it is true and cannot be shown to be untrue.\nIt is indisputable that birds in the UK are harbouring this illness...\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ that  emphasis\n  = undeniable


Words: indistinct
Meaning:
in.dis.tinct\n   indistinct\n  Something that is indistinct is unclear and difficult to see, hear, or recognize.\nThe lettering is fuzzy and indistinct.\n  ADJ\n  !=distinct\n=>  in.dis.tinct.ly\nHe speaks so indistinctly that many listeners haven’t a clue what he is saying.\n  ADV: ADV after v


Words: indistinguishable
Meaning:
in.dis.tin.guish.able\n   indistinguishable\n  If one thing is indistinguishable from another, the two things are so similar that it is difficult to know which is which.\nReplica weapons are indistinguishable from the real thing.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ from n


Words: individual
Meaning:
in.di.vid.ual\n   individual  individuals\n1. Individual means relating to one person or thing, rather than to a large group.\nThey wait for the group to decide rather than making individual decisions...\nAid to individual countries would be linked to progress towards democracy...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  in.di.vid.ual.ly\n...cheeses which come in individually wrapped segments...\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, ADV adj, also ADV with cl\n\n2. An individual is a person.\n...anonymous individuals who are doing good things within our community.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If you describe someone or something as individual, you mean that you admire them because they are very unusual and do not try to imitate other people or things.\nIt was really all part of her very individual personality...\n  ADJ  approval


Words: individualism
Meaning:
in.di.vidu.al.ism\n   individualism\n1. You use individualism to refer to the behaviour of someone who likes to think and do things in their own way, rather than imitating other people.\nHe is struck by what he calls the individualism of American officers.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Individualism is the belief that economics and politics should not be controlled by the state.\n...the strong individualism in their political culture.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: individualist
Meaning:
in.di.vidu.al.ist\n   individualist  individualists\n1. If you describe someone as an individualist, you mean that they like to think and do things in their own way, rather than imitating other people.\nIndividualists say that you should be able to wear what you want.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Individualist means relating to the belief that economics and politics should not be controlled by the state.\n...a party committed to individualist values.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n  An individualist is a person with individualist views.\nThey share with earlier individualists a fear of collectivism.\n  N-COUNT


Words: individualistic
Meaning:
in.di.vidu.al.is.tic\n   individualistic\n  If you say that someone is individualistic, you mean that they like to think and do things in their own way, rather than imitating other people. You can also say that a society is individualistic if it encourages people to behave in this way.\nMost artists are very individualistic...\n  ADJ


Words: individuality
Meaning:
in.di.vidu.al.ity\n   individuality\n  The individuality of a person or thing consists of the qualities that make them different from other people or things.\nPeople should be free to express their individuality...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: individualize
Meaning:
in.di.vidu.al.ize\n   individualize  individualizes  individualizing  individualized\nin BRIT, also use individualise\n  To individualize a thing or person means to make them different from other things or people and to give them a recognizable identity. (FORMAL)\nYou can individualize a document by adding comments in the margins.\n  VERB: V n


Words: indivisible
Meaning:
in.di.vis.ible\n   indivisible\n  If you say that something is indivisible, you mean that it cannot be divided into different parts.\nFar from being separate, the mind and body form an indivisible whole.\n  ADJ\n  !=divisible


Words: Indo-
Meaning:
Indo-\n  Indo- combines with nationality adjectives to form adjectives which describe something as connected with both India and another country.\n...Indo-Pakistani talks.\n  PREFIX


Words: indoctrinate
Meaning:
in.doc.tri.nate\n   indoctrinate  indoctrinates  indoctrinating  indoctrinated\n  If people are indoctrinated, they are taught a particular belief with the aim that they will reject other beliefs.\nThey have been completely indoctrinated...\nI wouldn’t say that she was trying to indoctrinate us.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n  disapproval\n  = brainwash\n=>  in.doc.tri.na.tion\n...political indoctrination classes.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: indomitable
Meaning:
in.domi.table\n   indomitable\n  If you say that someone has an indomitable spirit, you admire them because they never give up or admit that they have been defeated. (FORMAL)\n...a woman of indomitable will...\n  ADJ  approval


Words: Indonesian
Meaning:
In.do.nesian\n   Indonesian  Indonesians\n1. Indonesian means belonging or relating to Indonesia, or to its people or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. An Indonesian is an Indonesian citizen, or a person of Indonesian origin.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. Indonesian is the national language of Indonesia.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: indoor
Meaning:
in.door\n   indoor\n  Indoor activities or things are ones that happen or are used inside a building and not outside.\n...an indoor market.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=outdoor


Words: indoors
Meaning:
in.doors\n   indoors\n  If something happens indoors, it happens inside a building.\nI think perhaps we should go indoors...\n  ADV: be ADV, ADV after v\n  !=outdoors


Words: indubitable
Meaning:
in.du.bi.table\n   indubitable\n  You use indubitable to describe something when you want to emphasize that it is definite and cannot be doubted. (FORMAL)\nHis brilliance renders this film an indubitable classic.\n  ADJ  emphasis\n  = undeniable\n=>  in.du.bi.tably\nHis behaviour was indubitably ill-judged.\n  ADV


Words: induce
Meaning:
in.duce\n   induce  induces  inducing  induced\n1. To induce a state or condition means to cause it.\nDoctors said surgery could induce a heart attack.\n...an economic crisis induced by high oil prices.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n\n2. If you induce someone to do something, you persuade or influence them to do it.\nMore than 4,000 teachers were induced to take early retirement.\n  VERB: be V-ed to-inf\n  = persuade\n3. If a doctor or nurse induces labour or birth, they cause a pregnant woman to start giving birth by using drugs or other medical means. (MEDICAL)\nHe might decide that it is best to induce labour.\n  VERB: V n


Words: inducement
Meaning:
in.duce.ment\n   inducement  inducements\n  If someone is offered an inducement to do something, they are given or promised gifts or benefits in order to persuade them to do it.\nThey offer every inducement to foreign businesses to invest in their states...\n  N-COUNT: oft N to-inf\n  = incentive


Words: induct
Meaning:
in.duct\n   induct  inducts  inducting  inducted\n  If someone is inducted into a particular job, rank, or position, they are given the job, rank, or position in a formal ceremony. (FORMAL)\nSix new members have been inducted into the Provincial Cabinet...\nShe inducts Nina into the cult.\n  VERB: be V-ed into n, V n into n, also V n


Words: induction
Meaning:
in.duc.tion\n   induction  inductions\n  Induction is a procedure or ceremony for introducing someone to a new job, organization, or way of life.\n...an induction course for new members.\n  N-VAR: oft with poss, N to/into n\n\n  see also induce


Words: indulge
Meaning:
in.dulge\n   indulge  indulges  indulging  indulged\n1. If you indulge in something or if you indulge yourself, you allow yourself to have or do something that you know you will enjoy.\nOnly rarely will she indulge in a glass of wine...\nHe returned to Britain so that he could indulge his passion for football...\nYou can indulge yourself without spending a fortune.\n  VERB: V in n, V n, V pron-refl, also V\n\n2. If you indulge someone, you let them have or do what they want, even if this is not good for them.\nHe did not agree with indulging children.\n  VERB: V n\n  = spoil


Words: indulgence
Meaning:
in.dul.gence\n   indulgence  indulgences\n  Indulgence means treating someone with special kindness, often when it is not a good thing.\nThe king’s indulgence towards his sons angered the business community...\n  N-VAR


Words: indulgent
Meaning:
in.dul.gent\n   indulgent\n  If you are indulgent, you treat a person with special kindness, often in a way that is not good for them.\nHis indulgent mother was willing to let him do anything he wanted.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.dul.gent.ly\nNed smiled at him indulgently.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj


Words: industrial
Meaning:
in.dus.trial\n   industrial\n1. You use industrial to describe things which relate to or are used in industry.\n...industrial machinery and equipment.\n...a link between industrial chemicals and cancer.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. An industrial city or country is one in which industry is important or highly developed.\n...ministers from leading western industrial countries.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: industrial action
Meaning:
in.dus.trial ac.tion\n   industrial action\n  If workers take industrial action, they join together and do something to show that they are unhappy with their pay or working conditions, for example refusing to work. (mainly BRIT)\nPrison officers have decided to take industrial action.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: industrial estate
Meaning:
in.dus.trial es.tate\n   industrial estate  industrial estates\n  An industrial estate is an area which has been specially planned for a lot of factories. (BRIT; in AM, use industrial park)\n  N-COUNT


Words: industrial park
Meaning:
in.dus.trial park\n   industrial park  industrial parks\n  An industrial park is the same as an industrial estate. (AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: industrial relations
Meaning:
in.dus.trial re.la.tions\n   industrial relations\n  Industrial relations refers to the relationship between employers and employees in industry, and the political decisions and laws that affect it. (BUSINESS)\nThe offer is seen as an attempt to improve industrial relations...\n  N-PLURAL


Words: industrialism
Meaning:
in.dus.tri.al.ism\n   industrialism\n  Industrialism is the state of having an economy based on industry.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: industrialist
Meaning:
in.dus.tri.al.ist\n   industrialist  industrialists\n  An industrialist is a powerful businessman who owns or controls large industrial companies or factories.\n...prominent Japanese industrialists.\n  N-COUNT


Words: industrialize
Meaning:
in.dus.tri.al.ize\n   industrialize  industrializes  industrializing  industrialized\nin BRIT, also use industrialise\n  When a country industrializes or is industrialized, it develops a lot of industries.\nEnergy consumption rises as countries industrialise...\nStalin’s methods had industrialized the Russian economy...\n  VERB: V, V n\n\n=>  in.dus.tri.ali.za.tion\nIndustrialization began early in Spain.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: industrialized
Meaning:
in.dus.tri.al.ized\n   industrialized\nin BRIT, also use industrialised\n  An industrialized area or place is one which has a lot of industries.\nIndustrialized countries must reduce carbon dioxide emissions.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: industrious
Meaning:
in.dus.tri.ous\n   industrious\n  If you describe someone as industrious, you mean they work very hard.\nShe was an industrious and willing worker.\n  ADJ\n  = hard-working\n=>  in.dus.tri.ous.ly\nMaggie paints industriously all through the summer.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: industry
Meaning:
in.dus.try\n   industry  industries\n1. Industry is the work and processes involved in collecting raw materials, and making them into products in factories.\nBritish industry suffers through insufficient investment in research.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A particular industry consists of all the people and activities involved in making a particular product or providing a particular service.\n...the motor vehicle and textile industries.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N\n\n3. If you refer to a social or political activity as an industry, you are criticizing it because you think it involves a lot of people in unnecessary or useless work.\nSome Afro-Caribbeans are rejecting the whole race relations industry...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, the supp N  disapproval\n\n4. Industry is the fact of working very hard. (FORMAL)\nNo one doubted his ability, his industry or his integrity.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n5.\n  see also captain of industry, cottage industry, service industry


Words: inebriated
Meaning:
ine.bri.at.ed\n   inebriated\n  Someone who is inebriated has drunk too much alcohol. (FORMAL)\nScott was obviously inebriated by the time the dessert was served.\n  ADJ


Words: inedible
Meaning:
in.ed.ible\n   inedible\n  If you say that something is inedible, you mean you cannot eat it, for example because it tastes bad or is poisonous.\nDetainees complained of being given food which is inedible.\n  ADJ\n  !=edible


Words: ineffable
Meaning:
in.ef.fable\n   ineffable\n  You use ineffable to say that something is so great or extreme that it cannot be described in words. (FORMAL)\n...the ineffable sadness of many of the portraits.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = indescribable\n=>  in.ef.fably\n...his ineffably powerful brain.\n  ADV: usu ADV adj


Words: ineffective
Meaning:
in.ef.fec.tive\n   ineffective\n  If you say that something is ineffective, you mean that it has no effect on a process or situation.\nEconomic reform will continue to be painful and ineffective...\n  ADJ\n  !=effective\n=>  in.ef.fec.tive.ness\n...the ineffectiveness of some of the police’s anti-crime strategies.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: ineffectual
Meaning:
in.ef.fec.tual\n   ineffectual\n  If someone or something is ineffectual, they fail to do what they are expected to do or are trying to do.\nThe mayor had become ineffectual in the struggle to clamp down on drugs.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.ef.fec.tu.al.ly\nHer voice trailed off ineffectually.\n  ADV


Words: inefficient
Meaning:
in.ef.fi.cient\n   inefficient\n  Inefficient people, organizations, systems, or machines do not use time, energy, or other resources in the best way.\nTheir communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.\n  ADJ\n  !=efficient\n=>  in.ef.fi.cien.cy      inefficiencies\n...the inefficiency of the distribution system.\n  N-VAR\n\n=>  in.ef.fi.cient.ly\nEnergy prices have been kept low, so energy is used inefficiently.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: inelegant
Meaning:
in.el.egant\n   inelegant\n  If you say that something is inelegant, you mean that it is not attractive or graceful.\nThe grand piano has been replaced with a small, inelegant electric model.\n  ADJ\n  !=elegant


Words: ineligible
Meaning:
in.eli.gible\n   ineligible\n  If you are ineligible for something, you are not qualified for it or entitled to it. (FORMAL)\nThey were ineligible to remain in the USA.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ for n, ADJ to-inf\n  !=eligible


Words: ineluctable
Meaning:
in.eluc.table\n   ineluctable\n  You use ineluctable to describe something that cannot be stopped, escaped, or ignored. (FORMAL)\n...Malthus’s theories about the ineluctable tendency of populations to exceed resources.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = inescapable


Words: inept
Meaning:
in.ept\n   inept\n  If you say that someone is inept, you are criticizing them because they do something with a complete lack of skill.\nHe was inept and lacked the intelligence to govern...\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  !=skilful


Words: ineptitude
Meaning:
in.epti.tude\n   ineptitude\n  If you refer to someone’s ineptitude, you are criticizing them because they do something with a complete lack of skill.\n...the tactical ineptitude of the allied commander.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval\n  !=skill


Words: inequality
Meaning:
in.equal.ity\n   inequality  inequalities\n  Inequality is the difference in social status, wealth, or opportunity between people or groups.\nPeople are concerned about social inequality...\n  N-VAR\n  !=equality


Words: inequitable
Meaning:
in.equi.table\n   inequitable\n  If you say that something is inequitable, you are criticizing it because it is unfair or unjust. (FORMAL)\nThe welfare system is grossly inequitable and inefficient.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  !=equitable


Words: inequity
Meaning:
in.equi.ty\n   inequity  inequities\n  If you refer to the inequity of something, you are criticizing it because it is unfair or unjust. (FORMAL)\nSocial imbalance worries him more than inequity of income.\n  N-VAR  disapproval\n  = inequality


Words: ineradicable
Meaning:
in.eradi.cable\n   ineradicable\n  You use ineradicable to emphasize that a quality, fact, or situation is permanent and cannot be changed. (FORMAL)\nDivorce is a permanent, ineradicable fact of modern life.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  emphasis


Words: inert
Meaning:
in.ert\n   inert\n1. Someone or something that is inert does not move at all.\nHe covered the inert body with a blanket.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you describe something as inert, you are criticizing it because it is not very lively or interesting.\nThe novel itself remains oddly inert.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n\n3. An inert substance is one which does not react with other substances. (TECHNICAL)\n...inert gases like neon and argon.\n  ADJ


Words: inertia
Meaning:
in.er.tia\n   inertia\n1. If you have a feeling of inertia, you feel very lazy and unwilling to move or be active.\n...her inertia, her lack of energy...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = lethargy\n2. Inertia is the tendency of a physical object to remain still or to continue moving, unless a force is applied to it. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inescapable
Meaning:
in.es.cap.able\n   inescapable\n  If you describe a fact, situation, or activity as inescapable, you mean that it is difficult not to notice it or be affected by it.\nThe economic logic of reform is inescapable...\n  ADJ\n  = unavoidable\n=>  in.es.cap.ably\nIt is inescapably clear that they won’t turn round.\n  ADV


Words: inessential
Meaning:
in.es.sen.tial\n   inessential\n  If something is inessential, you do not need it. (FORMAL)\nWe have omitted footnotes which we judged inessential to the text.\n  ADJ\n  = superfluous  !=essential


Words: inestimable
Meaning:
in.es.ti.mable\n   inestimable\n  If you describe the value, benefit, or importance of something as inestimable, you mean that it is extremely great and cannot be calculated. (FORMAL)\nHuman life is of inestimable value...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = incalculable


Words: inevitability
Meaning:
in.evi.tabil.ity\n   inevitability  inevitabilities\n  The inevitability of something is the fact that it is certain to happen and cannot be prevented or avoided.\nWe are all bound by the inevitability of death...\n  N-VAR: oft N of n


Words: inevitable
Meaning:
in.evi.table\n   inevitable\n  If something is inevitable, it is certain to happen and cannot be prevented or avoided.\nIf the case succeeds, it is inevitable that other trials will follow...\nThe defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ that\n  = unavoidable\n  The inevitable is something which is inevitable.\n`It’s just delaying the inevitable,’ he said.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: inevitably
Meaning:
in.evi.tably\n   inevitably\n  If something will inevitably happen, it is certain to happen and cannot be prevented or avoided.\nTechnological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment...\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV with cl, ADV adj\n  = unavoidably


Words: inexact
Meaning:
in.ex.act\n   inexact\n  Something that is inexact is not precise or accurate.\nForecasting was an inexact science.\n  ADJ\n  !=exact


Words: inexcusable
Meaning:
in.ex.cus.able\n   inexcusable\n  If you say that something is inexcusable, you are emphasizing that it cannot be justified or tolerated because it is extremely bad.\nHe said the killing of innocent people was inexcusable...\n  ADJ  emphasis\n  = unpardonable, unforgivable\n=>  in.ex.cus.ably\nShe had been inexcusably careless.\n  ADV


Words: inexhaustible
Meaning:
in.ex.haust.ible\n   inexhaustible\n  If there is an inexhaustible supply of something, there is so much of it that it cannot all be used up.\nShe has an inexhaustible supply of enthusiasm...\n  ADJ\n  = endless


Words: inexorable
Meaning:
in.exo.rable\n   inexorable\n  You use inexorable to describe a process which cannot be prevented from continuing or progressing. (FORMAL)\n...the seemingly inexorable rise in unemployment.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = relentless\n=>  in.exo.rably\nSpending on health is growing inexorably...\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: inexpensive
Meaning:
in.ex.pen.sive\n   inexpensive\n  Something that is inexpensive does not cost very much.\n...a variety of good inexpensive restaurants.\n  ADJ\n  = cheap  !=expensive


Words: inexperience
Meaning:
in.ex.pe.ri.ence\n   inexperience\n  If you refer to someone’s inexperience, you mean that they have little knowledge or experience of a particular situation or activity.\nCritics attacked the youth and inexperience of his staff.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  !=experience


Words: inexperienced
Meaning:
in.ex.pe.ri.enced\n   inexperienced\n  If you are inexperienced, you have little knowledge or experience of a particular situation or activity.\nRoutine tasks are often delegated to inexperienced young doctors.\n  ADJ\n  !=experienced


Words: inexpert
Meaning:
in.ex.pert\n   inexpert\n  If you describe someone or something as inexpert, you mean that they show a lack of skill.\nHe was too inexperienced and too inexpert to succeed.\n...inexpert needlework.\n  ADJ\n  !=expert


Words: inexplicable
Meaning:
in.ex.pli.cable\n   inexplicable\n  If something is inexplicable, you cannot explain why it happens or why it is true.\nFor some inexplicable reason, the investors decided to pull out.\n  ADJ\n  = incomprehensible\n=>  in.ex.pli.cably\nShe suddenly and inexplicably announced her retirement...\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj, ADV with cl


Words: inexpressible
Meaning:
in.ex.press.ible\n   inexpressible\n  An inexpressible feeling cannot be expressed in words because it is so strong. (FORMAL)\nHe felt a sudden inexpressible loneliness.\n  ADJ\n  = indescribable


Words: inextricable
Meaning:
in.ex.tri.cable\n   inextricable\n  If there is an inextricable link between things, they cannot be considered separately. (FORMAL)\nMeetings are an inextricable part of business...\n  ADJ\n  = inseparable


Words: inextricably
Meaning:
in.ex.tri.cably\n   inextricably\n  If two or more things are inextricably linked, they cannot be considered separately. (FORMAL)\nReligion was for her inextricably linked with life itself.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: infallible
Meaning:
in.fal.lible\n   infallible\n  If a person or thing is infallible, they are never wrong.\nAlthough he was experienced, he was not infallible...\n  ADJ\n  !=fallible\n=>  in.fal.libil.ity\n...exaggerated views of the infallibility of science.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: infamous
Meaning:
in.fa.mous\n   infamous\n  Infamous people or things are well-known because of something bad. (FORMAL)\nHe was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n, also v-link ADJ for n, v-link ADJ\n  = notorious


Words: infamy
Meaning:
in.fa.my\n   infamy\n  Infamy is the state of being infamous. (FORMAL)\n...one of the greatest acts of infamy in history...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = notoriety


Words: infancy
Meaning:
in.fan.cy\n   infancy\n1. Infancy is the period of your life when you are a very young child.\n...the development of the mind from infancy onwards.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu poss N, prep N\n\n2. If something is in its infancy, it is new and has not developed very much.\nComputing science was still in its infancy.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu in poss N


Words: infant
Meaning:
in.fant\n   infant  infants\n1. An infant is a baby or very young child. (FORMAL)\n...young mums with infants in prams...\n...the infant mortality rate in Britain.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n\n\n2. Infants are children between the ages of five and seven, who go to an infant school. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n  You use the infants to refer to a school or class for such children.\nYou’ve been my best friend ever since we started in the infants.\n  N-UNCOUNT: the N\n\n3. Infant means designed especially for very young children.\n...an infant carrier in the back of a car.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n4. An infant organization or system is new and has not developed very much.\nThe infant company was based in Germany.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: infant school
Meaning:
in.fant school\n   infant school  infant schools\n  In Britain, an infant school is a school for children between the ages of five and seven.\n  N-VAR


Words: infantile
Meaning:
in.fan.tile\n   infantile\n1. Infantile behaviour or illnesses are typical of very young children. (FORMAL)\n...infantile aggression.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. If you accuse someone or something of being infantile, you think that they are foolish and childish.\nThis kind of humour is infantile and boring.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = childish


Words: infantry
Meaning:
in.fan.try\n   infantry\n  Infantry are soldiers who fight on foot rather than in tanks or on horses.\n...an infantry division.\n  N-UNCOUNT-COLL


Words: infantryman
Meaning:
in.fantry.man\n   infantryman  infantrymen\n  An infantryman is a soldier who fights on foot.\n  N-COUNT


Words: infatuated
Meaning:
in.fatu.at.ed\n   infatuated\n  If you are infatuated with a person or thing, you have strong feelings of love or passion for them which make you unable to think clearly or sensibly about them.\nHe was utterly infatuated with her...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ with n\n  = obsessed


Words: infatuation
Meaning:
in.fat.ua.tion\n   infatuation  infatuations\n  If you have an infatuation for a person or thing, you have strong feelings of love or passion for them which make you unable to think clearly or sensibly about them.\n...his infatuation with bullfighting...\n  N-VAR\n  = obsession


Words: infect
Meaning:
in.fect\n   infect  infects  infecting  infected\n1. To infect people, animals, or plants means to cause them to have a disease or illness.\nA single mosquito can infect a large number of people.\n...people infected with HIV.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed, also V n with n\n\n=>  in.fec.tion\n...plants that are resistant to infection.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. To infect a substance or area means to cause it to contain harmful germs or bacteria.\nThe birds infect the milk.\n...a virus which is spread mainly by infected blood.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n  = contaminate\n3. When people, places, or things are infected by a feeling or influence, it spreads to them.\nFor an instant I was infected by her fear...\nHe thought they might infect others with their bourgeois ideas...\nHis urge for revenge would never infect her.\n  VERB: be V-ed by n, V n with n, V n\n\n4. If a virus infects a computer, it affects the computer by damaging or destroying programs. (COMPUTING)\nThis virus infected thousands of computers within days.\n  VERB: V n


Words: infected
Meaning:
in.fect.ed\n   infected\n  An infected place is one where germs or bacteria are causing a disease to spread among people or animals.\nIn heavily infected areas, half the population become blind.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: infection
Meaning:
in.fec.tion\n   infection  infections\n  An infection is a disease caused by germs or bacteria.\nEar infections are common in pre-school children...\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also infect


Words: infectious
Meaning:
in.fec.tious\n   infectious\n1. A disease that is infectious can be caught by being near a person who has it. Compare contagious.\n...infectious diseases such as measles...\n  ADJ\n\n2. If a feeling is infectious, it spreads to other people.\nShe radiates an infectious enthusiasm for everything she does...\n  ADJ


Words: infective
Meaning:
in.fec.tive\n   infective\n  Infective means related to infection or likely to cause infection. (FORMAL)\n...a mild and very common infective disease of children.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: infer
Meaning:
in.fer\n   infer  infers  inferring  inferred\n1. If you infer that something is the case, you decide that it is true on the basis of information that you already have.\nI inferred from what she said that you have not been well...\nBy measuring the motion of the galaxies in a cluster, astronomers can infer the cluster’s mass.\n  VERB: V that, V n\n  = deduce\n2. Some people use infer to mean `imply’, but many people consider this use to be incorrect.\nThe police inferred that they found her behaviour rather suspicious.\n  VERB: V that


Words: inference
Meaning:
in.fer.ence\n   inference  inferences\n1. An inference is a conclusion that you draw about something by using information that you already have about it.\nThere were two inferences to be drawn from her letter.\n  N-COUNT\n  = conclusion\n2. Inference is the act of drawing conclusions about something on the basis of information that you already have.\nIt had an extremely tiny head and, by inference, a tiny brain.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inferior
Meaning:
in.fe.ri.or\n   inferior  inferiors\n1. Something that is inferior is not as good as something else.\nThe cassettes were of inferior quality...\nIf children were made to feel inferior to other children their confidence declined.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n\n  !=superior\n2. If one person is regarded as inferior to another, they are regarded as less important because they have less status or ability.\nHe preferred the company of those who were intellectually inferior to himself.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n\n  !=superior\n  Inferior is also a noun.\nA gentleman should always be civil, even to his inferiors.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  in.fe.ri.or.ity\nI found it difficult to shake off a sense of social inferiority.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inferiority complex
Meaning:
in.fe.ri.or.ity com.plex\n   inferiority complex  inferiority complexes\n  Someone who has an inferiority complex feels that they are of less worth or importance than other people.\n  N-COUNT


Words: infernal
Meaning:
in.fer.nal\n   infernal\n1. Infernal is used to emphasize that something is very annoying or unpleasant. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nThe post office is shut, which is an infernal bore...\n  ADJ: ADJ n  emphasis\n\n2. Infernal is used to describe things that relate to hell. (LITERARY)\n...the goddess of the infernal regions.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: inferno
Meaning:
in.fer.no\n   inferno  infernos\n  If you refer to a fire as an inferno, you mean that it is burning fiercely and causing great destruction. (JOURNALISM)\nRescue workers fought to get to victims inside the inferno.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: infertile
Meaning:
in.fer.tile\n   infertile\n1. A person or animal that is infertile is unable to produce babies.\nAccording to one survey, one woman in eight is infertile.\n  ADJ\n  !=fertile\n=>  in.fer.til.ity\nMale infertility is becoming commonplace.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Infertile soil is of poor quality so that plants cannot grow in it.\nThe polluted waste is often dumped, making the surrounding land infertile.\n  ADJ\n  !=fertile


Words: infest
Meaning:
in.fest\n   infest  infests  infesting  infested\n1. When creatures such as insects or rats infest plants or a place, they are present in large numbers and cause damage.\n...pests like aphids which infest cereal crops.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  in.fest.ed\nThe prison is infested with rats...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ with n\n\n=>  -infested\n...the rat-infested slums where the plague flourished.\n  COMB in ADJ\n\n=>  in.fes.ta.tion      infestations\nThe premises were treated for cockroach infestation...\n  N-VAR: oft n N, N of n\n\n2. If you say that people or things you disapprove of or regard as dangerous are infesting a place, you mean that there are large numbers of them in that place.\nCrime and drugs are infesting the inner cities.\n  VERB: V n  disapproval\n  = overrun\n=>  in.fest.ed\nThe road further south was infested with bandits.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  -infested\n...the shark-infested waters of the Great Barrier Reef.\n  COMB in ADJ


Words: infidel
Meaning:
in.fi.del\n   infidel  infidels\n  If one person refers to another as an infidel, the first person is hostile towards the second person because that person has a different religion or has no religion. (LITERARY)\n...a holy war, to drive the infidels and the non-believers out of this holy land.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n\n  Infidel is also an adjective.\nHe promised to continue the fight against infidel forces.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: infidelity
Meaning:
in.fi.del.ity\n   infidelity  infidelities\n  Infidelity occurs when a person who is married or in a steady relationship has sex with another person.\nGeorge ignored his partner’s infidelities...\n  N-VAR


Words: infighting
Meaning:
in.fighting\n  also in-fighting\n  Infighting is quarrelling and competition between members of the same group or organization.\n...in-fighting between right-wingers and moderates in the party.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: infill
Meaning:
in.fill\n   infill  infills  infilling  infilled\n  To infill a hollow place or gap means to fill it. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use fill in)\nThe entrance to the cave was infilled by the landowner...\nIt is wise to start infilling with a layer of gravel for drainage.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V, also V n


Words: infiltrate
Meaning:
in.fil.trate\n   infiltrate  infiltrates  infiltrating  infiltrated\n1. If people infiltrate a place or organization, or infiltrate into it, they enter it secretly in order to spy on it or influence it.\nActivists had infiltrated the student movement...\nA reporter tried to infiltrate into the prison.\n  VERB: V n, V into/from n\n\n=>  in.fil.tra.tion      infiltrations\n...an inquiry into alleged infiltration by the far left group...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. To infiltrate people into a place or organization means to get them into it secretly in order to spy on it or influence it.\nSome countries have infiltrated their agents into the Republic.\n  VERB: V n into n


Words: infiltrator
Meaning:
in.fil.tra.tor\n   infiltrator  infiltrators\n  An infiltrator is a person who has infiltrated a place or organization.\n  N-COUNT


Words: infinite
Meaning:
in.fi.nite\n   infinite\n1. If you describe something as infinite, you are emphasizing that it is extremely great in amount or degree.\n...an infinite variety of landscapes...\nThe choice is infinite.\n  ADJ  emphasis\n\n=>  in.fi.nite.ly\nHis design was infinitely better than anything I could have done.\n  ADV: ADV adj/adv\n\n2. Something that is infinite has no limit, end, or edge.\nObviously, no company has infinite resources.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.fi.nite.ly\nA centimeter can be infinitely divided into smaller units.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: infinitesimal
Meaning:
in.fini.tesi.mal\n   infinitesimal\n  Something that is infinitesimal is extremely small. (FORMAL)\n...mineral substances present in infinitesimal amounts in the soil...\n  ADJ\n  = tiny


Words: infinitive
Meaning:
in.fini.tive\n   infinitive  infinitives\n  The infinitive of a verb is the basic form, for example `do’, `be’, `take’, and `eat’. The infinitive is often used with `to’ in front of it.\n  N-COUNT


Words: infinity
Meaning:
in.fin.ity\n   infinity\n1. Infinity is a number that is larger than any other number and can never be given an exact value.\nThese permutations multiply towards infinity...\n  N-UNCOUNT: also a N of n\n\n2. Infinity is a point that is further away than any other point and can never be reached.\n...the darkness of a starless night stretching to infinity.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: infirm
Meaning:
in.firm\n   infirm\n  A person who is infirm is weak or ill, and usually old. (FORMAL)\n...her aging, infirm husband.\n  ADJ\n\n  The infirm are people who are infirm.\nWe are here to protect and assist the weak and infirm.\n  N-PLURAL: the N\n\n=>  in.fir.mity      infirmities\nIn spite of his age and infirmity, he still writes plays and novels...\n  N-VAR


Words: infirmary
Meaning:
in.fir.ma.ry\n   infirmary  infirmaries\n  Some hospitals are called infirmaries.\nMrs Hardie had been taken to the infirmary in an ambulance.\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES


Words: inflame
Meaning:
in.flame\n   inflame  inflames  inflaming  inflamed\n  If something inflames a situation or inflames people’s feelings, it makes people feel even more strongly about something. (JOURNALISM)\nThe General holds the rebels responsible for inflaming the situation...\n  VERB: V n


Words: inflamed
Meaning:
in.flamed\n   inflamed\n  If part of your body is inflamed, it is red or swollen, usually as a result of an infection, injury, or illness. (FORMAL)\nSymptoms include red, itchy and inflamed skin...\n  ADJ


Words: inflammable
Meaning:
in.flam.mable\n   inflammable\n  An inflammable material or chemical catches fire and burns easily.\n...a highly inflammable liquid.\n  ADJ\n  = flammable


Words: inflammation
Meaning:
in.flam.ma.tion\n   inflammation  inflammations\n  An inflammation is a painful redness or swelling of a part of your body that results from an infection, injury, or illness. (FORMAL)\nThe drug can cause inflammation of the liver.\n  N-VAR


Words: inflammatory
Meaning:
in.flam.ma.tory\n   inflammatory\n1. If you accuse someone of saying or doing inflammatory things, you mean that what they say or do is likely to make people react very angrily.\n...nationalist policies that are too drastic and inflammatory...\n  ADJ  disapproval\n\n2. An inflammatory condition or disease is one in which the patient suffers from inflammation. (FORMAL)\n...the inflammatory reactions that occur in asthma.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: inflatable
Meaning:
in.flat.able\n   inflatable  inflatables\n1. An inflatable object is one that you fill with air when you want to use it.\nThe children were playing on the inflatable castle.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. An inflatable is an inflatable object, especially a small boat.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inflate
Meaning:
in.flate\n   inflate  inflates  inflating  inflated\n1. If you inflate something such as a balloon or tyre, or if it inflates, it becomes bigger as it is filled with air or a gas.\nStuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft...\nDon’s lifejacket had failed to inflate.\n  VERB: V n, V\n\n2. If you say that someone inflates the price of something, or that the price inflates, you mean that the price increases.\nThe promotion of a big release can inflate a film’s final cost...\nClothing prices have not inflated as much as automobiles.\n  VERB: V n, V\n  = increase\n=>  in.flat.ed\nThey had to buy everything at inflated prices at the ranch store.\n  ADJ\n\n3. If someone inflates the amount or effect of something, they say it is bigger, better, or more important than it really is, usually so that they can profit from it.\nThey inflated clients’ medical treatment to defraud insurance companies...\n  VERB: V n


Words: inflation
Meaning:
in.fla.tion\n   inflation\n  Inflation is a general increase in the prices of goods and services in a country. (BUSINESS)\n...rising unemployment and high inflation.\n...an inflation rate of only 2.2%.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inflationary
Meaning:
in.fla.tion.ary\n   inflationary\n  Inflationary means connected with inflation or causing inflation. (BUSINESS)\nThe bank is worried about mounting inflationary pressures.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: inflect
Meaning:
in.flect\n   inflect  inflects  inflecting  inflected\n  If a word inflects, its ending or form changes in order to show its grammatical function. If a language inflects, it has words in it that inflect.\n  VERB: V\n\n=>  in.flect.ed\n...Sanskrit, a highly inflected language...\n  ADJ


Words: inflection
Meaning:
in.flec.tion\n   inflection  inflections\n1. An inflection in someone’s voice is a change in its tone or pitch as they are speaking. (WRITTEN)\nThe man’s voice was devoid of inflection...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. In grammar, an inflection is a change in the form of a word that shows its grammatical function, for example a change that makes a noun plural or makes a verb into the past tense.\n  N-VAR


Words: inflexible
Meaning:
in.flex.ible\n   inflexible\n1. Something that is inflexible cannot be altered in any way, even if the situation changes.\nWorkers insisted the new system was too inflexible...\n  ADJ\n  = rigid  !=flexible\n=>  in.flex.ibil.ity\nThe snag about an endowment mortgage is its inflexibility.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you say that someone is inflexible, you are criticizing them because they refuse to change their mind or alter their way of doing things.\nHis opponents viewed him as stubborn, dogmatic, and inflexible.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  !=flexible\n=>  in.flex.ibil.ity\nJoyce was irritated by the inflexibility of her colleagues.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft with poss


Words: inflict
Meaning:
in.flict\n   inflict  inflicts  inflicting  inflicted\n  To inflict harm or damage on someone or something means to make them suffer it.\nRebels say they have inflicted heavy casualties on government forces...\nThe dog then attacked her, inflicting serious injuries.\n  VERB: V n on n, V n\n\n=>  in.flic.tion\n...without the unnecessary or cruel infliction of pain.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n


Words: inflow
Meaning:
in.flow\n   inflow  inflows\n  If there is an inflow of money or people into a place, a large amount of money or people move into a place.\nThe Swiss wanted to discourage an inflow of foreign money.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n  !=outflow


Words: influence
Meaning:
in.flu.ence\n   influence  influences  influencing  influenced\n1. Influence is the power to make other people agree with your opinions or do what you want.\nHe denies exerting any political influence over them...\nThe government should continue to use its influence for the release of all hostages.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N over n\n\n2. If you influence someone, you use your power to make them agree with you or do what you want.\nHe is trying to improperly influence a witness...\nMy dad influenced me to do electronics.\n  VERB: V n, V n to-inf\n\n3. To have an influence on people or situations means to affect what they do or what happens.\nVan Gogh had a major influence on the development of modern painting...\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n4. If someone or something influences a person or situation, they have an effect on that person’s behaviour or that situation.\nWe became the best of friends and he influenced me deeply...\nThey still influence what’s played on the radio.\n  VERB: V n, V wh\n\n5. Someone or something that is a good or bad influence on people has a good or bad effect on them.\nI thought Sue would be a good influence on you...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, usu adj N, oft N on n\n\n6. If you are under the influence of someone or something, you are being affected or controlled by them.\nHe was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.\n  PHRASE: PHR n, usu v-link PHR, PHR after v


Words: influential
Meaning:
in.flu.en.tial\n   influential\n  Someone or something that is influential has a lot of influence over people or events.\nHe had been influential in shaping economic policy.\n...one of the most influential books ever written.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ in -ing


Words: influx
Meaning:
in.flux\n   influx  influxes\n  An influx of people or things into a place is their arrival there in large numbers.\n...problems caused by the influx of refugees.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n


Words: infobahn
Meaning:
info.bahn\n   infobahn\n  The infobahn means the same as the information superhighway.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: infomercial
Meaning:
in.fo.mer.cial\n   infomercial  infomercials\n  An infomercial is a television programme in which a famous person gives information about a company’s products or services, or a politician gives his or her opinions. The word is formed from `information’ and `commercial’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inform
Meaning:
in.form\n   inform  informs  informing  informed\n1. If you inform someone of something, you tell them about it.\nThey would inform him of any progress they had made...\nMy daughter informed me that she was pregnant...\n`I just added a little soy sauce,’ he informs us.\n  VERB: V n of n, V n that, V n with quote, also V n\n\n2. If someone informs on a person, they give information about the person to the police or another authority, which causes the person to be suspected or proved guilty of doing something bad.\nThousands of American citizens have informed on these organized crime syndicates.\n  VERB: V on n\n\n3. If a situation or activity is informed by an idea or a quality, that idea or quality is very noticeable in it. (FORMAL)\nAll great songs are informed by a certain sadness and tension...\nThe concept of the Rose continued to inform the poet’s work.\n  VERB: be V-ed by n, V n


Words: informal
Meaning:
in.for.mal\n   informal\n1. Informal speech or behaviour is relaxed and friendly rather than serious, very correct, or official.\nShe is refreshingly informal...\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n  !=formal\n=>  in.for.mal.ly\nShe was always there at half past eight, chatting informally to the children.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n=>  in.for.mal.ity\nHe was overwhelmed by their friendly informality.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. An informal situation is one which is relaxed and friendly and not very serious or official.\nThe house has an informal atmosphere.\n  ADJ\n  !=formal\n3. Informal clothes are casual and suitable for wearing when you are relaxing, but not on formal occasions.\nFor lunch, dress is informal.\n  ADJ\n  = casual  !=formal\n=>  in.for.mal.ly\nEveryone dressed informally in shorts or jeans.\n  ADV\n\n4. You use informal to describe something that is done unofficially or casually without planning.\nThe two leaders will retire to Camp David for informal discussions.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  in.for.mal.ly\nHe began informally to handle Ted’s tax affairs for him.\n  ADV


Words: informant
Meaning:
in.form.ant\n   informant  informants\n1. An informant is someone who gives another person a piece of information. (FORMAL)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. An informant is the same as an informer.\n  N-COUNT


Words: information
Meaning:
in.for.ma.tion\n   information\n1. Information about someone or something consists of facts about them.\nPat refused to give her any information about Sarah...\nEach centre would provide information on technology and training...\n...an important piece of information...\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N about/on n\n\n2. Information consists of the facts and figures that are stored and used by a computer program. (COMPUTING)\nPictures are scanned into a form of digital information that computers can recognize.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = data\n3. Information is a service which you can telephone to find out someone’s telephone number. (AM; in BRIT, use directory enquiries)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: information technology
Meaning:
in.for.ma.tion tech.nol.ogy\n   information technology\n  Information technology is the theory and practice of using computers to store and analyse information. The abbreviation IT is often used.\n...the information technology industry.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: informational
Meaning:
in.for.ma.tion.al\n   informational\n  Informational means relating to information. (JOURNALISM)\n...the informational needs of school-age children.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: informative
Meaning:
in.forma.tive\n   informative\n  Something that is informative gives you useful information.\nThe adverts are not very informative...\n  ADJ


Words: informed
Meaning:
in.formed\n   informed\n1. Someone who is informed knows about a subject or what is happening in the world.\nInformed people know the company is shaky.\n...the importance of keeping the public properly informed.\n  ADJ\n\n  see also well-informed\n2. When journalists talk about informed sources, they mean people who are likely to give correct information because of their private or special knowledge.\nAccording to informed sources, those taken into custody include at least one major-general.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. An informed guess or decision is one that likely to be good, because it is based on definite knowledge or information.\nWe are able to make more informed choices about how we use drugs.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n4.\n  see also inform


Words: informer
Meaning:
in.form.er\n   informer  informers\n  An informer is a person who tells the police that someone has done something illegal.\n...two men suspected of being police informers.\n  N-COUNT


Words: infotainment
Meaning:
info.tain.ment\n   infotainment\n  Infotainment is used to refer to radio or television programmes that are intended both to entertain people and to give information. The word is formed from `information’ and `entertainment’.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: infrared
Meaning:
infra.red\n   infrared   also infra-red\n1. Infrared radiation is similar to light but has a longer wavelength, so we cannot see it without special equipment.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. Infrared equipment detects infrared radiation.\n...searching with infra-red scanners for weapons and artillery.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: infrastructure
Meaning:
infra.struc.ture\n   infrastructure  infrastructures\n  The infrastructure of a country, society, or organization consists of the basic facilities such as transport, communications, power supplies, and buildings, which enable it to function.\n...investment in infrastructure...\n  N-VAR


Words: infrequent
Meaning:
in.fre.quent\n   infrequent\n  If something is infrequent, it does not happen often.\n...John’s infrequent visits to London.\n  ADJ\n  = rare  !=frequent\n=>  in.fre.quent.ly\nThe bridge is used infrequently.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV with cl/group


Words: infringe
Meaning:
in.fringe\n   infringe  infringes  infringing  infringed\n1. If someone infringes a law or a rule, they break it or do something which disobeys it.\nThe film exploited his image and infringed his copyright...\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. If something infringes people’s rights, it interferes with these rights and does not allow people the freedom they are entitled to.\nThey rob us, they infringe our rights, they kill us...\nIt’s starting to infringe on our personal liberties.\n  VERB: V n, V on n


Words: infringement
Meaning:
in.fringe.ment\n   infringement  infringements\n1. An infringement is an action or situation that interferes with your rights and the freedom you are entitled to.\n...infringement of privacy...\nThey see it as an infringement on their own freedom of action.\n  N-VAR: usu N of/on n\n\n2. An infringement of a law or rule is the act of breaking it or disobeying it.\nThere might have been an infringement of the rules...\n  N-VAR: usu N of n


Words: infuriate
Meaning:
in.furi.ate\n   infuriate  infuriates  infuriating  infuriated\n  If something or someone infuriates you, they make you extremely angry.\nJimmy’s presence had infuriated Hugh...\nIt infuriates us to have to deal with this particular mayor.\n  VERB: V n, it V n to-inf, also it V n that\n  = madden\n=>  in.furi.at.ed\nI was absolutely infuriated with him.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: infuriating
Meaning:
in.furi.at.ing\n   infuriating\n  Something that is infuriating annoys you very much.\nI was in the middle of typing when Robert rang. It was infuriating!\n  ADJ\n  = maddening\n=>  in.furi.at.ing.ly\nThis book is infuriatingly repetitious...\n  ADV: usu ADV adj, also ADV with v


Words: infuse
Meaning:
in.fuse\n   infuse  infuses  infusing  infused\n  To infuse a quality into someone or something, or to infuse them with a quality, means to fill them with it. (FORMAL)\nMany of the girls seemed to be infused with excitement on seeing the snow...\nA union would infuse unnecessary conflict into the company’s employee relations.\n  VERB: be V-ed with n, V n into n, also V n with n


Words: infusion
Meaning:
in.fu.sion\n   infusion  infusions\n  If there is an infusion of one thing into another, the first thing is added to the other thing and makes it stronger or better. (FORMAL)\nHe brought a tremendous infusion of hope to the people.\n  N-VAR: usu N of n


Words: ingenious
Meaning:
in.gen.ious\n   ingenious\n  Something that is ingenious is very clever and involves new ideas, methods, or equipment.\n...a truly ingenious invention...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.gen.ious.ly\nThe roof has been ingeniously designed to provide solar heating.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj


Words: ingenue
Meaning:
in.ge.nue\n   ingenue  ingenues   also ingenue\n  An ingenue is a young, innocent girl in a play or film, or an actress who plays the part of young, innocent girls. (FORMAL)\nI don’t want any more ingenue roles.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: ingenuity
Meaning:
in.genu.ity\n   ingenuity\n  Ingenuity is skill at working out how to achieve things or skill at inventing new things.\nInspecting the nest may require some ingenuity.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: ingenuous
Meaning:
in.genu.ous\n   ingenuous\n  If you describe someone as ingenuous, you mean that they are innocent, trusting, and honest. (FORMAL)\nHe seemed too ingenuous for a reporter...\n  ADJ\n  !=disingenuous\n=>  in.genu.ous.ly\nSomewhat ingenuously, he explains how the crime may be accomplished...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj


Words: ingest
Meaning:
in.gest\n   ingest  ingests  ingesting  ingested\n  When animals or plants ingest a substance, they take it into themselves, for example by eating or absorbing it. (TECHNICAL)\n...side effects occurring in fish that ingest this substance...\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  in.ges.tion\nEvery ingestion of food can affect our mood or thinking processes.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inglorious
Meaning:
in.glo.ri.ous\n   inglorious\n  If you describe something as inglorious, you mean that it is something to be ashamed of.\nHe wouldn’t have accepted such an inglorious outcome.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  in.glo.ri.ous.ly\nIf fighting worsens, the troops might be reinforced, or ingloriously withdrawn.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: ingot
Meaning:
in.got\n   ingot  ingots\n  An ingot is a lump of metal, usually shaped like a brick.\n...gold ingots.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N


Words: ingrained
Meaning:
in.grained\n   ingrained\n  Ingrained habits and beliefs are difficult to change or remove.\nMorals tend to be deeply ingrained...\n  ADJ


Words: ingratiate
Meaning:
in.gra.ti.ate\n   ingratiate  ingratiates  ingratiating  ingratiated\n  If someone tries to ingratiate themselves with you, they do things to try and make you like them.\nMany politicians are trying to ingratiate themselves with her.\n  VERB: V pron-refl with n, also V pron-refl  disapproval


Words: ingratiating
Meaning:
in.gra.ti.at.ing\n   ingratiating\n  If you describe someone or their behaviour as ingratiating, you mean that they try to make people like them.\nHe said this with an ingratiating smile...\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: ingratitude
Meaning:
in.grati.tude\n   ingratitude\n  Ingratitude is lack of gratitude for something that has been done for you.\nThe Government could expect only ingratitude from the electorate.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  !=gratitude


Words: ingredient
Meaning:
in.gre.di.ent\n   ingredient  ingredients\n1. Ingredients are the things that are used to make something, especially all the different foods you use when you are cooking a particular dish.\nMix in the remaining ingredients.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. An ingredient of a situation is one of the essential parts of it.\nThe meeting had all the ingredients of high political drama...\n  N-COUNT: oft N of/in n


Words: ingrown
Meaning:
in.grown\n   ingrown   or ingrowing\n  An ingrown toenail, or in British English an ingrowing toenail, is one which is growing into your toe, often causing you pain.\n  ADJ


Words: inhabit
Meaning:
in.hab.it\n   inhabit  inhabits  inhabiting  inhabited\n  If a place or region is inhabited by a group of people or a species of animal, those people or animals live there.\nThe valley is inhabited by the Dani tribe.\n...the people who inhabit these islands.\n...a land primarily inhabited by nomads.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n, V-ed


Words: inhabitant
Meaning:
in.hab.it.ant\n   inhabitant  inhabitants\n  The inhabitants of a place are the people who live there.\n...the inhabitants of Glasgow.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: inhalation
Meaning:
in.ha.la.tion\n   inhalation  inhalations\n1. Inhalation is the process or act of breathing in, taking air and sometimes other substances into your lungs. (FORMAL)\n...a complete cycle of inhalation and exhalation...\nThey were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation...\nTake several deep inhalations.\n  N-VAR\n  !=exhalation\n2. An inhalation is a treatment for colds and other illnesses in which you dissolve substances in hot water and breathe in the vapour.\nInhalations can soothe and control the cough...\n  N-COUNT


Words: inhale
Meaning:
in.hale\n   inhale  inhales  inhaling  inhaled\n  When you inhale, you breathe in. When you inhale something such as smoke, you take it into your lungs when you breathe in.\nHe took a long slow breath, inhaling deeply...\nHe was treated for the effects of inhaling smoke.\n  VERB: V, V n\n  !=exhale


Words: inhaler
Meaning:
in.hal.er\n   inhaler  inhalers\n  An inhaler is a small device that helps you to breathe more easily if you have asthma or a bad cold. You put it in your mouth and breathe in deeply, and it sends a small amount of a drug into your lungs.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inherent
Meaning:
in.her.ent\n   inherent\n  The inherent qualities of something are the necessary and natural parts of it.\nStress is an inherent part of dieting.\n...the dangers inherent in an outbreak of war.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = intrinsic\n=>  in.her.ent.ly\nAeroplanes are not inherently dangerous...\n  ADV: usu ADV adj\n  = intrinsically


Words: inherit
Meaning:
in.her.it\n   inherit  inherits  inheriting  inherited\n1. If you inherit money or property, you receive it from someone who has died.\nHe has no son to inherit his land.\n...paintings that he inherited from his father.\n...people with inherited wealth.\n  VERB: V n, V n from n, V-ed\n\n2. If you inherit something such as a task, problem, or attitude, you get it from the people who used to have it, for example because you have taken over their job or been influenced by them.\nThe government inherited an impossible situation from its predecessors...\n  VERB: V n from n\n\n3. If you inherit a characteristic or quality, you are born with it, because your parents or ancestors also had it.\nWe inherit from our parents many of our physical characteristics...\nHer children have inherited her love of sport...\nStammering is probably an inherited defect.\n  VERB: V n from n, V n, V-ed


Words: inheritance
Meaning:
in.her.it.ance\n   inheritance  inheritances\n1. An inheritance is money or property which you receive from someone who has died.\nShe feared losing her inheritance to her stepmother.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If you get something such as job, problem, or attitude from someone who used to have it, you can refer to this as an inheritance.\n...the situation that was Truman’s inheritance as President.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, with supp, oft with poss\n\n3. Your inheritance is the particular characteristics or qualities which your family or ancestors had and which you are born with.\nEye colour shows your genetic inheritance.\n  N-SING: also no det, with supp


Words: inheritance tax
Meaning:
in.her.it.ance tax\n   inheritance tax  inheritance taxes\n  An inheritance tax is a tax which has to be paid on the money and property of someone who has died.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inheritor
Meaning:
in.heri.tor\n   inheritor  inheritors\n  The inheritors of something such as a tradition are the people who live or arrive after it has been established and are able to benefit from it.\n...the proud inheritors of the Prussian military tradition.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, usu N of n


Words: inhibit
Meaning:
in.hib.it\n   inhibit  inhibits  inhibiting  inhibited\n1. If something inhibits an event or process, it prevents it or slows it down.\nThe high cost of borrowing is inhibiting investment by industry in new equipment.\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. To inhibit someone from doing something means to prevent them from doing it, although they want to do it or should be able to do it.\nIt could inhibit the poor from getting the medical care they need...\n  VERB: V n from -ing


Words: inhibited
Meaning:
in.hib.it.ed\n   inhibited\n  If you say that someone is inhibited, you mean they find it difficult to behave naturally and show their feelings, and that you think this is a bad thing.\nWe are rather inhibited about touching each other.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ about n/-ing  disapproval\n  !=uninhibited


Words: inhibition
Meaning:
in.hi.bi.tion\n   inhibition  inhibitions\n  Inhibitions are feelings of fear or embarrassment that make it difficult for you to behave naturally.\nThe whole point about dancing is to stop thinking and lose all your inhibitions...\n  N-VAR


Words: inhospitable
Meaning:
in.hos.pi.table\n   inhospitable\n1. An inhospitable place is unpleasant to live in.\n...the earth’s most inhospitable regions.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=hospitable\n2. If someone is inhospitable, they do not make people welcome when they visit.\n  ADJ\n  !=hospitable


Words: inhuman
Meaning:
in.hu.man\n   inhuman\n1. If you describe treatment or an action as inhuman, you mean that it is extremely cruel.\nThe detainees are often held in cruel and inhuman conditions...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If you describe someone or something as inhuman, you mean that they are strange or bad because they do not seem human in some way.\n...inhuman shrieks that chilled my heart.\n  ADJ


Words: inhumane
Meaning:
in.hu.mane\n   inhumane\n  If you describe something as inhumane, you mean that it is extremely cruel.\nHe was kept under inhumane conditions...\n  ADJ\n  !=humane


Words: inhumanity
Meaning:
in.hu.man.ity\n   inhumanity  inhumanities\n  You can describe extremely cruel actions as inhumanity.\n...the inhumanity of war.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl, oft N of n


Words: inimical
Meaning:
in.imi.cal\n   inimical\n  Conditions that are inimical to something make it difficult for that thing to exist or do well. (FORMAL)\n...goals inimical to Western interests.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, usu ADJ to n


Words: inimitable
Meaning:
in.imi.table\n   inimitable\n  You use inimitable to describe someone, especially a performer, when you like or admire them because of their special qualities. (FORMAL)\nHe makes his own point in his own inimitable way.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  approval\n  = unique


Words: iniquitous
Meaning:
in.iqui.tous\n   iniquitous\n  If you describe something as iniquitous, you mean that it is very unfair or morally bad. (FORMAL)\n...an iniquitous fine.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: iniquity
Meaning:
in.iquity\n   iniquity  iniquities\n  You can refer to wicked actions or very unfair situations as iniquity. (FORMAL)\nHe rails against the iniquities of capitalism...\n  N-VAR


Words: initial
Meaning:
ini.tial\n   initial  initials  initialling  initialled\nin AM, use initialing, initialed\n1. You use initial to describe something that happens at the beginning of a process.\nThe initial reaction has been excellent...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. Initials are the capital letters which begin each word of a name. For example, if your full name is Michael Dennis Stocks, your initials will be M.D.S.\n...a silver Porsche car with her initials JB on the side.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, oft poss N\n\n3. If someone initials an official document, they write their initials on it, for example to show that they have seen it or that they accept or agree with it.\nWould you mind initialing this voucher?...\n  VERB: V n


Words: initially
Meaning:
ini.tial.ly\n   initially\n  Initially means soon after the beginning of a process or situation, rather than in the middle or at the end of it.\nForecasters say the gales may not be as bad as they initially predicted...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV with cl/group\n  = originally


Words: initiate
Meaning:
ini.ti.ate\n   initiate  initiates  initiating  initiated\n1. If you initiate something, you start it or cause it to happen.\nThey wanted to initiate a discussion on economics...\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. If you initiate someone into something, you introduce them to a particular skill or type of knowledge and teach them about it.\nHe initiated her into the study of other cultures.\n  VERB: V n into n, also V n\n\n3. If someone is initiated into something such as a religion, secret society, or social group, they become a member of it by taking part in ceremonies at which they learn its special knowledge or customs.\nIn many societies, young people are formally initiated into their adult roles.\n...the ceremony that initiated members into the Order.\n  VERB: be V-ed into n, V n into n, also V n


Words: initiation
Meaning:
ini.tia.tion\n   initiation  initiations\n1. The initiation of something is the starting of it.\nThey announced the initiation of a rural development programme...\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu the N of n\n\n2. Someone’s initiation into a particular group is the act or process by which they officially become a member, often involving special ceremonies.\nThis was my initiation into the peace movement.\n  N-VAR: oft N into n, N n


Words: initiative
Meaning:
ini.tia.tive\n   initiative  initiatives\n1. An initiative is an important act or statement that is intended to solve a problem.\nGovernment initiatives to help young people have been inadequate...\nThere’s talk of a new peace initiative.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N to-inf\n\n2. In a fight or contest, if you have the initiative, you are in a better position than your opponents to decide what to do next.\nWe have the initiative; we intend to keep it...\n  N-SING: the N\n\n3. If you have initiative, you have the ability to decide what to do next and to do it, without needing other people to tell you what to do.\nShe was disappointed by his lack of initiative.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4. If you take the initiative in a situation, you are the first person to act, and are therefore able to control the situation.\nWe must take the initiative in the struggle to end the war...\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: initiator
Meaning:
ini.tia.tor\n   initiator  initiators\n  The initiator of a plan or process is the person who was responsible for thinking of it or starting it.\n...one of the major initiators of the tumultuous changes in Eastern Europe.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n


Words: inject
Meaning:
in.ject\n   inject  injects  injecting  injected\n1. To inject someone with a substance such as a medicine means to put it into their body using a device with a needle called a syringe.\nHis son was injected with strong drugs...\nThe technique consists of injecting healthy cells into the weakened muscles...\nHe needs to inject himself once a month.\n  VERB: be V-ed with n, V n into n, V pron-refl, also V n, V n with n\n\n2. If you inject a new, exciting, or interesting quality into a situation, you add it.\nShe kept trying to inject a little fun into their relationship...\n  VERB: V n into n\n\n3. If you inject money or resources into a business or organization, you provide more money or resources for it. (BUSINESS)\nHe has injected .5.6 billion into the health service.\n  VERB: V n into n


Words: injection
Meaning:
in.jec.tion\n   injection  injections\n1. If you have an injection, a doctor or nurse puts a medicine into your body using a device with a needle called a syringe.\nThey gave me an injection to help me sleep...\n  N-COUNT: also by N\n\n2. An injection of money or resources into an organization is the act of providing it with more more money or resources, to help it become more efficient or profitable. (BUSINESS)\nAn injection of cash is needed to fund some of these projects...\n  N-COUNT: with supp, oft N of n


Words: injudicious
Meaning:
in.ju.di.cious\n   injudicious\n  If you describe a person or something that they have done as injudicious, you are critical of them because they have shown very poor judgment. (FORMAL)\nHe blamed injudicious comments by bankers for last week’s devaluation.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = ill-advised, unwise


Words: injunction
Meaning:
in.junc.tion\n   injunction  injunctions\n1. An injunction is a court order, usually one telling someone not to do something. (LEGAL)\nHe took out a court injunction against the newspaper demanding the return of the document.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n2. An injunction to do something is an order or strong request to do it. (FORMAL)\nWe hear endless injunctions to build a sense of community among staff.\n  N-COUNT: with supp, oft N to n to-inf


Words: injure
Meaning:
in.jure\n   injure  injures  injuring  injured\n  If you injure a person or animal, you damage some part of their body.\nA number of bombs have exploded, seriously injuring at least five people...\n...stiff penalties for motorists who kill, maim, and injure.\n  VERB: V n, V


Words: injured
Meaning:
in.jured\n   injured\n1. An injured person or animal has physical damage to part of their body, usually as a result of an accident or fighting.\nThe other injured man had a superficial stomach wound...\nMany of them will have died because they were so badly injured.\n  ADJ\n\n  The injured are people who are injured.\nArmy helicopters tried to evacuate the injured.\n  N-PLURAL: the N\n\n2. If you have injured feelings, you feel upset because you believe someone has been unfair or unkind to you.\n...a look of injured pride.\n  ADJ\n  = hurt


Words: injured party
Meaning:
in.jured par.ty\n   injured party  injured parties\n  The injured party in a court case or dispute about unfair treatment is the person who says they were unfairly treated. (LEGAL)\nThe injured party got some compensation.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N\n  = victim


Words: injurious
Meaning:
in.ju.ri.ous\n   injurious\n  Something that is injurious to someone or to their health or reputation is harmful or damaging to them. (FORMAL)\n...substances that are injurious to health...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n\n  = damaging, detrimental, harmful


Words: injury
Meaning:
in.ju.ry\n   injury  injuries\n1. An injury is damage done to a person’s or an animal’s body.\nFour police officers sustained serious injuries in the explosion...\nThe two other passengers escaped serious injury.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If someone suffers injury to their feelings, they are badly upset by something. If they suffer injury to their reputation, their reputation is seriously harmed. (LEGAL)\nShe was awarded .3,500 for injury to her feelings.\n  N-VAR: oft N to n\n\n3.\nto add insult to injury: see insult


Words: injury time
Meaning:
in.ju.ry time\n   injury time\n  Injury time is the period of time added to the end of a football game because play was stopped during the match when players were injured. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: injustice
Meaning:
in.jus.tice\n   injustice  injustices\n1. Injustice is a lack of fairness in a situation.\nThey’ll continue to fight injustice...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If you say that someone has done you an injustice, you mean that they have been unfair in the way that they have judged you or treated you.\nThe article does them both an injustice.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: ink
Meaning:
ink  inks\n  Ink is the coloured liquid used for writing or printing.\nThe letter was handwritten in black ink.\n  N-MASS


Words: inkling
Meaning:
ink.ling\n   inkling  inklings\n  If you have an inkling of something, you have a vague idea about it.\nI had no inkling of his real purpose until much later...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, usu N of n/wh, N that/wh


Words: inky
Meaning:
inky\n1. Inky means black or very dark blue. (LITERARY)\nThe moon was rising in the inky sky.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n  Inky is also a combining form.\n...looking out over an inky blue ocean.\n  COMB in COLOUR\n\n2. If something is inky, it is covered in ink.\n...inky fingers.\n  ADJ


Words: inlaid
Meaning:
in.laid\n   inlaid\n  An object that is inlaid has a design on it which is made by putting materials such as wood, gold, or silver into the surface of the object.\n...a box delicately inlaid with little triangles.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ with n


Words: inland
Meaning:
in.land\n\nThe adverb is pronounced   The adjective is pronounced\n1. If something is situated inland, it is away from the coast, towards or near the middle of a country. If you go inland, you go away from the coast, towards the middle of a country.\nThe vast majority live further inland...\nThe car turned away from the coast and headed inland.\n  ADV: be ADV, ADV after v, oft amount ADV\n\n2. Inland areas, lakes, and places are not on the coast, but in or near the middle of a country.\n...a rather quiet inland town.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: Inland Revenue
Meaning:
In.land Rev.enue\n   Inland Revenue\n  In Britain, the Inland Revenue is the government authority which collects income tax and some other taxes.\n  N-PROPER


Words: Inland Revenue Service
Meaning:
In.land Rev.enue Ser.vice\n   Inland Revenue Service\n  In the United States, the Inland Revenue Service is the government authority which collects taxes. The abbreviation IRS is often used.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: inlay
Meaning:
in.lay\n   inlay  inlays\n  An inlay is a design or pattern on an object which is made by putting materials such as wood, gold, or silver into the surface of the object.\n...an inlay of medieval glass.\n  N-VAR


Words: inlet
Meaning:
in.let\n   inlet  inlets\n  An inlet is a narrow strip of water which goes from a sea or lake into the land.\n...a sheltered inlet.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inmate
Meaning:
in.mate\n   inmate  inmates\n  The inmates of a prison or mental hospital are the prisoners or patients who are living there.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inmost
Meaning:
in.most\n   inmost\n  Inmost means the same as innermost.\nHe knew in his inmost heart that he was behaving badly.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: inn
Meaning:
inn  inns\n  An inn is a small hotel or pub, usually an old one. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n...the Waterside Inn.\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES


Words: innards
Meaning:
in.nards\n   innards\n  The innards of a person or animal are the organs inside their body. (INFORMAL)\n  N-PLURAL: usu with poss


Words: innate
Meaning:
in.nate\n   innate\n  An innate quality or ability is one which a person is born with.\nAmericans have an innate sense of fairness.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = natural\n=>  in.nate.ly\nI believe everyone is innately psychic.\n  ADV: ADV adj


Words: inner
Meaning:
in.ner\n   inner\n1. The inner parts of something are the parts which are contained or are enclosed inside the other parts, and which are closest to the centre.\nWade stepped inside and closed the inner door behind him.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=outer\n2. Your inner feelings are feelings which you have but do not show to other people.\nLoving relationships will give a child an inner sense of security...\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: inner child
Meaning:
in.ner child\n   inner child\n  Some psychologists refer to a person’s childish feelings as his or her inner child.\nFor me, recovery has been all about finding my inner child and accepting her.\n  N-SING: oft poss N


Words: inner circle
Meaning:
in.ner cir.cle\n   inner circle  inner circles\n  An inner circle is a small group of people within a larger group who have a lot of power, influence, or special information.\n...Mr Blair’s inner circle of advisers.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n


Words: inner city
Meaning:
in.ner city\n   inner city  inner cities\n  You use inner city to refer to the areas in or near the centre of a large city where people live and where there are often social and economic problems.\n...helping kids deal with the fear of living in the inner city...\n  N-COUNT


Words: inner tube
Meaning:
in.ner tube\n   inner tube  inner tubes\n  An inner tube is a rubber tube containing air which is inside a car tyre or a bicycle tyre.\n  N-COUNT


Words: innermost
Meaning:
inner.most\n   innermost\n1. Your innermost thoughts and feelings are your most personal and secret ones.\n...revealing a company’s innermost secrets.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = inmost\n2. The innermost thing is the one that is nearest to the centre.\n...the innermost part of the eye...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=outermost


Words: inning
Meaning:
in.ning\n   inning  innings\n  An inning is one of the nine periods that a standard baseball game is divided into. Each team is at bat once in each inning.\n  N-COUNT


Words: innings
Meaning:
in.nings\n   innings  innings\n  An innings is a period in a game of cricket during which a particular team or player is batting.\nThe home side were all out for 50 in their second innings.\n  N-COUNT


Words: innit
Meaning:
innit\n  Innit can be used at the end of a statement to make it into a question. It is a way of saying `isn’t it’. (INFORMAL, SPOKEN)\nThe record’s great, innit?


Words: innkeeper
Meaning:
inn.keeper\n   innkeeper  innkeepers\n  An innkeeper is someone who owns or manages a small hotel or pub. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT


Words: innocence
Meaning:
in.no.cence\n   innocence\n1. Innocence is the quality of having no experience or knowledge of the more complex or unpleasant aspects of life.\n...the sweet innocence of youth...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If someone proves their innocence, they prove that they are not guilty of a crime.\nHe claims he has evidence which could prove his innocence.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft poss N\n  !=guilt


Words: innocent
Meaning:
in.no.cent\n   innocent  innocents\n1. If someone is innocent, they did not commit a crime which they have been accused of.\nHe was sure that the man was innocent of any crime...\nThe police knew from day one that I was innocent.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ of n\n  !=guilty\n2. If someone is innocent, they have no experience or knowledge of the more complex or unpleasant aspects of life.\nThey seemed so young and innocent...\n  ADJ\n  = naive\n  An innocent is someone who is innocent.\nIan was a hopeless innocent where women were concerned.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  in.no.cent.ly\nThe baby gurgled innocently on the bed.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v\n\n3. Innocent people are those who are not involved in a crime or conflict, but are injured or killed as a result of it.\nAll those wounded were innocent victims...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n4. An innocent question, remark, or comment is not intended to offend or upset people, even if it does so.\nIt was a perfectly innocent question.\n  ADJ\n  = harmless


Words: innocently
Meaning:
in.no.cent.ly\n   innocently\n  If you say that someone does or says something innocently, you mean that they are pretending not to know something about a situation.\nI caught Chrissie’s eye, but she only smiled back at me innocently...\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n  see also innocent


Words: innocuous
Meaning:
in.nocu.ous\n   innocuous\n  Something that is innocuous is not at all harmful or offensive. (FORMAL)\nBoth mushrooms look innocuous but are in fact deadly...\n  ADJ\n  = harmless


Words: innovate
Meaning:
in.no.vate\n   innovate  innovates  innovating  innovated\n  To innovate means to introduce changes and new ideas in the way something is done or made.\n...his constant desire to innovate and experiment.\n  VERB: V, also V n


Words: innovation
Meaning:
in.no.va.tion\n   innovation  innovations\n1. An innovation is a new thing or a new method of doing something.\nThe vegetarian burger was an innovation which was rapidly exported to Britain.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Innovation is the introduction of new ideas, methods, or things.\nWe must promote originality and encourage innovation.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: innovative
Meaning:
in.no.va.tive\n   innovative\n1. Something that is innovative is new and original.\n...products which are more innovative than those of their competitors.\n  ADJ\n\n2. An innovative person introduces changes and new ideas.\nHe was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.\n  ADJ


Words: innovator
Meaning:
in.no.va.tor\n   innovator  innovators\n  An innovator is someone who introduces changes and new ideas.\nHe is an innovator in this field.\n  N-COUNT


Words: innovatory
Meaning:
in.no.va.tory\n   innovatory\n  Innovatory means the same as innovative. (mainly BRIT)\nOnly the opening sequence could claim to be genuinely innovatory.\n  ADJ


Words: innuendo
Meaning:
in.nu.en.do\n   innuendo  innuendoes  or innuendos\n  Innuendo is indirect reference to something rude or unpleasant.\nThe report was based on rumours, speculation, and innuendo.\n  N-VAR


Words: innumerable
Meaning:
in.nu.mer.able\n   innumerable\n  Innumerable means very many, or too many to be counted. (FORMAL)\nHe has invented innumerable excuses, told endless lies.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = countless, endless


Words: inoculate
Meaning:
in.ocu.late\n   inoculate  inoculates  inoculating  inoculated\n  To inoculate a person or animal means to inject a weak form of a disease into their body as a way of protecting them against the disease.\n...a program to inoculate every child in the state...\nHis dogs were inoculated against rabies.\n  VERB: V n, be V-ed against n\n  = vaccinate\n=>  in.ocu.la.tion      inoculations\nThis may eventually lead to routine inoculation of children...\n  N-VAR: oft N against n


Words: inoffensive
Meaning:
in.of.fen.sive\n   inoffensive\n  If you describe someone or something as inoffensive, you mean that they are not unpleasant or unacceptable in any way, but are perhaps rather dull.\nHe’s a mild inoffensive man...\n  ADJ\n  !=offensive


Words: inoperable
Meaning:
in.op.er.able\n   inoperable\n  An inoperable medical condition is one that cannot be cured by a surgical operation. (FORMAL)\nHe was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.\n  ADJ


Words: inoperative
Meaning:
in.op.era.tive\n   inoperative\n  An inoperative rule, principle, or tax is one that does not work any more or that cannot be made to work. (FORMAL)\n  ADJ


Words: inopportune
Meaning:
in.op.por.tune\n   inopportune\n  If you describe something as inopportune or if you say that it happens at an inopportune time, you mean that it happens at an unfortunate or unsuitable time, and causes trouble or embarrassment because of this.\nThe dismissals came at an inopportune time.\n  ADJ


Words: inordinate
Meaning:
in.or.di.nate\n   inordinate\n  If you describe something as inordinate, you are emphasizing that it is unusually or excessively great in amount or degree. (FORMAL)\nThey spend an inordinate amount of time talking.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  emphasis\n\n=>  in.or.di.nate.ly\nHe is inordinately proud of his wife’s achievements.\n  ADV: usu ADV adj/-ed


Words: inorganic
Meaning:
in.or.gan.ic\n   inorganic\n  Inorganic substances are substances such as stone and metal that do not come from living things.\n...roofing made from organic and inorganic fibres.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=organic


Words: input
Meaning:
in.put\n   input  inputs  inputting\n\n  The form input is used in the present tense and is the past tense and past participle.\n\n1. Input consists of information or resources that a group or project receives.\nWe listen to our employees and value their input...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. Input is information that is put into a computer. (COMPUTING)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  !=output\n3. If you input information into a computer, you feed it in, for example by typing it on a keyboard. (COMPUTING)\nAll this information had to be input onto the computer.\n  VERB: be V-ed onto n


Words: input device
Meaning:
in.put de.vice\n   input device input devices\n  An input device is a piece of computer equipment such as a keyboard which enables you to put information into a computer. (COMPUTING)\n  N-COUNT


Words: input/output
Meaning:
1. Input/output refers to the information that is passed into or out of a computer. (COMPUTING)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Input/output refers to the hardware or software that controls the passing of information into or out of a computer. (COMPUTING)\n... an input/output system.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inquest
Meaning:
in.quest\n   inquest  inquests\n1. When an inquest is held, a public official hears evidence about someone’s death in order to find out the cause.\nThe inquest into their deaths opened yesterday in Enniskillen.\n  N-COUNT: oft N into n\n\n2. You can refer to an investigation by the people involved into the causes of a defeat or failure as an inquest.\nHis plea came last night as party chiefs held an inquest into the election disaster.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, usu N into n\n  = inquiry


Words: inquire
Meaning:
in.quire\n   inquire  inquires  inquiring  inquired   also enquire\n1. If you inquire about something, you ask for information about it. (FORMAL)\n`Is something wrong?’ he enquired...\n`Who are you?’ he enquired of the first man...\nI rang up to inquire about train times...\nHe inquired whether there had been any messages for him...\nHe was so impressed that he inquired the young shepherd’s name.\n  VERB: V with quote, V of n with quote, V about n, V wh, V n, also V for n, V of n wh, V\n\n2. If you inquire into something, you investigate it carefully.\nInspectors were appointed to inquire into the affairs of the company.\n  VERB: V into n/wh


Words: inquire after
Meaning:
inquire after\n  If you inquire after someone, you ask how they are or what they are doing. (FORMAL)\nElsie called to inquire after my health.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron)\n  = ask after


Words: inquirer
Meaning:
in.quir.er\n   inquirer  inquirers   also enquirer\n1. An inquirer is a person who asks for information about something or someone. (FORMAL)\nI send each inquirer a packet of information.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Inquirer is used in the names of some newspapers and magazines.\n...the National Enquirer.\n  N-IN-NAMES: the supp N


Words: inquiring
Meaning:
in.quir.ing\n   inquiring   also enquiring\n1. If you have an inquiring mind, you have a great interest in learning new things.\nAll this helps children to develop an inquiring attitude to learning.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. If someone has an inquiring expression on their face, they are showing that they want to know something. (WRITTEN)\n...an enquiring glance.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = questioning\n=>  in.quir.ing.ly\nShe looked at me inquiringly. `Well?’\n  ADV


Words: inquiry
Meaning:
in.quiry\n   inquiry  inquiries\n\n  The spelling enquiry is also used.\n\n1. An inquiry is a question which you ask in order to get some information.\nHe made some inquiries and discovered she had gone to the Continent...\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. An inquiry is an official investigation.\nThe Democratic Party has called for an independent inquiry into the incident.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. Inquiry is the process of asking about or investigating something in order to find out more about it.\nThe investigation has suddenly switched to a new line of inquiry.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4.\n  see also court of inquiry


Words: inquisition
Meaning:
in.qui.si.tion\n   inquisition  inquisitions\n  An inquisition is an official investigation, especially one which is very thorough and uses harsh methods of questioning.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inquisitive
Meaning:
in.quisi.tive\n   inquisitive\n  An inquisitive person likes finding out about things, especially secret things.\nBarrow had an inquisitive nature...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.quisi.tive.ly\nMolly looked at Ann inquisitively. `Where do you want to go?’\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n=>  in.quisi.tive.ness\nI liked children, loved their innocence and their inquisitiveness.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inquisitor
Meaning:
in.quisi.tor\n   inquisitor  inquisitors\n  An inquisitor is someone who is asking someone else a series of questions, especially in a rather hostile way or as part of an inquisition.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inquisitorial
Meaning:
in.quisi.to.rial\n   inquisitorial\n  If you describe something or someone as inquisitorial, you mean they resemble things or people in an inquisition.\nThe next hearings will be structured differently in order to minimize the inquisitorial atmosphere.\n  ADJ


Words: inroads
Meaning:
in.roads\n   inroads\n  If one thing makes inroads into another, the first thing starts affecting or destroying the second.\nIn Italy, as elsewhere, television has made deep inroads into cinema.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR into n


Words: insane
Meaning:
in.sane\n   insane\n1. Someone who is insane has a mind that does not work in a normal way, with the result that their behaviour is very strange.\nSome people simply can’t take it and they just go insane...\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n  = mad\n2. If you describe a decision or action as insane, you think it is very foolish or excessive.\nI said, `Listen, this is completely insane.’\n  ADJ  disapproval\n\n=>  in.sane.ly\nI would be insanely jealous if Bill left me for another woman.\n  ADV: usu ADV adj, also ADV with v


Words: insanitary
Meaning:
in.sani.tary\n   insanitary\n  If something such as a place is insanitary, it is so dirty that it is likely to have a bad effect on people’s health. (FORMAL)\n...the insanitary conditions of slums...\nBritish prisons remain disgracefully crowded and insanitary.\n  ADJ\n  = unhygienic


Words: insanity
Meaning:
in.san.ity\n   insanity\n1. Insanity is the state of being insane.\nThe defence pleaded insanity, but the defendant was found guilty and sentenced.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = madness\n2. If you describe a decision or an action as insanity, you think it is very foolish.\n...the final financial insanity of the 1980s.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n  disapproval


Words: insatiable
Meaning:
in.sa.tiable\n   insatiable\n  If someone has an insatiable desire for something, they want as much of it as they can possibly get.\nThe public has an insatiable appetite for stories about the famous...\n  ADJ\n  = voracious


Words: inscribe
Meaning:
in.scribe\n   inscribe  inscribes  inscribing  inscribed\n1. If you inscribe words on an object, you write or carve the words on the object.\nSome galleries commemorate donors by inscribing their names on the walls...\n...stone slabs inscribed with Buddhist texts.\n  VERB: V n on n, V-ed on/with n\n\n2. If you inscribe something in the front of a book or on a photograph, you write it there, often before giving it to someone.\nOn the back I had inscribed the words: `Here’s to Great Ideas! John’...\nThe book is inscribed: To John Arlott from Laurie Lee.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed quote


Words: inscription
Meaning:
in.scrip.tion\n   inscription  inscriptions\n1. An inscription is writing carved into something made of stone or metal, for example a gravestone or medal.\nThe medal bears the inscription `For distinguished service’.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. An inscription is something written by hand in the front of a book or on a photograph.\nThe inscription reads: `To Emma, with love from Harry’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inscrutable
Meaning:
in.scru.table\n   inscrutable\n  If a person or their expression is inscrutable, it is very hard to know what they are really thinking or what they mean.\nIn public he remained inscrutable.\n  ADJ


Words: insect
Meaning:
in.sect\n   insect  insects\n  An insect is a small animal that has six legs. Most insects have wings. Ants, flies, butterflies, and beetles are all insects.\n  N-COUNT


Words: insecticide
Meaning:
in.sec.ti.cide\n   insecticide  insecticides\n  Insecticide is a chemical substance that is used to kill insects.\nSpray the plants with insecticide.\n  N-MASS


Words: insecure
Meaning:
in.secure\n   insecure\n1. If you are insecure, you lack confidence because you think that you are not good enough or are not loved.\nMost mothers are insecure about their performance as mothers.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n  !=confident\n=>  in.secu.rity      insecurities\nShe is always assailed by self-doubt and emotional insecurity...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. Something that is insecure is not safe or protected.\n...low-paid, insecure jobs...\n  ADJ\n  !=secure\n=>  in.secu.rity\nCrime creates feelings of insecurity in the population.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inseminate
Meaning:
in.semi.nate\n   inseminate  inseminates  inseminating  inseminated\n  To inseminate a woman or female animal means to put a male’s sperm into her in order to make her pregnant.\nThe gadget is used to artificially inseminate cows.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  in.semi.na.tion\nThe sperm sample is checked under the microscope before insemination is carried out.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  see also artificial insemination


Words: insensitive
Meaning:
in.sen.si.tive\n   insensitive\n1. If you describe someone as insensitive, you are criticizing them for being unaware of or unsympathetic to other people’s feelings.\nI feel my husband is very insensitive about my problem.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  !=sensitive\n=>  in.sen.si.tiv.ity\nI was ashamed at my insensitivity towards her.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Someone who is insensitive to a situation or to a need does not think or care about it.\nWomen’s and Latino organizations that say he is insensitive to civil rights.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ to n\n\n=>  in.sen.si.tiv.ity\n...insensitivity to the environmental consequences.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. Someone who is insensitive to a physical sensation is unable to feel it.\nHe had become insensitive to cold.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ to n


Words: inseparable
Meaning:
in.sepa.rable\n   inseparable\n1. If one thing is inseparable from another, the things are so closely connected that they cannot be considered separately.\nHe firmly believes liberty is inseparable from social justice...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ from n\n\n=>  in.sepa.rably\nIn his mind, religion and politics were inseparably intertwined.\n  ADV: usu ADV -ed, also ADV after v\n\n2. If you say that two people are inseparable, you are emphasizing that they are very good friends and spend a great deal of time together.\nShe and Kristin were inseparable.\n  ADJ  emphasis


Words: insert
Meaning:
in.sert\n   insert inserts inserting  inserted\nThe verb is pronounced   The noun is pronounced\n1. If you insert an object into something, you put the object inside it.\nHe took a small key from his pocket and slowly inserted it into the lock...\nWait for a couple of minutes with your mouth closed before inserting the thermometer.\n  VERB: V n into n, V n\n\n=>  in.ser.tion      insertions\n...the first experiment involving the insertion of a new gene into a human being.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If you insert a comment into a piece of writing or a speech, you include it.\nThey joined with the monarchists to insert a clause calling for a popular vote on the issue.\n  VERB: V n, also V n into/in n\n\n=>  in.ser.tion\nHe recorded an item for insertion in the programme.\n  N-VAR\n\n3. An insert is something that is inserted somewhere, especially an advertisement on a piece of paper that is placed between the pages of a book or magazine.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inset
Meaning:
in.set\n   inset  insets\n1. Something that is inset with a decoration or piece of material has the decoration or material set inside it.\n...a gold pendant, inset with a diamond.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ with n\n\n2. An inset is a small picture, diagram, or map that is inside a larger one.\nI frequently paint between 10 and 20 insets for my murals.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inshore
Meaning:
in.shore\n\nThe adverb is pronounced   The adjective is pronounced\n  If something is inshore, it is in the sea but quite close to the land. If something moves inshore, it moves from the sea towards the land.\nA barge was close inshore about a hundred yards away...\n  ADV: be ADV, ADV after v\n  !=offshore\n  Inshore is also an adjective.\n...inshore reefs and islands.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=offshore


Words: inside
Meaning:
in.side\n   inside  insides\nThe form inside of can also be used as a preposition. This form is more usual in American English.\n1. Something or someone that is inside a place, container, or object is in it or is surrounded by it.\nInside the passport was a folded slip of paper...\nThere is a telephone inside the entrance hall.\n  PREP\n  !=outside\n  Inside is also an adverb.\nThe couple chatted briefly on the doorstep before going inside...\nInside, clouds of cigarette smoke swirled.\n  ADV: ADV after v, be ADV, from ADV, n ADV, ADV with cl\n  !=outside\n  Inside is also an adjective.\n...four-berth inside cabins with en suite bathroom and shower.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. The inside of something is the part or area that its sides surround or contain.\nThe doors were locked from the inside...\nI painted the inside of the house...\n  N-COUNT: usu the N in sing\n  !=outside\n  Inside is also an adjective.\nThe popular papers all have photo features on their inside pages.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  Inside is also an adverb.\nThe potato cakes should be crisp outside and meltingly soft inside.\n  ADV: adj ADV\n\n3. You can say that someone is inside when they are in prison. (INFORMAL)\nHe’s been inside three times.\n  ADV: be ADV, ADV after v\n\n4. On a wide road, the inside lane is the one which is closest to the edge of the road. Compare outside. (BRIT)\nI was driving up at seventy miles an hour on the inside lane on the motorway.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = nearside  !=outside\n  Inside is also a noun. (in AM, use slow lane)\nI overtook Charlie on the inside.\n  N-SING: the N, oft on the N\n  !=outside\n5. Inside information is obtained from someone who is involved in a situation and therefore knows a lot about it.\nSloane used inside diplomatic information to make himself rich...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n6. If you are inside an organization, you belong to it.\n75 percent of chief executives come from inside the company...\n  PREP\n\n  Inside is also an adjective.\n...a recent book about the inside world of pro football.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  Inside is also a noun.\nMcAvoy was convinced he could control things from the inside but he lost control.\n  N-SING: the N\n\n7. Your insides are your internal organs, especially your stomach. (INFORMAL)\n  N-PLURAL: usu poss N\n\n8. If you say that someone has a feeling inside, you mean that they have it but have not expressed it.\nThere is nothing left inside.no words, no anger, no tears...\n  ADV: ADV after v, n ADV\n\n  Inside is also a preposition.\nHe felt a great weight of sorrow inside him...\n  PREP: usu n PREP pron\n\n  Inside is also a noun.\nWhat is needed is a change from the inside, a real change in outlook and attitude.\n  N-SING: the N\n\n9. If you do something inside a particular time, you do it before the end of that time.\nThey should have everything working inside an hour...\n  PREP: PREP amount\n  = within\n10. If something such as a piece of clothing is inside out, the part that is normally inside now faces outwards.\nHer umbrella blew inside out.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v\n\n11. If you say that you know something or someone inside out, you are emphasizing that you know them extremely well.\nHe knew the game inside out...\n  PHRASE: v n PHR  emphasis


Words: insider
Meaning:
in.sid.er\n   insider  insiders\n  An insider is someone who is involved in a situation and who knows more about it than other people.\nAn insider said, `Katharine has told friends it is time to end her career.’\n  N-COUNT


Words: insider trading
Meaning:
in.sid.er trad.ing\n   insider trading   also insider dealing\n  Insider trading or insider dealing is the illegal buying or selling of a company’s shares by someone who has secret or private information about the company. (BUSINESS)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: insidious
Meaning:
in.sidi.ous\n   insidious\n  Something that is insidious is unpleasant or dangerous and develops gradually without being noticed.\nThe changes are insidious, and will not produce a noticeable effect for 15 to 20 years...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.sidi.ous.ly\nDelusions are sometimes insidiously destructive.\n  ADV: usu ADV adj


Words: insight
Meaning:
in.sight\n   insight  insights\n1. If you gain insight or an insight into a complex situation or problem, you gain an accurate and deep understanding of it.\nThe project would give scientists new insights into what is happening to the earth’s atmosphere...\n  N-VAR: usu N into n\n\n2. If someone has insight, they are able to understand complex situations.\nHe was a man with considerable insight.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: insightful
Meaning:
in.sight.ful\n   insightful\n  If you describe a person or their remarks as insightful, you mean that they show a very good understanding of people and situations.\nShe offered some really interesting, insightful observations.\n  ADJ  approval\n  = astute, shrewd


Words: insignia
Meaning:
in.sig.nia\n   insignia  insignia\n  An insignia is a design or symbol which shows that a person or object belongs to a particular organization, often a military one.\nThe red star was the national insignia of the USSR.\n  N-COUNT\n  = emblem


Words: insignificance
Meaning:
in.sig.nifi.cance\n   insignificance\n  Insignificance is the quality of being insignificant.\nThe cost pales into insignificance when compared with the damage done to his reputation...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  !=significance


Words: insignificant
Meaning:
in.sig.nifi.cant\n   insignificant\n  Something that is insignificant is unimportant, especially because it is very small.\nIn 1949 Bonn was a small, insignificant city.\n  ADJ\n  !=significant


Words: insincere
Meaning:
in.sin.cere\n   insincere\n  If you say that someone is insincere, you are being critical of them because they say things they do not really mean, usually pleasant, admiring, or encouraging things.\nSome people are so terribly insincere you can never tell if they are telling the truth...\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  !=sincere\n=>  in.sin.cer.ity\nToo many superlatives lend a note of insincerity.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  !=sincerity


Words: insinuate
Meaning:
in.sinu.ate\n   insinuate  insinuates  insinuating  insinuated\n1. If you say that someone insinuates that something bad is the case, you mean that they say it in an indirect way.\nThe libel claim followed an article which insinuated that the President was lying...\n  VERB: V that  disapproval\n  = imply\n=>  in.sin.ua.tion      insinuations\nHe speaks with rage of insinuations that there’s a `gay mafia’ in Hollywood...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If you say that someone insinuates themselves into a particular situation, you mean that they manage very cleverly, and perhaps dishonestly, to get into that situation.\nHe gradually insinuated himself into her life.\n  VERB: V pron-refl into n, also V n prep  disapproval\n  = worm


Words: insinuating
Meaning:
in.sinu.at.ing\n   insinuating\n  If you describe someone’s words or voice as insinuating, you mean that they are saying in an indirect way that something bad is the case.\nMarcus kept making insinuating remarks...\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: insipid
Meaning:
in.sip.id\n   insipid\n1. If you describe food or drink as insipid, you dislike it because it has very little taste.\nIt tasted indescribably bland and insipid, like warmed cardboard.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = bland, flavourless\n2. If you describe someone or something as insipid, you mean they are dull and boring.\nOn the surface she seemed meek, rather insipid...\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: insist
Meaning:
in.sist\n   insist  insists  insisting  insisted\n1. If you insist that something should be done, you say so very firmly and refuse to give in about it. If you insist on something, you say firmly that it must be done or provided.\nMy family insisted that I should not give in, but stay and fight...\nShe insisted on being present at all the interviews...\nI didn’t want to join in, but Kenneth insisted.\n  VERB: V that, V on -ing, V\n\n2. If you insist that something is the case, you say so very firmly and refuse to say otherwise, even though other people do not believe you.\nThe president insisted that he was acting out of compassion, not opportunism...\n`It’s not that difficult,’ she insists...\nCrippen insisted on his innocence.\n  VERB: V that, V with quote, V on n


Words: insistence
Meaning:
in.sist.ence\n   insistence\n  Someone’s insistence on something is the fact that they insist that it should be done or insist that it is the case.\n...Raeder’s insistence that naval uniform be worn...\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N on -ing, N that


Words: insistent
Meaning:
in.sist.ent\n   insistent\n1. Someone who is insistent keeps insisting that a particular thing should be done or is the case.\nStalin was insistent that the war would be won and lost in the machine shops...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ that, ADJ on n/-ing\n\n=>  in.sist.ent.ly\n`What is it?’ his wife asked again, gently but insistently.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. An insistent noise or rhythm keeps going on for a long time and holds your attention.\n...the insistent rhythms of the Caribbean and Latin America.\n  ADJ\n  = unrelenting


Words: insofar as
Meaning:
in.so.far as\n   insofar as\n  You use insofar as to introduce a statement which explains and adds to something you have just said. (FORMAL)\nLooking back helps insofar as it helps you learn from your mistakes.\n  PHRASE\n  = inasmuch as


Words: insole
Meaning:
in.sole\n   insole  insoles\n  The insoles of a pair of shoes are the soft layer of material inside each one, which the soles of your feet rest on.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: insolent
Meaning:
in.so.lent\n   insolent\n  If you say that someone is being insolent, you mean they are being rude to someone they ought to be respectful to.\n...her insolent stare...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.so.lence\nPupils could be excluded from school for insolence.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: insoluble
Meaning:
in.sol.uble\n   insoluble\n1. An insoluble problem is so difficult that it is impossible to solve.\nI pushed the problem aside; at present it was insoluble...\n  ADJ\n\n2. If a substance is insoluble, it does not dissolve in a liquid.\nCarotenes are insoluble in water and soluble in oils and fats.\n  ADJ\n  !=soluble


Words: insolvency
Meaning:
in.sol.ven.cy\n   insolvency  insolvencies\n  Insolvency is the state of not having enough money to pay your debts. (BUSINESS FORMAL)\n...companies on the brink of insolvency...\n  N-VAR


Words: insolvent
Meaning:
in.sol.vent\n   insolvent\n  A person or organization that is insolvent does not have enough money to pay their debts. (BUSINESS FORMAL)\nThe bank was declared insolvent.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: insomnia
Meaning:
in.som.nia\n   insomnia\n  Someone who suffers from insomnia finds it difficult to sleep.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: insomniac
Meaning:
in.som.ni.ac\n   insomniac  insomniacs\n  An insomniac is a person who finds it difficult to sleep.\n  N-COUNT


Words: insouciance
Meaning:
in.sou.ci.ance\n   insouciance\n  Insouciance is lack of concern shown by someone about something which they might be expected to take more seriously. (FORMAL)\nHe replied with characteristic insouciance: `So what?’\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = nonchalance


Words: insouciant
Meaning:
in.sou.ci.ant\n   insouciant\n  An insouciant action or quality shows someone’s lack of concern about something which they might be expected to take more seriously. (FORMAL)\nProgramme-makers seem irresponsibly insouciant about churning out violence.\n  ADJ\n  = nonchalant


Words: Insp.
Meaning:
Insp. is the written abbreviation for Inspector when it is used as a title.\n...Insp John Downs.\n  N-TITLE


Words: inspect
Meaning:
in.spect\n   inspect  inspects  inspecting  inspected\n1. If you inspect something, you look at every part of it carefully in order to find out about it or check that it is all right.\nElaine went outside to inspect the playing field...\n  VERB: V n\n  = examine\n=>  in.spec.tion      inspections\nHe had completed his inspection of the doors...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. When an official inspects a place or a group of people, they visit it and check it carefully, for example in order to find out whether regulations are being obeyed.\nThe Public Utilities Commission inspects us once a year...\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  in.spec.tion\nOfficers making a routine inspection of the vessel found fifty kilograms of the drug.\n  N-VAR


Words: inspector
Meaning:
in.spec.tor\n   inspector  inspectors\n1. An inspector is a person, usually employed by a government agency, whose job is to find out whether people are obeying official regulations.\nThe mill was finally shut down by state safety inspectors.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In Britain, an inspector is an officer in the police who is higher in rank than a sergeant and lower in rank than a superintendent.\nI got on the phone to Inspector Joplin at Scotland Yard.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE; N-VOC\n\n3. In the United States, an inspector is an officer in the police who is next in rank to a superintendent or police chief.\n...San Francisco police inspector Tony Camileri.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE; N-VOC


Words: inspectorate
Meaning:
in.spec.tor.ate\n   inspectorate  inspectorates\n  An inspectorate is a group of inspectors who work on the same issue or area.\n...the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp


Words: inspiration
Meaning:
in.spi.ra.tion\n   inspiration  inspirations\n1. Inspiration is a feeling of enthusiasm you get from someone or something, which gives you new and creative ideas.\nMy inspiration comes from poets like Baudelaire and Jacques Prevert...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you describe someone or something good as an inspiration, you mean that they make you or other people want to do or achieve something.\nPowell’s unusual journey to high office is an inspiration to millions...\n  N-SING: an N, oft N to n  approval\n\n3. If something or someone is the inspiration for a particular book, work of art, or action, they are the source of the ideas in it or act as a model for it.\nIndia’s myths and songs are the inspiration for her books...\n  N-SING: oft the N for/behind n\n\n4. If you suddenly have an inspiration, you suddenly think of an idea of what to do or say.\nAlison had an inspiration.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inspirational
Meaning:
in.spi.ra.tion.al\n   inspirational\n  Something that is inspirational provides you with inspiration.\nGandhi was an inspirational figure...\n  ADJ  approval


Words: inspire
Meaning:
in.spire\n   inspire  inspires  inspiring  inspired\n1. If someone or something inspires you to do something new or unusual, they make you want to do it.\nOur challenge is to motivate those voters and inspire them to join our cause...\n  VERB: V n to-inf\n\n2. If someone or something inspires you, they give you new ideas and a strong feeling of enthusiasm.\nJimi Hendrix inspired a generation of guitarists.\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. If a book, work of art, or action is inspired by something, that thing is the source of the idea for it.\nThe book was inspired by a real person, namely Tamara de Treaux.\n...a political murder inspired by the same nationalist conflicts now wrecking the country.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed by n, V-ed\n\n=>  -inspired\n...Mediterranean-inspired ceramics in bright yellow and blue...\n  COMB in ADJ\n\n4. Someone or something that inspires a particular emotion or reaction in people makes them feel this emotion or reaction.\nThe car’s performance quickly inspires confidence.\n  VERB: V n


Words: inspiring
Meaning:
in.spir.ing\n   inspiring\n  Something or someone that is inspiring is exciting and makes you feel strongly interested and enthusiastic...\nShe was one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met...\n  ADJ


Words: Inst.
Meaning:
Inst. is a written abbreviation for Institute or Institution.\n...the Liverpool Inst. of Higher Ed.\n  N-IN-NAMES


Words: instability
Meaning:
in.stabil.ity\n   instability  instabilities\n  Instability is the quality of being unstable.\n...unpopular policies, which resulted in social discontent and political instability.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl\n  !=stability


Words: install
Meaning:
in.stall\n   install  installs  installing  installed   also instal\n1. If you install a piece of equipment, you fit it or put it somewhere so that it is ready to be used.\nThey had installed a new phone line in the apartment.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  in.stal.la.tion\nHundreds of lives could be saved if the installation of alarms was more widespread.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n\n\n2. If someone is installed in a new job or important position, they are officially given the job or position, often in a special ceremony.\nA new Catholic bishop was installed in Galway yesterday...\nProfessor Sawyer was formally installed as President last Thursday...\nThe army has promised to install a new government within a week.\n  VERB: be V-ed, be V-ed as n, V n\n\n=>  in.stal.la.tion\nHe sent a letter inviting Naomi to attend his installation as chief of his tribe.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft with poss, N as n\n\n3. If you install yourself in a particular place, you settle there and make yourself comfortable. (FORMAL)\nBefore her husband’s death she had installed herself in a modern villa.\n  VERB: V pron-refl prep/adv


Words: installation
Meaning:
in.stal.la.tion\n   installation  installations\n  An installation is a place that contains equipment and machinery which are being used for a particular purpose.\n...a nuclear installation.\n  N-COUNT: usu supp N\n\n  see also install


Words: installment plan
Meaning:
in.stall.ment plan\n   installment plan  installment plans\n  An installment plan is a way of buying goods gradually. You make regular payments to the seller until, after some time, you have paid the full price and the goods belong to you. (AM; in BRIT, use hire purchase)\n  N-COUNT


Words: instalment
Meaning:
in.stal.ment\n   instalment  instalments\nin AM, use installment\n1. If you pay for something in instalments, you pay small sums of money at regular intervals over a period of time, rather than paying the whole amount at once.\nThe first instalment of .1 per share is payable on application.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. An instalment of a story or plan is one of its parts that are published or carried out separately one after the other.\n...the disappointing third instalment of the Highlander series.\n  N-COUNT\n  = part


Words: instance
Meaning:
in.stance\n   instance  instances\n1. You use for instance to introduce a particular event, situation, or person that is an example of what you are talking about.\nThere are a number of improvements; for instance, both mouse buttons can now be used...\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl/group\n\n2. An instance is a particular example or occurrence of something.\n...an investigation into a serious instance of corruption.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. You say in the first instance to mention something that is the first step in a series of actions.\nIn the first instance your child will be seen by an ear, nose and throat specialist...\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl


Words: instant
Meaning:
in.stant\n   instant  instants\n1. An instant is an extremely short period of time.\nFor an instant, Catherine was tempted to flee...\nThe pain disappeared in an instant.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n  = moment\n2. If you say that something happens at a particular instant, you mean that it happens at exactly the time you have been referring to, and you are usually suggesting that it happens quickly or immediately.\nAt that instant the museum was plunged into total darkness...\n  N-SING: with supp, usu at/in N\n  = moment\n3. To do something the instant something else happens means to do it immediately.\nI had bolted the door the instant I had seen the bat.\n  PHRASE  emphasis\n\n4. You use instant to describe something that happens immediately.\nHe had taken an instant dislike to Mortlake.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = immediate\n=>  in.stant.ly\nThe man was killed instantly...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj\n\n5. Instant food is food that you can prepare very quickly, for example by just adding water.\n...instant coffee.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: instant replay
Meaning:
in.stant re.play\n   instant replay  instant replays\n  An instant replay is a repeated showing, usually in slow motion, of an event that has just been on television. (AM; in BRIT, use action replay)\n  N-COUNT


Words: instantaneous
Meaning:
in.stan.ta.neous\n   instantaneous\n  Something that is instantaneous happens immediately and very quickly.\nDeath was instantaneous because both bullets hit the heart.\n  ADJ\n  = immediate\n=>  in.stan.ta.neous.ly\nAirbags inflate instantaneously on impact.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: instead
Meaning:
in.stead\n   instead\n1. If you do one thing instead of another, you do the first thing and not the second thing, as the result of a choice or a change of behaviour.\nThey raised prices and cut production, instead of cutting costs...\nInstead of going to work thinking that it will be totally boring, try to be positive.\n  PREP-PHRASE: PREP n/-ing\n\n2. If you do not do something, but do something else instead, you do the second thing and not the first thing, as the result of a choice or a change of behaviour.\nMy husband asked why I couldn’t just forget about dieting all the time and eat normally instead.\n  ADV: ADV with cl


Words: instep
Meaning:
in.step\n   instep  insteps\n  Your instep is the middle part of your foot, where it arches upwards.\n  N-COUNT


Words: instigate
Meaning:
in.sti.gate\n   instigate  instigates  instigating  instigated\n  Someone who instigates an event causes it to happen.\nJenkinson instigated a refurbishment of the old gallery...\n  VERB: V n\n  = initiate\n=>  in.sti.ga.tion\nThe talks are taking place at the instigation of Germany...\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu at/on N with poss


Words: instigator
Meaning:
in.sti.ga.tor\n   instigator  instigators\n  The instigator of an event is the person who causes it to happen.\nHe was accused of being the main instigator of the coup.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n


Words: instil
Meaning:
in.stil\n   instil  instils  instilling  instilled\nin AM, use instill\n  If you instil an idea or feeling in someone, especially over a period of time, you make them think it or feel it.\nThey hope that their work will instil a sense of responsibility in children...\nThe motive of the executions would be to instil fear.\n  VERB: V n in/into n, V n


Words: instinct
Meaning:
in.stinct\n   instinct  instincts\n1. Instinct is the natural tendency that a person or animal has to behave or react in a particular way.\nI didn’t have as strong a maternal instinct as some other mothers...\nHe always knew what time it was, as if by instinct.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If you have an instinct for something, you are naturally good at it or able to do it.\nFarmers are increasingly losing touch with their instinct for managing the land...\n  N-COUNT: oft N for n/-ing, N to-inf\n  = aptitude\n3. If it is your instinct to do something, you feel that it is right to do it.\nI should’ve gone with my first instinct, which was not to do the interview...\n  N-VAR: usu with poss, oft N to-inf\n\n4. Instinct is a feeling that you have that something is the case, rather than an opinion or idea based on facts.\nHe seems so honest and genuine and my every instinct says he’s not.\n  N-VAR: oft N that\n  = intuition


Words: instinctive
Meaning:
in.stinc.tive\n   instinctive\n  An instinctive feeling, idea, or action is one that you have or do without thinking or reasoning.\nIt’s an absolutely instinctive reaction.if a child falls you pick it up...\n  ADJ\n  = natural\n=>  in.stinc.tive.ly\nJane instinctively knew all was not well with her 10-month old son.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: instinctual
Meaning:
in.stinc.tual\n   instinctual\n  An instinctual feeling, action, or idea is one based on instinct. (WRITTEN)\nThe relationship between a parent and a child is instinctual and stems from basic human nature.\n  ADJ\n  = instinctive


Words: institute
Meaning:
in.sti.tute\n   institute  institutes  instituting  instituted\n1. An institute is an organization set up to do a particular type of work, especially research or teaching. You can also use institute to refer to the building the organization occupies.\n...an elite research institute devoted to computer software...\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES\n\n2. If you institute a system, rule, or course of action, you start it. (FORMAL)\nWe will institute a number of measures to better safeguard the public...\n  VERB: V n


Words: institution
Meaning:
in.sti.tu.tion\n   institution  institutions\n1. An institution is a large important organization such as a university, church, or bank.\nThe Hong Kong Bank is Hong Kong’s largest financial institution.\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES\n\n2. An institution is a building where certain people are looked after, for example people who are mentally ill or children who have no parents.\nLarry has been in an institution since he was four...\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES\n\n3. An institution is a custom or system that is considered an important or typical feature of a particular society or group, usually because it has existed for a long time.\nI believe in the institution of marriage.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n4. The institution of a new system is the act of starting it or bringing it in.\nThere was never an official institution of censorship in Albania.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n


Words: institutional
Meaning:
in.sti.tu.tion.al\n   institutional\n1. Institutional means relating to a large organization, for example a university, bank, or church.\nThe share price will be determined by bidding from institutional investors.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. Institutional means relating to a building where people are looked after or held.\nOutside the protected environment of institutional care he could not survive.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. An institutional value or quality is considered an important and typical feature of a particular society or group, usually because it has existed for a long time.\n...social and institutional values.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: institutionalize
Meaning:
in.sti.tu.tion.al.ize\n   institutionalize  institutionalizes  institutionalizing  institutionalized\nin BRIT, also use institutionalise\n1. If someone such as a sick, mentally ill, or old person is institutionalized, they are sent to stay in a special hospital or home, usually for a long period.\nShe became seriously ill and had to be institutionalized for a lengthy period.\n...institutionalized kids with medical problems.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed, V-ed\n\n=>  in.sti.tu.tion.ali.za.tion\nInstitutionalization was necessary when his wife became both blind and violent.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. To institutionalize something means to establish it as part of a culture, social system, or organization.\nThe goal is to institutionalize family planning into community life...\nIn the first century there was no such thing as institutionalized religion.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n\n=>  in.sti.tu.tion.ali.za.tion\n...the institutionalization of social change.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: instruct
Meaning:
in.struct\n   instruct  instructs  instructing  instructed\n1. If you instruct someone to do something, you formally tell them to do it. (FORMAL)\nThe family has instructed solicitors to sue Thomson for compensation...\n`Go and have a word with her, Ken,’ Webb instructed...\nI want you to instruct them that they’ve got three months to get the details sorted out.\n  VERB: V n to-inf, V with quote, V n that, also V n with quote\n\n2. Someone who instructs people in a subject or skill teaches it to them.\nHe instructed family members in nursing techniques.\n  VERB: V n in/on n, also V


Words: instruction
Meaning:
in.struc.tion\n   instruction  instructions\n1. An instruction is something that someone tells you to do.\nTwo lawyers were told not to leave the building but no reason for this instruction was given.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If someone gives you instruction in a subject or skill, they teach it to you. (FORMAL)\nEach candidate is given instruction in safety...\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp\n\n3. Instructions are clear and detailed information on how to do something.\nAlways read the instructions before you start taking the medicine.\n  N-PLURAL


Words: instructional
Meaning:
in.struc.tion.al\n   instructional\n  Instructional books or films are meant to teach people something or to offer them help with a particular problem.\n...instructional material designed to help you with your lifestyle...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: instructive
Meaning:
in.struc.tive\n   instructive\n  Something that is instructive gives useful information.\n...an entertaining and instructive documentary.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf\n  = informative


Words: instructor
Meaning:
in.struc.tor\n   instructor  instructors\n  An instructor is someone who teaches a skill such as driving or skiing. In American English, instructor can also be used to refer to a schoolteacher or to a university teacher of low rank.\n...tuition from an approved driving instructor.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N


Words: instrument
Meaning:
in.stru.ment\n   instrument  instruments\n1. An instrument is a tool or device that is used to do a particular task, especially a scientific task.\n...instruments for cleaning and polishing teeth...\nThe environment itself will at the same time be measured by about 60 scientific instruments.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n2. A musical instrument is an object such as a piano, guitar, or flute, which you play in order to produce music.\nLearning a musical instrument introduces a child to an understanding of music.\n  N-COUNT: oft supp N\n\n3. An instrument is a device that is used for making measurements of something such as speed, height, or sound, for example on a ship or plane or in a car.\n...crucial instruments on the control panel.\n  N-COUNT: oft supp N\n\n4. Something that is an instrument for achieving a particular aim is used by people to achieve that aim.\nThe veto has been a traditional instrument of diplomacy for centuries.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n5.\n  see also stringed instrument, wind instrument


Words: instrument panel
Meaning:
in.stru.ment pan.el\n   instrument panel  instrument panels\n  The instrument panel of a plane, car, or machine is the panel where the dials and switches are located.\n  N-COUNT


Words: instrumental
Meaning:
in.stru.men.tal\n   instrumental  instrumentals\n1. Someone or something that is instrumental in a process or event helps to make it happen.\nIn his first years as chairman he was instrumental in raising the company’s wider profile...\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ in -ing\n\n2. Instrumental music is performed by instruments and not by voices.\n...a cassette recording of vocal and instrumental music.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  Instrumentals are pieces of instrumental music.\nThe last track on the CD is an instrumental.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: instrumentalist
Meaning:
in.stru.men.tal.ist\n   instrumentalist  instrumentalists\n  An instrumentalist is someone who plays a musical instrument.\n  N-COUNT\n  = musician


Words: instrumentation
Meaning:
in.stru.men.ta.tion\n   instrumentation\n  Instrumentation is a group or collection of instruments, usually ones that are part of the same machine.\nBasic flight instrumentation was similar on both planes...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: insubordinate
Meaning:
in.sub.or.di.nate\n   insubordinate\n  If you say that someone is insubordinate, you mean that they do not obey someone of higher rank. (FORMAL)\nIn industry, a worker who is grossly insubordinate is threatened with discharge.\n  ADJ


Words: insubordination
Meaning:
in.sub.or.di.na.tion\n   insubordination\n  Insubordination is a refusal to obey someone of higher rank. (FORMAL)\nHansen and his partner were fired for insubordination.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: insubstantial
Meaning:
in.sub.stan.tial\n   insubstantial\n  Something that is insubstantial is not large, solid, or strong.\nMars has an insubstantial atmosphere, consisting almost entirely of carbon dioxide...\n  ADJ


Words: insufferable
Meaning:
in.suf.fer.able\n   insufferable\n  If you say that someone or something is insufferable, you are emphasizing that they are very unpleasant or annoying. (FORMAL)\nHe was an insufferable bore.\n  ADJ  emphasis\n  = unbearable\n=>  in.suf.fer.ably\nHis letters are insufferably dull...\n  ADV: ADV adj


Words: insufficient
Meaning:
in.suf.fi.cient\n   insufficient\n  Something that is insufficient is not large enough in amount or degree for a particular purpose. (FORMAL)\nHe decided there was insufficient evidence to justify criminal proceedings...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to-inf, ADJ for n\n  = inadequate\n=>  in.suf.fi.cien.cy\nLate miscarriages are usually not due to hormonal insufficiency.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  in.suf.fi.cient.ly\nFood that is insufficiently cooked can lead to food poisoning.\n  ADV: ADV adj/-ed


Words: insular
Meaning:
in.su.lar\n   insular\n  If you say that someone is insular, you are being critical of them because they are unwilling to meet new people or to consider new ideas.\n...the old image of the insular, xenophobic Brit.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n\n=>  in.su.lar.ity\nBut at least they have started to break out of their old insularity.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: insulate
Meaning:
in.su.late\n   insulate  insulates  insulating  insulated\n1. If a person or group is insulated from the rest of society or from outside influences, they are protected from them.\nThey wonder if their community is no longer insulated from big city problems...\nTheir wealth had insulated them from reality.\n  VERB: be V-ed from/against n, V n from/against n\n  = shield\n=>  in.su.la.tion\nThey lived in happy insulation from brutal facts.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. To insulate something such as a building means to protect it from cold or noise by covering it or surrounding it in a thick layer.\nIt will take almost 25 years to insulate the homes of the six million households that require this assistance...\nIs there any way we can insulate our home from the noise?...\nAre your hot and cold water pipes well insulated?\n  VERB: V n, V n from/against n, V-ed\n\n3. If a piece of equipment is insulated, it is covered with rubber or plastic to prevent electricity passing through it and giving the person using it an electric shock.\nIn order to make it safe, the element is electrically insulated.\n  VERB: be V-ed


Words: insulation
Meaning:
in.su.la.tion\n   insulation\n  Insulation is a thick layer of a substance that keeps something warm, especially a building.\nHigh electricity bills point to a poor heating system or bad insulation...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  see also insulate


Words: insulator
Meaning:
in.su.la.tor\n   insulator  insulators\n  An insulator is a material that insulates something.\nFat is an excellent insulator against the cold.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: insulin
Meaning:
in.su.lin\n   insulin\n  Insulin is a substance that most people produce naturally in their body and which controls the level of sugar in their blood.\nIn diabetes the body produces insufficient insulin.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: insult
Meaning:
in.sult\n   insult insults insulting  insulted\nThe verb is pronounced   The noun is pronounced\n1. If someone insults you, they say or do something that is rude or offensive.\nI did not mean to insult you...\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  in.sult.ed\nI would be a bit insulted if he said anything like that.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n\n2. An insult is a rude remark, or something a person says or does which insults you.\nTheir behaviour was an insult to the people they represent...\n  N-COUNT: oft N to n\n\n3. You say to add insult to injury when mentioning an action or fact that makes an unfair or unacceptable situation even worse.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR with cl


Words: insulting
Meaning:
in.sult.ing\n   insulting\n  Something that is insulting is rude or offensive.\nThe article was insulting to the families of British citizens...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n\n  = offensive\n=>  in.sult.ing.ly\nAnthony laughed loudly and insultingly...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj


Words: insuperable
Meaning:
in.su.per.able\n   insuperable\n  A problem that is insuperable cannot be dealt with successfully. (FORMAL)\n...an insuperable obstacle to negotiations.\n  ADJ\n  = insurmountable


Words: insupportable
Meaning:
in.sup.port.able\n   insupportable\n  If you say that something is insupportable, you mean that it cannot be coped with or accepted. (FORMAL)\nToo much spending on rearmament would place an insupportable burden on the nation’s productive capacity...\nLife without Anna had no savour, was tedious, insupportable.\n  ADJ\n  = intolerable


Words: insurance
Meaning:
in.sur.ance\n   insurance  insurances\n1. Insurance is an arrangement in which you pay money to a company, and they pay money to you if something unpleasant happens to you, for example if your property is stolen or damaged, or if you get a serious illness.\nThe insurance company paid out for the stolen jewellery and silver...\nWe recommend that you take out travel insurance on all holidays.\n  N-VAR: oft N n\n\n2. If you do something as insurance against something unpleasant happening, you do it to protect yourself in case the unpleasant thing happens.\nThe country needs a defence capability as insurance against the unexpected.\n  N-VAR: usu N against n


Words: insurance adjuster
Meaning:
in.sur.ance ad.just.er\n   insurance adjuster  insurance adjusters\n  An insurance adjuster is the same as a claims adjuster. (AM BUSINESS; in BRIT, use loss adjuster)\n  N-COUNT


Words: insure
Meaning:
in.sure\n   insure  insures  insuring  insured\n1. If you insure yourself or your property, you pay money to an insurance company so that, if you become ill or if your property is damaged or stolen, the company will pay you a sum of money.\nFor protection against unforeseen emergencies, you insure your house, your furnishings and your car...\nThink carefully before you insure against accident, sickness and redundancy...\nWe automatically insure your belongings against fire and theft.\n  VERB: V n, V against/for n, V n against/for n\n\n2. If you insure yourself against something unpleasant that might happen in the future, you do something to protect yourself in case it happens, or to prevent it happening.\nHe insured himself against failure by treating only people he was sure he could cure...\nAll the electronics in the world cannot insure against accidents, though.\n  VERB: V pron-refl against n, V against n\n\n3.\n  see also ensure


Words: insured
Meaning:
in.sured\n   insured  insured\n  The insured is the person who is insured by a particular policy. (LEGAL)\nOnce the insured has sold his policy, he naturally loses all rights to it.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, the N


Words: insurer
Meaning:
in.sur.er\n   insurer  insurers\n  An insurer is a company that sells insurance. (BUSINESS)\n  N-COUNT


Words: insurgency
Meaning:
in.sur.gen.cy\n   insurgency  insurgencies\n  An insurgency is a violent attempt to oppose a country’s government carried out by citizens of that country. (FORMAL)\nHe has led a violent armed insurgency for 15 years.\n  N-VAR\n  = uprising, insurrection


Words: insurgent
Meaning:
in.sur.gent\n   insurgent  insurgents\n  Insurgents are people who are fighting against the government or army of their own country. (FORMAL)\nBy early yesterday, the insurgents had taken control of the country’s main military air base.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n  = rebel


Words: insurmountable
Meaning:
in.sur.mount.able\n   insurmountable\n  A problem that is insurmountable is so great that it cannot be dealt with successfully.\nThe crisis doesn’t seem like an insurmountable problem.\n  ADJ\n  = insuperable


Words: insurrection
Meaning:
in.sur.rec.tion\n   insurrection  insurrections\n  An insurrection is violent action that is taken by a large group of people against the rulers of their country, usually in order to remove them from office. (FORMAL)\nThey were plotting to stage an armed insurrection.\n  N-VAR\n  = uprising, insurgency


Words: intact
Meaning:
in.tact\n   intact\n  Something that is intact is complete and has not been damaged or changed.\nMost of the cargo was left intact after the explosion...\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: intake
Meaning:
in.take\n   intake  intakes\n1. Your intake of a particular kind of food, drink, or air is the amount that you eat, drink, or breathe in.\nYour intake of alcohol should not exceed two units per day...\n  N-SING: with supp, oft N of n\n\n2. The people who are accepted into an organization or place at a particular time are referred to as a particular intake.\n...one of this year’s intake of students...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, with supp, oft N of n


Words: intangible
Meaning:
in.tan.gible\n   intangible  intangibles\n  Something that is intangible is abstract or is hard to define or measure.\nThere are intangible benefits beyond a rise in the share price.\n  ADJ\n\n  You can refer to intangible things as intangibles.\nWomen workers place more importance on intangibles such as a sense of achievement.\n  N-PLURAL


Words: integer
Meaning:
in.te.ger\n   integer  integers\n  In mathematics, an integer is an exact whole number such as 1, 7, or 24 as opposed to a number with fractions or decimals. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: integral
Meaning:
in.te.gral\n   integral\n  Something that is an integral part of something is an essential part of that thing.\nRituals and festivals form an integral part of every human society...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n\n  = basic, fundamental


Words: integrate
Meaning:
in.te.grate\n   integrate  integrates  integrating  integrated\n1. If someone integrates into a social group, or is integrated into it, they behave in such a way that they become part of the group or are accepted into it.\nHe didn’t integrate successfully into the Italian way of life...\nIntegrating the kids with the community, finding them a role, is essential...\nThe way Swedes integrate immigrants is, she feels, 100% more advanced...\nIf they want to integrate, that’s fine with me.\n  VERB: V into/with n, V n into/with n, V n, V\n\n=>  in.te.grat.ed\nHe thinks we are living in a fully integrated, supportive society.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.te.gra.tion\n...the integration of disabled people into mainstream society.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n\n\n2. When races integrate or when schools and organizations are integrated, people who are black or belong to ethnic minorities can join white people in their schools and organizations. (AM)\nSchools came to us because they wanted to integrate...\nEncouraging teacher transfer would not, by itself, integrate the teaching corps.\n  VERB: V, V n\n\n=>  in.te.grat.ed\n...a black honor student in Chicago’s integrated Lincoln Park High School.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  in.te.gra.tion\nLots of people in Chicago don’t see that racial border. They see progress towards integration.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. If you integrate one thing with another, or one thing integrates with another, the two things become closely linked or form part of a whole idea or system. You can also say that two things integrate.\nIntegrating the pound with other European currencies could cause difficulties...\nAnn wanted the conservatory to integrate with the kitchen...\nLittle attempt was made to integrate the parts into a coherent whole...\nTalks will now begin about integrating the activities of both companies.\n  V-RECIP: V n with n, V with n, V pl-n into n, V pl-n, also pl-n V\n\n=>  in.te.grat.ed\nThere is, he said, a lack of an integrated national transport policy.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.te.gra.tion\nWith Germany, France has been the prime mover behind closer European integration.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp, oft adj N


Words: integrated
Meaning:
in.te.grat.ed\n   integrated\n  An integrated institution is intended for use by all races or religious groups.\nWe believe that pupils of integrated schools will have more tolerant attitudes.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=segregated\n  see also integrate


Words: integrated circuit
Meaning:
in.te.grat.ed cir.cuit\n   integrated circuit  integrated circuits\n  An integrated circuit is a very small electronic circuit printed on a single silicon chip. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: integrity
Meaning:
in.teg.rity\n   integrity\n1. If you have integrity, you are honest and firm in your moral principles.\nI have always regarded him as a man of integrity...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. The integrity of something such as a group of people or a text is its state of being a united whole. (FORMAL)\nSeparatist movements are a threat to the integrity of the nation.\n  N-UNCOUNT: with poss


Words: intellect
Meaning:
in.tel.lect\n   intellect  intellects\n1. Intellect is the ability to understand or deal with ideas and information.\nDo the emotions develop in parallel with the intellect?...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. Intellect is the quality of being very intelligent or clever.\nHer intellect is famed far and wide...\n  N-VAR: oft poss N


Words: intellectual
Meaning:
in.tel.lec.tual\n   intellectual  intellectuals\n1. Intellectual means involving a person’s ability to think and to understand ideas and information.\nHigh levels of lead could damage the intellectual development of children...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  in.tel.lec.tual.ly\n...intellectually satisfying work...\n  ADV: usu ADV adj/-ed, ADV after v\n\n2. An intellectual is someone who spends a lot of time studying and thinking about complicated ideas.\n...teachers, artists and other intellectuals.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  Intellectual is also an adjective.\nThey were very intellectual and witty.\n  ADJ


Words: intellectualize
Meaning:
in.tel.lec.tu.al.ize\n   intellectualize  intellectualizes  intellectualizing  intellectualized\nin BRIT, also use intellectualise\n  If someone intellectualizes a subject or issue, they consider it in an intellectual way, often when this is not appropriate.\nI tended to mistrust my emotions and intellectualize everything.\n  VERB: V n


Words: intelligence
Meaning:
in.tel.li.gence\n   intelligence\n1. Intelligence is the quality of being intelligent or clever.\nShe’s a woman of exceptional intelligence.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Intelligence is the ability to think, reason, and understand instead of doing things automatically or by instinct.\nNerve cells, after all, do not have intelligence of their own.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. Intelligence is information that is gathered by the government or the army about their country’s enemies and their activities.\nWhy was military intelligence so lacking?\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: intelligent
Meaning:
in.tel.li.gent\n   intelligent\n1. A person or animal that is intelligent has the ability to think, understand, and learn things quickly and well.\nSusan’s a very bright and intelligent woman who knows her own mind.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.tel.li.gent.ly\nThey are incapable of thinking intelligently about politics.\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj\n\n2. Something that is intelligent has the ability to think and understand instead of doing things automatically or by instinct.\nAn intelligent computer will be an indispensable diagnostic tool for doctors.\n  ADJ


Words: intelligentsia
Meaning:
in.tel.li.gent.sia\n   intelligentsia\n  The intelligentsia in a country or community are the most educated people there, especially those interested in the arts, philosophy, and politics.\n  N-SING-COLL: usu the N


Words: intelligible
Meaning:
in.tel.li.gi.ble\n   intelligible\n  Something that is intelligible can be understood.\nThe language of Darwin was intelligible to experts and non-experts alike...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n\n  !=unintelligible


Words: intemperate
Meaning:
in.tem.per.ate\n   intemperate\n  If you describe someone’s words as intemperate, you are critical of them because they are too forceful and uncontrolled. (FORMAL)\nThe tone of the article is intemperate.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = extreme


Words: intend
Meaning:
in.tend\n   intend  intends  intending  intended\n1. If you intend to do something, you have decided or planned to do it.\nShe intends to do A levels and go to university...\nI didn’t intend coming to Germany to work...\nWe had always intended that the new series would be live.\n  VERB: V to-inf, V -ing, V that\n\n2. If something is intended for a particular purpose, it has been planned to fulfil that purpose. If something is intended for a particular person, it has been planned to be used by that person or to affect them in some way.\nThis money is intended for the development of the tourist industry...\nColumns are usually intended in architecture to add grandeur and status...\nOriginally, Hatfield had been intended as a leisure complex.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed for n, be V-ed to-inf, be V-ed as n\n\n3. If you intend a particular idea or feeling in something that you say or do, you want to express it or want it to be understood.\nHe didn’t intend any sarcasm...\nBurke’s response seemed a little patronizing, though he undoubtedly hadn’t intended it that way...\nThis sounds like a barrage of accusation.I don’t intend it to be...\nI think he intended it as a put-down comment.\n  VERB: V n, V n n, V n to-inf, V n prep\n  = mean


Words: intended
Meaning:
in.tend.ed\n   intended\n  You use intended to describe the thing you are trying to achieve or person you are trying to affect.\nThe intended target had been a military building...\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: intense
Meaning:
in.tense\n   intense\n1. Intense is used to describe something that is very great or extreme in strength or degree.\nHe was sweating from the intense heat...\nHis threats become more intense, agitated, and frequent.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.tense.ly\nThe fast-food business is intensely competitive.\n  ADV\n\n=>  in.ten.sity      intensities\nThe attack was anticipated but its intensity came as a shock.\n  N-VAR: usu with poss\n\n2. If you describe an activity as intense, you mean that it is very serious and concentrated, and often involves doing a great deal in a short time.\nThe battle for third place was intense...\n  ADJ\n\n3. If you describe the way someone looks at you as intense, you mean that they look at you very directly and seem to know what you are thinking or feeling.\nI felt so self-conscious under Luke’s mother’s intense gaze...\n  ADJ\n  = piercing\n=>  in.tense.ly\nHe sipped his drink, staring intensely at me.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n4. If you describe a person as intense, you mean that they appear to concentrate very hard on everything that they do, and they feel and show their emotions in a very extreme way.\nI know he’s an intense player, but he does enjoy what he’s doing...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.ten.sity\nHis intensity and the ferocity of his feelings alarmed me.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: intensifier
Meaning:
in.ten.si.fi.er\n   intensifier  intensifiers\n  In grammar, an intensifier is a word such as `very’ or `extremely’ which you can put in front of an adjective or adverb in order to make its meaning stronger. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: intensify
Meaning:
in.ten.si.fy\n   intensify  intensifies  intensifying  intensified\n  If you intensify something or if it intensifies, it becomes greater in strength, amount, or degree.\nBritain is intensifying its efforts to secure the release of the hostages...\nThe conflict is almost bound to intensify...\n  VERB: V n, V\n  = increase\n=>  in.ten.si.fi.ca.tion\nThe country was on the verge of collapse because of the intensification of violent rebel attacks.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: intensive
Meaning:
in.ten.sive\n   intensive\n1. Intensive activity involves concentrating a lot of effort or people on one particular task in order to try to achieve a great deal in a short time.\n...several days and nights of intensive negotiations...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  in.ten.sive.ly\nRuth’s parents opted to educate her intensively at home.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. Intensive farming involves producing as many crops or animals as possible from your land, usually with the aid of chemicals.\n...intensive methods of rearing poultry.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  in.ten.sive.ly\nWill they farm the rest of their land less intensively?\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: intensive care
Meaning:
in.ten.sive care\n   intensive care\n  If someone is in intensive care, they are being given extremely thorough care in a hospital because they are very ill or very badly injured.\nShe spent the night in intensive care after the operation.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu in N


Words: intent
Meaning:
in.tent\n   intent  intents\n1. If you are intent on doing something, you are eager and determined to do it.\nThe rebels are obviously intent on keeping up the pressure...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ on/upon -ing\n\n2. If someone does something in an intent way, they pay great attention to what they are doing. (WRITTEN)\nShe looked from one intent face to another...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ on/upon n\n\n=>  in.tent.ly\nHe listened intently, then slammed down the phone.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n3. A person’s intent is their intention to do something. (FORMAL)\n...a strong statement of intent on arms control...\n  N-VAR\n\n4. You say to all intents and purposes to suggest that a situation is not exactly as you describe it but the effect is the same as if it were.\nTo all intents and purposes he was my father.\n  PHRASE: usu PHR with cl


Words: intention
Meaning:
in.ten.tion\n   intention  intentions\n1. An intention is an idea or plan of what you are going to do.\nBeveridge announced his intention of standing for parliament...\nUnfortunately, his good intentions never seemed to last long.\n  N-VAR: oft N of -ing, N to-inf\n\n2. If you say that you have no intention of doing something, you are emphasizing that you are not going to do it. If you say that you have every intention of doing something, you are emphasizing that you intend to do it.\nWe have no intention of buying American jets...\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR -ing  emphasis


Words: intentional
Meaning:
in.ten.tion.al\n   intentional\n  Something that is intentional is deliberate.\nHow can I blame him? It wasn’t intentional.\n  ADJ\n  = deliberate  !=accidental\n=>  in.ten.tion.al.ly\nI’ve never intentionally hurt anyone...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj


Words: inter
Meaning:
in.ter\n   inter  inters  interring  interred\n  When a dead person is interred, they are buried. (FORMAL)\n...the spot where his bones were originally interred.\n  VERB: be V-ed, also V n


Words: inter alia
Meaning:
in.ter alia\n   inter alia\n  You use inter alia, meaning `among other things’, when you want to say that there are other things involved apart from the one you are mentioning. (FORMAL)\n...a collector who had, inter alia, 900 engraved gems, 59 marble busts, and over 2,500 coins and medals.\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl


Words: inter-
Meaning:
inter-\n  Inter- combines with adjectives and nouns to form adjectives indicating that something connects two or more places, things, or groups of people. For example, inter-governmental relations are relations between governments.\nHe hopes to be able to announce a date for inter-party talks.\n...a policy of encouraging inter-racial marriage.\n  PREFIX


Words: interact
Meaning:
inter.act\n   interact  interacts  interacting  interacted\n1. When people interact with each other or interact, they communicate as they work or spend time together.\nWhile the other children interacted and played together, Ted ignored them.\n...rhymes and songs to help parents interact with their babies.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n\n\n=>  inter.ac.tion      interactions\n...our experience of informal social interaction among adults.\n  N-VAR: oft N prep\n\n2. When people interact with computers, or when computers interact with other machines, information or instructions are exchanged.\nMillions of people want new, simplified ways of interacting with a computer...\nThere will be a true global village in which telephones, computers and televisions interact.\n  VERB: V with n, pl-n V\n\n=>  inter.ac.tion      interactions\n...experts on human-computer interaction.\n  N-VAR: usu with supp\n\n3. When one thing interacts with another or two things interact, the two things affect each other’s behaviour or condition.\nYou have to understand how cells interact...\nAtoms within the fluid interact with the minerals that form the grains.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n\n\n=>  inter.ac.tion\n...the interaction between physical and emotional illness.\n  N-VAR: oft N prep


Words: interactive
Meaning:
inter.ac.tive\n   interactive\n1. An interactive computer program or television system is one which allows direct communication between the user and the machine.\nThis will make videogames more interactive than ever.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  inter.ac.tiv.ity\n...cable broadcast companies that offer interactivity.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you describe a group of people or their activities as interactive, you mean that the people communicate with each other.\n...flexible, interactive teaching in the classroom.\n  ADJ


Words: intercede
Meaning:
inter.cede\n   intercede  intercedes  interceding  interceded\n  If you intercede with someone, you try to persuade them to forgive someone or end their disagreement with them. (FORMAL)\nThey asked my father to intercede with the king on their behalf...\nIt has also asked Britain and the United States to intercede.\n  VERB: V with n, V


Words: intercept
Meaning:
inter.cept\n   intercept  intercepts  intercepting  intercepted\n  If you intercept someone or something that is travelling from one place to another, you stop them before they get to their destination.\nGunmen intercepted him on his way to the airport...\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  inter.cep.tion      interceptions\n...the interception of a ship off the west coast of Scotland.\n  N-VAR


Words: interceptor
Meaning:
inter.cep.tor\n   interceptor  interceptors\n  An interceptor is an aircraft or ground-based missile system designed to intercept and attack enemy planes.\n  N-COUNT


Words: intercession
Meaning:
inter.ces.sion\n   intercession  intercessions\n  Intercession is the act of interceding with someone. (FORMAL)\nHis intercession could be of help to the tribe...\n  N-VAR


Words: interchange
Meaning:
inter.change\n   interchange interchanges interchanging  interchanged\nThe noun is pronounced   The verb is pronounced\n1. If there is an interchange of ideas or information among a group of people, each person talks about his or her ideas or gives information to the others.\nWhat made the meeting exciting was the interchange of ideas from different disciplines...\n  N-VAR: with supp, usu N of n\n  = exchange\n2. If you interchange one thing with another, or you interchange two things, each thing takes the place of the other or is exchanged for the other. You can also say that two things interchange.\nShe likes to interchange her furnishings at home with the stock in her shop...\nYour task is to interchange words so that the sentence makes sense.\n...the point where the illusions of the stage and reality begin to interchange.\n  V-RECIP: V n with n, V pl-n, pl-n V, also V with n\n\n  Interchange is also a noun.\n...the interchange of matter and energy at atomic or sub-atomic levels.\n  N-VAR: oft N of n\n\n3. An interchange on a motorway, freeway, or road is a place where it joins a main road or another motorway or freeway.\n  N-COUNT: usu n N\n  = junction


Words: interchangeable
Meaning:
inter.change.able\n   interchangeable\n  Things that are interchangeable can be exchanged with each other without it making any difference.\nEvery part on the new models is interchangeable with those on the original.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ with n\n\n=>  inter.change.ably\nThese expressions are often used interchangeably, but they do have different meanings.\n  ADV: ADV after v


Words: intercollegiate
Meaning:
inter.col.legi.ate\n   intercollegiate\n  Intercollegiate means involving or related to more than one college or university. (AM)\n...the first intercollegiate gymnastics team championship.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=intramural


Words: intercom
Meaning:
inter.com\n   intercom  intercoms\n  An intercom is a small box with a microphone which is connected to a loudspeaker in another room. You use it to talk to the people in the other room.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interconnect
Meaning:
inter.con.nect\n   interconnect  interconnects  interconnecting  interconnected\n  Things that interconnect or are interconnected are connected to or with each other. You can also say that one thing interconnects with another.\nThe causes are many and may interconnect...\nTheir lives interconnect with those of celebrated figures of the late eighteenth-century...\n...a dense network of nerve fibres that interconnects neurons in the brain.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n, V n, also V n with n


Words: interconnection
Meaning:
inter.con.nec.tion\n   interconnection  interconnections\n  If you say that there is an interconnection between two or more things, you mean that they are very closely connected. (FORMAL)\n...the alarming interconnection of drug abuse and AIDS infection.\n  N-VAR: oft N between pl-n


Words: intercontinental
Meaning:
inter.con.ti.nen.tal\n   intercontinental\n  Intercontinental is used to describe something that exists or happens between continents.\n...intercontinental flights.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: intercourse
Meaning:
inter.course\n   intercourse\n1. Intercourse is the act of having sex. (FORMAL)\n...sexual intercourse...\nWe didn’t have intercourse.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Social intercourse is communication between people as they spend time together. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nThere was social intercourse between the old and the young.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu adj N


Words: intercut
Meaning:
inter.cut\n   intercut  intercuts  intercutting\n  If a film is intercut with particular images, those images appear regularly throughout the film. (TECHNICAL)\nThe film is set in a night club and intercut with images of gangland London...\nHe intercuts scenes of Rex getting more and more desperate with scenes of the abductor with his family.\n  VERB: be V-ed with n, V n with n\n  The form intercut is used in the present tense and is the past tense and past participle.


Words: interdependence
Meaning:
inter.de.pend.ence\n   interdependence\n  Interdependence is the condition of a group of people or things that all depend on each other.\n...the interdependence of nations.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: interdependent
Meaning:
inter.de.pend.ent\n   interdependent\n  People or things that are interdependent all depend on each other.\nWe live in an increasingly interdependent world.\n  ADJ


Words: interdict
Meaning:
inter.dict\n   interdict interdicts interdicting  interdicted\nThe verb is pronounced   The noun is pronounced\n1. If an armed force interdicts something or someone, they stop them and prevent them from moving. If they interdict a route, they block it or cut it off. (AM FORMAL)\nTroops could be ferried in to interdict drug shipments.\n  VERB: V n\n  = intercept\n=>  inter.dic.tion      interdictions\n...increased drug interdiction efforts by the military and Coast Guard.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. An interdict is an official order that something must not be done or used. (FORMAL)\nThe National Trust has placed an interdict on jet-skis in Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.\n  N-COUNT\n  = ban


Words: interdisciplinary
Meaning:
inter.dis.ci.pli.nary\n   interdisciplinary\n  Interdisciplinary means involving more than one academic subject.\n...interdisciplinary courses combining psychology, philosophy and linguistics.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: interest
Meaning:
in.ter.est\n   interest  interests  interesting  interested\n1. If you have an interest in something, you want to learn or hear more about it.\nThere has been a lively interest in the elections in the last two weeks...\nHis parents tried to discourage his interest in music, but he persisted...\nFood was of no interest to her at all.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also a N\n\n2. Your interests are the things that you enjoy doing.\nEncourage your child in her interests and hobbies even if they’re things that you know little about...\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If something interests you, it attracts your attention so that you want to learn or hear more about it or continue doing it.\nThat passage interested me because it seems to parallel very closely what you’re doing in the novel...\nIt may interest you to know that Miss Woods, the housekeeper, witnessed the attack.\n  VERB: V n, it V n to-inf\n\n4. If you are trying to persuade someone to buy or do something, you can say that you are trying to interest them in it.\nIn the meantime I can’t interest you in a new car, I suppose?...\n  VERB: V n in n/-ing\n\n5. If something is in the interests of a particular person or group, it will benefit them in some way.\nDid those directors act in the best interests of their club?...\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, usu in N with poss\n\n6. You can use interests to refer to groups of people who you think use their power or money to benefit themselves.\nThe government accused unnamed `foreign interests’ of inciting the trouble...\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, supp N\n\n7. A person or organization that has interests in a company or in a particular type of business owns shares in this company or this type of business. (BUSINESS)\nDisney will retain a 51 percent controlling interest in the venture.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n8. If a person, country, or organization has an interest in a possible event or situation, they want that event or situation to happen because they are likely to benefit from it.\nThe West has an interest in promoting democratic forces in Eastern Europe...\n  N-COUNT: usu N in n/-ing\n\n9. Interest is extra money that you receive if you have invested a sum of money. Interest is also the extra money that you pay if you have borrowed money or are buying something on credit.\nDoes your current account pay interest?...\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n\n10.\n  see also interested, interesting, compound interest, self-interest, vested interest\n11. If you do something in the interests of a particular result or situation, you do it in order to achieve that result or maintain that situation.\n...a call for all businessmen to work together in the interests of national stability.\n  PHRASE: N inflects, PHR n\n\nto have someone’s interests at heart: see heart


Words: interest rate
Meaning:
in.ter.est rate\n   interest rate interest rates\n  The interest rate is the amount of interest that must be paid. It is expressed as a percentage of the amount that is borrowed or gained as profit.\nThe Finance Minister has renewed his call for lower interest rates.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interest-free
Meaning:
interest-free\n  An interest-free loan has no interest charged on it.\nHe was offered a .10,000 interest-free loan...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n  Interest-free is also an adverb.\nCustomers allowed the banks to use their money interest-free.\n  ADV: ADV after v


Words: interested
Meaning:
in.ter.est.ed\n   interested\n1. If you are interested in something, you think it is important and want to learn more about it or spend time doing it.\nI thought she might be interested in Paula’s proposal...\nI’d be interested to meet her.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ in n/-ing, ADJ to-inf\n\n2. An interested party or group of people is affected by or involved in a particular event or situation.\nAll the interested parties eventually agreed to the idea.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3.\n  see also self-interested


Words: interesting
Meaning:
in.ter.est.ing\n   interesting\n  If you find something interesting, it attracts your attention, for example because you think it is exciting or unusual.\nIt was interesting to be in a different environment...\nHis third album is by far his most interesting.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf/that


Words: interestingly
Meaning:
in.ter.est.ing.ly\n   interestingly\n  You use interestingly to introduce a piece of information that you think is interesting or unexpected.\nInterestingly enough, a few weeks later, Benjamin remarried...\n  ADV: ADV with cl


Words: interface
Meaning:
inter.face\n   interface  interfaces  interfacing  interfaced\n1. The interface between two subjects or systems is the area in which they affect each other or have links with each other.\n...a witty exploration of that interface between bureaucracy and the working world.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you refer to the user interface of a particular piece of computing software, you are talking about its presentation on screen and how easy it is to operate. (COMPUTING)\n...the development of better user interfaces.\n  N-COUNT: usu n N\n\n3. In computing and electronics, an interface is an electrical circuit which links one machine, especially a computer, with another. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. If one thing interfaces with another, or if two things interface, they have connections with each other. If you interface one thing with another, you connect the two things. (TECHNICAL or FORMAL)\n...the way we interface with the environment...\nThe different components all have to interface smoothly...\nHe had interfaced all this machinery with a master computer.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, pl-n V, V n with n, also V pl-n


Words: interfere
Meaning:
inter.fere\n   interfere  interferes  interfering  interfered\n1. If you say that someone interferes in a situation, you mean they get involved in it although it does not concern them and their involvement is not wanted.\nI wish everyone would stop interfering and just leave me alone...\nThe UN cannot interfere in the internal affairs of any country.\n  VERB: V, V in/with n  disapproval\n\n2. Something that interferes with a situation, activity, or process has a damaging effect on it.\nSmoking and drinking interfere with your body’s ability to process oxygen.\n  VERB: V with n


Words: interference
Meaning:
inter.fer.ence\n   interference\n1. Interference by a person or group is their unwanted or unnecessary involvement in something.\nAirlines will be able to set cheap fares without interference from the government.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N in/with n, N from n  disapproval\n\n2. When there is interference, a radio signal is affected by other radio waves or electrical activity so that it cannot be received properly.\n...electrical interference...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: interfering
Meaning:
inter.fer.ing\n   interfering\n  If you describe someone as interfering, you are criticizing them because they try to get involved in other people’s affairs or to give them advice, especially when the advice is not wanted.\n...interfering neighbours.\n  ADJ: ADJ n  disapproval\n  = meddling


Words: interim
Meaning:
in.ter.im\n   interim\n1. Interim is used to describe something that is intended to be used until something permanent is done or established.\nShe was sworn in as head of an interim government in March.\n...an interim report.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. In the interim means until a particular thing happens or until a particular thing happened. (FORMAL)\nBut, in the interim, we obviously have a duty to maintain law and order...\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl


Words: interior
Meaning:
in.te.ri.or\n   interior  interiors\n1. The interior of something is the inside part of it.\nThe boat’s interior badly needed painting.\n  N-COUNT: oft with poss\n\n2. You use interior to describe something that is inside a building or vehicle.\nThe interior walls were painted green...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. The interior of a country or continent is the central area of it.\nThe Yangzi river would give access to much of China’s interior.\n  N-SING: oft the N, oft with poss\n\n4. A country’s interior minister, ministry, or department deals with affairs within that country, such as law and order.\nThe French Interior Minister has intervened in a scandal over the role of a secret police force.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n5. A country’s minister or ministry of the interior deals with affairs within that country, such as law and order.\nAn official from the Ministry of the Interior said six people had died.\n  N-SING


Words: interior decoration
Meaning:
in.te.ri.or deco.ra.tion\n   interior decoration\n  Interior decoration is the decoration of the inside of a house.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: interior decorator
Meaning:
in.te.ri.or deco.ra.tor\n   interior decorator  interior decorators\n  An interior decorator is a person who is employed to design and decorate the inside of people’s houses.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interior design
Meaning:
in.te.ri.or de.sign\n   interior design\n  Interior design is the art or profession of designing the decoration for the inside of a house.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: interior designer
Meaning:
in.te.ri.or de.sign.er\n   interior designer  interior designers\n  An interior designer is a person who is employed to design the decoration for the inside of people’s houses.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interject
Meaning:
inter.ject\n   interject  interjects  interjecting  interjected\n  If you interject something, you say it and interrupt someone else who is speaking. (FORMAL)\n`Surely there’s something we can do?’ interjected Palin...\nHe listened thoughtfully, interjecting only the odd word.\n  VERB: V with quote, V n, also V


Words: interjection
Meaning:
inter.jec.tion\n   interjection  interjections\n1. An interjection is something you say which interrupts someone else who is speaking.\n...the moronic and insensitive interjections of the disc jockey.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In grammar, an interjection is a word or expression which you use to express a strong feeling such as surprise, pain, or horror.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interlaced
Meaning:
inter.laced\n   interlaced\n  If things are interlaced, parts of one thing go over, under, or between parts of another. (WRITTEN)\nDuring my whole report, he sat with his eyes closed and his fingers interlaced.\n...languid women, their flowing locks interlaced with flowers and vines.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ with n\n  = entwined


Words: interlink
Meaning:
inter.link\n   interlink  interlinks  interlinking  interlinked\n  Things that are interlinked or interlink are linked with each other in some way.\nThose two processes are very closely interlinked...\nThe question to be addressed is interlinked with the question of human rights.\n...a more integrated transport network, with bus, rail, and ferry services all interlinking...\n  V-RECIP: be V-ed, be V-ed with n, pl-n V\n  = interconnect


Words: interlock
Meaning:
inter.lock\n   interlock  interlocks  interlocking  interlocked\n1. Things that interlock or are interlocked go between or through each other so that they are linked.\nThe parts interlock...\nInterlock your fingers behind your back...\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V pl-n\n\n2. If systems, situations, or plans are interlocked or interlock, they are very closely connected.\nThe problems of Israel, Lebanon, and the Gulf were tightly interlocked...\nThe tragedies begin to interlock...\nYour girlfriend’s fear seems to interlock with your fear.\n  V-RECIP: be V-ed, pl-n V, V with n, also V pl-n


Words: interlocutor
Meaning:
inter.locu.tor\n   interlocutor  interlocutors\n1. Your interlocutor is the person with whom you are having a conversation. (FORMAL)\nOwen had the habit of staring motionlessly at his interlocutor.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n\n2. If a person or organization has a role as an interlocutor in talks or negotiations, they take part or act as a representative in them. (FORMAL)\n...key interlocutors in the Middle East conference.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interloper
Meaning:
inter.lop.er\n   interloper  interlopers\n  If you describe someone as an interloper, you mean that they have come into a situation or a place where they are not wanted or do not belong.\nShe had no wish to share her father with any outsider and regarded us as interlopers.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = intruder


Words: interlude
Meaning:
inter.lude\n   interlude  interludes\n  An interlude is a short period of time when an activity or situation stops and something else happens.\nSuperb musical interludes were provided by Sinclair.\n  N-COUNT


Words: intermarriage
Meaning:
inter.mar.riage\n   intermarriage  intermarriages\n  Intermarriage is marriage between people from different social, racial, or religious groups.\n...intermarriage between members of the old and new ruling classes...\n  N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl, oft N between pl-n


Words: intermarry
Meaning:
inter.mar.ry\n   intermarry  intermarries  intermarrying  intermarried\n  When people from different social, racial, or religious groups intermarry, they marry each other. You can also say that one group intermarries with another group.\nThey were allowed to intermarry...\nSome of the traders settled and intermarried with local women.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n


Words: intermediary
Meaning:
inter.medi.ary\n   intermediary  intermediaries\n  An intermediary is a person who passes messages or proposals between two people or groups.\nShe wanted him to act as an intermediary in the dispute with Moscow.\n  N-COUNT\n  = go-between


Words: intermediate
Meaning:
inter.medi.ate\n   intermediate  intermediates\n1. An intermediate stage, level, or position is one that occurs between two other stages, levels, or positions.\nYou should consider breaking the journey with intermediate stopovers at airport hotels.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. Intermediate learners of something have some knowledge or skill but are not yet advanced.\nThe Badminton Club holds coaching sessions for beginners and intermediate players on Friday evenings.\n  ADJ\n\n  An intermediate is an intermediate learner.\nThe ski school coaches beginners, intermediates, and advanced skiers.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interment
Meaning:
in.ter.ment\n   interment  interments\n  The interment of a dead person is their burial. (FORMAL)\n  N-VAR\n  = burial


Words: interminable
Meaning:
in.ter.mi.nable\n   interminable\n  If you describe something as interminable, you are emphasizing that it continues for a very long time and indicating that you wish it was shorter or would stop.\n...an interminable meeting.\n  ADJ  emphasis\n  = endless\n=>  in.ter.mi.nably\nHe talked to me interminably about his first wife.\n  ADV: usu ADV after v


Words: intermingle
Meaning:
inter.min.gle\n   intermingle  intermingles  intermingling  intermingled\n  When people or things intermingle, they mix with each other. (FORMAL)\nThis allows the two cultures to intermingle without losing their separate identities.\n...an opportunity for them to intermingle with the citizens of other countries.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n\n\n=>  inter.min.gled\nThe ethnic populations are so intermingled that there’s bound to be conflict.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: intermission
Meaning:
inter.mis.sion\n   intermission  intermissions\n  An intermission is a short break between two parts of a film, concert, or show.\n...during the intermission of the musical `Steppin’ Out’.\n  N-COUNT\n  = interval, interlude\n  In American English, you can also use intermission to refer to a short break between two parts of a game, or say that something happens at, after, or during intermission.\nFraser did not perform until after intermission.\n  N-COUNT: also prep N


Words: intermittent
Meaning:
inter.mit.tent\n   intermittent\n  Something that is intermittent happens occasionally rather than continuously.\nAfter three hours of intermittent rain, the game was abandoned.\n  ADJ\n  = sporadic\n=>  inter.mit.tent.ly\nThe talks went on intermittently for three years.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v


Words: intern
Meaning:
in.tern\n   intern interns interning  interned\nThe verb is pronounced   The noun is pronounced\n1. If someone is interned, they are put in prison or in a prison camp for political reasons.\nHe was interned as an enemy alien at the outbreak of the Second World War.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed\n\n2. An intern is an advanced student or a recent graduate, especially in medicine, who is being given practical training under supervision. (AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: internal
Meaning:
in.ter.nal\n   internal\n1. Internal is used to describe things that exist or happen inside a country or organization.\nThe country stepped up internal security...\nWe now have a Europe without internal borders...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  in.ter.nal.ly\nThe state is not a unified and internally coherent entity.\n  ADV\n\n2. Internal is used to describe things that exist or happen inside a particular person, object, or place.\n...massive internal bleeding...\nSome of the internal walls of my house are made of plasterboard.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  in.ter.nal.ly\nEvening primrose oil is used on the skin as well as taken internally...\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV with cl, ADV adj


Words: internal combustion engine
Meaning:
in.ter.nal com.bus.tion en.gine\n   internal combustion engine  internal combustion engines\n  An internal combustion engine is an engine that creates its energy by burning fuel inside itself. Most cars have internal combustion engines.\n  N-COUNT


Words: internalize
Meaning:
in.ter.nal.ize\n   internalize  internalizes  internalizing  internalized\nin BRIT, also use internalise\n  If you internalize something such as a belief or a set of values, you make it become part of your attitude or way of thinking. (FORMAL)\nOver time she internalized her parents’ attitudes.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  in.ter.nali.za.tion\n...my internalisation of hatred, disgust and fear.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with poss


Words: international
Meaning:
inter.na.tion.al\n   international  internationals\n1. International means between or involving different countries.\n...an international agreement against exporting arms to that country.\n...emergency aid from the international community.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  inter.na.tion.al.ly\nThere are only two internationally recognised certificates in Teaching English as a Foreign Language...\n  ADV: usu ADV adj/-ed, also ADV with cl, ADV after v\n\n2. In sport, an international is a game that is played between teams representing two different countries. (BRIT)\n...the midweek international against England.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. An international is a member of a country’s sports team. (BRIT)\n...a former England international.\n  N-COUNT: usu n N


Words: international relations
Meaning:
inter.na.tion.al re.la.tions\n   international relations\n  The political relationships between different countries are referred to as international relations.\n...peaceful and friendly international relations.\n  N-PLURAL


Words: internationalism
Meaning:
inter.na.tion.al.ism\n   internationalism\n  Internationalism is the belief that countries should work with, help, and be friendly with one another.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: internationalist
Meaning:
inter.na.tion.al.ist\n   internationalist  internationalists\n  If someone has internationalist beliefs or opinions, they believe that countries should work with, help, and be friendly with one another.\n...a more genuinely internationalist view of US participation in peace-keeping.\n  ADJ


Words: internationalize
Meaning:
inter.na.tion.al.ize\n   internationalize  internationalizes  internationalizing  internationalized\nin BRIT, also use internationalise\n  If an issue or a crisis is internationalized, it becomes the concern of many nations throughout the world. (JOURNALISM)\nA very real danger exists of the conflict becoming internationalised...\nThey have been trying to internationalise the Kashmir problem.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n\n\n=>  inter.na.tion.ali.za.tion\n...the increasing internationalization of business.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: internecine
Meaning:
inter.necine\n   internecine\n  An internecine conflict, war, or quarrel is one which takes place between opposing groups within a country or organization. (FORMAL)\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: internee
Meaning:
in.ternee\n   internee  internees\n  An internee is a person who has been put in prison for political reasons.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Internet
Meaning:
In.ter.net\n   Internet   also internet\n  The Internet is the computer network which allows computer users to connect with computers all over the world, and which carries e-mail.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: Internet cafe
Meaning:
In.ter.net cafe\n   Internet cafe  Internet cafes\n  An Internet cafe is a cafe with computers where people can pay to use the Internet.\n  N-COUNT\n  = cybercafe


Words: internment
Meaning:
in.tern.ment\n   internment\n  Internment is the practice of putting people in prison for political reasons.\nThey called for the return of internment without trial for terrorists.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: internship
Meaning:
in.tern.ship\n   internship  internships\n  An internship is the position held by an intern, or the period of time when someone is an intern. (AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: interpersonal
Meaning:
inter.per.son.al\n   interpersonal\n  Interpersonal means relating to relationships between people.\nTraining in interpersonal skills is essential.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: interplay
Meaning:
inter.play\n   interplay\n  The interplay between two or more things or people is the way that they have an effect on each another or react to each other.\n...the interplay of political, economic, social and cultural factors.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N between/of pl-n\n  = interaction


Words: interpolate
Meaning:
in.ter.po.late\n   interpolate  interpolates  interpolating  interpolated\n  If you interpolate a comment into a conversation or some words into a piece of writing, you put it in as an addition. (FORMAL)\nWilliams interpolated much spurious matter...\nThese odd assertions were interpolated into the manuscript some time after 1400.\n  VERB: V n, be V-ed into n\n  = insert


Words: interpolation
Meaning:
in.ter.po.la.tion\n   interpolation  interpolations\n  An interpolation is an addition to a piece of writing. (FORMAL)\nThe interpolation appears to have been inserted very soon after the original text was finished.\n  N-COUNT\n  = addition


Words: interpose
Meaning:
inter.pose\n   interpose  interposes  interposing  interposed\n  If you interpose something between two people or things, you place it between them. (FORMAL)\nPolice had to interpose themselves between the two rival groups...\nThe work interposes a glass plate between two large circular mirrors.\n  VERB: V pron-refl between pl-n, V n between pl-n


Words: interpret
Meaning:
in.ter.pret\n   interpret  interprets  interpreting  interpreted\n1. If you interpret something in a particular way, you decide that this is its meaning or significance.\nThe whole speech might well be interpreted as a coded message to the Americans...\nThe judge quite rightly says that he has to interpret the law as it’s been passed...\nBoth approaches agree on what is depicted in the poem, but not on how it should be interpreted.\n  VERB: V n as n, V n, V n adv/prep\n\n2. If you interpret what someone is saying, you translate it immediately into another language.\nThe chambermaid spoke little English, so her husband came with her to interpret...\nInterpreters found they could not interpret half of what he said.\n  VERB: V, V n


Words: interpretation
Meaning:
in.ter.pre.ta.tion\n   interpretation  interpretations\n1. An interpretation of something is an opinion about what it means.\nThe opposition Conservative Party put a different interpretation on the figures...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. A performer’s interpretation of something such as a piece of music or a role in a play is the particular way in which they choose to perform it.\n...her full-bodied interpretation of the role of Micaela.\n  N-COUNT: with supp


Words: interpreter
Meaning:
in.ter.pret.er\n   interpreter  interpreters\n  An interpreter is a person whose job is to translate what someone is saying into another language.\nAristide spoke to the press through an interpreter.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interpretive
Meaning:
in.ter.pre.tive\n   interpretive   also interpretative\n  You use interpretive to describe something that provides an interpretation. (FORMAL)\nHistory is an interpretive process.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: interregnum
Meaning:
inter.reg.num\n   interregnum\n  An interregnum is a period between the end of one person’s time as ruler or leader and the coming to power of the next ruler or leader. (FORMAL)\n  N-SING


Words: interrelate
Meaning:
inter.re.late\n   interrelate  interrelates  interrelating  interrelated\n  If two or more things interrelate, there is a connection between them and they have an effect on each other.\nThe body and the mind interrelate...\nEach of these cells have their specific jobs to do, but they also interrelate with each other.\n...the way in which we communicate and interrelate with others...\nAll things are interrelated.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, pl-n V with pron-recip, V with n, V-ed\n  = interconnect


Words: interrelationship
Meaning:
inter.re.la.tion.ship\n   interrelationship  interrelationships\n  An interrelationship is a close relationship between two or more things or people.\n...the interrelationships between unemployment, crime, and imprisonment.\n  N-COUNT: oft N between/of pl-n


Words: interrogate
Meaning:
in.ter.ro.gate\n   interrogate  interrogates  interrogating  interrogated\n  If someone, especially a police officer, interrogates someone, they question them thoroughly for a long time in order to get some information from them.\nI interrogated everyone even slightly involved.\n  VERB: V n\n  = question\n=>  in.ter.ro.ga.tor      interrogators\nI was well aware of what my interrogators wanted to hear.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N


Words: interrogation
Meaning:
in.ter.ro.ga.tion\n   interrogation  interrogations\n  An interrogation is the act of interrogating someone.\n...the right to silence in police interrogations.\n  N-VAR


Words: interrogative
Meaning:
in.ter.roga.tive\n   interrogative  interrogatives\n1. An interrogative gesture or tone of voice shows that you want to know the answer to a question. (WRITTEN)\nDonovan cocked an interrogative eye at his companion, who nodded in reply.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = questioning\n2. In grammar, a clause that is in the interrogative, or in the interrogative mood, has its subject following `do’, `be’, `have’, or a modal verb. Examples are `When did he get back?’ and `Are you all right?’. Clauses of this kind are typically used to ask questions.\n  N-SING: the N\n\n3. In grammar, an interrogative is a word such as `who’, `how’, or `why’, which can be used to ask a question.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interrupt
Meaning:
in.ter.rupt\n   interrupt  interrupts  interrupting  interrupted\n1. If you interrupt someone who is speaking, you say or do something that causes them to stop.\nTurkin tapped him on the shoulder. `Sorry to interrupt, Colonel.’...\nHe tried to speak, but she interrupted him.\n  VERB: V, V n\n\n=>  in.ter.rup.tion      interruptions\nThe sudden interruption stopped Beryl in mid-flow.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If someone or something interrupts a process or activity, they stop it for a period of time.\nHe has rightly interrupted his holiday in Spain to return to London...\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  in.ter.rup.tion\n...interruptions in the supply of food and fuel...\n  N-VAR: oft N in/to n\n  = disruption\n3. If something interrupts a line, surface, or view, it stops it from being continuous or makes it look irregular.\nTaller plants interrupt the views from the house.\n  VERB: V n


Words: intersect
Meaning:
inter.sect\n   intersect  intersects  intersecting  intersected\n1. If two or more lines or roads intersect, they meet or cross each other. You can also say that one line or road intersects another.\nThe orbit of this comet intersects the orbit of the Earth...\nThe circles will intersect in two places...\n  V-RECIP: V n, pl-n V, also V with n\n\n2. If one thing intersects with another or if two things intersect, the two things have a connection at a particular point.\n...the ways in which historical events intersect with individual lives...\nTheir histories intersect.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, pl-n V\n  = overlap\n3. If a place, area, or surface is intersected by things such as roads or lines, they cross it.\nThe city is intersected by three main waterways.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed\n  = cross


Words: intersection
Meaning:
inter.sec.tion\n   intersection  intersections\n  An intersection is a place where roads or other lines meet or cross.\n...at the intersection of two main canals.\n...a busy highway intersection.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of/with n\n  = junction


Words: intersperse
Meaning:
inter.sperse\n   intersperse  intersperses  interspersing  interspersed\n  If you intersperse one group of things with another or among another, you put or include the second things between or among the first things.\nOriginally the intention was to intersperse the historical scenes with modern ones.\n  VERB: V n with n


Words: interspersed
Meaning:
inter.spersed\n   interspersed\n  If one group of things are interspersed with another or interspersed among another, the second things occur between or among the first things.\n...bursts of gunfire, interspersed with single shots.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ prep, usu ADJ with n, ADJ among n


Words: interstate
Meaning:
inter.state\n   interstate  interstates\n1. Interstate means between states, especially the states of the United States.\n...interstate highways.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. In the United States, an interstate is a major road linking states.\n...the southbound lane of Interstate 75.\n  N-COUNT: also N num


Words: interstellar
Meaning:
inter.stel.lar\n   interstellar\n  Interstellar means between the stars. (FORMAL)\n...interstellar space.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: intertwine
Meaning:
inter.twine\n   intertwine  intertwines  intertwining  intertwined\n1. If two or more things are intertwined or intertwine, they are closely connected with each other in many ways.\nTheir destinies are intertwined...\nThree major narratives intertwine within Foucault’s text, `Madness and Civilisation’...\nHe intertwines personal reminiscences with the story of British television...\nHer fate intertwined with his.\n  V-RECIP: be V-ed, pl-n V, V n with n, V with n, also V pl-n\n  = interweave\n2. If two things intertwine, they are twisted together or go over and under each other.\nTrees, undergrowth and creepers intertwined, blocking our way...\nThe towels were embroidered with their intertwined initials.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V-ed, also V with n\n  = entwine


Words: interval
Meaning:
in.ter.val\n   interval  intervals\n1. An interval between two events or dates is the period of time between them.\nThe ferry service has restarted after an interval of 12 years...\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n  = gap\n2. An interval during a film, concert, show, or game is a short break between two of the parts. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use intermission)\nDuring the interval, wine was served...\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If something happens at intervals, it happens several times with gaps or pauses in between.\nShe woke him for his medicines at intervals throughout the night.\n  PHRASE: PHR with v\n\n4. If things are placed at particular intervals, there are spaces of a particular size between them.\nSeveral red and white barriers marked the road at intervals of about a mile...\n  PHRASE: PHR with v


Words: intervene
Meaning:
inter.vene\n   intervene  intervenes  intervening  intervened\n1. If you intervene in a situation, you become involved in it and try to change it.\nThe situation calmed down when police intervened...\nThe Government is doing nothing to intervene in the crisis.\n  VERB: V, V in n\n\n2. If you intervene, you interrupt a conversation in order to add something to it.\nHattie intervened and told me to stop it...\n`I’ve told you he’s not here,’ Irena intervened.\n  VERB: V, V with quote\n\n3. If an event intervenes, it happens suddenly in a way that stops, delays, or prevents something from happening.\nThe South African mailboat arrived on Friday mornings unless bad weather intervened...\n  VERB: V


Words: intervening
Meaning:
inter.ven.ing\n   intervening\n1. An intervening period of time is one that separates two events or points in time.\nDuring those intervening years Bridget had married her husband Robert...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. An intervening object or area comes between two other objects or areas.\nThey had scoured the intervening miles of moorland.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: intervention
Meaning:
inter.ven.tion\n   intervention  interventions\n  Intervention is the act of intervening in a situation.\n...the role of the United States and its intervention in the internal affairs of many countries.\n...military interventions.\n  N-VAR: oft N in n


Words: interventionist
Meaning:
inter.ven.tion.ist\n   interventionist  interventionists\n  Interventionist policies are policies which show an organization’s desire to become involved in a problem or a crisis which does not concern it directly. (JOURNALISM)\n...the interventionist industrial policy of the Wilson government...\n  ADJ\n  !=laissez-faire\n  An interventionist is someone who supports interventionist policies. (JOURNALISM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: interview
Meaning:
inter.view\n   interview  interviews  interviewing  interviewed\n1. An interview is a formal meeting at which someone is asked questions in order to find out if they are suitable for a job or a course of study.\nThe interview went well...\nNot everyone who writes in can be invited for interview.\n  N-VAR: oft N for n\n\n2. If you are interviewed for a particular job or course of study, someone asks you questions about yourself to find out if you suitable for it.\nWhen Wardell was interviewed, he was impressive, and on that basis, he was hired...\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed, also be V-ed for n\n\n3. An interview is a conversation in which a journalist puts questions to someone such as a famous person or politician.\nAllan gave an interview to the Chicago Tribune newspaper last month...\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. When a journalist interviews someone such as a famous person, they ask them a series of questions.\nI seized the chance to interview Chris Hani about this issue.\n  VERB: V n\n\n5. When the police interview someone, they ask them questions about a crime that has been committed.\nThe police interviewed the driver, but had no evidence to go on.\n  VERB: V n\n  = question


Words: interviewee
Meaning:
inter.viewee\n   interviewee  interviewees\n  An interviewee is a person who is being interviewed.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interviewer
Meaning:
inter.view.er\n   interviewer  interviewers\n  An interviewer is a person who is asking someone questions at an interview.\n  N-COUNT


Words: interweave
Meaning:
inter.weave\n   interweave  interweaves  interweaving  interwove  interwoven\n  If two or more things are interwoven or interweave, they are very closely connected or are combined with each other.\nFor these people, land is inextricably interwoven with life itself...\nComplex family relationships interweave with a murder plot in this ambitious new novel...\nThe programme successfully interweaves words and pictures...\nSocial structures are not discrete objects; they overlap and interweave.\n  V-RECIP: be V-ed with n, V with n, V pl-n, pl-n V, also V n with n\n  = intertwine


Words: intestine
Meaning:
in.tes.tine\n   intestine  intestines\n  Your intestines are the tubes in your body through which food passes when it has left your stomach.\nThis area is always tender to the touch if the intestines are not functioning properly...\n  N-COUNT


Words: intimacy
Meaning:
in.ti.ma.cy\n   intimacy\n1. Intimacy between two people is a very close personal relationship between them.\n...a means of achieving intimacy with another person.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N with/between n\n\n2. You sometimes use intimacy to refer to sex or a sexual relationship.\nThe truth was he did not feel like intimacy with any woman.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: intimate
Meaning:
in.ti.mate\n   intimate intimates  intimating  intimated\nThe adjective is pronounced   The verb is pronounced\n1. If you have an intimate friendship with someone, you know them very well and like them a lot.\nI discussed with my intimate friends whether I would immediately have a baby.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  in.ti.mate.ly\nHe did not feel he had got to know them intimately.\n  ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed\n\n2. If two people are in an intimate relationship, they are involved with each other in a loving or sexual way.\n...their intimate moments with their boyfriends.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  in.ti.mate.ly\nYou have to be willing to get to know yourself and your partner intimately.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n3. An intimate conversation or detail, for example, is very personal and private.\nHe wrote about the intimate details of his family life...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = private\n=>  in.ti.mate.ly\nIt was the first time they had attempted to talk intimately.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n4. If you use intimate to describe an occasion or the atmosphere of a place, you like it because it is quiet and pleasant, and seems suitable for close conversations between friends.\n...an intimate candlelit dinner for two.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  approval\n\n5. An intimate connection between ideas or organizations, for example, is a very strong link between them.\n...an intimate connection between madness and wisdom...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  in.ti.mate.ly\nProperty and equities are intimately connected in Hong Kong.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n6. An intimate knowledge of something is a deep and detailed knowledge of it.\nHe surprised me with his intimate knowledge of Kierkegaard and Schopenhauer.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = thorough\n=>  in.ti.mate.ly\n...a golden age of musicians whose work she knew intimately.\n  ADV: usu ADV after v\n\n7. If you intimate something, you say it in an indirect way. (FORMAL)\nHe went on to intimate that he was indeed contemplating a shake-up of the company...\nHe had intimated to the French and Russians his readiness to come to a settlement.\n  VERB: V that, V to n n, also V n\n  = hint


Words: intimation
Meaning:
in.ti.ma.tion\n   intimation  intimations\n  An intimation is an indirect suggestion or sign that something is likely to happen or be true. (FORMAL)\nI did not have any intimation that he was going to resign.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n, N that


Words: intimidate
Meaning:
in.timi.date\n   intimidate  intimidates  intimidating  intimidated\n  If you intimidate someone, you deliberately make them frightened enough to do what you want them to do.\nJones had set out to intimidate and dominate Paul...\nAttempts to intimidate people into voting for the governing party did not work.\n  VERB: V n, V n into -ing\n\n=>  in.timi.da.tion\n...an inquiry into allegations of intimidation during last week’s vote.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: intimidated
Meaning:
in.timi.dat.ed\n   intimidated\n  Someone who feels intimidated feels frightened and lacks confidence because of the people they are with or the situation they are in.\nWomen can come in here and not feel intimidated.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: intimidating
Meaning:
in.timi.dat.ing\n   intimidating\n  If you describe someone or something as intimidating, you mean that they are frightening and make people lose confidence.\nHe was a huge, intimidating figure.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: into
Meaning:
into\nIn addition to the uses shown below, into is used after some verbs and nouns in order to introduce extra information. Into is also used with verbs of movement, such as `walk’ and `push’, and in phrasal verbs such as `enter into’ and `talk into’.\n1. If you put one thing into another, you put the first thing inside the second.\nCombine the remaining ingredients and put them into a dish...\nUntil the 1980s almost all olives were packed into jars by hand.\n  PREP\n  = in\n2. If you go into a place or vehicle, you move from being outside it to being inside it.\nI have no idea how he got into Iraq...\nHe got into bed and started to read.\n  PREP\n\n3. If one thing goes into another, the first thing moves from the outside to the inside of the second thing, by breaking or damaging the surface of it.\nThe rider came off and the handlebar went into his neck.\n  PREP\n\n4. If one thing gets into another, the first thing enters the second and becomes part of it.\nPoisonous smoke had got into the water supply...\n  PREP\n\n5. If you are walking or driving a vehicle and you bump into something or crash into something, you hit it accidentally.\nA train plowed into the barrier at the end of the platform...\n  PREP\n\n6. When you get into a piece of clothing, you put it on.\nShe could change into a different outfit in two minutes...\n  PREP\n\n7. If someone or something gets into a particular state, they start being in that state.\nI slid into a depression.\n  PREP: v PREP n, n PREP n\n\n8. If you talk someone into doing something, you persuade them to do it.\nGerome tried to talk her into taking an apartment in Paris.\n  PREP: v n PREP n/-ing\n\n9. If something changes into something else, it then has a new form, shape, or nature.\n...his attempt to turn a nasty episode into a joke.\n  PREP\n\n10. If something is cut or split into a number of pieces or sections, it is divided so that it becomes several smaller pieces or sections.\nSixteen teams are taking part, divided into four groups...\n  PREP\n\n11. An investigation into a subject or event is concerned with that subject or event.\nThe concert will raise funds for research into Aids...\n  PREP: n PREP n\n\n12. If you move or go into a particular career or business, you start working in it.\nIn the early 1990s, it was easy to get into the rental business...\n  PREP\n\n13. If something continues into a period of time, it continues until after that period of time has begun.\nHe had three children, and lived on into his sixties...\n  PREP\n\n14. If you are very interested in something and like it very much, you can say that you are into it. (INFORMAL)\nI’m into electronics myself.\n  PREP: v-link PREP n


Words: intolerable
Meaning:
in.tol.er.able\n   intolerable\n  If you describe something as intolerable, you mean that it is so bad or extreme that no one can bear it or tolerate it.\nThey felt this would put intolerable pressure on them...\n  ADJ\n  = unbearable  !=tolerable\n=>  in.tol.er.ably\n...intolerably cramped conditions...\n  ADV


Words: intolerance
Meaning:
in.tol.er.ance\n   intolerance\n  Intolerance is unwillingness to let other people act in a different way or hold different opinions from you.\n...his intolerance of any opinion other than his own.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp  disapproval\n  !=tolerance


Words: intolerant
Meaning:
in.tol.er.ant\n   intolerant\n  If you describe someone as intolerant, you mean that they do not accept behaviour and opinions that are different from their own.\n...intolerant attitudes toward non-Catholics.\n  ADJ: oft v-link ADJ of n  disapproval\n  !=tolerant


Words: intonation
Meaning:
in.to.na.tion\n   intonation  intonations\n  Your intonation is the way that your voice rises and falls as you speak.\nHis voice had a very slight German intonation.\n  N-VAR


Words: intone
Meaning:
in.tone\n   intone  intones  intoning  intoned\n  If you intone something, you say it in a slow and serious way, with most of the words at one pitch. (WRITTEN)\nHe quietly intoned several prayers...\n`But Jesus is here!’ the priest intoned.\n  VERB: V n, V with quote\n  = chant


Words: intoxicated
Meaning:
in.toxi.cat.ed\n   intoxicated\n1. Someone who is intoxicated is drunk. (FORMAL)\nHe appeared intoxicated, police said.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you are intoxicated by or with something such as a feeling or an event, you are so excited by it that you find it hard to think clearly and sensibly. (LITERARY)\nThey seem to have become intoxicated by their success...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ by/with n


Words: intoxicating
Meaning:
in.toxi.cat.ing\n   intoxicating\n1. Intoxicating drink contains alcohol and can make you drunk. (FORMAL)\n...intoxicating liquor.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If you describe something as intoxicating, you mean that it makes you feel a strong sense of excitement or happiness. (LITERARY)\n...the intoxicating fragrance of lilies...\n  ADJ


Words: intoxication
Meaning:
in.toxi.ca.tion\n   intoxication\n1. Intoxication is the state of being drunk. (FORMAL)\nIntoxication interferes with memory and thinking, speech and coordination.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. You use intoxication to refer to a quality that something has that makes you feel very excited. (LITERARY)\n...the intoxication of greed and success.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n


Words: intractable
Meaning:
in.trac.table\n   intractable\n1. Intractable people are very difficult to control or influence. (FORMAL)\nWhat may be done to reduce the influence of intractable opponents?\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. Intractable problems or situations are very difficult to deal with. (FORMAL)\nThe economy still faces intractable problems.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: intramural
Meaning:
intra.mu.ral\n   intramural\n  Intramural activities happen within one college or university, rather than between different colleges or universities. (AM)\n...a comprehensive, well-supported program of intramural sports.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=intercollegiate


Words: intranet
Meaning:
in.tra.net\n   intranet  intranets\n  An intranet is a network of computers, similar to the Internet, within a particular company or organization.\n  N-COUNT


Words: intransigence
Meaning:
in.tran.si.gence\n   intransigence\n  If you talk about someone’s intransigence, you mean that they refuse to behave differently or to change their attitude to something. (FORMAL)\nHe often appeared angry and frustrated by the intransigence of both sides.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with poss  disapproval\n  !=flexibility


Words: intransigent
Meaning:
in.tran.si.gent\n   intransigent\n  If you describe someone as intransigent, you mean that they refuse to behave differently or to change their attitude to something. (FORMAL)\nThey put pressure on the Government to change its intransigent stance...\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  !=flexible


Words: intransitive
Meaning:
in.tran.si.tive\n   intransitive\n  An intransitive verb does not have an object.\n  ADJ\n  !=transitive


Words: intravenous
Meaning:
intra.venous\n   intravenous\n  Intravenous foods or drugs are given to sick people through their veins, rather than their mouths. (MEDICAL)\n...an intravenous drip.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  intra.venous.ly\nPremature babies have to be fed intravenously.\n  ADV: ADV after v


Words: intrepid
Meaning:
in.trep.id\n   intrepid\n  An intrepid person acts in a brave way.\n...an intrepid space traveller.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = fearless


Words: intricacy
Meaning:
in.tri.ca.cy\n   intricacy  intricacies\n1. Intricacy is the state of being made up of many small parts or details.\nThe price depends on the intricacy of the work.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n\n  = complexity\n2. The intricacies of something are its complicated details.\nRose explained the intricacies of the job.\n  N-PLURAL: usu N of n


Words: intricate
Meaning:
in.tri.cate\n   intricate\n  You use intricate to describe something that has many small parts or details.\n...intricate patterns and motifs.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=simple\n=>  in.tri.cate.ly\n...intricately carved sculptures.\n  ADV


Words: intrigue
Meaning:
in.trigue\n   intrigue intrigues intriguing  intrigued\nThe noun is pronounced   The verb is pronounced\n1. Intrigue is the making of secret plans to harm or deceive people.\n...political intrigue.\n...a powerful story of intrigue, passion and betrayal.\n  N-VAR: usu with supp\n\n2. If something, especially something strange, intrigues you, it interests you and you want to know more about it.\nThe novelty of the situation intrigued him.\n  VERB: V n\n  = fascinate


Words: intrigued
Meaning:
in.trigued\n   intrigued\n  If you are intrigued by something, especially something strange, it interests you and you want to know more about it.\nI would be intrigued to hear others’ views.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ by n, ADJ to-inf


Words: intriguing
Meaning:
in.tri.guing\n   intriguing\n  If you describe something as intriguing, you mean that it is interesting or strange.\nThis intriguing book is both thoughtful and informative.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = fascinating\n=>  in.tri.guing.ly\n...the intriguingly-named newspaper Le Canard Enchaine (The Chained Duck).\n  ADV: ADV adj, ADV with v


Words: intrinsic
Meaning:
in.trin.sic\n   intrinsic\n  If something has intrinsic value or intrinsic interest, it is valuable or interesting because of its basic nature or character, and not because of its connection with other things. (FORMAL)\nThe paintings have no intrinsic value except as curiosities...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  in.trin.si.cal.ly\nSometimes I wonder if people are intrinsically evil...\n  ADV: ADV adj, ADV with cl


Words: intro
Meaning:
in.tro\n   intro  intros\n  The intro to a song, programme, or book is the first part, which comes before the main part. (INFORMAL)\n...the keyboard intro to The Who’s `Won’t Get Fooled Again’.\n  N-COUNT: oft N to n


Words: introduce
Meaning:
intro.duce\n   introduce  introduces  introducing  introduced\n1. To introduce something means to cause it to enter a place or exist in a system for the first time.\nThe Government has introduced a number of other money-saving moves...\nThe word `Pagoda’ was introduced to Europe by the 17th century Portuguese.\n  VERB: V n, be V-ed into/to n\n\n=>  intro.duc.tion\nHe is best remembered for the introduction of the moving assembly-line.\n  N-VAR: usu N of n\n\n2. If you introduce someone to something, you cause them to learn about it or experience it for the first time.\nHe introduced us to the delights of natural food.\n  VERB: V n to n\n\n=>  intro.duc.tion\nHis introduction to League football would have been gentler if he had started at a smaller club...\n  N-SING: usu N to n\n\n3. If you introduce one person to another, or you introduce two people, you tell them each other’s names, so that they can get to know each other. If you introduce yourself to someone, you tell them your name.\nTim, may I introduce you to my uncle’s secretary, Mary Waller?...\nSomeone introduced us and I sat next to him...\nLet me introduce myself.\n  VERB: V n to n, V pl-n, V pron-refl\n\n=>  intro.duc.tion      introductions\nWith considerable shyness, Elaine performed the introductions.\n  N-VAR\n\n4. The person who introduces a television or radio programme speaks at the beginning of it, and often between the different items in it, in order to explain what the programme or the items are about.\n`Health Matters’ is introduced by Dick Oliver on BBC World Service.\n  VERB: be V-ed by n, also V n\n  = present


Words: introduction
Meaning:
intro.duc.tion\n   introduction  introductions\n1. The introduction to a book or talk is the part that comes at the beginning and tells you what the rest of the book or talk is about.\nEllen Malos, in her introduction to `The Politics of Housework’, provides a summary of the debates.\n  N-COUNT: oft N to n\n\n2. If you refer to a book as an introduction to a particular subject, you mean that it explains the basic facts about that subject.\nOn balance, the book is a friendly, down-to-earth introduction to physics.\n  N-COUNT: usu N to n, oft in names\n\n3.\n  see also introduce


Words: introductory
Meaning:
intro.duc.tory\n   introductory\n1. An introductory remark, talk, or part of a book gives a small amount of general information about a particular subject, often before a more detailed explanation.\n...an introductory course in religion and theology.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. An introductory offer or price on a new product is something such as a free gift or a low price that is meant to attract new customers. (BUSINESS)\n...just out on the shelves at an introductory price of .2.99.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: introspection
Meaning:
intro.spec.tion\n   introspection\n  Introspection is the examining of your own thoughts, ideas, and feelings.\nHe had always had his moments of quiet introspection.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: introspective
Meaning:
intro.spec.tive\n   introspective\n  Introspective people spend a lot of time examining their own thoughts, ideas, and feelings.\n  ADJ


Words: introvert
Meaning:
intro.vert\n   introvert  introverts\n1. An introvert is a quiet, shy person who finds it difficult to talk to people.\n  N-COUNT\n  !=extrovert\n2. Introvert means the same as introverted.\nThe music students here are a very introvert lot.\n  ADJ


Words: introverted
Meaning:
intro.vert.ed\n   introverted\n  Introverted people are quiet and shy and find it difficult to talk to other people.\nMachen was a lonely, introverted child.\n  ADJ\n  !=extroverted


Words: intrude
Meaning:
in.trude\n   intrude  intrudes  intruding  intruded\n1. If you say that someone is intruding into a particular place or situation, you mean that they are not wanted or welcome there.\nThe press has been blamed for intruding into people’s personal lives in an unacceptable way...\nI hope I’m not intruding.\n  VERB: V into/on/upon n, V\n\n2. If something intrudes on your mood or your life, it disturbs it or has an unwanted effect on it.\nDo you feel anxious when unforeseen incidents intrude on your day?...\nThere are times when personal feelings cannot be allowed to intrude.\n  VERB: V on/into/upon n, V\n\n3. If someone intrudes into a place, they go there even though they are not allowed to be there.\nThe officer on the scene said no one had intruded into the area.\n  VERB: V into/onto n


Words: intruder
Meaning:
in.trud.er\n   intruder  intruders\n  An intruder is a person who goes into a place where they are not supposed to be.\n  N-COUNT


Words: intrusion
Meaning:
in.tru.sion\n   intrusion  intrusions\n1. If someone disturbs you when you are in a private place or having a private conversation, you can call this event an intrusion.\nI hope you don’t mind this intrusion, Jon.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. An intrusion is something that disturbs your mood or your life in a way you do not like.\nI felt it was a grotesque intrusion into our lives.\n  N-VAR: oft N into n


Words: intrusive
Meaning:
in.tru.sive\n   intrusive\n  Something that is intrusive disturbs your mood or your life in a way you do not like.\nThe cameras were not an intrusive presence...\n  ADJ


Words: intuit
Meaning:
in.tu.it\n   intuit  intuits  intuiting  intuited\n  If you intuit something, you guess what it is on the basis of your intuition or feelings, rather than on the basis of knowledge. (FORMAL)\nThey would confidently intuit your very thoughts...\nHe was probably right to intuit that it was universal.\n  VERB: V n, V that


Words: intuition
Meaning:
in.tui.tion\n   intuition  intuitions\n  Your intuition or your intuitions are unexplained feelings you have that something is true even when you have no evidence or proof of it.\nHer intuition was telling her that something was wrong...\n  N-VAR\n  = instinct


Words: intuitive
Meaning:
in.tui.tive\n   intuitive\n  If you have an intuitive idea or feeling about something, you feel that it is true although you have no evidence or proof of it.\nA positive pregnancy test soon confirmed her intuitive feelings.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = instinctive\n=>  in.tui.tive.ly\nHe seemed to know intuitively that I must be missing my mother...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj


Words: Inuit
Meaning:
Inu.it\n   Inuit  Inuits  or Inuit\n  The Inuit are a race of people descended from the original people of Eastern Canada and Greenland.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inundate
Meaning:
in.un.date\n   inundate  inundates  inundating  inundated\n1. If you say that you are inundated with things such as letters, demands, or requests, you are emphasizing that you receive so many of them that you cannot deal with them all.\nHer office was inundated with requests for tickets...\nThey have inundated me with fan letters.\n  VERB: be V-ed with n, V n with n, also V n  emphasis\n  = swamp\n2. If an area of land is inundated, it becomes covered with water.\nTheir neighborhood is being inundated by the rising waters of the Colorado River.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed\n  = flood


Words: inured
Meaning:
in.ured\n   inured\n  If you are inured to something unpleasant, you have become used to it so that it no longer affects you. (FORMAL)\nDoctors become inured to death.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ to n


Words: invade
Meaning:
in.vade\n   invade  invades  invading  invaded\n1. To invade a country means to enter it by force with an army.\nIn autumn 1944 the allies invaded the Italian mainland at Anzio and Salerno...\nThe Romans and the Normans came to Britain as invading armies.\n  VERB: V n, V-ing, also V\n\n2. If you say that people or animals invade a place, you mean that they enter it in large numbers, often in a way that is unpleasant or difficult to deal with.\nPeople invaded the streets in victory processions almost throughout the day...\n  VERB: V n\n\n3.\nto invade someone’s privacy: see privacy


Words: invader
Meaning:
in.vad.er\n   invader  invaders\n1. Invaders are soldiers who are invading a country.\nThe invaders were only finally crushed when troops overcame them at Glenshiel in June 1719.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n2. You can refer to a country or army that has invaded or is about to invade another country as an invader.\n...action against a foreign invader.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: invalid
Meaning:
in.va.lid\n   invalid invalids\nThe noun is pronounced   The adjective is pronounced   and is hyphenated in.val.id.\n1. An invalid is someone who needs to be cared for because they have an illness or disability.\nI hate being treated as an invalid.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If an action, procedure, or document is invalid, it cannot be accepted, because it breaks the law or some official rule.\nThe trial was stopped and the results declared invalid...\n  ADJ\n\n3. An invalid argument or conclusion is wrong because it is based on a mistake.\nWe think that those arguments are rendered invalid by the hard facts on the ground.\n  ADJ


Words: invalidate
Meaning:
in.vali.date\n   invalidate  invalidates  invalidating  invalidated\n1. To invalidate something such as an argument, conclusion, or result means to prove that it is wrong or cause it to be wrong.\nAny form of physical activity will invalidate the results...\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. If something invalidates something such as a law, contract, or election, it causes it to be considered illegal.\nAn official decree invalidated the vote in the capital...\n  VERB: V n


Words: invalidity
Meaning:
in.va.lid.ity\n   invalidity\n  Invalidity is the state of being an invalid.\nI live on an invalidity pension.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: invaluable
Meaning:
in.valu.able\n   invaluable\n  If you describe something as invaluable, you mean that it is extremely useful.\nI was able to gain invaluable experience over that year...\nThe research should prove invaluable in the study of linguistics...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ in n/-ing, ADJ to n


Words: invariable
Meaning:
in.vari.able\n   invariable\n  You use invariable to describe something that never changes.\nIt was his invariable custom to have one whisky before his supper.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = unchanging


Words: invariably
Meaning:
in.vari.ably\n   invariably\n  If something invariably happens or is invariably true, it always happens or is always true.\nThey almost invariably get it wrong...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV with cl/group


Words: invasion
Meaning:
in.va.sion\n   invasion  invasions\n1. If there is an invasion of a country, a foreign army enters it by force.\n...seven years after the Roman invasion of Britain...\n  N-VAR: usu with supp, oft adj N, N of n\n\n2. If you refer to the arrival of a large number of people or things as an invasion, you are emphasizing that they are unpleasant or difficult to deal with.\n...this year’s annual invasion of flies, wasps and ants...\n  N-VAR: oft N of n\n\n3. If you describe an action as an invasion, you disapprove of it because it affects someone or something in a way that is not wanted.\nIs reading a child’s diary always a gross invasion of privacy?\n  N-VAR: usu N of n  disapproval


Words: invasive
Meaning:
in.va.sive\n   invasive\n1. You use invasive to describe something undesirable which spreads very quickly and which is very difficult to stop from spreading.\nThey found invasive cancer during a routine examination.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. An invasive medical procedure involves operating on a patient or examining the inside of their body.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: invective
Meaning:
in.vec.tive\n   invective\n  Invective is rude and unpleasant things that people shout at people they hate or are angry with. (FORMAL)\nA woman had hurled racist invective at the family...\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp


Words: inveigh
Meaning:
in.veigh\n   inveigh  inveighs  inveighing  inveighed\n  If you inveigh against something, you criticize it strongly. (FORMAL)\nA lot of his writings inveigh against luxury and riches.\n  VERB: V against n


Words: inveigle
Meaning:
in.vei.gle\n   inveigle  inveigles  inveigling  inveigled\n  If you inveigle someone into doing something, you cleverly persuade them to do it when they do not really want to. (FORMAL)\nShe inveigles Paco into a plot to swindle Tania out of her savings.\n  VERB: V n into n/-ing\n  = cajole


Words: invent
Meaning:
in.vent\n   invent  invents  inventing  invented\n1. If you invent something such as a machine or process, you are the first person to think of it or make it.\nHe invented the first electric clock...\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. If you invent a story or excuse, you try to make other people believe that it is true when in fact it is not.\nI stood still, trying to invent a plausible excuse.\n  VERB: V n


Words: invention
Meaning:
in.ven.tion\n   invention  inventions\n1. An invention is a machine, device, or system that has been invented by someone.\nThe spinning wheel was a Chinese invention.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Invention is the act of inventing something that has never been made or used before.\n...the invention of the telephone.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n\n\n3. If you refer to someone’s account of something as an invention, you think that it is untrue and that they have made it up.\nThe story was certainly a favourite one, but it was undoubtedly pure invention.\n  N-VAR\n  = fabrication\n4. Invention is the ability to invent things or to have clever and original ideas.\n...his great powers of invention.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = creativity


Words: inventive
Meaning:
in.ven.tive\n   inventive\n  An inventive person is good at inventing things or has clever and original ideas.\nIt inspired me to be more inventive with my own cooking.\n  ADJ\n  = creative\n=>  in.ven.tive.ness\nHe has surprised us before with his inventiveness.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inventor
Meaning:
in.ven.tor\n   inventor  inventors\n  An inventor is a person who has invented something, or whose job is to invent things.\n...Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inventory
Meaning:
in.ven.tory\n   inventory  inventories\n1. An inventory is a written list of all the objects in a particular place.\nBefore starting, he made an inventory of everything that was to stay.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. An inventory is a supply or stock of something. (AM)\n...one inventory of twelve sails for each yacht.\n  N-VAR


Words: inverse
Meaning:
in.verse\n   inverse\n1. If there is an inverse relationship between two things, one of them becomes larger as the other becomes smaller.\nThe tension grew in inverse proportion to the distance from their final destination.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=direct\n=>  in.verse.ly\nThe size of the nebula at this stage is inversely proportional to its mass.\n  ADV: ADV adj/-ed, ADV after v\n\n2. The inverse of something is its exact opposite. (FORMAL)\nThere is no sign that you bothered to consider the inverse of your logic.\n  N-SING: the N, usu N of n\n\n  Inverse is also an adjective.\nThe hologram can be flipped to show the inverse image.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: inversion
Meaning:
in.ver.sion\n   inversion  inversions\n  When there is an inversion of something, it is changed into its opposite. (FORMAL)\n...a scandalous inversion of the truth.\n  N-VAR: usu N of n


Words: invert
Meaning:
in.vert\n   invert  inverts  inverting  inverted\n1. If you invert something, you turn it the other way up or back to front. (FORMAL)\nInvert the cake onto a cooling rack.\n...a black inverted triangle.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n\n2. If you invert something, you change it to its opposite. (FORMAL)\nThey may be hoping to invert the presumption that a defendant is innocent until proved guilty.\n...a telling illustration of inverted moral values.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed


Words: invertebrate
Meaning:
in.ver.tebrate\n   invertebrate  invertebrates\n  An invertebrate is a creature that does not have a spine, for example an insect, a worm, or an octopus. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-COUNT\n\n  Invertebrate is also an adjective.\n...invertebrate creatures.\n  ADJ


Words: inverted commas
Meaning:
in.vert.ed com.mas\n   inverted commas\n1. Inverted commas are punctuation marks that are used in writing to show where speech or a quotation begins and ends. They are usually written or printed as ` ’ or . .. Inverted commas are also sometimes used around the titles of books, plays, or songs, or around a word or phrase that is being discussed. (BRIT; in AM, use quotation marks)\n  N-PLURAL\n\n2. If you say in inverted commas after a word or phrase, you are indicating that it is inaccurate or unacceptable in some way, or that you are quoting someone else. (BRIT)\nThey’re asked to make objective, in inverted commas, evaluations of these statements.\n  PHRASE


Words: invest
Meaning:
in.vest\n   invest  invests  investing  invested\n1. If you invest in something, or if you invest a sum of money, you use your money in a way that you hope will increase its value, for example by paying it into a bank, or buying shares or property.\nThey intend to invest directly in shares...\nHe invested all our profits in gold shares...\nWhen people buy houses they’re investing a lot of money.\n  VERB: V in n, V n in n, V n\n\n2. When a government or organization invests in something, it gives or lends money for a purpose that it considers useful or profitable.\n...the British government’s failure to invest in an integrated transport system.\n...the European Investment Bank, which invested .100 million in Canary Wharf...\nWhy does Japan invest, on average, twice as much capital per worker per year than the United States?\n  VERB: V in n, V n in n, V n, also V\n\n3. If you invest in something useful, you buy it, because it will help you to do something more efficiently or more cheaply.\nThe company invested thousands in an electronic order-control system...\nThe easiest way to make ice cream yourself is to invest in an ice cream machine.\n  VERB: V n in n, V in n\n\n4. If you invest time or energy in something, you spend a lot of time or energy on something that you consider to be useful or likely to be successful.\nI would rather invest time in Rebecca than in the kitchen.\n  VERB: V n in n\n\n5. To invest someone with rights or responsibilities means to give them those rights or responsibilities legally or officially. (FORMAL)\nThe constitution had invested him with certain powers.\n  VERB: V n with n


Words: investigate
Meaning:
in.ves.ti.gate\n   investigate  investigates  investigating  investigated\n  If someone, especially an official, investigates an event, situation, or claim, they try to find out what happened or what is the truth.\nGas officials are investigating the cause of an explosion which badly damaged a house in Hampshire...\nPolice are still investigating how the accident happened.\n  VERB: V n, V wh, also V\n\n=>  in.ves.ti.ga.tion      investigations\nHe ordered an investigation into the affair...\n  N-VAR: oft N into n


Words: investigative
Meaning:
in.ves.ti.gative\n   investigative\n  Investigative work, especially journalism, involves investigating things.\n...an investigative reporter.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: investigator
Meaning:
in.ves.ti.ga.tor\n   investigator  investigators\n  An investigator is someone who carries out investigations, especially as part of their job.\n  N-COUNT


Words: investigatory
Meaning:
in.ves.ti.ga.tory\n   investigatory\n  Investigatory means the same as investigative.\nAt no time did I make an attempt to impede any investigatory effort.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: investiture
Meaning:
in.ves.ti.ture\n   investiture  investitures\n  An investiture is a ceremony in which someone is given an official title.\n...Edward VIII’s investiture as Prince of Wales in 1911.\n  N-COUNT


Words: investment
Meaning:
in.vest.ment\n   investment  investments\n1. Investment is the activity of investing money.\nHe said the government must introduce tax incentives to encourage investment...\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp, oft N in n\n\n2. An investment is an amount of money that you invest, or the thing that you invest it in.\nYou’ll be able to earn an average rate of return of 8% on your investments.\n  N-VAR: usu with supp\n\n3. If you describe something you buy as an investment, you mean that it will be useful, especially because it will help you to do a task more cheaply or efficiently.\nWhen selecting boots, fine, quality leather will be a wise investment...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, usu adj N\n\n4. Investment of time or effort is the spending of time or effort on something in order to make it a success.\nI worry about this big investment of time and effort.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n


Words: investor
Meaning:
in.ves.tor\n   investor  investors\n  An investor is a person or organization that buys stocks or shares, or pays money into a bank in order to receive a profit.\nThe main investor in the project is the French bank Credit National.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inveterate
Meaning:
in.vet.er.ate\n   inveterate\n  If you describe someone as, for example, an inveterate liar or smoker, you mean that they have lied or smoked for a long time and are not likely to stop doing it.\n...an inveterate gambler.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: invidious
Meaning:
in.vidi.ous\n   invidious\n1. If you describe a task or job as invidious, you mean that it is unpleasant because it is likely to make you unpopular.\nThe local authority could find itself in the invidious position of having to refuse.\n  ADJ\n\n2. An invidious comparison or choice between two things is an unfair one because the two things are very different or are equally good or bad.\nPolice officers fear invidious comparisons...\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf


Words: invigilate
Meaning:
in.vigi.late\n   invigilate  invigilates  invigilating  invigilated\n  Someone who invigilates an examination supervises the people who are taking it in order to ensure that it starts and finishes at the correct time, and that there is no cheating. (BRIT)\nI’ve taught sixth formers and invigilated exams.\n  VERB: V n, also V\n\n=>  in.vigi.la.tor      invigilators\n...an exam invigilator.\n  N-COUNT


Words: invigorate
Meaning:
in.vig.or.ate\n   invigorate  invigorates  invigorating  invigorated\n1. If something invigorates you, it makes you feel more energetic.\nTake a deep breath in to invigorate you.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  in.vig.or.at.ed\nShe seemed invigorated, full of life and energy.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n\n2. To invigorate a situation or a process means to make it more efficient or more effective.\n...the promise that they would invigorate the economy...\n  VERB: V n\n  = stimulate


Words: invigorating
Meaning:
in.vig.or.at.ing\n   invigorating\n  If you describe something as invigorating, you mean that it makes you feel more energetic.\n...the bright Finnish sun and invigorating northern air.\n  ADJ


Words: invincible
Meaning:
in.vin.cible\n   invincible\n1. If you describe an army or sports team as invincible, you believe that they cannot be defeated.\nWhen Sotomayor is on form he is virtually invincible.\n  ADJ\n  = unbeatable\n=>  in.vin.cibil.ity\n...symbols of the invincibility of the Roman army.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If someone has an invincible belief or attitude, it cannot be changed.\nHe also had an invincible faith in the medicinal virtues of garlic.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: inviolable
Meaning:
in.vio.lable\n   inviolable\n1. If a law or principle is inviolable, you must not break it. (FORMAL)\nThe game had a single inviolable rule: obstacles were to be overcome, not circumvented.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If a country says its borders are inviolable, it means they must not be changed or crossed without permission. (FORMAL)\nYesterday’s resolution says the present Polish border is `inviolable’.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.vio.labil.ity\nParliament has recognised the inviolability of the current border.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inviolate
Meaning:
in.vio.late\n   inviolate\n  If something is inviolate, it has not been or cannot be harmed or affected by anything. (FORMAL)\nWe believed our love was inviolate.\n  ADJ


Words: invisible
Meaning:
in.vis.ible\n   invisible\n1. If you describe something as invisible, you mean that it cannot be seen, for example because it is transparent, hidden, or very small.\nThe lines were so finely etched as to be invisible from a distance...\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n  !=visible\n=>  in.vis.ibly\nA thin coil of smoke rose almost invisibly into the sharp, bright sky.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. You can use invisible when you are talking about something that cannot be seen but has a definite effect. In this sense, invisible is often used before a noun which refers to something that can usually be seen.\nParents fear they might overstep these invisible boundaries...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  in.vis.ibly\n...the tradition that invisibly shapes things in the present.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n3. If you say that you feel invisible, you are complaining that you are being ignored by other people. If you say that a particular problem or situation is invisible, you are complaining that it is not being considered or dealt with.\nThe problems of the poor are largely invisible.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.vis.ibil.ity\n...the invisibility of women’s concerns in society.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4. In stories, invisible people or things have a magic quality which makes people unable to see them.\n...The Invisible Man.\n  ADJ\n\n5. In economics, invisible earnings are the money that a country makes as a result of services such as banking and tourism, rather than by producing goods. (BUSINESS)\nTourism is Britain’s single biggest invisible export...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=visible


Words: invitation
Meaning:
in.vi.ta.tion\n   invitation  invitations\n1. An invitation is a written or spoken request to come to an event such as a party, a meal, or a meeting.\n...an invitation to lunch...\nHe’s understood to be there at the personal invitation of President Daniel Arap Moi.\n  N-COUNT: oft N to-inf, N to n\n\n2. An invitation is the card or paper on which an invitation is written or printed.\nHundreds of invitations are being sent out this week.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If you believe that someone’s action is likely to have a particular result, especially a bad one, you can refer to the action as an invitation to that result.\nDon’t leave your shopping on the back seat of your car.it’s an open invitation to a thief.\n  N-SING: N to n


Words: invite
Meaning:
in.vite\n   invite invites inviting  invited\nThe verb is pronounced   The noun is pronounced\n1. If you invite someone to something such as a party or a meal, you ask them to come to it.\nShe invited him to her 26th birthday party in New Jersey...\nBarron invited her to accompany him to the races...\nI haven’t been invited.\n...an invited audience of children from inner-city schools.\n  VERB: V n prep/adv, V n to-inf, be V-ed, V-ed\n\n2. If you are invited to do something, you are formally asked or given permission to do it.\nAt a future date, managers will be invited to apply for a management buy-out...\nIf a new leader emerged, it would then be for the Queen to invite him to form a government...\nThe Department is inviting applications from groups within the Borough.\n  VERB: be V-ed to-inf, V n to-inf, V n\n\n3. If something you say or do invites trouble or criticism, it makes trouble or criticism more likely.\nTheir refusal to compromise will inevitably invite more criticism from the UN.\n  VERB: V n\n\n4. An invite is an invitation to something such as a party or a meal. (INFORMAL)\nThey haven’t got an invite to the wedding.\n  N-COUNT


Words: inviting
Meaning:
in.vit.ing\n   inviting\n  If you say that something is inviting, you mean that it has good qualities that attract you or make you want to experience it.\nThe February air was soft, cool, and inviting...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.vit.ing.ly\nThe waters of the tropics are invitingly clear.\n  ADV: ADV adj, ADV with v\n\n  see also invite


Words: invocation
Meaning:
in.vo.ca.tion\n   invocation  invocations\n1. An invocation is a request for help or forgiveness made to a god. (FORMAL)\n...an invocation for divine guidance.\n  N-VAR: oft N prep\n\n2. An invocation is a prayer at a public meeting, usually at the beginning. (AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: invoice
Meaning:
in.voice\n   invoice  invoices  invoicing  invoiced\n1. An invoice is a document that lists goods that have been supplied or services that have been done, and says how much money you owe for them.\nWe will then send you an invoice for the total course fees...\n  N-COUNT: oft N for n\n  = bill\n2. If you invoice someone, you send them a bill for goods or services you have provided them with.\nThe agency invoices the client.\n  VERB: V n\n  = bill


Words: invoke
Meaning:
in.voke\n   invoke  invokes  invoking  invoked\n1. If you invoke a law, you state that you are taking a particular action because that law allows or tells you to.\nThe judge invoked an international law that protects refugees.\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. If you invoke something such as a principle, a saying, or a famous person, you refer to them in order to support your argument.\nHe invoked memories of Britain’s near-disastrous disarmament in the 1930s...\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. If something such as a piece of music invokes a feeling or an image, it causes someone to have the feeling or to see the image. Many people consider this use to be incorrect.\nThe music invoked the wide open spaces of the prairies.\n  VERB: V n\n  = evoke


Words: involuntary
Meaning:
in.vol.un.tary\n   involuntary\n1. If you make an involuntary movement or exclamation, you make it suddenly and without intending to because you are unable to control yourself.\nAnother surge of pain in my ankle caused me to give an involuntary shudder.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  in.vol.un.tari.ly\nHis left eyelid twitched involuntarily.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. You use involuntary to describe an action or situation which is forced on someone.\n...insurance policies that cover involuntary unemployment...\n  ADJ\n  = forced


Words: involve
Meaning:
in.volve\n   involve  involves  involving  involved\n1. If a situation or activity involves something, that thing is a necessary part or consequence of it.\nRunning a kitchen involves a great deal of discipline and speed...\nNicky’s job as a public relations director involves spending quite a lot of time with other people.\n  VERB: V n/-ing, V n/-ing\n  = entail\n2. If a situation or activity involves someone, they are taking part in it.\nIf there was a cover-up, it involved people at the very highest levels of government.\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. If you say that someone involves themselves in something, you mean that they take part in it, often in a way that is unnecessary or unwanted.\nI seem to have involved myself in something I don’t understand.\n  VERB: V pron-refl in n\n\n4. If you involve someone else in something, you get them to take part in it.\nNoel and I do everything together, he involves me in everything...\n  VERB: V n in n/-ing\n\n5. If one thing involves you in another thing, especially something unpleasant or inconvenient, the first thing causes you to do or deal with the second.\nA late booking may involve you in extra cost...\n  VERB: V n in n


Words: involved
Meaning:
in.volved\n   involved\n1. If you are involved in a situation or activity, you are taking part in it or have a strong connection with it.\nIf she were involved in business, she would make a strong chief executive...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ in/with n\n\n2. If you are involved in something, you give a lot of time, effort, or attention to it.\nThe family were deeply involved in Jewish culture.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ in n\n\n3. The things involved in something such as a job or system are the necessary parts or consequences of it.\nWe believe the time and hard work involved in completing such an assignment are worthwhile...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ in n\n\n4. If a situation or activity is involved, it has a lot of different parts or aspects, often making it difficult to understand, explain, or do.\nThe operations can be quite involved, requiring many procedures.\n  ADJ\n  = complicated, complex\n5. If one person is involved with another, especially someone they are not married to, they are having a sexual or romantic relationship.\nHe became romantically involved with a married woman.\n  ADJ: oft v-link ADJ with n


Words: involvement
Meaning:
in.volve.ment\n   involvement  involvements\n1. Your involvement in something is the fact that you are taking part in it.\nShe disliked his involvement with the group and disliked his friends.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N in/with n\n\n2. Involvement is the enthusiasm that you feel when you care deeply about something.\nBen has always felt a deep involvement with animals.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. An involvement is a close relationship between two people, especially if they are not married to each other.\nThey were very good friends but there was no romantic involvement...\n  N-VAR


Words: invulnerable
Meaning:
in.vul.ner.able\n   invulnerable\n  If someone or something is invulnerable, they cannot be harmed or damaged.\nMany daughters assume that their mothers are invulnerable.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n\n  !=vulnerable\n=>  in.vul.ner.abil.ity\nThey have a sense of invulnerability to disease.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inward
Meaning:
in.ward\n   inward\n1. Your inward thoughts or feelings are the ones that you do not express or show to other people.\nI sighed with inward relief.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = inner\n=>  in.ward.ly\nSara, while remaining outwardly amiable toward all concerned, was inwardly furious.\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj\n\n2. An inward movement is one towards the inside or centre of something.\n...a sharp, inward breath like a gasp...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3.\n  see also inwards


Words: inward investment
Meaning:
in.ward in.vest.ment\n   inward investment\n  Inward investment is the investment of money in a country by companies from outside that country. (BUSINESS)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: inward-looking
Meaning:
inward-looking\n  If you describe a people or society as inward-looking, you mean that they are more interested in themselves than in other people or societies.\n...an insular and inward-looking community.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: inwards
Meaning:
in.wards\n   inwards   also inward\n  If something moves or faces inwards, it moves or faces towards the inside or centre of something.\nShe pressed back against the door until it swung inwards...\n  ADV: ADV after v\n  !=outwards


Words: ionizer
Meaning:
ion.iz.er\n   ionizer  ionizers\nin BRIT, also use ioniser\n  An ionizer is a device which is meant to make the air in a room more healthy by removing positive ions.\n  N-COUNT


Words: iota
Meaning:
iota\n1. If you say that there is not an iota or not one iota of something, you are emphasizing that there is not even a very small amount of it.\nHe’s never shown an iota of interest in any kind of work.\n  QUANT: with brd-neg, QUANT of n-uncount  emphasis\n  = jot\n2. You can use an iota or one iota to emphasize a negative statement. Not an iota or not one iota means not even to a small extent or degree.\nOur credit standards haven’t changed one iota.\n  PHRASE: with brd-neg, PHR after v  emphasis\n  = jot


Words: IOU
Meaning:
IOU  IOUs\n  An IOU is a written promise that you will pay back some money that you have borrowed. IOU is an abbreviation for `I owe you’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: IP address
Meaning:
IP ad.dress\n   IP address IP addresses\n  An IP address is a series of numbers that identifies which particular computer or network is connected to the Internet. IP is an abbreviation for `Internet Protocol’. (COMPUTING)\nEvery connection that you make to the network is stamped with your IP address.\n  N-COUNT


Words: ipso facto
Meaning:
ipso fac.to\n   ipso facto\n  If something is ipso facto true, it must be true, because of a fact that has been mentioned.\nIf a crime occurs then there is, ipso facto, a guilty party.\n  ADV: ADV with cl/group


Words: IQ
Meaning:
IQ  IQs\n  Your IQ is your level of intelligence, as indicated by a special test that you do. IQ is an abbreviation for `intelligence quotient’. Compare EQ.\nHis IQ is above average.\n  N-VAR: usu with supp


Words: ir-
Meaning:
ir-\n  Ir- is added to words that begin with the letter `r’ to form words with the opposite meaning.\nHis behaviour was becoming increasingly irrational.\n...its mixture of satirical wit, irreverence and spontaneity.\n  PREFIX


Words: Iranian
Meaning:
Ira.nian\n   Iranian  Iranians\n1. Iranian means belonging or relating to Iran, or to its people or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. An Iranian is an Iranian citizen, or a person of Iranian origin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Iraqi
Meaning:
Ira.qi\n   Iraqi  Iraqis\n1. Iraqi means belonging or relating to Iraq, or to its people or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. An Iraqi is an Iraqi citizen, or a person of Iraqi origin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: irascible
Meaning:
iras.cible\n   irascible\n  If you describe someone as irascible, you mean that they become angry very easily. (WRITTEN)\nHe had an irascible temper.\n  ADJ\n  = fiery


Words: irate
Meaning:
irate\n  If someone is irate, they are very angry about something.\nThe owner was so irate he almost threw me out of the place...\n  ADJ\n  = furious


Words: IRC
Meaning:
IRC\n  IRC is a way of having conversations with people who are using the Internet, especially people you do not know. IRC is an abbreviation for `Internet Relay Chat’.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: ire
Meaning:
ire\n  Ire is anger. (FORMAL)\nTheir ire was directed mainly at the government.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = wrath, fury


Words: iridescent
Meaning:
iri.des.cent\n   iridescent\n  Something that is iridescent has many bright colours that seem to keep changing. (LITERARY)\n...iridescent bubbles.\n  ADJ


Words: iris
Meaning:
iris  irises\n1. The iris is the round coloured part of a person’s eye.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. An iris is a tall plant with long leaves and large purple, yellow, or white flowers.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Irish
Meaning:
Irish\n1. Irish means belonging or relating to Ireland, or to its people, language, or culture. Irish sometimes refers to the whole of Ireland, and sometimes only to the Republic of Ireland.\n  ADJ\n\n2. The Irish are the people of Ireland, or of the Republic of Ireland.\n  N-PLURAL: usu the N\n\n3. Irish is a Celtic language spoken by people who live in Ireland, especially in the Republic of Ireland.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Irishman
Meaning:
Irish.man\n   Irishman  Irishmen\n  An Irishman is a man who is an Irish citizen or is of Irish origin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Irishwoman
Meaning:
Irish.woman\n   Irishwoman  Irishwomen\n  An Irishwoman is a woman who is an Irish citizen or is of Irish origin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: irk
Meaning:
irk  irks  irking  irked\n  If something irks you, it irritates or annoys you. (FORMAL)\nThe rehearsal process also irked him increasingly...\nI must admit it irks me to see this guy get all this free publicity...\nIt irks them that some people have more of a chance than others for their voices to be heard.\n  VERB: V n, it V n to-inf, it V n that\n\n=>  irked\nClaire had seemed a little irked when he left.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ


Words: irksome
Meaning:
irk.some\n   irksome\n  If something is irksome, it irritates or annoys you. (FORMAL)\n...the irksome regulations.\n  ADJ\n  = tiresome


Words: iron
Meaning:
iron  irons  ironing  ironed\n1. Iron is an element which usually takes the form of a hard, dark grey metal. It is used to make steel, and also forms part of many tools, buildings, and vehicles. Very small amounts of iron occur in your blood and in food.\nThe huge, iron gate was locked.\n...the highest grade iron ore deposits in the world...\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n\n  see also cast-iron\n2. An iron is an electrical device with a flat metal base. You heat it until the base is hot, then rub it over clothes to remove creases.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If you iron clothes, you remove the creases from them using an iron.\nShe used to iron his shirts...\n...a freshly ironed shirt.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n\n=>  iron.ing\nI managed to get all the ironing done this morning.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4. You can use iron to describe the character or behaviour of someone who is very firm in their decisions and actions, or who can control their feelings well.\n...a man of icy nerve and iron will...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n5. Iron is used in expressions such as an iron hand and iron discipline to describe strong, harsh, or unfair methods of control which do not allow people much freedom.\nHe died in 1985 after ruling Albania with an iron fist for 40 years.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n6. If someone has a lot of irons in the fire, they are involved in several different activities or have several different plans.\n  PHRASE


Words: Iron Age
Meaning:
Iron Age\n  The Iron Age was a period of time which began when people started making things from iron about three thousand years ago.\n...the remains of an Iron Age fort.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: Iron Curtain
Meaning:
Iron Cur.tain\n   Iron Curtain\n  People referred to the border that separated the Soviet Union and the communist countries of Eastern Europe from the Western European countries as the Iron Curtain.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: iron out
Meaning:
iron out\n  If you iron out difficulties, you resolve them and bring them to an end.\nIt was in the beginning, when we were still ironing out problems...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron)\n  = smooth out


Words: ironclad
Meaning:
iron.clad\n   ironclad   also iron-clad\n  If you describe a guarantee or plan as ironclad, you are emphasizing that it has been carefully put together, and that you think it is absolutely certain to work or be successful.\n...ironclad guarantees of safe passage...\n  ADJ  emphasis


Words: ironic
Meaning:
iron.ic\n   ironic   or ironical\n1. When you make an ironic remark, you say something that you do not mean, as a joke.\nPeople used to call me Mr Popularity at high school, but they were being ironic.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you say that it is ironic that something should happen, you mean that it is odd or amusing because it involves a contrast.\nDoes he not find it ironic that the sort of people his movie celebrates hardly ever watch this kind of movie?\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ that


Words: ironically
Meaning:
ironi.cal.ly\n   ironically\n1. You use ironically to draw attention to a situation which is odd or amusing because it involves a contrast.\nIronically, for a man who hated war, he would have made a superb war cameraman.\n  ADV: ADV with cl\n\n2. If you say something ironically, you do not mean it and are saying it as a joke.\nClassmates at West Point had ironically dubbed him Beauty.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: ironing board
Meaning:
iron.ing board\n   ironing board  ironing boards\n  An ironing board is a long narrow board covered with cloth on which you iron clothes.\n  N-COUNT


Words: ironmonger
Meaning:
iron.monger\n   ironmonger  ironmongers\n1. An ironmonger is a shopkeeper who sells articles for the house and garden such as tools, nails, and pans. (BRIT; in AM, usually use hardware dealer)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. An ironmonger or an ironmonger’s is a shop where articles for the house and garden such as tools, nails, and pans are sold. (BRIT; in AM, usually use hardware store)\n  N-COUNT: oft the N


Words: ironmongery
Meaning:
iron.mongery\n   ironmongery\n  Ironmongery is articles for the house and garden such as tools, nails, and pans which are sold in an ironmonger’s shop. (BRIT; in AM, usually use hardware)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = hardware


Words: ironwork
Meaning:
iron.work\n   ironwork\n  Iron objects or structures are referred to as ironwork.\n...the ironwork on the doors.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: irony
Meaning:
iro.ny\n   irony  ironies\n1. Irony is a subtle form of humour which involves saying things that you do not mean.\nSinclair examined the closed, clever face for any hint of irony, but found none.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you talk about the irony of a situation, you mean that it is odd or amusing because it involves a contrast.\nThe irony is that many officials in Washington agree in private that their policy is inconsistent...\n  N-VAR: oft N of/in n


Words: irradiate
Meaning:
ir.ra.di.ate\n   irradiate  irradiates  irradiating  irradiated\n  If someone or something is irradiated, they are exposed to a large amount of radioactivity. (TECHNICAL)\n...the Chernobyl disaster, which irradiated large parts of Europe.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  ir.ra.dia.tion\n...the harmful effects of irradiation and pollution.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: irrational
Meaning:
ir.ra.tion.al\n   irrational\n  If you describe someone’s feelings and behaviour as irrational, you mean they are not based on logical reasons or clear thinking.\n...an irrational fear of science.\n  ADJ\n  = unreasonable  !=rational\n=>  ir.ra.tion.al.ly\nMy husband is irrationally jealous over my past loves.\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj, ADV with cl\n\n=>  ir.ra.tion.al.ity\n...the irrationality of his behaviour.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: irreconcilable
Meaning:
ir.rec.on.cil.able\n   irreconcilable\n1. If two things such as opinions or proposals are irreconcilable, they are so different from each other that it is not possible to believe or have both of them. (FORMAL)\nThese old concepts are irreconcilable with modern life.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ with n\n  = incompatible\n2. An irreconcilable disagreement or conflict is so serious that it cannot be settled. (FORMAL)\n...an irreconcilable clash of personalities.\n  ADJ


Words: irredeemable
Meaning:
ir.re.deem.able\n   irredeemable\n  If someone or something has an irredeemable fault, it cannot be corrected. (FORMAL)\nHe is still, in the eyes of some, an irredeemable misogynist.\n  ADJ\n  = incurable\n=>  ir.re.deem.ably\nThe applicant was irredeemably incompetent.\n  ADV: ADV adj/-ed


Words: irreducible
Meaning:
ir.re.duc.ible\n   irreducible\n  Irreducible things cannot be made simpler or smaller. (FORMAL)\n...the irreducible complexity of human life.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=reducible


Words: irrefutable
Meaning:
ir.refu.table\n   irrefutable\n  Irrefutable evidence, statements, or arguments cannot be shown to be incorrect or unsatisfactory. (FORMAL)\nThe pictures provide irrefutable evidence of the incident...\n  ADJ\n  = indisputable


Words: irregular
Meaning:
ir.regu.lar\n   irregular\n1. If events or actions occur at irregular intervals, the periods of time between them are of different lengths.\nCars passed at irregular intervals...\nHe worked irregular hours.\n  ADJ\n  !=regular\n=>  ir.regu.lar.ly\nHe was eating irregularly, steadily losing weight.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n=>  ir.regu.lar.ity      irregularities\n...a dangerous irregularity in her heartbeat.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. Something that is irregular is not smooth or straight, or does not form a regular pattern.\nHe had bad teeth, irregular and discolored.\n  ADJ\n  = uneven  !=regular\n=>  ir.regu.lar.ly\nLocated off-center in the irregularly shaped lake was a fountain.\n  ADV: usu ADV -ed\n\n=>  ir.regu.lar.ity\n...treatment of abnormalities or irregularities of the teeth.\n  N-VAR\n\n3. Irregular behaviour is dishonest or not in accordance with the normal rules.\n...the minister accused of irregular business practices...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  ir.regu.lar.ity\n...charges arising from alleged financial irregularities.\n  N-VAR\n\n4. An irregular verb, noun, or adjective has different forms from most other verbs, nouns, or adjectives in the language. For example, `break’ is an irregular verb because its past form is `broke’, not `breaked’.\n  ADJ\n  !=regular


Words: irrelevance
Meaning:
ir.rel.evance\n   irrelevance  irrelevances\n1. If you talk about the irrelevance of something, you mean that it is irrelevant.\n...the utter irrelevance of the debate.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n\n  !=relevance\n2. If you describe something as an irrelevance, you have a low opinion of it because it is not important in a situation.\nThe Patriotic Front has been a political irrelevance.\n  N-COUNT


Words: irrelevancy
Meaning:
ir.rel.evan.cy\n   irrelevancy  irrelevancies\n  If you describe something as an irrelevancy, you have a low opinion of it because it is not important in a situation.\nWhy was he wasting her time with these irrelevancies?\n  N-COUNT\n  = irrelevance


Words: irrelevant
Meaning:
ir.rel.evant\n   irrelevant\n1. If you describe something such as a fact or remark as irrelevant, you mean that it is not connected with what you are discussing or dealing with.\nThe government decided that their testimony would be irrelevant to the case.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n\n  !=relevant\n=>  ir.rel.evant.ly\nShe would have hated the suit, I thought irrelevantly.\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV with cl\n\n2. If you say that something is irrelevant, you mean that it is not important in a situation.\nThe choice of subject matter is irrelevant...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n


Words: irreligious
Meaning:
ir.re.li.gious\n   irreligious\n  An irreligious person does not accept the beliefs of any religion or opposes all religions.\n  ADJ\n  = atheistic


Words: irremediable
Meaning:
ir.re.medi.able\n   irremediable\n  If a bad situation or change is irremediable, the situation cannot be improved. (FORMAL)\nHis memory suffered irremediable damage.\n  ADJ\n  = irreparable


Words: irreparable
Meaning:
ir.repa.rable\n   irreparable\n  Irreparable damage or harm is so bad that it cannot be repaired or put right. (FORMAL)\nThe move would cause irreparable harm to the organization.\n  ADJ\n  = irreversible\n=>  ir.repa.rably\nHer heart was irreparably damaged by a virus.\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV -ed


Words: irreplaceable
Meaning:
ir.re.place.able\n   irreplaceable\n  Irreplaceable things are so special that they cannot be replaced if they are lost or destroyed.\n...a rare and irreplaceable jewel...\n  ADJ\n  !=replaceable


Words: irrepressible
Meaning:
ir.re.press.ible\n   irrepressible\n  An irrepressible person is lively and energetic and never seems to be depressed.\nJon’s exuberance was irrepressible.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  ir.re.press.ibly\nGavin was irrepressibly rebellious.\n  ADV: usu ADV adj/-ed


Words: irreproachable
Meaning:
ir.re.proach.able\n   irreproachable\n  If you say that someone’s character or behaviour is irreproachable, you mean that they behave so well that they cannot be criticized.\n  ADJ\n  = impeccable


Words: irresistible
Meaning:
ir.re.sist.ible\n   irresistible\n1. If you describe something such as a desire or force as irresistible, you mean that it is so powerful that it makes you act in a certain way, and there is nothing you can do to prevent this.\nIt proved an irresistible temptation to Hall to go back.\n  ADJ\n  = overwhelming\n=>  ir.re.sist.ibly\nI found myself irresistibly drawn to Steve’s world.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. If you describe something or someone as irresistible, you mean that they are so good or attractive that you cannot stop yourself from liking them or wanting them. (INFORMAL)\nThe music is irresistible.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  ir.re.sist.ibly\nShe had a gamine charm which men found irresistibly attractive.\n  ADV: ADV adj


Words: irresolute
Meaning:
ir.reso.lute\n   irresolute\n  Someone who is irresolute cannot decide what to do. (FORMAL)\nThe worst reason to launch an attack would be a fear of seeming irresolute...\n  ADJ\n  = indecisive


Words: irrespective
Meaning:
ir.re.spec.tive\n   irrespective\n  If you say that something happens or should happen irrespective of a particular thing, you mean that it is not affected or should not be affected by that thing. (FORMAL)\n...their commitment to a society based on equality for all citizens irrespective of ethnic origin...\n  PREP-PHRASE\n  = regardless of


Words: irresponsible
Meaning:
ir.re.spon.sible\n   irresponsible\n  If you describe someone as irresponsible, you are criticizing them because they do things without properly considering their possible consequences.\nI felt that it was irresponsible to advocate the legalisation of drugs...\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf  disapproval\n  !=responsible\n=>  ir.re.spon.sibly\nThey have behaved irresponsibly.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v\n\n=>  ir.re.spon.sibil.ity\n...the irresponsibility of people who advocate such destruction to our environment.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: irretrievable
Meaning:
ir.re.triev.able\n   irretrievable\n  If you talk about irretrievable damage or an irretrievable situation, you mean that the damage or situation is so bad that there is no possibility of putting it right. (FORMAL)\n...a country in irretrievable decline.\n  ADJ\n  = irreparable\n=>  ir.re.triev.ably\nEventually her marriage broke down irretrievably.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v


Words: irreverent
Meaning:
ir.rev.er.ent\n   irreverent\n  If you describe someone as irreverent, you mean that they do not show respect for people or things that are generally respected.\nTaylor combined great knowledge with an irreverent attitude to history.\n  ADJ  approval\n\n=>  ir.rev.er.ence\nHis irreverence for authority marks him out as a troublemaker.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  ir.rev.er.ent.ly\n`Jobs for the boys,’ said Crosby irreverently.\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj


Words: irreversible
Meaning:
ir.re.vers.ible\n   irreversible\n  If a change is irreversible, things cannot be changed back to the way they were before.\nShe could suffer irreversible brain damage if she is not treated within seven days...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  ir.re.vers.ibly\nTelevision has irreversibly changed our perception of the Royal Family.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: irrevocable
Meaning:
ir.revo.cable\n   irrevocable\n  If a decision, action, or change is irrevocable, it cannot be changed or reversed. (FORMAL)\nHe said the decision was irrevocable.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  ir.revo.cably\nMy relationships with friends have been irrevocably altered by my illness.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj


Words: irrigate
Meaning:
ir.ri.gate\n   irrigate  irrigates  irrigating  irrigated\n  To irrigate land means to supply it with water in order to help crops grow.\nNone of the water from Lake Powell is used to irrigate the area.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  ir.ri.ga.tion\nThe agricultural land is hilly and the irrigation poor.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n


Words: irritable
Meaning:
ir.ri.table\n   irritable\n  If you are irritable, you are easily annoyed.\nHe had been waiting for over an hour and was beginning to feel irritable.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  ir.ri.tably\n`Why are you whispering?’ he asked irritably...\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n=>  ir.ri.tabil.ity\nPatients usually suffer from increased irritability.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: irritant
Meaning:
ir.ri.tant\n   irritant  irritants\n1. If you describe something as an irritant, you mean that it keeps annoying you. (FORMAL)\nHe said the issue was not a major irritant.\n  N-COUNT\n  = annoyance\n2. An irritant is a substance which causes a part of your body to itch or become sore. (FORMAL)\nMany pesticides are irritants.\n  N-COUNT


Words: irritate
Meaning:
ir.ri.tate\n   irritate  irritates  irritating  irritated\n1. If something irritates you, it keeps annoying you.\nTheir attitude irritates me...\nPerhaps they were irritated by the sound of crying.\n  VERB: V n, V n\n  = annoy\n=>  ir.ri.tat.ed\nNot surprisingly, her teacher is getting irritated with her.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If something irritates a part of your body, it causes it to itch or become sore.\nWear rubber gloves while chopping chillies as they can irritate the skin.\n  VERB: V n


Words: irritating
Meaning:
ir.ri.tat.ing\n   irritating\n1. Something that is irritating keeps annoying you.\nThey also have the irritating habit of interrupting.\n  ADJ\n  = annoying\n=>  ir.ri.tat.ing.ly\nThey can be irritatingly indecisive at times.\n  ADV: usu ADV adj, also ADV with cl\n\n2. An irritating substance can cause your body to itch or become sore.\nIn heavy concentrations, ozone is irritating to the eyes, nose and throat.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n


Words: irritation
Meaning:
ir.ri.ta.tion\n   irritation  irritations\n1. Irritation is a feeling of annoyance, especially when something is happening that you cannot easily stop or control.\nHe tried not to let his irritation show as he blinked in the glare of the television lights.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = annoyance\n2. An irritation is something that keeps annoying you.\nDon’t allow a minor irritation in the workplace to mar your ambitions...\n  N-COUNT\n  = annoyance\n3. Irritation in a part of your body is a feeling of slight pain and discomfort there.\nThese oils may cause irritation to sensitive skins...\n  N-VAR


Words: IRS
Meaning:
IRS\n  In the United States, the IRS is the government authority which collects taxes. IRS is an abbreviation for `Inland Revenue Service’.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: is
Meaning:
is\n  Is is the third person singular of the present tense of be. Is is often added to other words and shortened to -’s.


Words: ISDN
Meaning:
ISDN\n  ISDN is a telephone network that can send voice and computer messages. ISDN is an abbreviation for `Integrated Service Digital Network’.\n...an ISDN phone line.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n


Words: Islam
Meaning:
Is.lam\n   Islam\n1. Islam is the religion of the Muslims, which was started by Mohammed.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Some people use Islam to refer to all the countries where Islam is the main religion.\n...relations between Islam and the West.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Islamic
Meaning:
Is.lam.ic\n   Islamic\n  Islamic means belonging or relating to Islam.\n...Islamic law.\n...Islamic fundamentalists.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: Islamist
Meaning:
Is.lam.ist\n   Islamist  Islamists\n  An Islamist is someone who believes strongly in Islamic ideas and laws.\nIt was clear that there was significant support for the Islamists.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n


Words: island
Meaning:
is.land\n   island  islands\n  An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.\n...the Canary Islands.\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES


Words: islander
Meaning:
is.land.er\n   islander  islanders\n  Islanders are people who live on an island.\nThe islanders endured centuries of exploitation.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: isle
Meaning:
isle  isles\n  An isle is an island; often used as part of an island’s name, or in literary English.\n...the Isle of Man.\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES


Words: isolate
Meaning:
iso.late\n   isolate  isolates  isolating  isolated\n1. To isolate a person or organization means to cause them to lose their friends or supporters.\nThis policy could isolate the country from the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council...\nPolitical influence is being used to shape public opinion and isolate critics.\n  VERB: V n from n, V n\n\n=>  iso.lat.ed\nThey are finding themselves increasingly isolated within the teaching profession.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n\n=>  iso.la.tion\nDiplomatic isolation could lead to economic disaster.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp\n\n2. If you isolate yourself, or if something isolates you, you become physically or socially separated from other people.\nWhen he was thinking out a problem Tweed’s habit was never to isolate himself in his room...\nHis radicalism and refusal to compromise isolated him...\nPolice officers had a siege mentality that isolated them from the people they served...\nBut of course no one lives totally alone, isolated from the society around them.\n  VERB: V pron-refl, V n, V n from n, V-ed\n  = cut off\n3. If you isolate something such as an idea or a problem, you separate it from others that it is connected with, so that you can concentrate on it or consider it on its own.\nOur anxieties can also be controlled by isolating thoughts, feelings and memories...\nGandhi said that those who isolate religion from politics don’t understand the nature of either.\n  VERB: V n, V n from n\n\n4. To isolate a substance means to obtain it by separating it from other substances using scientific processes. (TECHNICAL)\nWe can use genetic engineering techniques to isolate the gene that is responsible...\nResearchers have isolated a new protein from the seeds of poppies.\n  VERB: V n, V n from n\n\n5. To isolate a sick person or animal means to keep them apart from other people or animals, so that their illness does not spread.\nYou don’t have to isolate them from the community.\n  VERB: V n from n, also V n


Words: isolated
Meaning:
iso.lat.ed\n   isolated\n1. An isolated place is a long way away from large towns and is difficult to reach.\nMany of the refugee villages are in isolated areas...\n  ADJ\n  = remote\n2. If you feel isolated, you feel lonely and without friends or help.\nSome patients may become very isolated and depressed.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n  = cut off\n3. An isolated example is an example of something that is not very common.\nThey said the allegations related to an isolated case of cheating.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = rare


Words: isolation
Meaning:
iso.la.tion\n   isolation\n1. Isolation is the state of feeling alone and without friends or help.\nMany deaf people have feelings of isolation and loneliness...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  see also isolate\n2. If something is considered in isolation from other things that it is connected with, it is considered separately, and those other things are not considered.\nPunishment cannot be discussed in isolation from social theory.\n  PHRASE: oft with brd-neg, PHR after v, oft PHR from n\n  = separately\n3. If someone does something in isolation, they do it without other people being present or without their help.\nMalcolm works in isolation but I have no doubts about his abilities.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v\n  = alone


Words: isolationism
Meaning:
iso.la.tion.ism\n   isolationism\n  If you refer to isolationism, you are referring to a country’s policy of avoiding close relationships with other countries and of not taking sides in disputes between other countries.\n...the perils of isolationism.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  iso.la.tion.ist      isolationists\nThe government had to overcome isolationist opposition to the plan.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n


Words: isometrics
Meaning:
iso.met.rics\n   isometrics\n  Isometrics or isometric exercises are exercises in which you make your muscles work against each other or against something else, for example by pressing your hands together.\n  N-PLURAL\n  The form isometric is used as a modifier.


Words: isotope
Meaning:
iso.tope\n   isotope  isotopes\n  Isotopes are atoms that have the same number of protons and electrons but different numbers of neutrons and therefore have different physical properties. (TECHNICAL)\n...tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen.\n  N-COUNT


Words: ISP
Meaning:
ISP  ISPs\n  An ISP is a company that provides Internet and e-mail services. ISP is an abbreviation for `Internet Service Provider’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Israeli
Meaning:
Is.rae.li\n   Israeli  Israelis\n1. Israeli means belonging or relating to Israel, or to its people or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. An Israeli is an Israeli citizen, or a person of Israeli origin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: issue
Meaning:
is.sue\n   issue  issues  issuing  issued\n1. An issue is an important subject that people are arguing about or discussing.\nAgents will raise the issue of prize-money for next year’s world championships...\nIs it right for the Church to express a view on political issues?\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n  = subject, matter\n  see also side issue\n2. If something is the issue, it is the thing you consider to be the most important part of a situation or discussion.\nI was earning a lot of money, but that was not the issue...\nThe real issue was never addressed.\n  N-SING: the N\n\n3. An issue of something such as a magazine or newspaper is the version of it that is published, for example, in a particular month or on a particular day.\nThe growing problem is underlined in the latest issue of the Lancet...\n  N-COUNT\n  = edition\n4. If you issue a statement or a warning, you make it known formally or publicly.\nLast night he issued a statement denying the allegations...\nYesterday his kidnappers issued a second threat to kill him.\n  VERB: V n, V n\n  = put out\n5. If you are issued with something, it is officially given to you.\nOn your appointment you will be issued with a written statement of particulars of employment...\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed with n\n\n  Issue is also a noun.\n...a standard army issue rifle.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n\n6. When something such as a liquid, sound, or smell issues from something, it comes out of that thing. (FORMAL)\nA tinny voice issued from a speaker.\n  VERB: V from n\n\n7. The question or point at issue is the question or point that is being argued about or discussed.\nThe problems of immigration were not the question at issue...\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR\n\n8. If you make an issue of something, you try to make other people think about it or discuss it, because you are concerned or annoyed about it.\nIt seemed the Colonel had no desire to make an issue of the affair.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n9. If you take issue with someone or something they said, you disagree with them, and start arguing about it.\nI will not take issue with the fact that we have a recession.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n\n  = argue


Words: issue price
Meaning:
is.sue price\n   issue price issue prices\n  The issue price of shares is the price at which they are offered for sale when they first become available to the public. (BUSINESS)\nShares in the company slipped below their issue price on their first day of trading.\n  N-COUNT


Words: isthmus
Meaning:
isth.mus\n   isthmus  isthmuses\n  An isthmus is a narrow piece of land connecting two very large areas of land.\n...the Isthmus of Panama.\n  N-COUNT: oft in names


Words: it
Meaning:
it\n\n  It is a third person singular pronoun. It is used as the subject or object of a verb, or as the object of a preposition.\n\n1. You use it to refer to an object, animal, or other thing that has already been mentioned.\nIt’s a wonderful city, really. I’ll show it to you if you want...\nMy wife has become crippled by arthritis. She is embarrassed to ask the doctor about it...\n  PRON\n\n2. You use it to refer to a child or baby whose sex you do not know or whose sex is not relevant to what you are saying.\nShe could, if she wanted, compel him, through a court of law, to support the child after it was born...\n  PRON\n\n3. You use it to refer in a general way to a situation that you have just described.\nHe was through with sports, not because he had to be but because he wanted it that way...\n  PRON\n\n4. You use it before certain nouns, adjectives, and verbs to introduce your feelings or point of view about a situation.\nIt was nice to see Steve again...\nIt seems that you are letting things get you down.\n  PRON\n\n5. You use it in passive clauses which report a situation or event.\nIt has been said that stress causes cancer...\n  PRON\n\n6. You use it with some verbs that need a subject or object, although there is no noun that it refers to.\nOf course, as it turned out, three-fourths of the people in the group were psychiatrists...\n  PRON\n\n7. You use it as the subject of `be’, to say what the time, day, or date is.\nIt’s three o’clock in the morning...\nIt was a Monday, so she was at home...\n  PRON\n\n8. You use it as the subject of a link verb to describe the weather, the light, or the temperature.\nIt was very wet and windy the day I drove over the hill to Milland...\nIt’s getting dark. Let’s go inside...\n  PRON\n\n9. You use it when you are telling someone who you are, or asking them who they are, especially at the beginning of a phone call. You also use it in statements and questions about the identity of other people.\n`Who is it?’ he called..`It’s your neighbor.’...\nHello Freddy, it’s only me, Maxine.\n  PRON\n\n10. When you are emphasizing or drawing attention to something, you can put that thing immediately after it and a form of the verb `be’.\nIt was the country’s rulers who devised this system...\n  PRON  emphasis\n\n11. You use it in expressions such as it’s not that or it’s not simply that when you are giving a reason for something and are suggesting that there are several other reasons.\nIt’s not that I didn’t want to be with my family...\n  PHRASE\n\n12.\nif it wasn’t for: see be


Words: it’d
Meaning:
it’d\n1. It’d is a spoken form of `it would’.\nIt’d be better for a place like this to remain closed.\n\n2. It’d is a spoken form of `it had’, especially when `had’ is an auxiliary verb.\nMarcie was watching the news. It’d just started.


Words: it’ll
Meaning:
it’ll\n  It’ll is a spoken form of `it will’.\nIt’s ages since I’ve seen her so it’ll be nice to meet her in town on Thursday.


Words: it’s
Meaning:
it’s\n1. It’s is the usual spoken form of `it is’.\nIt’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.\n\n2. It’s is the usual spoken form of `it has’, especially when `has’ is an auxiliary verb.\nIt’s been such a long time since I played.


Words: It-girl
Meaning:
It-girl It-girls  also It girl\n  Journalists sometimes use It-girl to describe a young woman who is well-known because she goes to the most fashionable places and events and knows famous people. (INFORMAL JOURNALISM)\nIt-girl Tamara Beckwith was livid at being turned away from the party.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Italian
Meaning:
Ital.ian\n   Italian  Italians\n1. Italian means belonging or relating to Italy, or to its people, language, or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. An Italian is an Italian citizen, or a person of Italian origin.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. Italian is the language spoken in Italy, and in parts of Switzerland.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: italic
Meaning:
ital.ic\n   italic  italics\n1. Italics are letters which slope to the right. Italics are often used to emphasize a particular word or sentence. The examples in this dictionary are printed in italics.\n  N-PLURAL\n\n2. Italic letters slope to the right.\nShe addressed them by hand in her beautiful italic script.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: itch
Meaning:
itch  itches  itching  itched\n1. When a part of your body itches, you have an unpleasant feeling on your skin that makes you want to scratch.\nWhen someone has hayfever, the eyes and nose will stream and itch...\n...dry, itching skin.\n  VERB: V, V-ing\n\n  Itch is also a noun.\nScratch my back.I’ve got an itch.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  itch.ing\nIt may be that the itching is caused by contact with irritant material.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you are itching to do something, you are very eager or impatient to do it. (INFORMAL)\nI was itching to get involved and to bring my own theories into practice...\nThe general was itching for a fight.\n  VERB: usu cont, V to-inf, V for n\n\n  Itch is also a noun.\n...viewers with an insatiable itch to switch channels.\n  N-SING: usu N to-inf


Words: itchy
Meaning:
itchy\n1. If a part of your body or something you are wearing is itchy, you have an unpleasant feeling on your skin that makes you want to scratch. (INFORMAL)\n...itchy, sore eyes...\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you have itchy feet, you have a strong desire to leave a place and to travel. (INFORMAL)\nThe trip gave me itchy feet and I wanted to travel more.\n  PHRASE: usu PHR after v


Words: item
Meaning:
item  items\n1. An item is one of a collection or list of objects.\nThe most valuable item on show will be a Picasso drawing...\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also collector’s item\n2. An item is one of a list of things for someone to do, deal with, or talk about.\nThe other item on the agenda is the tour.\n  N-COUNT\n  = matter, topic\n3. An item is a report or article in a newspaper or magazine, or on television or radio.\nThere was an item in the paper about him.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. If you say that two people are an item, you mean that they are having a romantic or sexual relationship. (INFORMAL)\nShe and Gino were an item.\n  N-SING: a N


Words: itemize
Meaning:
item.ize\n   itemize  itemizes  itemizing  itemized\nin BRIT, also use itemise\n  If you itemize a number of things, you make a list of them.\nItemise your gear and mark major items with your name and post code.\n...a fully itemised bill.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed


Words: itinerant
Meaning:
itin.er.ant\n   itinerant  itinerants\n1. An itinerant worker travels around a region, working for short periods in different places. (FORMAL)\n...the author’s experiences as an itinerant musician.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = travelling\n2. An itinerant is someone whose way of life involves travelling around, usually someone who is poor and homeless. (FORMAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: itinerary
Meaning:
itin.er.ary\n   itinerary  itineraries\n  An itinerary is a plan of a journey, including the route and the places that you will visit.\nThe next place on our itinerary was Silistra.\n  N-COUNT


Words: its
Meaning:
its\n  You use its to indicate that something belongs or relates to a thing, place, or animal that has just been mentioned or whose identity is known. You can use its to indicate that something belongs or relates to a child or baby.\nThe British Labor Party concludes its annual conference today in Brighton.\n...Japan, with its extreme housing shortage...\n  DET\n  Its is a third person singular possessive determiner.


Words: itself
Meaning:
it.self\n   itself\n1. Itself is used as the object of a verb or preposition when it refers to something that is the same thing as the subject of the verb.\nScientists have discovered remarkable new evidence showing how the body rebuilds itself while we sleep...\nUnemployment does not correct itself.\n  PRON: v PRON, prep PRON\n\n2. You use itself to emphasize the thing you are referring to.\nI think life itself is a learning process...\nThe involvement of the foreign ministers was itself a sign of progress...\n  PRON  emphasis\n\n3. If you say that someone is, for example, politeness itself or kindness itself, you are emphasizing they are extremely polite or extremely kind.\nI was never really happy there, although the people were kindness itself...\n  PRON: n PRON  emphasis\n\n4.\nan end in itself: see end


Words: ITV
Meaning:
ITV\n1. ITV refers to the group of British commercial television companies that broadcasts programmes on one channel. ITV is an abbreviation for `Independent Television’. (BRIT)\nITV has set its sights on winning a younger and more upmarket audience.\n  N-PROPER-COLL\n\n2. ITV is the television channel that is run by ITV.\nThe first episode will be shown tomorrow at 10.40pm on ITV.\n  N-PROPER


Words: IUD
Meaning:
IUD  IUDs\n  An IUD is a piece of plastic or metal which is put inside a woman’s womb in order to prevent her from becoming pregnant. IUD is an abbreviation for `intra-uterine device’.\n  N-COUNT\n  = coil


Words: IVF
Meaning:
IVF\n  IVF is a method of helping a woman to have a baby in which an egg is removed from one of her ovaries, fertilized outside her body, and then replaced in her womb. IVF is an abbreviation for `in vitro fertilization’.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: ivory
Meaning:
ivo.ry\n   ivory\n1. Ivory is a hard cream-coloured substance which forms the tusks of elephants. It is valuable and can be used for making carved ornaments.\n...the international ban on the sale of ivory.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Ivory is a creamy-white colour.\n  COLOUR


Words: ivory tower
Meaning:
ivo.ry tow.er\n   ivory tower  ivory towers\n  If you describe someone as living in an ivory tower, you mean that they have no knowledge or experience of the practical problems of everyday life.\nThey don’t really, in their ivory towers, understand how pernicious drug crime is.\n  N-COUNT: usu prep N, N n  disapproval


Words: Ivy League
Meaning:
Ivy League\n  The Ivy League is a group of eight universities in the north-eastern part of the United States, which have high academic and social status.\n...an Ivy League college.\n  N-PROPER: the N; oft N n


Words: jab
Meaning:
jab  jabs  jabbing  jabbed\n1. If you jab one thing into another, you push it there with a quick, sudden movement and with a lot of force.\nHe saw her jab her thumb on a red button.a panic button...\nA needle was jabbed into the baby’s arm...\nStern jabbed at me with his glasses...\n  VERB: V n prep, be V-ed into n, V at n\n  = stab\n2. A jab is a sudden, sharp punch.\nHe was simply too powerful for his opponent, rocking him with a steady supply of left jabs.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. A jab is an injection of something into your blood to prevent illness. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n...painful anti malaria jabs.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jabber
Meaning:
jab.ber\n   jabber  jabbers  jabbering  jabbered\n  If you say that someone is jabbering, you mean that they are talking very quickly and excitedly, and you cannot understand them.\nThe girl jabbered incomprehensibly...\nAfter a minute or two I left them there jabbering away.\n  VERB: V, V away  disapproval


Words: jack
Meaning:
jack  jacks\n1. A jack is a device for lifting a heavy object off the ground, for example a car.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A jack is a playing card whose value is between a ten and a queen. A jack is usually represented by a picture of a young man.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n3.\n  see also jack-of-all-trades, Union Jack


Words: jack up
Meaning:
jack up\n  If you jack up a heavy object such as a car, you raise it off the ground using a jack.\nThey jacked up the car...\nAll I had to do was jack the car up and put on the spare.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n, V n P


Words: jack-in-the-box
Meaning:
jack-in-the-box  jack-in-the-boxes\n  A jack-in-the-box is a child’s toy that consists of a box with a doll inside it that jumps out when the lid is opened.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jack-knife
Meaning:
jack-knife  jack-knifes  jack-knifing  jack-knifed   also jackknife\n  If a truck that is in two parts jack-knifes, the back part swings around at a sharp angle to the front part in an uncontrolled way as the truck is moving.\nHis vehicle jack-knifed, and crashed across all three lanes of the opposite carriageway.\n  VERB: V


Words: jack-of-all-trades
Meaning:
jack-of-all-trades  jacks-of-all-trades   also jack of all trades\n  If you refer to someone as a jack-of-all-trades, you mean that they are able to do a variety of different jobs. You are also often suggesting that they are not very good at any of these jobs.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jackal
Meaning:
jack.al\n   jackal  jackals\n  A jackal is a wild animal that looks like a dog, has long legs and pointed ears, and lives in Africa and Southern Asia.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jackboot
Meaning:
jack.boot\n   jackboot  jackboots\n1. Jackboots are heavy boots that come up to the knee, such as the ones worn by some soldiers.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n2. If a country or group of people is under the jackboot, they are suffering because the government is cruel and undemocratic.\n  PHRASE  disapproval


Words: jackdaw
Meaning:
jack.daw\n   jackdaw  jackdaws\n  A jackdaw is a large black and grey bird that is similar to a crow, and lives in Europe and Asia.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jacket
Meaning:
jack.et\n   jacket  jackets\n1. A jacket is a short coat with long sleeves.\n...a black leather jacket.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Potatoes baked in their jackets are baked with their skin on.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n3. The jacket of a book is the paper cover that protects the book. (mainly AM)\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. A record jacket is the cover in which a record is kept. (AM; in BRIT, use sleeve)\n  N-COUNT\n\n5.\n  see also bomber jacket, dinner jacket, flak jacket, hacking jacket, life jacket, sports jacket, straitjacket


Words: jacket potato
Meaning:
jack.et po.ta.to\n   jacket potato  jacket potatoes\n  A jacket potato is a large potato that has been baked with its skin on. (BRIT; in AM, use baked potato)\n  N-COUNT\n  = baked potato


Words: jackpot
Meaning:
jack.pot\n   jackpot  jackpots\n1. A jackpot is the most valuable prize in a game or lottery, especially when the game involves increasing the value of the prize until someone wins it.\nA nurse won the .5 million jackpot.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n\n2. If you hit the jackpot, you have a great success, for example by winning a lot of money or having a piece of good luck. (INFORMAL)\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: Jacobean
Meaning:
Jaco.bean\n   Jacobean\n  A Jacobean building, piece of furniture, or work of art was built or produced in Britain in the style of the period between 1603 and 1625.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: Jacuzzi
Meaning:
Ja.cuz.zi\n   Jacuzzi  Jacuzzis\n  A Jacuzzi is a large circular bath which is fitted with a device that makes the water move around. (TRADEMARK)\n  N-COUNT


Words: jade
Meaning:
jade\n  Jade is a hard stone, usually green in colour, that is used for making jewellery and ornaments.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jaded
Meaning:
jad.ed\n   jaded\n  If you are jaded, you feel bored, tired, and not enthusiastic, for example because you have had too much of the same thing.\nWe had both become jaded, disinterested, and disillusioned.\n  ADJ\n  = bored


Words: jagged
Meaning:
jag.ged\n   jagged\n  Something that is jagged has a rough, uneven shape or edge with lots of sharp points.\n...jagged black cliffs...\nA jagged scar runs through his lower lip.\n  ADJ


Words: jaguar
Meaning:
jagu.ar\n   jaguar  jaguars\n  A jaguar is a large animal of the cat family with dark spots on its back.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jail
Meaning:
jail  jails  jailing  jailed\nin BRIT, also use gaol\n1. A jail is a place where criminals are kept in order to punish them, or where people waiting to be tried are kept.\nThree prisoners escaped from a jail.\n  N-VAR\n  = prison\n2. If someone is jailed, they are put into jail.\nHe was jailed for twenty years.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed


Words: jailbird
Meaning:
jail.bird\n   jailbird  jailbirds\n  If you refer to someone as a jailbird, you mean that they are in prison, or have been in prison. (INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT\n  = convict


Words: jailer
Meaning:
jail.er\n   jailer  jailers\nin BRIT, also use gaoler\n  A jailer is a person who is in charge of a jail and the prisoners in it. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT\n  = warder


Words: jalapeno
Meaning:
jala.peno\n   jalapeno  jalapenos\n  Jalapenos are small hot peppers which can be green or red when they are ripe. They are often used in Mexican cooking.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jam
Meaning:
jam  jams  jamming  jammed\n1. Jam is a thick sweet food that is made by cooking fruit with a large amount of sugar, and that is usually spread on bread. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use jelly)\n...home-made jam.\n  N-MASS\n\n2. If you jam something somewhere, you push or put it there roughly.\nHe picked his cap up off the ground and jammed it on his head...\nPete jammed his hands into his pockets.\n  VERB: V n prep, V n prep\n\n3. If something such as a part of a machine jams, or if something jams it, the part becomes fixed in position and is unable to move freely or work properly.\nThe second time he fired his gun jammed...\nA rope jammed the boat’s propeller...\nCracks appeared in the wall and a door jammed shut...\nThe intake valve was jammed open...\nEvery few minutes the motor cut out as the machinery became jammed.\n  VERB: V, V n, V adj, be V-ed adj, V-ed, also V n adj\n\n4. If vehicles jam a road, there are so many of them that they cannot move.\nHundreds of departing motorists jammed the roads.\n  VERB: V n\n\n  Jam is also a noun.\nTrucks sat in a jam for ten hours waiting to cross the bridge.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  jammed\nNearby roads and the dirt track to the beach were jammed with cars.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ with n\n\n5. If a lot of people jam a place, or jam into a place, they are pressed tightly together so that they can hardly move.\nHundreds of people jammed the boardwalk to watch...\nThey jammed into buses provided by the Red Cross and headed for safety.\n  VERB: V n, V into n\n  = cram\n=>  jammed\nThe stadium was jammed and they had to turn away hundreds of disappointed fans.\n  ADJ\n  = packed\n6. To jam a radio or electronic signal means to interfere with it and prevent it from being received or heard clearly.\nThey will try to jam the transmissions electronically.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  jam.ming\nThe plane is used for electronic jamming and radar detection.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp\n\n7. If callers are jamming telephone lines, there are so many callers that the people answering the telephones find it difficult to deal with them all.\nHundreds of callers jammed the BBC switchboard for more than an hour...\n  VERB: V n\n\n8. When jazz or rock musicians are jamming, they are informally playing music that has not been written down or planned in advance. (INFORMAL)\nHe was jamming with his saxophone.\n  VERB: V\n\n  Jam is also a noun.\n...a jam session.\n  N-COUNT\n\n9.\n  see also traffic jam


Words: jam-packed
Meaning:
jam-packed\n  If somewhere is jam-packed, it is so full of people or things that there is no room for any more. (INFORMAL)\nHis room was jam-packed with fruit, flowers, gifts etc.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ with n\n  = packed


Words: Jamaican
Meaning:
Ja.mai.can\n   Jamaican  Jamaicans\n1. Jamaican means belonging or relating to Jamaica or to its people or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A Jamaican is a person who comes from Jamaica.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jamb
Meaning:
jamb  jambs\n  A jamb is a post that forms the side part or upright of a door frame or window frame.\n  N-COUNT: usu n N


Words: jamboree
Meaning:
jam.bo.ree\n   jamboree  jamborees\n  A jamboree is a party, celebration, or other gathering where there is a large number of people and a lot of excitement, fun, and enjoyment.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: jammy
Meaning:
jam.my\n   jammy  jammier  jammiest\n  If you describe someone as jammy, you mean that they are very lucky because something good has happened to them, without their making much effort or deserving such luck. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: jangle
Meaning:
jan.gle\n   jangle  jangles  jangling  jangled\n1. When objects strike against each other and make an unpleasant ringing noise, you can say that they jangle or are jangled.\nHer bead necklaces and bracelets jangled as she walked...\nJane took out her keys and jangled them.\n  VERB: V, V n\n\n2. If your nerves are jangling or if something jangles them, you are very anxious.\nBehind that quietness his nerves are jangling, he’s in a terrible state...\nThe caffeine in coffee can jangle the nerves.\n  VERB: V, V n


Words: janitor
Meaning:
jani.tor\n   janitor  janitors\n  A janitor is a person whose job is to look after a building. (mainly AM)\n  N-COUNT\n  = caretaker


Words: January
Meaning:
Janu.ary\n   January  Januaries\n  January is the first month of the year in the Western calendar.\nWe always have snow in January...\nShe was born on January 6, 1946...\n  N-VAR


Words: Japanese
Meaning:
Japa.nese\n   Japanese  Japanese\n1. Japanese means belonging or relating to Japan, or to its people, language, or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. The Japanese are the people of Japan.\n  N-PLURAL\n\n3. Japanese is the language spoken in Japan.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jape
Meaning:
jape  japes\n  A jape is a silly trick that you play on someone which is quite funny and which does not really involve upsetting them. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT\n  = prank


Words: jar
Meaning:
jar  jars  jarring  jarred\n1. A jar is a glass container with a lid that is used for storing food.\n...yellow cucumbers in great glass jars.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. You can use jar to refer to a jar and its contents, or to the contents only.\nShe opened up a glass jar of plums.\n...two jars of filter coffee.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n3. If something jars on you, you find it unpleasant, disturbing, or shocking.\nSometimes a light remark jarred on her father.\n...televised congressional hearings that jarred the nation’s faith in the presidency...\nYou shouldn’t have too many colours in a small space as the effect can jar.\n  VERB: V on n, V n, V\n\n=>  jar.ring\nIn the context of this chapter, Dore’s comments strike a jarring note.\n  ADJ\n\n4. If an object jars, or if something jars it, the object moves with a fairly hard shaking movement.\nThe ship jarred a little...\nThe impact jarred his arm.\n  VERB: V, V n


Words: jargon
Meaning:
jar.gon\n   jargon\n  You use jargon to refer to words and expressions that are used in special or technical ways by particular groups of people, often making the language difficult to understand.\nThe manual is full of the jargon and slang of self-improvement courses.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jasmine
Meaning:
jas.mine\n   jasmine  jasmines\n  Jasmine is a climbing plant which has small white or yellow flowers with a pleasant smell.\n  N-VAR


Words: jaundice
Meaning:
jaun.dice\n   jaundice\n  Jaundice is an illness that makes your skin and eyes become yellow.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jaundiced
Meaning:
jaun.diced\n   jaundiced\n  If someone has a jaundiced view of something, they can see only the bad aspects of it.\nThe financial markets are taking a jaundiced view of the Government’s motives...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: jaunt
Meaning:
jaunt  jaunts\n  A jaunt is a short journey which you go on for pleasure or excitement.\n  N-COUNT\n  = trip


Words: jaunty
Meaning:
jaun.ty\n   jaunty  jauntier  jauntiest\n  If you describe someone or something as jaunty, you mean that they are full of confidence and energy.\n...a jaunty little man...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  jaun.ti.ly\nHe walked jauntily into the cafe...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj


Words: Java
Meaning:
Java\n  Java is a computer programming language. It is used especially in creating websites. (TRADEMARK)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: javelin
Meaning:
jave.lin\n   javelin  javelins\n1. A javelin is a long spear that is used in sports competitions. Competitors try to throw the javelin as far as possible.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. You can refer to the competition in which the javelin is thrown as the javelin.\n...Steve Backley who won the javelin.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: jaw
Meaning:
jaw  jaws\n1. Your jaw is the lower part of your face below your mouth. The movement of your jaw is sometimes considered to express a particular emotion. For example, if your jaw drops, you are very surprised.\nHe thought for a moment, stroking his well-defined jaw...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, poss N\n\n2. A person’s or animal’s jaws are the two bones in their head which their teeth are attached to.\n...a forest rodent with powerful jaws.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If you talk about the jaws of something unpleasant such as death or hell, you are referring to a dangerous or unpleasant situation.\nA family dog rescued a newborn boy from the jaws of death.\n  N-PLURAL: N of n


Words: jaw-dropping
Meaning:
Something that is jaw-dropping is extremely surprising, impressive, or shocking. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL JOURNALISM)\nOne insider who has seen the report said it was pretty jaw-dropping stuff.\n  ADJ\n  = amazing


Words: jawbone
Meaning:
jaw.bone\n   jawbone  jawbones   also jaw bone\n  A jawbone is the bone in the lower jaw of a person or animal.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jawline
Meaning:
jaw.line\n   jawline  jawlines   also jaw line\n  Your jawline is the part of your lower jaw which forms the outline of the bottom of your face.\n...high cheekbones and strong jawline.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: jay
Meaning:
jay  jays\n1. In Europe and Asia, a jay is a brownish-pink bird with blue and black wings.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In North America, a jay is a bird with bright blue feathers.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jaywalking
Meaning:
jay.walk.ing\n   jaywalking\n  Jaywalking is the act of walking across a street in a careless and dangerous way, or not at the proper place.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jazz
Meaning:
jazz  jazzes  jazzing  jazzed\n  Jazz is a style of music that was invented by African American musicians in the early part of the twentieth century. Jazz music has very strong rhythms and often involves improvisation.\nThe pub has live jazz on Sundays.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n


Words: jazz up
Meaning:
jazz up\n1. If you jazz something up, you make it look more interesting, colourful, or exciting. (INFORMAL)\nMary Ann had made an effort at jazzing up the chilly modern interiors...\nI don’t think they’re just jazzing it up for the media.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P\n\n2. If someone jazzes up a piece of music, they change it in order to make it sound more like popular music or jazz.\nInstead of playing it in the traditional style, she jazzed it up...\nStephen and I are going to jazz up the love songs...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron)


Words: jazzy
Meaning:
jazzy  jazzier  jazziest\n  If you describe something as jazzy, you mean that it is colourful and modern.\n...a jazzy tie.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: jealous
Meaning:
jeal.ous\n   jealous\n1. If someone is jealous, they feel angry or bitter because they think that another person is trying to take a lover or friend, or a possession, away from them.\nShe got insanely jealous and there was a terrible fight.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  jeal.ous.ly\nThe formula is jealously guarded.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. If you are jealous of another person’s possessions or qualities, you feel angry or bitter because you do not have them.\nShe was jealous of his wealth...\nYou’re jealous because the record company rejected your idea.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ of n\n\n=>  jeal.ous.ly\nGloria eyed them jealously.\n  ADV: ADV after v


Words: jealousy
Meaning:
jeal.ousy\n   jealousy  jealousies\n1. Jealousy is the feeling of anger or bitterness which someone has when they think that another person is trying to take a lover or friend, or a possession, away from them.\nAt first his jealousy only showed in small ways.he didn’t mind me talking to other guys.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl\n\n2. Jealousy is the feeling of anger or bitterness which someone has when they wish that they could have the qualities or possessions that another person has.\nHer beauty causes envy and jealousy.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl


Words: jeans
Meaning:
jeans\n  Jeans are casual trousers that are usually made of strong blue cotton cloth called denim.\n  N-PLURAL: also a pair of N


Words: Jeep
Meaning:
Jeep  Jeeps\n  A Jeep is a type of car that can travel over rough ground. (TRADEMARK)\n...a U.S. Army Jeep.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jeer
Meaning:
jeer  jeers  jeering  jeered\n1. To jeer at someone means to say or shout rude and insulting things to them to show that you do not like or respect them.\nMarchers jeered at white passers-by, but there was no violence, nor any arrests...\nDemonstrators have jeered the mayor as he arrived for a week long visit...\nI didn’t come here today to jeer: I want to give advice.\n...mobs of jeering bystanders.\n  VERB: V at n, V n, V, V-ing, also V with quote\n\n=>  jeer.ing\nThere was constant jeering and interruption from the floor.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Jeers are rude and insulting things that people shout to show they do not like or respect someone.\n...the heckling and jeers of his audience.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: Jeez
Meaning:
Jeez   also Jees\n  Some people say Jeez when they are shocked or surprised about something, or to introduce a remark or response. Jeez is short for `Jesus’. This use could cause offence. (INFORMAL)\nJeez, I wish they’d tell us what the hell is going on...\n  EXCLAM


Words: Jehovah’s Witness
Meaning:
Je.ho.vah’s Wit.ness\n   Jehovah’s Witness  Jehovah’s Witnesses\n  A Jehovah’s Witness is a member of a religious organization which accepts some Christian ideas and believes that the world is going to end very soon.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jejune
Meaning:
je.june\n   jejune\n1. If you describe something or someone as jejune, you are criticizing them for being very simple and unsophisticated. (FORMAL)\nThey were of great service in correcting my jejune generalizations.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n\n2. If you describe something or someone as jejune, you mean they are dull and boring. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nWe knew we were in for a pretty long, jejune evening.\n  ADJ


Words: Jell-O
Meaning:
Jell-O\n  Jell-O is a transparent, usually coloured food that is eaten as a dessert. It is made from gelatine, fruit juice, and sugar. (TRADEMARK) (AM; in BRIT, use jelly)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jellied
Meaning:
jel.lied\n   jellied\n  Jellied food is prepared and eaten in a jelly.\n...jellied eels.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: jelly
Meaning:
jel.ly\n   jelly  jellies\n1. Jelly is a transparent, usually coloured food that is eaten as a dessert. It is made from gelatine, fruit juice, and sugar. (BRIT; in AM, use Jell-O)\n...a large bowl of jelly.\n  N-MASS\n\n2. Jelly is a thick sweet food that is made by cooking fruit with a large amount of sugar, and that is usually spread on bread. (AM; in BRIT, use jam)\nI had two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.\n  N-MASS\n\n3. A jelly is a transparent substance that is not completely solid.\n...meat in jelly.\n  N-VAR\n\n4.\n  see also royal jelly


Words: jelly bean
Meaning:
jel.ly bean\n   jelly bean  jelly beans   also jellybean\n  Jelly beans are small coloured sweets that are hard on the outside and soft inside.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: jelly roll
Meaning:
jel.ly roll\n   jelly roll  jelly rolls\n  Jelly roll is a cylindrical cake made from a thin, flat cake which is covered with jam or cream on one side, then rolled up. (AM; in BRIT, use swiss roll)\n  N-VAR


Words: jellyfish
Meaning:
jelly.fish\n   jellyfish  jellyfish\n  A jellyfish is a sea creature that has a clear soft body and can sting you.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jeopardize
Meaning:
jeop.ard.ize\n   jeopardize  jeopardizes  jeopardizing  jeopardized\nin BRIT, also use jeopardise\n  To jeopardize a situation or activity means to do something that may destroy it or cause it to fail.\nHe has jeopardised the future of his government...\n  VERB: V n\n  = threaten, endanger


Words: jeopardy
Meaning:
jeop.ardy\n   jeopardy\n  If someone or something is in jeopardy, they are in a dangerous situation where they might fail, be lost, or be destroyed.\nA series of setbacks have put the whole project in jeopardy.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR


Words: jerk
Meaning:
jerk  jerks  jerking  jerked\n1. If you jerk something or someone in a particular direction, or they jerk in a particular direction, they move a short distance very suddenly and quickly.\nMr Griffin jerked forward in his chair...\n`This is Brady Coyne,’ said Sam, jerking his head in my direction...\nEleanor jerked her wrist free...\n  VERB: V adv/prep, V n adv/prep, V n adj\n\n  Jerk is also a noun.\nHe indicated the bedroom with a jerk of his head.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you call someone a jerk, you are insulting them because you think they are stupid or you do not like them. (INFORMAL, OFFENSIVE)\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n\n3.\n  see also knee-jerk


Words: jerkin
Meaning:
jer.kin\n   jerkin  jerkins\n  A jerkin is a sleeveless jacket worn by men or women. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT


Words: jerky
Meaning:
jerky  jerkier  jerkiest\n  Jerky movements are very sudden and quick, and do not flow smoothly.\nMr Griffin made a jerky gesture.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=smooth\n=>  jerki.ly\nUsing his stick heavily, he moved jerkily towards the car.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: jerry-built
Meaning:
jerry-built\n  If you describe houses or blocks of flats as jerry-built, you are critical of the fact that they have been built very quickly and cheaply, without much care for safety or quality.\n...jerry-built equipment...\nThe place is a bit jerry-built.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: Jersey
Meaning:
Jer.sey\n   Jersey  Jerseys\n  A Jersey cow or a Jersey is a light brown cow that produces very creamy milk.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n


Words: jersey
Meaning:
jer.sey\n   jersey  jerseys\n1. A jersey is a knitted piece of clothing that covers the upper part of your body and your arms and does not open at the front. Jerseys are usually worn over a shirt or blouse. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nHis grey jersey and trousers were sodden with the rain.\n  N-COUNT\n  = jumper, sweater, pullover\n2. Jersey is a knitted, slightly stretchy fabric used especially to make women’s clothing.\nSheila had come to dinner in a black jersey top.\n  N-VAR: oft N n


Words: Jerusalem artichoke
Meaning:
Je.ru.sa.lem ar.ti.choke\n   Jerusalem artichoke  Jerusalem artichokes\n  Jerusalem artichokes are small, yellowish-white vegetables that grow underground and look like potatoes.\n  N-VAR


Words: jest
Meaning:
jest  jests  jesting  jested\n1. A jest is something that you say that is intended to be amusing. (FORMAL)\nIt was a jest rather than a reproach...\n  N-COUNT\n  = joke\n  If you say something in jest, you do not mean it seriously, but want to be amusing.\nDon’t say that, even in jest...\n  PHRASE: PHR after v\n  !=seriously\n2. If you jest, you tell jokes or say amusing things. (FORMAL)\nHe enjoyed drinking and jesting with his cronies...\n  VERB: V\n  = joke


Words: jester
Meaning:
jest.er\n   jester  jesters\n  In the courts of kings and queens in medieval Europe, the jester was the person whose job was to do silly things in order to make people laugh.\n  N-COUNT\n  = fool


Words: Jesuit
Meaning:
Jesu.it\n   Jesuit  Jesuits\n  A Jesuit is a Catholic priest who belongs to the Society of Jesus.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Jesus
Meaning:
Jesus\n1. Jesus or Jesus Christ is the name of the man who Christians believe was the son of God, and whose teachings are the basis of Christianity.\n  N-PROPER\n\n2. Jesus is used by some people to express surprise, shock, or annoyance. This use could cause offence.\n  EXCLAM  feelings


Words: jet
Meaning:
jet  jets  jetting  jetted\n1. A jet is an aircraft that is powered by jet engines.\nHer private jet landed in the republic on the way to Japan...\nHe had arrived from Jersey by jet.\n  N-COUNT: also by N\n\n  see also jump jet\n2. If you jet somewhere, you travel there in a fast plane.\nHe and his wife, Val, will be jetting off on a two-week holiday in America...\n  VERB: V adv/prep\n\n3. A jet of liquid or gas is a strong, fast, thin stream of it.\nA jet of water poured through the windows.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n4. Jet is a hard black stone that is used in jewellery.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jet aircraft
Meaning:
jet air.craft\n   jet aircraft  jet aircraft\n  A jet aircraft is an aircraft that is powered by one or more jet engines.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jet black
Meaning:
jet black   also jet-black\n  Something that is jet black is a very intense black.\n...jet-black hair.\n  ADJ


Words: jet engine
Meaning:
jet en.gine\n   jet engine  jet engines\n  A jet engine is an engine in which hot air and gases are forced out at the back. Jet engines are used for most modern aircraft.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jet lag
Meaning:
jet lag\nin BRIT, also use jetlag\n  If you are suffering from jet lag, you feel tired and slightly confused after a long journey by aeroplane, especially after travelling between places that have a time difference of several hours.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jet set
Meaning:
jet set   also jet-set\n  You can refer to rich and successful people who live in a luxurious way as the jet set.\nThe winter sports bring the jet set from England.\n  N-SING: usu the N


Words: jet ski
Meaning:
jet ski  jet skis\n  A jet ski is a small machine like a motorcycle that is powered by a jet engine and can travel on the surface of water. (TRADEMARK)\n  N-COUNT


Words: jet stream
Meaning:
jet stream  jet streams\n  The jet stream is a very strong wind that blows high in the earth’s atmosphere and has an important influence on the weather.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jet-lagged
Meaning:
jet-lagged\n  Someone who is jet-lagged is suffering from jet lag.\nI’m still a little jet-lagged.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: jet-setting
Meaning:
jet-setting\n  You use jet-setting to describe people who are rich and successful and who have a luxurious lifestyle.\n...the international jet-setting elite.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: jetliner
Meaning:
jet.liner\n   jetliner  jetliners\n  A jetliner is a large aircraft, especially one which carries passengers. (AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: jettison
Meaning:
jet.ti.son\n   jettison  jettisons  jettisoning  jettisoned\n1. If you jettison something, for example an idea or a plan, you deliberately reject it or decide not to use it.\nThe Government seems to have jettisoned the plan.\n  VERB: V n\n  = abandon\n2. To jettison something that is not needed or wanted means to throw it away or get rid of it.\nThe crew jettisoned excess fuel and made an emergency landing.\n  VERB: V n\n  = discard


Words: jetty
Meaning:
jet.ty\n   jetty  jetties\n  A jetty is a wide stone wall or wooden platform where boats stop to let people get on or off, or to load or unload goods.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N in sing


Words: jewel
Meaning:
jew.el\n   jewel  jewels\n1. A jewel is a precious stone used to decorate valuable things that you wear, such as rings or necklaces.\n...a golden box containing precious jewels.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also crown jewels\n2. If you describe something or someone as a jewel, you mean that they are better, more beautiful, or more special than other similar things or than other people.\nWalk down Castle Street and admire our little jewel of a cathedral...\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n  = gem\n3. If you refer to an achievement or thing as the jewel in someone’s crown, you mean that it is considered to be their greatest achievement or the thing they can be most proud of.\nHis achievement is astonishing and this book is the jewel in his crown.\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR


Words: jewel case
Meaning:
jew.el case\n   jewel case  jewel cases\n1. A jewel case is a box for keeping jewels in.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A jewel case is the plastic box in which a compact disc is kept.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jewelled
Meaning:
jew.elled\n   jewelled\nin AM, use jeweled\n  Jewelled items and ornaments are decorated with precious stones.\n  ADJ


Words: jeweller
Meaning:
jew.el.ler\n   jeweller  jewellers\nin AM, use jeweler\n1. A jeweller is a person who makes, sells, and repairs jewellery and watches.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A jeweller or a jeweller’s is a shop where jewellery and watches are made, sold, and repaired.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jewellery
Meaning:
jew.el.lery\n   jewellery\nin AM, use jewelry\n  Jewellery is ornaments that people wear, for example rings, bracelets, and necklaces. It is often made of a valuable metal such as gold, and sometimes decorated with precious stones.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Jewish
Meaning:
Jew.ish\n   Jewish\n  Jewish means belonging or relating to the religion of Judaism or to Jews.\n...the Jewish festival of the Passover.\n  ADJ


Words: Jewishness
Meaning:
Jew.ish.ness\n   Jewishness\n  Someone’s Jewishness is the fact that they are a Jew.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft with poss


Words: Jewry
Meaning:
Jew.ry\n   Jewry\n  Jewry is all the people, or all the people in a particular place, who believe in and practise the religion of Judaism. (FORMAL)\nThere could be no better way to strengthen the unity of world Jewry.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu adj N


Words: jib
Meaning:
jib  jibs  jibbing  jibbed\n1. The jib is the small triangular sail that is sometimes used at the front of a sailing boat.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N in sing\n\n2. If you jib at something, you are unwilling to do it or to accept it. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n...those who jib at the idea of selling their land.\n  VERB: V at n/-ing, also V\n  = balk


Words: jibe
Meaning:
jibe  jibes  jibing  jibed\n\n  The spelling gibe is also used for meanings 1 and 2.\n\n1. A jibe is a rude or insulting remark about someone that is intended to make them look foolish.\n...a cheap jibe about his loss of hair...\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. To jibe means to say something rude or insulting which is intended to make another person look foolish. (WRITTEN)\n`No doubt he’ll give me the chance to fight him again,’ he jibed, tongue in cheek.\n  VERB: V with quote\n\n3. If numbers, statements, or events jibe, they are exactly the same as each other or they are consistent with each other. (mainly AM)\nThe numbers don’t jibe...\nHow did your expectations jibe with the reality?\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n\n  = tally


Words: jiffy
Meaning:
jif.fy\n   jiffy\n  If you say that you will do something in a jiffy, you mean that you will do it very quickly or very soon. (INFORMAL)\n  PHRASE: PHR after v


Words: jig
Meaning:
jig  jigs  jigging  jigged\n1. A jig is a lively dance.\nShe danced an Irish jig.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. To jig means to dance or move energetically, especially bouncing up and down.\nYou didn’t just jig about by yourself, I mean you danced properly.\n  VERB: V adv/prep, also V


Words: jigger
Meaning:
jig.ger\n   jigger  jiggers\n  A jigger of a drink such as whisky or gin is the amount of it you are given when you order it in a bar. (mainly AM)\n...a jigger of brandy.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n


Words: jiggery-pokery
Meaning:
jiggery-pokery\n  If you describe behaviour as jiggery-pokery, you mean that it involves tricking people or being dishonest. (BRIT INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED)\nIt seems astonishing that Bond got away with so much jiggery-pokery for as long as he did.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jiggle
Meaning:
jig.gle\n   jiggle  jiggles  jiggling  jiggled\n1. If you jiggle something, you move it quickly up and down or from side to side. (INFORMAL)\nHe jiggled the doorknob noisily.\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. To jiggle around means to move quickly up and down or from side to side. (INFORMAL)\nHe tapped his feet, hummed tunes and jiggled about...\n  VERB: V adv


Words: jigsaw
Meaning:
jig.saw\n   jigsaw  jigsaws\n1. A jigsaw or jigsaw puzzle is a picture on cardboard or wood that has been cut up into odd shapes. You have to make the picture again by putting the pieces together correctly.\n  N-COUNT\n  = puzzle\n2. You can describe a complicated situation as a jigsaw.\n...the jigsaw of high-level diplomacy.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, with supp


Words: jihad
Meaning:
ji.had\n   jihad\n  A jihad is a holy war which Islam allows Muslims to fight against those who reject its teachings.\n  N-SING


Words: jilt
Meaning:
jilt  jilts  jilting  jilted\n  If someone is jilted, the person they are having a romantic relationship with suddenly ends the relationship in a surprising and upsetting way. (INFORMAL)\nShe was jilted by her first fiance...\nDriven to distraction, he murdered the woman who jilted him...\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n


Words: jingle
Meaning:
jin.gle\n   jingle  jingles  jingling  jingled\n1. When something jingles or when you jingle it, it makes a gentle ringing noise, like small bells.\nBrian put his hands in his pockets and jingled some change...\nHer bracelets jingled like bells.\n  VERB: V n, V\n\n  Jingle is also a noun.\n...the jingle of money in a man’s pocket.\n  N-SING: oft N of n\n\n2. A jingle is a short, simple tune, often with words, which is used to advertise a product or programme on radio or television.\n...advertising jingles.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jingoism
Meaning:
jin.go.ism\n   jingoism\n  Jingoism is a strong and unreasonable belief in the superiority of your own country.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: jingoistic
Meaning:
jin.go.is.tic\n   jingoistic\n  Jingoistic behaviour shows a strong and unreasonable belief in the superiority of your own country.\nThe press continued its jingoistic display.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  disapproval


Words: jink
Meaning:
jink  jinks  jinking  jinked\n  To jink somewhere means to move there quickly in an irregular way, rather than by moving in a straight line. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nAs they reached the start-finish line Prost jinked right and drew abreast.\n  VERB: V adv/prep, also V\n\n  see also high jinks


Words: jinx
Meaning:
jinx  jinxes\n  You can call something or someone that is considered to be unlucky or to bring bad luck a jinx.\nHe was beginning to think he was a jinx.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: jitters
Meaning:
jit.ters\n   jitters\n  If you have the jitters, you feel extremely nervous, for example because you have to do something important or because you are expecting important news. (INFORMAL)\nOfficials feared that any public announcements would only increase market jitters.\n  N-PLURAL: oft the N


Words: jittery
Meaning:
jit.tery\n   jittery\n  If someone is jittery, they feel nervous or are behaving nervously. (INFORMAL)\nInternational investors have become jittery about the country’s economy.\n  ADJ


Words: jive
Meaning:
jive  jives  jiving  jived\n1. If you jive, you dance energetically, especially to rock and roll or swing music. (INFORMAL)\nI learnt to jive there when they got the jukebox.\n  VERB: V\n\n2. Jive is rock and roll or swing music that you jive to.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Jnr
Meaning:
in AM, use Jr.\n  Jnr is a written abbreviation for Junior. It is used after a man’s name to distinguish him from an older member of his family with the same name. (BRIT)\n\n  = Jr


Words: job
Meaning:
job  jobs\n1. A job is the work that someone does to earn money.\nOnce I’m in America I can get a job...\nThousands have lost their jobs...\nI felt the pressure of being the first woman in the job.\n...overseas job vacancies.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A job is a particular task.\nHe said he hoped that the job of putting together a coalition wouldn’t take too much time...\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n, n N\n\n3. The job of a particular person or thing is their duty or function.\nTheir main job is to preserve health rather than treat illness...\nDrinking a lot helps the kidneys do their job.\n  N-COUNT: usu with poss\n\n4. If you say that someone is doing a good job, you mean that they are doing something well. In British English, you can also say that they are making a good job of something.\nWe could do a far better job of managing it than they have...\n  N-SING: usu adj N, oft N of -ing\n\n5. If you say that you have a job doing something, you are emphasizing how difficult it is.\nHe may have a hard job selling that argument to investors...\n  N-SING: usu N -ing, N to-inf  emphasis\n\n6.\n  see also jobbing, day job, hatchet job, on-the-job\n7. If you refer to work as jobs for the boys, you mean that the work is unfairly given to someone’s friends, supporters, or relations, even though they may not be the best qualified people to do it. (BRIT)\n  PHRASE  disapproval\n\n8. If you say that something is just the job, you mean that it is exactly what you wanted or needed. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nNot only is it just the job for travelling, but it’s handy for groceries too.\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR\n\n9. If someone is on the job, they are actually doing a particular job or task.\nThe top pay scale after five years on the job would reach $5.00 an hour...\n  PHRASE\n\n10.\nit’s a good job: see good\nthe job in hand: see hand


Words: job centre
Meaning:
job cen.tre\n   job centre  job centres   also Jobcentre\n  In Britain, a job centre is a place where people who are looking for work can go to get advice on finding a job, and to look at advertisements placed by people who are looking for new employees.\n  N-COUNT


Words: job description
Meaning:
job de.scrip.tion\n   job description  job descriptions\n  A job description is a written account of all the duties and responsibilities involved in a particular job or position.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: job lot
Meaning:
job lot  job lots\n  A job lot is a number of cheap things of low quality which are sold together, for example in auctions or second-hand shops.\n  N-COUNT


Words: job satisfaction
Meaning:
job sat.is.fac.tion\n\n  Job satisfaction is the pleasure that you get from doing your job.\nI doubt I’ll ever get rich, but I get job satisfaction.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: job seeker
Meaning:
job seek.er\n   job seeker  job seekers\n  A job seeker is an unemployed person who is trying to get a job.\n  N-COUNT


Words: job share
Meaning:
job share  job shares  job sharing  job shared\n  If two people job share, they share the same job by working part-time, for example one person working in the mornings and the other in the afternoons. (BUSINESS)\nThey both want to job share.\n  VERB: V\n\n  Job share is also a noun.\nShe works in a bank job share.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  job shar.ing\nPart-time work and job sharing will become commonplace.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jobbing
Meaning:
job.bing\n   jobbing\n  A jobbing worker does not work for someone on a regular basis, but does particular jobs when they are asked to. (BRIT)\n...a jobbing builder.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: jobless
Meaning:
job.less\n   jobless\n  Someone who is jobless does not have a job, although they would like one.\n  ADJ\n  = unemployed\n  The jobless are people who are jobless.\nThey joined the ranks of the jobless.\n  N-PLURAL: the N\n\n=>  job.less.ness\nConcern over the rising level of joblessness was a feature of yesterday’s debate.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = unemployment


Words: jobsworth
Meaning:
jobs.worth\n   jobsworth  jobsworths\n  If you refer to someone as a jobsworth, you are criticizing them for using the rules connected to their job as an excuse not to be helpful. (BRIT)\nA surly jobsworth alerted security.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: jock
Meaning:
jock  jocks\n  A jock is a young man who is enthusiastic about a particular sport and spends a lot of time playing it. (INFORMAL)\n...an all-American football jock.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jockey
Meaning:
jock.ey\n   jockey  jockeys  jockeying  jockeyed\n1. A jockey is someone who rides a horse in a race.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you say that someone is jockeying for something, you mean that they are using whatever methods they can in order to get it or do it before their competitors can get it or do it.\nThe rival political parties are already jockeying for power...\nAlready, both sides are jockeying to belittle the other side.\n  VERB: V for n, V to-inf\n\n  If someone is jockeying for position, they are using whatever methods they can in order to get into a better position than their rivals.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: jockey shorts
Meaning:
jock.ey shorts\n   jockey shorts\n  Jockey shorts are a type of men’s underpants. (TRADEMARK)\n  N-PLURAL: also a pair of N


Words: jockstrap
Meaning:
jock.strap\n   jockstrap  jockstraps\n  A jockstrap is a piece of underwear worn by sportsmen to support their genitals.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jocular
Meaning:
jocu.lar\n   jocular\n  If you say that someone has a jocular manner, you mean that they are cheerful and often make jokes or try to make people laugh. (FORMAL)\nHe was in a less jocular mood than usual...\n  ADJ\n  = jovial


Words: jodhpurs
Meaning:
jodh.purs\n   jodhpurs\n  Jodhpurs are trousers that people wear when they ride a horse. Jodhpurs are usually loose above the knee and tight below the knee.\n  N-PLURAL: also a pair of N\n  The form jodhpur is used as a modifier.


Words: jog
Meaning:
jog  jogs  jogging  jogged\n1. If you jog, you run slowly, often as a form of exercise.\nI got up early the next morning to jog...\n  VERB: V\n\n  Jog is also a noun.\nHe went for another early morning jog.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  jog.ging\nIt isn’t the walking and jogging that got his weight down.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you jog something, you push or bump it slightly so that it moves.\nAvoid jogging the camera.\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. If something or someone jogs your memory, they cause you to suddenly remember something that you had forgotten.\nPolice have planned a reconstruction of the crime tomorrow in the hope this will jog the memory of passers-by.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: joie de vivre
Meaning:
joie de vi.vre\n   joie de vivre\n  Joie de vivre is a feeling of happiness and enjoyment of life. (LITERARY)\nHe has plenty of joie de vivre.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: join
Meaning:
join  joins  joining  joined\n1. If one person or vehicle joins another, they move or go to the same place, for example so that both of them can do something together.\nHis wife and children moved to join him in their new home...\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. If you join an organization, you become a member of it or start work as an employee of it.\nHe joined the Army five years ago...\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. If you join an activity that other people are doing, you take part in it or become involved with it.\nTelephone operators joined the strike and four million engineering workers are also planning action...\nThe pastor requested the women present to join him in prayer...\nPrivate contractors joined in condemning the Government’s stance.\n  VERB: V n, V n in n/-ing, V in -ing\n\n4. If you join a queue, you stand at the end of it so that you are part of it.\nMake sure you join the queue inside the bank.\n  VERB: V n\n\n5. To join two things means to fix or fasten them together.\nThe opened link is used to join the two ends of the chain.\n...the conjunctiva, the skin which joins the eye to the lid.\n  VERB: V pl-n, V n prep/adv\n\n6. If something such as a line or path joins two things, it connects them.\nIt has a dormer roof joining both gable ends...\n...a global highway of cables joining all the continents together.\n  VERB: V pl-n, V-ing\n\n7. If two roads or rivers join, they meet or come together at a particular point.\nDo you know the highway to Tulsa? The airport road joins it.\n...Allahabad, where the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers join.\n  V-RECIP: V n, pl-n V\n\n8. A join is a place where two things are fastened or fixed together.\n  N-COUNT\n\n9.\njoin forces: see force\nto join the ranks: see rank


Words: join in
Meaning:
join in\n  If you join in an activity, you take part in it or become involved in it.\nI hope that everyone will be able to join in the fun...\nHe started to sing and I joined in.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n, V P


Words: join up
Meaning:
join up\n1. If someone joins up, they become a member of the army, the navy, or the air force.\nWhen hostilities broke out he returned to England and joined up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  = enlist\n2. If one person or organization joins up with another, they start doing something together.\nCouncils are joining up with their European counterparts...\nThey began to join up in communities.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P with n, pl-n V P\n  = get together, link up


Words: joined-up
Meaning:
joined-up\n1. In joined-up writing, you join all the letters in each word together, without taking your pen off the paper. This sort of writing is used by older children and adults.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. Journalists sometimes use joined-up to describe plans, ideas, or organizations which seem sensible, sophisticated, and mature, especially when they think that they have been unsophisticated or immature in the past.\n...another step towards joined-up government.\n  ADJ: ADJ n  approval


Words: joiner
Meaning:
join.er\n   joiner  joiners\n  A joiner is a person who makes wooden window frames, door frames, doors, and cupboards. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: joint
Meaning:
joint  joints\n1. Joint means shared by or belonging to two or more people.\nShe and Frank had never gotten around to opening a joint account...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  joint.ly\nThe Port Authority is an agency jointly run by New York and New Jersey.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. A joint is a part of your body such as your elbow or knee where two bones meet and are able to move together.\nHer joints ache if she exercises.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. A joint is the place where two things are fastened or fixed together.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also dovetail joint\n4. A joint is a fairly large piece of meat which is suitable for roasting. (BRIT; in AM, use roast)\nHe carved the joint of beef.\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. You can refer to a cheap place where people go for some form of entertainment as a joint. (INFORMAL)\n...a hamburger joint.\n  N-COUNT: usu supp N\n\n6. A joint is a cigarette which contains cannabis or marijuana.\n  N-COUNT\n\n7. If something puts someone’s nose out of joint, it upsets or offends them because it makes them feel less important or less valued. (INFORMAL)\nBarry had his nose put out of joint by Lucy’s aloof sophistication...\n  PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR


Words: joint venture
Meaning:
joint ven.ture\n   joint venture joint ventures\n  A joint venture is a business or project in which two or more companies or individuals have invested, with the intention of working together. (BUSINESS)\nIt will be sold to a joint venture created by Dow Jones and Westinghouse Broadcasting.\n  N-COUNT


Words: joint-stock company
Meaning:
joint-stock company  joint-stock companies\n  A joint-stock company is a company that is owned by the people who have bought shares in that company. (BUSINESS)\n  N-COUNT


Words: jointed
Meaning:
joint.ed\n   jointed\n1. Something that is jointed has joints that move.\nThe glass cover for this is cleverly jointed in the middle.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A jointed chicken or other bird has been cut into pieces so that it is ready to cook. (BRIT)\n  ADJ


Words: joist
Meaning:
joist  joists\n  Joists are long thick pieces of metal, wood, or concrete that form part of the structure of a building, usually to support a floor or ceiling.\n  N-COUNT\n  = beam


Words: jojoba
Meaning:
jo.jo.ba\n   jojoba\n  Jojoba or jojoba oil is made from the seeds of the jojoba plant. It is used in many cosmetics such as shampoos.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: joke
Meaning:
joke  jokes  joking  joked\n1. A joke is something that is said or done to make you laugh, for example a funny story.\nHe debated whether to make a joke about shooting rabbits, but decided against it...\nNo one told worse jokes than Claus.\n  N-COUNT: oft N about n\n\n2. If you joke, you tell funny stories or say amusing things.\nShe would joke about her appearance...\nLorna was laughing and joking with Trevor...\nThe project was taking so long that Stephen joked that it would never be finished...\n`Well, a beautiful spring Thursday would probably be a nice day to be buried on,’ Nancy joked.\n  VERB: V about n, V with n, V that, V with quote\n\n3. A joke is something untrue that you tell another person in order to amuse yourself.\nIt was probably just a joke to them, but it wasn’t funny to me.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. If you joke, you tell someone something that is not true in order to amuse yourself.\nDon’t get defensive, Charlie. I was only joking...\n`I wish you made as much fuss of me,’ Vera joked.\n  VERB: V, V with quote\n\n5. If you say that something or someone is a joke, you think they are ridiculous and do not deserve respect. (INFORMAL)\nIt’s ridiculous, it’s pathetic, it’s a joke...\n  N-SING: a N  disapproval\n\n6. If you say that an annoying or worrying situation is beyond a joke, you are emphasizing that it is worse than you think is fair or reasonable. (BRIT)\nI’m not afraid of a fair fight but this is beginning to get beyond a joke.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v  emphasis\n\n7. If you make a joke of something, you laugh at it even though it is in fact rather serious or sad.\nI wish I had your courage, Michael, to make a joke of it like that.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n\n\n8. If you describe a situation as no joke, you are emphasizing that it is very difficult or unpleasant. (INFORMAL)\nTwo hours on a bus is no joke, is it.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR  emphasis\n\n9. If you say that the joke is on a particular person, you mean that they have been made to look very foolish by something.\n`For once,’ he said, `the joke’s on me. And it’s not very funny.’\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n\n\n10. If you say that someone cannot take a joke, you are criticizing them for getting upset or angry at something you think is funny.\n`What’s the matter with you, Simon?’ Curly said. `Can’t you take a joke?’\n  PHRASE: V inflects  disapproval\n\n11. You say you’re joking or you must be joking to someone when they have just told you something that is so surprising or unreasonable that you find it difficult to believe. (SPOKEN)\nOne hundred and forty quid for a pair of headphones, you’ve got to be joking!\n  CONVENTION  feelings


Words: joker
Meaning:
jok.er\n   joker  jokers\n1. Someone who is a joker likes making jokes or doing amusing things.\nHe is, by nature, a joker, a witty man with a sense of fun.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. The joker in a pack of playing cards is the card which does not belong to any of the four suits.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. You can call someone a joker if you think they are behaving in a stupid or dangerous way. (INFORMAL)\nKeep your eye on these jokers, you never know what they will come up with.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = idiot\n4. If you describe someone or something as the joker in the pack, you mean that they are different from the other people or things in their group, and can be unpredictable.\n  PHRASE


Words: jokey
Meaning:
jok.ey\n   jokey\n  If someone behaves in a jokey way, they do things in a way that is intended to be amusing, rather than serious. (INFORMAL)\nBruno has not got his younger brother’s jokey manner...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=serious


Words: jokingly
Meaning:
jok.ing.ly\n   jokingly\n  If you say or do something jokingly, you say or do it with the intention of amusing someone, rather than with any serious meaning or intention.\nSarah jokingly called her `my monster’...\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: jollity
Meaning:
jol.lity\n   jollity\n  Jollity is cheerful behaviour. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n...the singing and jollity of the celebration.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jolly
Meaning:
jol.ly\n   jolly  jollier  jolliest\n1. Someone who is jolly is happy and cheerful in their appearance or behaviour.\nShe was a jolly, kindhearted woman.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A jolly event is lively and enjoyable.\nShe had a very jolly time in Korea.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n3. Jolly is sometimes used to emphasize an adjective or adverb. (BRIT INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED)\nIt was jolly hard work, but I loved it.\n  ADV: ADV adj/adv  emphasis\n  = very, extremely


Words: jolt
Meaning:
jolt  jolts  jolting  jolted\n1. If something jolts or if something jolts it, it moves suddenly and quite violently.\nThe wagon jolted again...\nThe train jolted into motion...\nThey were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.\n  VERB: V, V prep, V n\n\n  Jolt is also a noun.\nWe were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If something jolts someone, it gives them an unpleasant surprise or shock.\nA stinging slap across the face jolted her...\n  VERB: V n\n\n  Jolt is also a noun.\nThe campaign came at a time when America needed such a jolt.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Joneses
Meaning:
Joneses   also Jones\n  If you say that someone is keeping up with the Joneses, you mean that they are doing something in order to show that they have as much money as other people, rather than because they really want to do it.\nMany people were holding down three jobs just to keep up with the Joneses.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: Jordanian
Meaning:
Jor.da.nian\n   Jordanian  Jordanians\n1. Jordanian means belonging or relating to the country of Jordan, or to its people or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A Jordanian is a Jordanian citizen, or a person of Jordanian origin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: joss stick
Meaning:
joss stick  joss sticks\n  A joss stick is a thin stick covered with a substance that burns very slowly and smells pleasant.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jostle
Meaning:
jos.tle\n   jostle  jostles  jostling  jostled\n1. If people jostle you, they bump against you or push you in a way that annoys you, usually because you are in a crowd and they are trying to get past you.\nYou get 2,000 people jostling each other and bumping into furniture...\nWe spent an hour jostling with the crowds as we did our shopping...\nShe was cheered and clapped by tourists who jostled to see her.\n  VERB: V n, V prep/adv, V to-inf, also V way adv/prep, V n prep/adv\n\n2. If people or things are jostling for something such as attention or a reward, they are competing with other people or things in order to get it.\n...the contenders who have been jostling for the top job...\n  VERB: V for n\n  = compete


Words: jot
Meaning:
jot  jots  jotting  jotted\n1. If you jot something short such as an address somewhere, you write it down so that you will remember it.\nCould you just jot his name on there.\n  VERB: V n prep/adv\n  = write\n  Jot down means the same as jot.\nKeep a pad handy to jot down queries as they occur...\nListen carefully to the instructions and jot them down.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P\n  = note down\n2. If you say that there is not a jot or not one jot of something, you are emphasizing that there is not even a very small amount of it. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nThere is not a jot of evidence to say it does them any good...\nIt makes not one jot of difference.\n  QUANT: with brd-neg, QUANT of n-uncount  emphasis\n  = bit


Words: jotting
Meaning:
jot.ting\n   jotting  jottings\n  Jottings are brief, informal notes that you write down.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n  = note


Words: journal
Meaning:
jour.nal\n   journal  journals\n1. A journal is a magazine, especially one that deals with a specialized subject.\nAll our results are published in scientific journals.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A journal is a daily or weekly newspaper. The word journal is often used in the name of the paper.\nHe was a newspaperman for The New York Times and some other journals.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. A journal is an account which you write of your daily activities.\nSara confided to her journal...\n  N-COUNT\n  = diary


Words: journalism
Meaning:
jour.nal.ism\n   journalism\n  Journalism is the job of collecting news and writing about it for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio.\nHe began a career in journalism, working for the North London Press Group...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  see also chequebook journalism


Words: journalist
Meaning:
jour.nal.ist\n   journalist  journalists\n  A journalist is a person whose job is to collect news and write about it for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio.\n  N-COUNT\n  = reporter


Words: journalistic
Meaning:
jour.nal.is.tic\n   journalistic\n  Journalistic means relating to journalism, or produced by or typical of a journalist.\nHe began his journalistic career in the early eighties in Australia.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: journey
Meaning:
jour.ney\n   journey  journeys  journeying  journeyed\n1. When you make a journey, you travel from one place to another.\nThere is an express service from Paris which completes the journey to Bordeaux in under 4 hours.\n  N-COUNT: oft supp N, N prep\n\n2. You can refer to a person’s experience of changing or developing from one state of mind to another as a journey.\nMy films try to describe a journey of discovery, both for myself and the watcher.\n  N-COUNT: with supp\n\n3. If you journey somewhere, you travel there. (FORMAL)\nIn February 1935, Naomi journeyed to the United States for the first time...\nShe has journeyed on horseback through Africa and Turkey.\n  VERB: V to n, V prep/adv\n  = travel


Words: journeyman
Meaning:
journey.man\n   journeyman  journeymen\n  If you refer to someone as a journeyman, you mean that they have the basic skill which their job requires, but are not very talented or original. (JOURNALISM)\nDouglas was a 29-year-old journeyman fighter, erratic in his previous fights.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n


Words: joust
Meaning:
joust  jousts  jousting  jousted\n1. When two or more people or organizations joust, they compete to see who is better. (LITERARY)\n...lawyers joust in the courtroom...\nThe oil company jousts with Esso for lead position in UK sales.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n\n  = dispute\n2. In medieval times, when two knights on horseback jousted, they fought against each other using long spears called lances.\nKnights joust and frolic.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, also V with n\n\n=>  joust.ing\n...medieval jousting tournaments.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jovial
Meaning:
jo.vial\n   jovial\n  If you describe a person as jovial, you mean that they are happy and behave in a cheerful way. (WRITTEN)\nFather Whittaker appeared to be in a jovial mood...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  jo.vi.al.ity\n...his old expansive joviality.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  jo.vi.al.ly\n`No problem,’ he said jovially.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: jowl
Meaning:
jowl  jowls\n1. You can refer to someone’s lower cheeks as their jowls, especially when they hang down towards their jaw. (LITERARY)\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n2. If you say that people or things are cheek by jowl with each other, you are indicating that they are very close to each other.\nShe and her family have to live cheek by jowl with these people.\n  PHRASE: usu v PHR, v-link PHR, PHR n, oft PHR with n


Words: joy
Meaning:
joy  joys\n1. Joy is a feeling of great happiness.\nSalter shouted with joy.\n...tears of joy.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A joy is something or someone that makes you feel happy or gives you great pleasure.\nOne can never learn all there is to know about cooking, and that is one of the joys of being a chef...\n  N-COUNT: with supp\n  = delight\n3. If you get no joy, you do not have success or luck in achieving what you are trying to do. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nThey expect no joy from the vote itself...\n  N-UNCOUNT: with brd-neg\n\n4. If you say that someone is jumping for joy, you mean that they are very pleased or happy about something.\nHe jumped for joy on being told the news.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n5.\none’s pride and joy: see pride


Words: joyful
Meaning:
joy.ful\n   joyful\n1. Something that is joyful causes happiness and pleasure. (FORMAL)\nA wedding is a joyful celebration of love.\n  ADJ\n\n2. Someone who is joyful is extremely happy. (FORMAL)\nWe’re a very joyful people; we’re very musical people and we love music.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  joy.ful.ly\nThey greeted him joyfully.\n  ADV


Words: joyless
Meaning:
joy.less\n   joyless\n  Something that is joyless produces no happiness or pleasure. (FORMAL)\nLife seemed joyless...\nEating in East Berlin used to be a hazardous and joyless experience.\n  ADJ\n  = cheerless  !=joyous


Words: joyous
Meaning:
joy.ous\n   joyous\n  Joyous means extremely happy. (LITERARY)\nShe had made their childhood so joyous and carefree.\n  ADJ\n  = joyful\n=>  joy.ous.ly\nSarah accepted joyously.\n  ADV


Words: joyride
Meaning:
joy.ride\n   joyride  joyrides   also joy ride\n  If someone goes on a joyride, they steal a car and drive around in it at high speed.\n  N-COUNT


Words: joyrider
Meaning:
joy.rider\n   joyrider  joyriders   also joy rider\n  A joyrider is someone who steals cars in order to drive around in them at high speed.\n  N-COUNT


Words: joyriding
Meaning:
joy.rid.ing\n   joyriding   also joy riding\n  Joyriding is the crime of stealing a car and driving around in it at high speed.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: joystick
Meaning:
joy.stick\n   joystick  joysticks\n1. In some computer games, the joystick is the lever which the player uses in order to control the direction of the things on the screen.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n\n2. In an aircraft, the joystick is the lever which the pilot uses to control the direction and height of the aeroplane.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: JPEG
Meaning:
JPEG JPEGs  also Jpeg\n  JPEG is a standard file format for compressing pictures so they can be stored or sent by e-mail more easily. JPEG is an abbreviation for `Joint Photographic Experts Group’. (COMPUTING)\n...JPEG images.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n\n  A JPEG is a JPEG file or picture.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Jr
Meaning:
in AM, use Jr.\n  Jr is a written abbreviation for Junior. It is used after a man’s name to distinguish him from an older member of his family with the same name.\n...Harry Connick Jr.\n\n  = Jnr


Words: jubilant
Meaning:
ju.bi.lant\n   jubilant\n  If you are jubilant, you feel extremely happy because of a success.\nFerdinand was jubilant after making an impressive comeback from a month on the injured list.\n  ADJ\n  = ecstatic


Words: jubilation
Meaning:
ju.bi.la.tion\n   jubilation\n  Jubilation is a feeling of great happiness and pleasure, because of a success. (FORMAL)\nHis resignation was greeted by jubilation on the streets of Sofia.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jubilee
Meaning:
ju.bi.lee\n   jubilee  jubilees\n  A jubilee is a special anniversary of an event, especially the 25th or 50th anniversary.\n...Queen Victoria’s jubilee.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also golden jubilee, silver jubilee


Words: Judaism
Meaning:
Ju.da.ism\n   Judaism\n  Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. It is based on the Old Testament of the Bible and the Talmud.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Judas
Meaning:
Judas  Judases\n  If you accuse someone of being a Judas, you are accusing them of being deceitful and betraying their friends or country.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = traitor


Words: judder
Meaning:
jud.der\n   judder  judders  juddering  juddered\n  If something judders, it shakes or vibrates violently. (BRIT)\nThe lift started off, juddered, and went out of action...\n  VERB: V


Words: judge
Meaning:
judge  judges  judging  judged\n1. A judge is the person in a court of law who decides how the law should be applied, for example how criminals should be punished.\nThe judge adjourned the hearing until next Tuesday...\nJudge Mr Justice Schiemann jailed him for life.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE\n\n2. A judge is a person who decides who will be the winner of a competition.\nA panel of judges is now selecting the finalists.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If you judge something such as a competition, you decide who or what is the winner.\nColin Mitchell will judge the entries each week...\nA grade B judge could only be allowed to judge alongside a qualified grade A judge.\n  VERB: V n, V\n\n=>  judg.ing\nThe judging was difficult as always.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4. If you judge something or someone, you form an opinion about them after you have examined the evidence or thought carefully about them.\nIt will take a few more years to judge the impact of these ideas...\nI am ready to judge any book on its merits...\nIt’s for other people to judge how much I have improved...\nThe UN withdrew its relief personnel because it judged the situation too dangerous...\nI judged it to be one of the worst programmes ever screened...\nThe doctor judged that the man’s health had, up to the time of the wound, been good...\n  VERB: V n, V n on n, V wh, V n adj, V n to-inf, V that\n\n5. If you judge something, you guess its amount, size, or value or you guess what it is.\nIt is important to judge the weight of your washing load correctly...\nI judged him to be about forty...\nThough the shoreline could be dimly seen, it was impossible to judge how far away it was...\n  VERB: V n, V n to-inf, V wh\n  = estimate\n6. If someone is a good judge of something, they understand it and can make sensible decisions about it. If someone is a bad judge of something, they cannot do this.\nI’m a pretty good judge of character...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, usu N of n\n\n7. You use judging by, judging from, or to judge from to introduce the reasons why you believe or think something.\nJudging by the opinion polls, he seems to be succeeding...\nJudging from the way he laughed as he told it, it was meant to be humorous...\n  PREP-PHRASE\n\n8. If you say that something is true as far as you can judge or so far as you can judge, you are assuming that it is true, although you do not know all the facts about it.\nThe book, so far as I can judge, is remarkably accurate.\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl


Words: judgment
Meaning:
judg.ment\n   judgment  judgments\nin BRIT, also use judgement\n1. A judgment is an opinion that you have or express after thinking carefully about something.\nIn your judgment, what has changed over the past few years?...\nI don’t really want to make any judgments on the decisions they made.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. Judgment is the ability to make sensible guesses about a situation or sensible decisions about what to do.\nI respect his judgement and I’ll follow any advice he gives me...\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft with poss\n\n3. A judgment is a decision made by a judge or by a court of law.\nThe industry was awaiting a judgment from the European Court...\n  N-VAR\n  = verdict, ruling\n4. If something is against your better judgment, you believe that it would be more sensible or better not to do it.\nAgainst my better judgement I agreed...\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl, PHR after v, v-link PHR\n\n5. If you pass judgment on someone or something, you give your opinion about it, especially if you are making a criticism.\nIt’s not for me to pass judgement, it’s a personal matter between the two of you...\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n6. If you reserve judgment on something, you refuse to give an opinion about it until you know more about it.\nDoctors are reserving judgement on his ability to travel until later in the week.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR on n\n\n7. To sit in judgment means to decide whether or not someone is guilty of doing something wrong.\nHe argues very strongly that none of us has the right to sit in judgement.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: judgment call
Meaning:
judg.ment call\n   judgment call  judgment calls\nin BRIT, also use judgement call\n  If you refer to a decision as a judgment call, you mean that there are no firm rules or principles that can help you make it, so you simply have to rely on your own judgement and instinct.\nWell, physicians make judgment calls every day.\n  N-COUNT


Words: judgmental
Meaning:
judg.men.tal\n   judgmental\nin BRIT, also use judgemental\n  If you say that someone is judgmental, you are critical of them because they form opinions of people and situations very quickly, when it would be better for them to wait until they know more about the person or situation.\nWe tried not to seem critical or judgmental while giving advice that would protect him from ridicule...\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: judicial
Meaning:
ju.di.cial\n   judicial\n  Judicial means relating to the legal system and to judgments made in a court of law.\n...an independent judicial inquiry...\n...judicial decisions.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  ju.di.cial.ly\nEven if the amendment is passed it can be defeated judicially.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: judiciary
Meaning:
ju.di.ci.ary\n   judiciary\n  The judiciary is the branch of authority in a country which is concerned with law and the legal system. (FORMAL)\nThe judiciary must think very hard before jailing non-violent offenders.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: judicious
Meaning:
ju.di.cious\n   judicious\n  If you describe an action or decision as judicious, you approve of it because you think that it shows good judgment and sense. (FORMAL)\nThe President authorizes the judicious use of military force to protect our citizens.\n  ADJ  approval\n  = wise\n=>  ju.di.cious.ly\nModern fertilisers should be used judiciously.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: judo
Meaning:
judo\n  Judo is a sport in which two people fight and try to throw each other to the ground.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jug
Meaning:
jug  jugs\n  A jug is a cylindrical container with a handle and is used for holding and pouring liquids.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  A jug of liquid is the amount that the jug contains.\n...a jug of water.\n  N-COUNT


Words: juggernaut
Meaning:
jug.ger.naut\n   juggernaut  juggernauts\n1. A juggernaut is a very large truck. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you describe an organization or group as a juggernaut, you are critical of them because they are large and extremely powerful, and you think they are not being controlled properly.\nThe group became a sales juggernaut in the commodity options business.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: juggle
Meaning:
jug.gle\n   juggle  juggles  juggling  juggled\n1. If you juggle lots of different things, for example your work and your family, you try to give enough time or attention to all of them.\nThe management team meets several times a week to juggle budgets and resources...\nMike juggled the demands of a family of 11 with a career as a TV reporter.\n  VERB: V n, V n with n, also V with n\n\n2. If you juggle, you entertain people by throwing things into the air, catching each one and throwing it up again so that there are several of them in the air at the same time.\nSoon she was juggling five eggs...\nI can’t juggle.\n  VERB: V n, V\n\n=>  jug.gl.ing\nHe can perform an astonishing variety of acts, including mime and juggling.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: juggler
Meaning:
jug.gler\n   juggler  jugglers\n  A juggler is someone who juggles in order to entertain people.\n  N-COUNT


Words: juggling act
Meaning:
jug.gl.ing act\n   juggling act  juggling acts\n  If you say that a situation is a juggling act, you mean that someone is trying to do two or more things at once, and that they are finding it difficult to do those things properly.\nTrying to continue with a demanding career and manage a child or two is an impossible juggling act.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jugular
Meaning:
jugu.lar\n   jugular  jugulars\n1. A jugular or jugular vein is one of the three important veins in your neck that carry blood from your head back to your heart.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you say that someone went for the jugular, you mean that they strongly attacked another person’s weakest points in order to harm them. (INFORMAL)\nMr Black went for the jugular, asking intimate sexual questions.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: juice
Meaning:
juice  juices\n1. Juice is the liquid that can be obtained from a fruit.\n...fresh orange juice...\n  N-MASS: usu with supp\n\n2. The juices of a piece of meat are the liquid that comes out of it when you cook it.\nWhen cooked, drain off the juices and put the meat in a processor or mincer.\n  N-PLURAL


Words: juicy
Meaning:
juicy  juicier  juiciest\n1. If food is juicy, it has a lot of juice in it and is very enjoyable to eat.\n...a thick, juicy steak.\n  ADJ\n\n2. Juicy gossip or stories contain details about people’s lives, especially details which are normally kept private. (INFORMAL)\nIt provided some juicy gossip for a few days.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: jukebox
Meaning:
juke.box\n   jukebox  jukeboxes   also juke-box\n  A jukebox is a machine that plays CDs in a place such as a pub or bar. You put money in and choose the song you want to hear.\nMy favorite song is on the jukebox.\n  N-COUNT


Words: July
Meaning:
July  Julys\n  July is the seventh month of the year in the Western calendar.\nIn late July 1914, he and Violet spent a few days with friends near Berwick-upon-Tweed...\nI expect you to report for work on July the twenty-eighth.\n  N-VAR


Words: jumble
Meaning:
jum.ble\n   jumble  jumbles  jumbling  jumbled\n1. A jumble of things is a lot of different things that are all mixed together in a disorganized or confused way.\nThe shoreline was made up of a jumble of huge boulders.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, usu N of n\n\n2. If you jumble things or if things jumble, they become mixed together so that they are untidy or are not in the correct order.\nHe’s making a new film by jumbling together bits of his other movies...\nHis thoughts jumbled and raced like children fighting.\n  VERB: V n with together, V, also V n, V n prep\n\n  To jumble up means the same as to jumble.\nThey had jumbled it all up into a heap...\nThe bank scrambles all that money together, jumbles it all up and lends it out to hundreds and thousands of borrowers...\nThe watch parts fell apart and jumbled up...\nThere were six wires jumbled up, tied together, all painted black.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P prep/adv, V n P, V P, V-ed P, also V P n (not pron)\n\n3. Jumble is old or unwanted things that people give away to charity. (BRIT; in AM, use rummage)\nShe expects me to drive round collecting jumble for the church.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jumble sale
Meaning:
jum.ble sale\n   jumble sale  jumble sales\n  A jumble sale is a sale of cheap second-hand goods, usually held to raise money for charity. (BRIT; in AM, use rummage sale)\n  N-COUNT


Words: jumbled
Meaning:
jum.bled\n   jumbled\n  If you describe things or ideas as jumbled, you mean that they are mixed up and not in order.\nThese jumbled priorities should be no cause for surprise...\n  ADJ


Words: jumbo
Meaning:
jum.bo\n   jumbo  jumbos\n1. Jumbo means very large; used mainly in advertising and in the names of products.\n...a jumbo box of tissues.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = giant\n2. A jumbo or a jumbo jet is a very large jet aircraft that can carry several hundred passengers.\n...a British Airways jumbo.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jump
Meaning:
jump  jumps  jumping  jumped\n1. If you jump, you bend your knees, push against the ground with your feet, and move quickly upwards into the air.\nI jumped over the fence...\nI’d jumped seventeen feet six in the long jump, which was a school record...\nWhoever heard of a basketball player who doesn’t need to jump?\n  VERB: V prep/adv, V n, V\n\n  Jump is also a noun.\nShe was taking tiny jumps in her excitement.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you jump from something above the ground, you deliberately push yourself into the air so that you drop towards the ground.\nHe jumped out of a third-floor window...\nI jumped the last six feet down to the deck.\n  VERB: V prep/adv, V n, also V\n  = leap\n3. If you jump something such as a fence, you move quickly up and through the air over or across it.\nHe jumped the first fence beautifully.\n  VERB: V n\n\n4. If you jump somewhere, you move there quickly and suddenly.\nAdam jumped from his seat at the girl’s cry...\n  VERB: V prep/adv\n\n5. If something makes you jump, it makes you make a sudden movement because you are frightened or surprised.\nThe phone shrilled, making her jump.\n  VERB: V\n\n6. If an amount or level jumps, it suddenly increases or rises by a large amount in a short time.\nSales jumped from $94 million to over $101 million...\nThe number of crimes jumped by ten per cent last year...\nShares in Euro Disney jumped 17p.\n  VERB: V to/from amount, V by amount, V amount\n\n  Jump is also a noun.\n...a big jump in energy conservation.\n  N-COUNT: with supp, usu N in n\n\n7. If someone jumps a queue, they move to the front of it and are served or dealt with before it is their turn. (BRIT)\nThe prince refused to jump the queue for treatment at the local hospital.\n  VERB: V n\n\n8. If you jump at an offer or opportunity, you accept it quickly and eagerly.\nMembers of the public would jump at the chance to become part owners of the corporation.\n  VERB: no cont, V at n\n\n9. If someone jumps on you, they quickly criticize you if you do something that they do not approve of.\nA lot of people jumped on me about that, you know.\n  VERB: V on n\n\n10.\n  see also bungee jumping, high jump, long jump, queue-jumping, show jumping, triple jump\n11. If you get a jump on something or someone or get the jump on them, you gain an advantage over them. (AM)\nHelicopters helped fire crews get a jump on the blaze...\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n\n\n12.\nto jump on the bandwagon: see bandwagon\nto jump bail: see bail\nto jump to a conclusion: see conclusion\nto jump the gun: see gun\nto jump for joy: see joy


Words: jump in
Meaning:
jump in\n  If you jump in, you act quickly, often without thinking much about what you are doing.\nThe Government had to jump in and purchase millions of dollars worth of supplies.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: jump jet
Meaning:
jump jet  jump jets\n  A jump jet is a jet aircraft that can take off and land vertically.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jump jockey
Meaning:
jump jock.ey\n   jump jockey  jump jockeys\n  A jump jockey is someone who rides horses in races such as steeplechases, where the horses have to jump over obstacles.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jump leads
Meaning:
jump leads\n  Jump leads are two thick wires that can be used to start a car when its battery does not have enough power. The jump leads are used to connect the battery to the battery of another car that is working properly. (BRIT; in AM, use jumper cables)\n  N-PLURAL


Words: jump out
Meaning:
jump out\n  If you say that something jumps out at you, you mean that it is easy to notice it because it is different from other things of its type.\nA phrase jumped out at me in a piece about copyright.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P at n, also V P


Words: jump rope
Meaning:
jump rope  jump ropes\n  A jump rope is a piece of rope, usually with handles at each end. You exercise with it by turning it round and round and jumping over it. (AM; in BRIT, use skipping rope)\n  N-COUNT


Words: jump-start
Meaning:
jump-start  jump-starts  jump-starting  jump-started   also jump start\n1. To jump-start a vehicle which has a flat battery means to make the engine start by getting power from the battery of another vehicle, using special cables called jump leads.\nHe was huddled with John trying to jump-start his car.\n  VERB: V n\n\n  Jump-start is also a noun.\nI drove out to give him a jump start because his battery was dead.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. To jump-start a system or process that has stopped working or progressing means to do something that will make it start working quickly or effectively.\nThe EU is trying to jump start the peace process.\n  VERB: V n\n\n  Jump-start is also a noun.\n...attempts to give the industry a jump-start.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: jumped-up
Meaning:
jumped-up\n  If you describe someone as jumped-up, you disapprove of them because they consider themselves to be more important than they really are. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nHe’s nothing better than a jumped-up bank clerk!\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  disapproval


Words: jumper
Meaning:
jump.er\n   jumper  jumpers\n1. A jumper is a warm knitted piece of clothing which covers the upper part of your body and your arms. (BRIT; in AM, use sweater)\nIsabel had on a simple jumper and skirt.\n  N-COUNT\n  = sweater, pullover\n2. A jumper is a sleeveless dress that is worn over a blouse or sweater. (AM; in BRIT, use pinafore)\nShe wore a checkered jumper and had ribbons in her hair.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If you refer to a person or a horse as a particular kind of jumper, you are describing how good they are at jumping or the way that they jump.\nHe is a terrific athlete and a brilliant jumper...\n  N-COUNT: usu adj N


Words: jumping-off point
Meaning:
jumping-off point\n  A jumping-off point or a jumping-off place is a place, situation, or occasion which you use as the starting point for something.\nLectoure is a bustling market town and the best jumping-off point for a first visit to Le Gers.\n  N-SING


Words: jumpsuit
Meaning:
jump.suit\n   jumpsuit  jumpsuits\n  A jumpsuit is a piece of clothing in the form of a top and trousers in one continuous piece.\n  N-COUNT


Words: jumpy
Meaning:
jumpy\n  If you are jumpy, you are nervous or worried about something. (INFORMAL)\nI told myself not to be so jumpy...\nWhen he spoke his voice was jumpy.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n  = jittery, edgy


Words: junction
Meaning:
junc.tion\n   junction  junctions\n  A junction is a place where roads or railway lines join. (BRIT; in AM, usually use intersection)\nFollow the road to a junction and turn left...\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES


Words: juncture
Meaning:
junc.ture\n   juncture  junctures\n  At a particular juncture means at a particular point in time, especially when it is a very important time in a process or series of events.\nWhat’s important at this juncture is the ability of the three republics to work together...\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, usu at N


Words: June
Meaning:
June  Junes\n  June is the sixth month of the year in the Western calendar.\nHe spent two and a half weeks with us in June 1986...\nI am moving out on June 5...\n  N-VAR


Words: jungle
Meaning:
jun.gle\n   jungle  jungles\n1. A jungle is a forest in a tropical country where large numbers of tall trees and plants grow very close together.\n...the mountains and jungles of Papua New Guinea...\nThe mountain area is covered entirely in dense jungle.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If you describe a place as a jungle, you are emphasizing that it is full of lots of things and very untidy.\n...a jungle of stuffed birds, knick-knacks, potted plants.\n  N-SING: with supp  emphasis\n\n3. If you describe a situation as a jungle, you dislike it because it is complicated and difficult to get what you want from it.\nSocial security law and procedure remain a jungle of complex rules.\n  N-SING: with supp  disapproval\n\n4. If you refer to the law of the jungle, you are referring to a situation in which there are no laws or rules to govern the way that people behave and people use force to get what they want.\nIf you make aggression pay, this becomes the law of the jungle...\n  PHRASE  disapproval


Words: junior
Meaning:
jun.ior\n   junior  juniors\n1. A junior official or employee holds a low-ranking position in an organization or profession.\nJunior and middle-ranking civil servants have pledged to join the indefinite strike.\n...a junior minister attached to the prime minister’s office.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=senior\n  Junior is also a noun.\nThe Lord Chancellor has said legal aid work is for juniors when they start out in the law.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you are someone’s junior, you are younger than they are.\nShe now lives with actor Denis Lawson, 10 years her junior.\n  N-SING: poss N\n\n3. Junior is sometimes used after the name of the younger of two men in a family who have the same name, sometimes in order to prevent confusion. The abbreviation Jr is also used. (AM)\nHis son, Arthur Ochs Junior, is expected to succeed him as publisher.\n  N-IN-NAMES\n\n4. In the United States, a student in the third year of a high school or university course is called a junior.\n  N-COUNT


Words: junior high
Meaning:
jun.ior high\n   junior high  junior highs\n  In the United States, junior high is the school that young people attend between the ages of 11 or 12 and 14 or 15.\n...Benjamin Franklin Junior High.\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES


Words: junior school
Meaning:
jun.ior school\n   junior school  junior schools\n  In England and Wales, a junior school is a school for children between the ages of about seven and eleven.\n...Middleton Road Junior School.\n  N-VAR; N-IN-NAMES: oft in names after n


Words: juniper
Meaning:
ju.ni.per\n   juniper  junipers\n  A juniper is an evergreen bush with purple berries which can be used in cooking and medicine.\n  N-VAR


Words: junk
Meaning:
junk  junks  junking  junked\n1. Junk is old and used goods that have little value and that you do not want any more.\nWhat are you going to do with all that junk, Larry?\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n\n2. If you junk something, you get rid of it or stop using it. (INFORMAL)\nConsumers will not have to junk their old cassettes to use the new format...\n  VERB: V n\n  = ditch, jettison


Words: junk bond
Meaning:
junk bond  junk bonds\n  If a company issues junk bonds, it borrows money from investors, usually at a high rate of interest, in order to finance a particular deal, for example the setting up or the taking over of another company. (BUSINESS)\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: junk food
Meaning:
junk food  junk foods\n  If you refer to food as junk food, you mean that it is quick and easy to prepare but is not good for your health.\n  N-MASS


Words: junk mail
Meaning:
junk mail\n  Junk mail is advertisements and publicity materials that you receive through the post which you have not asked for and which you do not want.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: junket
Meaning:
jun.ket\n   junket  junkets\n  If you describe a trip or visit by an official or businessman as a junket, you disapprove of it because it is expensive, unnecessary, and often has been paid for with public money. (INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: junkie
Meaning:
junkie  junkies\n1. A junkie is a drug addict. (INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. You can use junkie to refer to someone who is very interested in a particular activity, especially when they spend a lot of time on it. (INFORMAL)\n...a computer junkie.\n  N-COUNT: n N


Words: junta
Meaning:
jun.ta\n   junta   juntas\n  A junta is a military government that has taken power by force, and not through elections.\n  N-COUNT-COLL


Words: jurisdiction
Meaning:
ju.ris.dic.tion\n   jurisdiction  jurisdictions\n1. Jurisdiction is the power that a court of law or an official has to carry out legal judgments or to enforce laws. (FORMAL)\nThe British police have no jurisdiction over foreign bank accounts.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = authority\n2. A jurisdiction is a state or other area in which a particular court and system of laws has authority. (LEGAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: jurisprudence
Meaning:
ju.ris.pru.dence\n   jurisprudence\n  Jurisprudence is the study of law and the principles on which laws are based. (FORMAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: jury
Meaning:
jury  juries\n1. In a court of law, the jury is the group of people who have been chosen from the general public to listen to the facts about a crime and to decide whether the person accused is guilty or not.\nThe jury convicted Mr Hampson of all offences.\n...the tradition of trial by jury.\n  N-COUNT-COLL: also by N\n\n2. A jury is a group of people who choose the winner of a competition.\nI am not surprised that the Booker Prize jury included it on their shortlist.\n  N-COUNT-COLL\n  = panel\n3. If you say that the jury is out or that the jury is still out on a particular subject, you mean that people in general have still not made a decision or formed an opinion about that subject.\nThe jury is out on whether or not this is true...\n  PHRASE: oft PHR on wh


Words: just
Meaning:
ADJECTIVE USE\n   just\n1. If you describe a situation, action, or idea as just, you mean that it is right or acceptable according to particular moral principles, such as respect for all human beings. (FORMAL)\nIn a just society there must be a system whereby people can seek redress through the courts...\n  ADJ\n  = fair  !=unjust\n=>  just.ly\nNo government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of the people.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n  = fairly  !=unjustly\n2.\nto get your just deserts: see desert\n\nADVERB USES\n   just\n\nPlease look at category 20 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.\n1. You use just to say that something happened a very short time ago, or is starting to happen at the present time. For example, if you say that someone has just arrived, you mean that they arrived a very short time ago.\nI’ve just bought a new house...\nThe two had only just met...\nI just had the most awful dream...\nI’m only just beginning to take it in that he’s still missing.\n  ADV: ADV before v\n\n2. If you say that you are just doing something, you mean that you are doing it now and will finish it very soon. If you say that you are just about to do something, or just going to do it, you mean that you will do it very soon.\nI’m just making the sauce for the cauliflower...\nI’m just going to walk down the lane now and post some letters...\nThe Vietnam War was just about to end.\n  ADV: ADV before v, ADV about/going to-inf\n\n3. You can use just to emphasize that something is happening at exactly the moment of speaking or at exactly the moment that you are talking about.\nRandall would just now be getting the Sunday paper...\nJust then the phone rang...\nJust as she prepared to set off to the next village, two friends arrived in a taxi.\n  ADV: ADV adv/prep, ADV as/when cl  emphasis\n\n4. You use just to indicate that something is no more important, interesting, or difficult, for example, than you say it is, especially when you want to correct a wrong idea that someone may get or has already got.\nIt’s just a suggestion...\nIt’s not just a financial matter...\nYou can tell just by looking at me that I am all right...\n  ADV: ADV group/cl  emphasis\n  = simply\n5. You use just to emphasize that you are talking about a small part, not the whole of an amount.\nThat’s just one example of the kind of experiments you can do...\n  ADV: ADV n  emphasis\n  = only, merely\n6. You use just to emphasize how small an amount is or how short a length of time is.\nStephanie and David redecorated a room in just three days...\n  ADV: ADV amount  emphasis\n  = only\n7. You can use just in front of a verb to indicate that the result of something is unfortunate or undesirable and is likely to make the situation worse rather than better.\nLeaving like I did just made it worse...\n  ADV: ADV before v\n  = only\n8. You use just to indicate that what you are saying is the case, but only by a very small degree or amount.\nHer hand was just visible by the light from the sitting room...\nI arrived just in time for my flight to London...\n  ADV: ADV adj/adv/prep, ADV before v\n\n9. You use just with `might,’ `may,’ and `could’, when you mean that there is a small chance of something happening, even though it is not very likely.\nIt’s an old trick but it just might work...\n  ADV: ADV with modal\n\n10. You use just to emphasize the following word or phrase, in order to express feelings such as annoyance, admiration, or certainty.\nShe just won’t relax...\nI knew you’d be here. I just knew...\n  ADV: ADV before v, ADV adj  emphasis\n\n11. You use just in expressions such as just a minute and just a moment to ask someone to wait for a short time. (SPOKEN)\n`Let me in, Di.’.`Okay. Just a minute.’\n  ADV: ADV n\n  = hold on\n12. You can use just in expressions such as just a minute and just a moment to interrupt someone, for example in order to disagree with them, explain something, or calm them down. (SPOKEN)\nWell, now just a second, I don’t altogether agree with the premise.\n  ADV: ADV n\n\n13. You can use just with negative question tags, for example `isn’t he just?’ and `don’t they just!’, to say that you agree completely with what has been said. (BRIT SPOKEN)\n`That’s crazy,’ I said. `Isn’t it just?’ he said...\n`The manager’s going to have some tough decisions to make.’.`Won’t he just.’\n  ADV: with neg, cl ADV  emphasis\n\n14. If you say that you can just see or hear something, you mean that it is easy for you to imagine seeing or hearing it.\n(next)


Words: just .1
Meaning:
I can just hear her telling her friends, `Well, I blame his mother!’\n  ADV: ADV before v\n  = almost\n15. You use just to mean exactly, when you are specifying something precisely or asking for precise information.\nThere are no statistics about just how many people won’t vote...\nMy arm hurts too, just here...\n  ADV: ADV cl/prep/adv\n\n16. You use just to emphasize that a particular thing is exactly what is needed or fits a particular description exactly.\nKiwi fruit are just the thing for a healthy snack...\n`Let’s get a coffee somewhere.’.`I know just the place.’\n  ADV: ADV n  emphasis\n\n17. You use just in expressions such as just like, just as...as, and just the same when you are emphasizing the similarity between two things or two people.\nBehind the facade they are just like the rest of us...\nHe worked just as hard as anyone...\n  ADV: ADV like n, ADV as adj/adv, ADV n  emphasis\n\n18. You use just about to indicate that what you are talking about is so close to being the case that it can be regarded as being the case.\nWhat does she read? Just about everything...\n  PHRASE: PHR n/adj/adv\n  = practically\n19. You use just about to indicate that what you are talking about is in fact the case, but only by a very small degree or amount.\nWe’ve got just about enough time to get there.\n  PHRASE: PHR before v, PHR n/adj\n\n20.\njust my luck: see luck\nnot just: see not\njust now: see now\nonly just: see only\nit just goes to show: see show


Words: justice
Meaning:
jus.tice\n   justice  justices\n1. Justice is fairness in the way that people are treated.\nHe has a good overall sense of justice and fairness...\nThere is no justice in this world!\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. The justice of a cause, claim, or argument is its quality of being reasonable, fair, or right.\nWe are a minority and must win people round to the justice of our cause.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = legitimacy\n3. Justice is the legal system that a country uses in order to deal with people who break the law.\nMany in Toronto’s black community feel that the justice system does not treat them fairly...\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n\n4. A justice is a judge. (AM)\nThomas will be sworn in today as a justice on the Supreme Court.\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. Justice is used before the names of judges.\nA preliminary hearing was due to start today before Mr Justice Hutchison, but was adjourned.\n  N-TITLE\n\n6.\n  see also miscarriage of justice\n7. If a criminal is brought to justice, he or she is punished for a crime by being arrested and tried in a court of law.\nThey demanded that those responsible be brought to justice...\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n8. To do justice to a person or thing means to reproduce them accurately and show how good they are.\nThe photograph I had seen didn’t do her justice...\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n9. If you do justice to someone or something, you deal with them properly and completely.\nNo one article can ever do justice to the topic of fraud...\n  PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR to n\n\n10. If you do yourself justice, you do something as well as you are capable of doing it.\nI don’t think he could do himself justice playing for England...\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n11. If you describe someone’s treatment or punishment as rough justice, you mean that it is not given according to the law. (BRIT)\nTrial by television makes for very rough justice indeed.\n  PHRASE


Words: Justice of the Peace
Meaning:
Jus.tice of the Peace\n   Justice of the Peace  Justices of the Peace\n1. In Britain, a Justice of the Peace is a person who is not a lawyer but who can act as a judge in a local criminal law court. The abbreviation JP is also used.\n  N-COUNT\n  = magistrate\n2. In some states in the United States, a Justice of the Peace is an official who can carry out some legal tasks, such as settling minor cases in court or performing marriages. The abbreviation JP is also used.\n  N-COUNT\n  = magistrate


Words: justifiable
Meaning:
jus.ti.fi.able\n   justifiable\n  An action, situation, emotion, or idea that is justifiable is acceptable or correct because there is a good reason for it.\nThe violence of the revolutionary years was justifiable on the grounds of political necessity.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf\n  = legitimate\n=>  jus.ti.fi.ably\nHe was justifiably proud of his achievements.\n  ADV


Words: justification
Meaning:
jus.ti.fi.ca.tion\n   justification  justifications\n  A justification for something is an acceptable reason or explanation for it.\nTo me the only justification for a zoo is educational...\n  N-VAR


Words: justified
Meaning:
jus.ti.fied\n   justified\n1. If you describe a decision, action, or idea as justified, you think it is reasonable and acceptable.\nIn my opinion, the decision was wholly justified.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you think that someone is justified in doing something, you think that their reasons for doing it are good and valid.\nHe’s absolutely justified in resigning. He was treated shamefully.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ in -ing


Words: justify
Meaning:
jus.ti.fy\n   justify  justifies  justifying  justified\n1. To justify a decision, action, or idea means to show or prove that it is reasonable or necessary.\nNo argument can justify a war...\nMinisters agreed that this decision was fully justified by economic conditions.\n  VERB: V n, V n\n\n2. To justify printed text means to adjust the spaces between the words so that each line of type is exactly the same length. (COMPUTING)\nClick on this icon to align or justify text.\n  VERB: V n\n\n  see also left-justify, right-justify


Words: justly
Meaning:
just.ly\n   justly\n  You use justly to show that you approve of someone’s attitude towards something, because it seems to be based on truth or reality.\nAustralians are justly proud of their native wildlife.\n  ADV: usu ADV adj, also ADV with v  approval\n  = justifiably\n  see also just


Words: jut
Meaning:
jut  juts  jutting  jutted\n1. If something juts out, it sticks out above or beyond a surface.\nThe northern end of the island juts out like a long, thin finger into the sea...\n  VERB: V adv/prep\n  = protrude\n2. If you jut a part of your body, especially your chin, or if it juts, you push it forward in an aggressive or determined way.\nHis jaw jutted stubbornly forward; he would not be denied...\nGwen jutted her chin forward and did not answer the teacher...\nKen’s jaw jutted with determination.\n  VERB: V adv/prep, V n adv/prep, V, also V n


Words: jute
Meaning:
jute\n  Jute is a substance that is used to make cloth and rope. It comes from a plant which grows mainly in South-East Asia.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: juvenile
Meaning:
ju.venile\n   juvenile  juveniles\n1. A juvenile is a child or young person who is not yet old enough to be regarded as an adult. (FORMAL)\nThe number of juveniles in the general population has fallen by a fifth in the past 10 years.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Juvenile activity or behaviour involves young people who are not yet adults.\nJuvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. If you describe someone’s behaviour as juvenile, you are critical of it because you think that it is silly or childish.\nHe’s a typical male, as he gets older he becomes more juvenile.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = childish


Words: juvenile court
Meaning:
ju.venile court\n   juvenile court  juvenile courts\n  A juvenile court is a court which deals with crimes committed by young people who are not yet old enough to be considered as adults.\n  N-VAR


Words: juvenile delinquency
Meaning:
ju.venile de.lin.quen.cy\n   juvenile delinquency\n  Juvenile delinquency is destruction of property and other criminal behaviour that is committed by young people who are not old enough to be legally considered as adults.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: juvenile delinquent
Meaning:
ju.venile de.lin.quent\n   juvenile delinquent  juvenile delinquents\n  A juvenile delinquent is a young person who is guilty of committing crimes, especially destruction of property or violence.\n  N-COUNT


Words: juxtapose
Meaning:
jux.ta.pose\n   juxtapose  juxtaposes  juxtaposing  juxtaposed\n  If you juxtapose two contrasting objects, images, or ideas, you place them together or describe them together, so that the differences between them are emphasized. (FORMAL)\nThe technique Mr Wilson uses most often is to juxtapose things for dramatic effect...\nContemporary photographs are juxtaposed with a sixteenth century, copper Portuguese mirror.\n...art’s oldest theme: the celebration of life juxtaposed with the terror of mortality.\n  VERB: V pl-n, be V-ed with n, V-ed, also V n with n


Words: juxtaposition
Meaning:
jux.ta.po.si.tion\n   juxtaposition  juxtapositions\n  The juxtaposition of two contrasting objects, images, or ideas is the fact that they are placed together or described together, so that the differences between them are emphasized. (FORMAL)\nThis juxtaposition of brutal reality and lyrical beauty runs through Park’s stories.\n  N-VAR: usu N of n


Words: K, k
Meaning:
K, k  K’s, k’s\n1. K is the eleventh letter of the English alphabet.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. K or k is used as an abbreviation for words beginning with k, such as `kilometre’, `kilobyte’, or `king’.\n\n3. K or k is sometimes used to represent the number 1000, especially when referring to sums of money. (INFORMAL)\nI used to make over 40k.\n  NUM: usu num NUM


Words: Kalashnikov
Meaning:
Kal.ash.ni.kov\n   Kalashnikov  Kalashnikovs\n  A Kalashnikov is a type of rifle that is made in Russia.\n  N-COUNT


Words: kaleidoscope
Meaning:
ka.lei.do.scope\n   kaleidoscope  kaleidoscopes\n1. A kaleidoscope is a toy in the shape of a tube with a small hole at one end. If you look through the hole and turn the other end of the tube, you can see a pattern of colours which changes as you turn the tube round.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. You can describe something that is made up of a lot of different and frequently changing colours or elements as a kaleidoscope.\n...the vivid kaleidoscope of colours displayed in the plumage of the peacock.\n  N-SING: usu with supp, oft N of n


Words: kaleidoscopic
Meaning:
ka.lei.do.scop.ic\n   kaleidoscopic\n  If you describe something as kaleidoscopic, you mean that it consists of a lot of very different parts, such as different colours, patterns, or shapes.\n...a kaleidoscopic study of the shifting ideas and symbols of French nationhood.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: kamikaze
Meaning:
ka.mi.ka.ze\n   kamikaze\n  If someone such as a soldier or terrorist performs a kamikaze act, they attack the enemy knowing that they will be killed doing it.\n...kamikaze pilots ready to bomb nuclear installations.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: kangaroo
Meaning:
kan.ga.roo\n   kangaroo  kangaroos\n  A kangaroo is a large Australian animal which moves by jumping on its back legs. Female kangaroos carry their babies in a pouch on their stomach.\n  N-COUNT


Words: kangaroo court
Meaning:
kan.ga.roo court\n   kangaroo court  kangaroo courts\n  If you refer to a court or a meeting as a kangaroo court, you disapprove of it because it is unofficial or unfair, and is intended to find someone guilty.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: kaput
Meaning:
ka.put\n   kaput\n  If you say that something is kaput, you mean that it is completely broken, useless, or finished. (INFORMAL)\n`What’s happened to your car?’.`It’s kaput.’...\nHe finally admitted that his film career was kaput.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: karaoke
Meaning:
kara.oke\n   karaoke\n  Karaoke is a form of entertainment in which a machine plays the tunes of songs, and people take it in turns to sing the words.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: karate
Meaning:
ka.ra.te\n   karate\n  Karate is a Japanese sport or way of fighting in which people fight using their hands, elbows, feet, and legs.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: karma
Meaning:
kar.ma\n   karma\n  In religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, karma is the belief that your actions in this life affect all your future lives.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: kayak
Meaning:
kay.ak\n   kayak  kayaks\n  A kayak is a narrow boat like a canoe, used by the Inuit people and in the sport of canoeing.\n  N-COUNT


Words: kazoo
Meaning:
ka.zoo\n   kazoo  kazoos\n  A kazoo is a small musical instrument that consists of a pipe with a hole in the top. You play the kazoo by blowing into it while making sounds.\n  N-COUNT


Words: kebab
Meaning:
ke.bab\n   kebab  kebabs\nin AM, also use kabob\n  A kebab is pieces of meat or vegetables grilled on a long thin stick, or slices of grilled meat served in pitta bread.\n  N-VAR


Words: kedgeree
Meaning:
ked.geree\n   kedgeree\n  Kedgeree is a cooked dish consisting of rice, fish, and eggs.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: keel
Meaning:
keel  keels  keeling  keeled\n1. The keel of a boat is the long, specially shaped piece of wood or steel along the bottom of it.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you say that someone or something is on an even keel, you mean that they are working or progressing smoothly and steadily, without any sudden changes.\nJason had helped him out with a series of loans, until he could get back on an even keel.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR


Words: keel over
Meaning:
keel over\n  If someone keels over, they collapse because they are tired or ill. (INFORMAL)\nHe then keeled over and fell flat on his back.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: keen
Meaning:
keen  keener  keenest\n1. If you are keen on doing something, you very much want to do it. If you are keen that something should happen, you very much want it to happen. (mainly BRIT)\nYou’re not keen on going, are you?...\nI’m very keen that the European Union should be as open as possible to trade from Russia...\nShe’s still keen to keep in touch...\nI am not keen for her to have a bicycle.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, ADJ on -ing, ADJ that, ADJ to-inf\n\n=>  keen.ness\n...Doyle’s keenness to please.\n...a keenness for the idea of a co-ordinated approach to development.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N to-inf\n  = enthusiasm\n2. If you are keen on something, you like it a lot and are very enthusiastic about it. (mainly BRIT)\nI got quite keen on the idea...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ on n\n\n=>  keen.ness\n...his keenness for the arts.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. You use keen to indicate that someone has a lot of enthusiasm for a particular activity and spends a lot of time doing it.\nShe was a keen amateur photographer.\n  ADJ: ADJ n, v-link ADJ on n/-ing\n\n4. If you describe someone as keen, you mean that they have an enthusiastic nature and are interested in everything that they do.\nHe’s a very keen student and works very hard...\n  ADJ\n  = enthusiastic\n=>  keen.ness\n...the keenness of the students.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n5. A keen interest or emotion is one that is very intense.\nHe had retained a keen interest in the progress of the work.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  keen.ly\nShe remained keenly interested in international affairs...\nThis is a keenly awaited project.\n  ADV: ADV adj, ADV with v\n\n6. If you are a keen supporter of a cause, movement, or idea, you support it enthusiastically.\nHe’s been a keen supporter of the Labour Party all his life...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n7. If you say that someone has a keen mind, you mean that they are very clever and aware of what is happening around them.\nThey described him as a man of keen intellect...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  keen.ly\nThey’re keenly aware that whatever they decide will set a precedent.\n  ADV: ADV adj, ADV with v\n\n8. If you have a keen eye or ear, you are able to notice things that are difficult to detect.\n...an amateur artist with a keen eye for detail...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = sharp\n=>  keen.ly\nCharles listened keenly.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n9. A keen fight or competition is one in which the competitors are all trying very hard to win, and it is not easy to predict who will win.\nThere is expected to be a keen fight in the local elections.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  keen.ly\nThe contest should be very keenly fought.\n  ADV\n\n10. Keen prices are low and competitive. (mainly BRIT)\nThe company negotiates very keen prices with their suppliers.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  keen.ly\nThe shops also offer a keenly priced curtain-making service.\n  ADV: ADV -ed\n\n11. If you say that someone is mad keen on something, you are emphasizing that they are very enthusiastic about it. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nSo you’re not mad keen on science then?...\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR n  emphasis


Words: keep
Meaning:
keep  keeps  keeping  kept\n1. If someone keeps or is kept in a particular state, they remain in it.\nThe noise kept him awake...\nTo keep warm they burnt wood in a rusty oil barrel...\nFor several years I kept in touch with her.\n  V-LINK: V n adj/prep, V adj/prep, V adj/prep\n\n2. If you keep or you are kept in a particular position or place, you remain in it.\nKeep away from the doors while the train is moving...\nHe kept his head down, hiding his features...\nDoctors will keep her in hospital for at least another week.\n  VERB: V adv/prep, V n with adv, V n prep\n\n3. If you keep off something or keep away from it, you avoid it. If you keep out of something, you avoid getting involved in it. You can also say that you keep someone off, away from or out of something.\nI managed to stick to the diet and keep off sweet foods...\nThe best way to keep babies off sugar is to go back to the natural diet and eat lots of fresh fruit.\n  VERB: V prep/adv, V n prep/adv\n\n4. If someone or something keeps you from a particular action, they prevent you from doing it.\nEmbarrassment has kept me from doing all sorts of things...\n  VERB: V n from -ing\n  = stop\n5. If you try to keep from doing something, you try to stop yourself from doing it.\nShe bit her lip to keep from crying...\n  VERB: V from -ing\n\n6. If you keep something from someone, you do not tell them about it.\nShe knew that Gabriel was keeping something from her.\n  VERB: V n from n\n\n7. If you keep doing something, you do it repeatedly or continue to do it.\nI keep forgetting it’s December...\nI turned back after a while, but he kept walking...\n  VERB: V -ing, V -ing\n\n  Keep on means the same as keep.\nDid he give up or keep on trying?...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P -ing\n\n8. Keep is used with some nouns to indicate that someone does something for a period of time or continues to do it. For example, if you keep a grip on something, you continue to hold or control it.\nUntil last year, the regime kept a tight grip on the country...\nOne of them would keep a look-out on the road behind to warn us of approaching vehicles...\n  VERB: V n, V n\n\n9. If you keep something, you continue to have it in your possession and do not throw it away, give it away, or sell it.\nLathan had to choose between marrying her and keeping his job.\n  VERB: V n\n\n10. If you keep something in a particular place, you always have it or store it in that place so that you can use it whenever you need it.\nShe kept her money under the mattress...\nTo make it easier to contact us, keep this card handy.\n  VERB: V n prep/adv, V n adj\n\n11. When you keep something such as a promise or an appointment, you do what you said you would do.\nI’m hoping you’ll keep your promise to come for a long visit...\n  VERB: V n\n\n12. If you keep a record of a series of events, you write down details of it so that they can be referred to later.\nEleanor began to keep a diary...\n  VERB: V n\n\n13. If you keep yourself or keep someone else, you support yourself or the other person by earning enough money to provide food, clothing, money, and other necessary things.\nShe could just about afford to keep her five kids...\nI just cannot afford to keep myself...\nThe pay was enough to keep him in whisky for a day or two.\n  VERB: V n, V pron-refl, V n in n\n\n14. Someone’s keep is the cost of food and other things that they need in their daily life.\nRay will earn his keep on local farms while studying...\n  N-SING: poss N\n\n15. If you keep animals, you own them and take care of them.\nI’ve brought you some eggs. We keep chickens...\n  VERB: V n\n\n16. If someone or something keeps you, they delay you and make you late.\n`What kept you?’.`I went in the wrong direction.’\n  VERB: V n\n\n17. If food keeps for a certain length of time, it stays fresh and suitable to eat for that time.\nWhatever is left over may be put into the refrigerator, where it will keep for 2-3 weeks.\n  VERB: V\n\n18. You can say or ask how someone is keeping as a way of saying or asking whether they are well.\n(next)


