# dict

Words: chase away
Meaning:
chase away\n  If someone or something chases away worries, fears, or other bad feelings, they cause those feelings to change and become happier. (WRITTEN)\nEllery’s return will help to chase away some of the gloom...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron)\n  = get rid of


Words: chase down
Meaning:
chase down\n1. If you chase someone down, you run after them or follow them quickly and catch them. (mainly AM)\nNess chased the thief down and held him until police arrived...\nFor thousands of years chasing down game was the main activity in which humans were involved.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron)\n\n2. If you chase someone or something down, you manage to find them after searching for them.\nThat’s when I chased her down to be the singer in my band...\nBank officials argued that it is not their job to chase down every asset of every bank debtor.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron)\n  = track down


Words: chase up
Meaning:
chase up\n1. If you chase up something that is needed or needs dealing with, you find it or find out what is being done about it.\nWhen I didn’t hear from the suppliers or receive a refund, I chased the matter up...\nThe authority can chase up the source of the pollution and demand that the owner clean it up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron)\n\n2. If you chase someone up, you look for them and find them because you want them to do something or give you something.\n...the story of a man who comes to Hollywood to chase up a client who has defaulted on a debt.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P\n  = track down


Words: chaser
Meaning:
chas.er\n   chaser  chasers\n  A chaser is an alcoholic drink that you have after you have drunk a stronger or weaker alcoholic drink.\n...whiskey with beer chasers.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N


Words: chasm
Meaning:
chasm  chasms\n1. A chasm is a very deep crack in rock, earth, or ice.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you say that there is a chasm between two things or between two groups of people, you mean that there is a very large difference between them.\n...the chasm that divides the worlds of university and industry.\n...the chasm between rich and poor in America.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N between pl-n\n  = gulf, gap


Words: chassis
Meaning:
chas.sis\n   chassis\n  A chassis is the framework that a vehicle is built on.\n  N-COUNT\n  chassis   can also be used as the plural form.


Words: chaste
Meaning:
chaste\n  If you describe a person or their behaviour as chaste, you mean that they do not have sex with anyone, or they only have sex with their husband or wife. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nHe remained chaste...\n  ADJ


Words: chasten
Meaning:
chas.ten\n   chasten  chastens  chastening  chastened\n  If you are chastened by something, it makes you regret that you have behaved badly or stupidly. (FORMAL)\nHe has clearly not been chastened by his thirteen days in detention...\nA chastened Agassi flew home for a period of deep contemplation.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed by n, V-ed, also be V-ed into n/-ing\n\n=>  chas.tened\nThe President now seems a more chastened and less confident politician than when he set out a week ago.\n  ADJ


Words: chastening
Meaning:
chas.ten.ing\n   chastening\n  A chastening experience makes you regret that you have behaved badly or stupidly.\nFrom this chastening experience he learnt some useful lessons.\n  ADJ


Words: chastise
Meaning:
chas.tise\n   chastise  chastises  chastising  chastised\n  If you chastise someone, you speak to them angrily or punish them for something wrong that they have done. (FORMAL)\nThomas Rane chastised Peters for his cruelty...\nThe Securities Commission chastised the firm but imposed no fine...\nI just don’t want you to chastise yourself.\n  VERB: V n, V n, V pron-refl\n  = reprimand


Words: chastisement
Meaning:
chas.tise.ment\n   chastisement\n  Chastisement is the same as punishment. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-UNCOUNT: also a N


Words: chastity
Meaning:
chas.tity\n   chastity\n  Chastity is the state of not having sex with anyone, or of only having sex with your husband or wife. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nHe took a vow of chastity and celibacy.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chat
Meaning:
chat  chats  chatting  chatted\n  When people chat, they talk to each other in an informal and friendly way.\nThe women were chatting...\nI was chatting to him the other day...\nWe chatted about old times.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V to/with n, V about n\n\n  Chat is also a noun.\nI had a chat with John.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chat room
Meaning:
chat room  chat rooms\n  A chat room is a site on the Internet where people can exchange messages about a particular subject. (COMPUTING)\n  N-COUNT


Words: chat show
Meaning:
chat show  chat shows\n  A chat show is a television or radio show in which people talk in a friendly, informal way about different topics. (BRIT; in AM, use talk show)\n  N-COUNT


Words: chat up
Meaning:
chat up\n  If you chat someone up, usually someone you do not know very well, you talk to them in a friendly way because you are sexually attracted to them. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nHe’d spent most of that evening chatting up one of my friends...\nShe was chatting one of the guys up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P


Words: chat-up line
Meaning:
chat-up line  chat-up lines\n  A chat-up line is a remark that someone makes in order to start a conversation with someone they do not know but find sexually attractive. (BRIT; in AM, use line)\n  N-COUNT


Words: chateau
Meaning:
cha.teau\n   chateau  chateaux   also chateau\n  A chateau is a large country house or castle in France.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chatelaine
Meaning:
chat.elaine\n   chatelaine  chatelaines\n  A chatelaine is the female owner, or the wife of the owner, of a castle or large country house.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chatline
Meaning:
chat.line\n   chatline  chatlines   also chat line\n  People phone in to chatlines to have conversations with other people who have also phoned in. (BRIT)\nShe started using chat lines basically for someone to talk to.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chattel
Meaning:
chat.tel\n   chattel  chattels\n  Chattels are things that belong to you. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nThey were slaves, to be bought and sold as chattels.\n  N-VAR


Words: chatter
Meaning:
chat.ter\n   chatter  chatters  chattering  chattered\n1. If you chatter, you talk quickly and continuously, usually about things which are not important.\nEveryone’s chattering away in different languages...\nErica was friendly and chattered about Andrew’s children...\nHe listened to chattering maids as they passed by.\n  VERB: V adv/prep, V about n, V-ing, also V\n\n  Chatter is also a noun.\n...idle chatter...\nLila kept up a steady stream of chatter.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If your teeth chatter, they keep knocking together because you are very cold or very nervous.\nShe was so cold her teeth chattered.\n  VERB: V\n\n3. When birds or animals chatter, they make high-pitched noises. (LITERARY)\nBirds were chattering somewhere.\n  VERB: V\n\n  Chatter is also a noun.\n...almond trees vibrating with the chatter of crickets.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu the N of n


Words: chatterbox
Meaning:
chatter.box\n   chatterbox  chatterboxes\n  A chatterbox is someone who talks a lot. (INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: chattering classes
Meaning:
chat.ter.ing clas.ses\n   chattering classes\n  The chattering classes are people such as journalists, broadcasters, or public figures who comment on events but have little or no influence over them. (BRIT JOURNALISM)\nRadical feminism is currently the fashionable topic among the chattering classes.\n  N-PLURAL: usu the N  disapproval


Words: chatty
Meaning:
chat.ty\n   chatty\n1. Someone who is chatty talks a lot in a friendly, informal way.\nShe’s quite a chatty person.\n  ADJ\n  = talkative\n2. A chatty style of writing or talking is friendly and informal.\nHe wrote a chatty letter to his wife.\n  ADJ


Words: chauffeur
Meaning:
chauf.feur\n   chauffeur   chauffeurs   chauffeuring   chauffeured\n1. The chauffeur of a rich or important person is the man or woman who is employed to look after their car and drive them around in it.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you chauffeur someone somewhere, you drive them there in a car, usually as part of your job.\nIt was certainly useful to have her there to chauffeur him around...\nCaroline had a chauffeured car waiting to take her to London.\n  VERB: V n adv/prep, V-ed, also V n


Words: chauvinism
Meaning:
chau.vin.ism\n   chauvinism\n  Chauvinism is a strong, unreasonable belief that your own country is more important and morally better than other people’s.\nIt may also appeal to the latent chauvinism of many ordinary people.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval\n\n  see also male chauvinism\n=>  chau.vin.ist      chauvinists\nAntwerpers are so convinced that their city is best that other Belgians think them chauvinists.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also male chauvinist


Words: chauvinistic
Meaning:
chau.vin.is.tic\n   chauvinistic\n1. If you describe someone as chauvinistic, you believe that they think their own country is more important and morally better than any other.\n...national narrow-mindedness and chauvinistic arrogance.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  disapproval\n\n2. If you describe a man or his behaviour as chauvinistic, you disapprove of him for believing that men are naturally better and more important than women.\nMy ex-boyfriend Anthony was very chauvinistic.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: cheap
Meaning:
cheap  cheaper  cheapest\n1. Goods or services that are cheap cost less money than usual or than you expected.\nSmoke detectors are cheap and easy to put up...\nRunning costs are coming down because of cheaper fuel...\nThey served breakfast all day and sold it cheap.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, ADJ n, v n ADJ\n  !=expensive, dear\n=>  cheap.ly\nIt will produce electricity more cheaply than a nuclear plant.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n=>  cheap.ness\nThe cheapness and simplicity of the design makes it ideal for our task.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you describe goods as cheap, you mean they cost less money than similar products but their quality is poor.\nDon’t resort to cheap copies; save up for the real thing.\n...a tight suit made of some cheap material.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = shoddy\n3. If you describe someone’s remarks or actions as cheap, you mean that they are unkindly or insincerely using a situation to benefit themselves or to harm someone else.\nThese tests will inevitably be used by politicians to make cheap political points.\n  ADJ: ADJ n  disapproval\n\n4. If you describe someone as cheap, you are criticizing them for being unwilling to spend money. (AM)\nOh, please, Dad, just this once don’t be cheap.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ  disapproval\n  = mean\n5. If someone does or buys something on the cheap, they spend less money than they should because they are more concerned with what it costs than with its quality. (INFORMAL)\nMost modern housing estates are terrible and inevitably done on the cheap.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v  disapproval


Words: cheap shot
Meaning:
cheap shot  cheap shots\n  A cheap shot is a comment someone makes which you think is unfair or unkind.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: cheapen
Meaning:
cheap.en\n   cheapen  cheapens  cheapening  cheapened\n  If something cheapens a person or thing, it lowers their reputation or position.\nWhen America boycotted the Moscow Olympics it cheapened the medals won...\nLove is a word cheapened by overuse.\n  VERB: V n, V n


Words: cheapo
Meaning:
cheapo\n  Cheapo things are very inexpensive and probably of poor quality. (INFORMAL)\n...cheapo deals on wobbly airlines.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: cheapskate
Meaning:
cheap.skate\n   cheapskate  cheapskates\n  If you say that someone is a cheapskate, you think that they are mean and do not like spending money.\nTell your husband not to be a cheapskate.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = skinflint


Words: cheat
Meaning:
cheat  cheats  cheating  cheated\n1. When someone cheats, they do not obey a set of rules which they should be obeying, for example in a game or exam.\nStudents may be tempted to cheat in order to get into top schools.\n  VERB: V\n\n=>  cheat.ing\nIn an election in 1988, he was accused of cheating by his opponent.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Someone who is a cheat does not obey a set of rules which they should be obeying.\nCheats will be disqualified.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If someone cheats you out of something, they get it from you by behaving dishonestly.\nThe company engaged in a deliberate effort to cheat them out of their pensions...\nMany brokers were charged with cheating customers in commodity trades.\n  VERB: V n out of/of n, V n\n\n4. If you say that someone cheats death, you mean they only just avoid being killed. (JOURNALISM)\nHe cheated death when he was rescued from the roof of his blazing cottage.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: cheat on
Meaning:
cheat on\n1. If someone cheats on their husband, wife, or partner, they have a sexual relationship with another person. (INFORMAL)\nI’d found Philippe was cheating on me and I was angry and hurt.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n\n\n2. If someone cheats on something such as an agreement or their taxes, they do not do what they should do under a set of rules. (mainly AM)\nTheir job is to check that none of the signatory countries is cheating on the agreement.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n


Words: check
Meaning:
check  checks  checking  checked\n1. If you check something such as a piece of information or a document, you make sure that it is correct or satisfactory.\nCheck the accuracy of everything in your CV...\nI think there is an age limit, but I’d have to check...\nShe hadn’t checked whether she had a clean ironed shirt...\nHe checked that he had his room key...\nI shall need to check with the duty officer.\n  VERB: V n, V, V wh, V that, V with n\n\n  see also cross-check\n  Check is also a noun.\nHe is being constantly monitored with regular checks on his blood pressure.\n...a security check.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n2. If you check on someone or something, you make sure they are in a safe or satisfactory condition.\nHe decided to check on things at the warehouse.\n  VERB: V on n\n\n3. If you check something that is written on a piece of paper, you put a mark, like a V with the right side extended, next to it to show that something is correct or has been selected or dealt with. (AM; in BRIT, usually use tick)\nFrequently, men who check answer (b) have not actually had the experience of being repeatedly rejected by women.\n  VERB: V n\n\n4. To check something, usually something bad, means to stop it from spreading or continuing.\nSex education is also expected to help check the spread of AIDS.\n  VERB: V n\n  = curb\n5. If you check yourself or if something checks you, you suddenly stop what you are doing or saying.\nHe was about to lose his temper but checked himself in time...\nI held up one finger to check him.\n  VERB: V pron-refl, V n\n\n6. When you check your luggage at an airport, you give it to an official so that it can be taken on to your plane.\nWe arrived at the airport, checked our baggage and wandered around the gift shops...\n  VERB: V n\n\n  To check in your luggage means the same as to check it.\nThey checked in their luggage and found seats in the departure lounge.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P\n\n7. The check in a restaurant is a piece of paper on which the price of your meal is written and which you are given before you pay. (mainly AM; in BRIT, use bill)\n  N-COUNT\n  = bill\n8. In a game of chess, you say check when you are attacking your opponent’s king.\n  CONVENTION\n\n9. A pattern of squares, usually of two colours, can be referred to as checks or a check.\nStyles include stripes and checks.\n...a red and white check dress.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n\n\n10. If something or someone is held in check or is kept in check, they are controlled and prevented from becoming too great or powerful.\nLife on Earth will become unsustainable unless population growth is held in check...\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n11. A check is the same as a cheque. (AM)\n\n12.\n  see also double-check, rain check, spot check


Words: check in
Meaning:
check in\n1. When you check in or check into a hotel or clinic, or if someone checks you in, you arrive and go through the necessary procedures before you stay there.\nI’ll ring the hotel. I’ll tell them we’ll check in tomorrow...\nHe has checked into an alcohol treatment centre...\nCheck us in at the hotel and wait for my call.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P n, V n P\n  = register  !=check out\n2. When you check in at an airport, you arrive and show your ticket before going on a flight.\nHe had checked in at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport for a flight to Manchester.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n  see also check-in, check 6


Words: check mark
Meaning:
check mark  check marks\n  A check mark is a written mark like a V with the right side extended. It is used to show that something is correct or has been selected or dealt with. (AM; in BRIT, use tick)\n  N-COUNT


Words: check off
Meaning:
check off\n  When you check things off, you check or count them while referring to a list of them, to make sure you have considered all of them.\nOnce you’ve checked off the items you ordered, put this record in your file...\nI haven’t checked them off but I would say that’s about the number.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P\n  = tick off


Words: check out
Meaning:
check out\n1. When you check out of a hotel or clinic where you have been staying, or if someone checks you out, you pay the bill and leave.\nThey packed and checked out of the hotel...\nI was disappointed to miss Bryan, who had just checked out...\nI’d like to check him out of here the day after tomorrow.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P of n, V P, V n P of n, also V P n (not pron), V n P\n  !=check in\n2. If you check out something or someone, you find out information about them to make sure that everything is correct or satisfactory.\nMaybe we ought to go down to the library and check it out...\nThe police had to check out the call.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron)\n  = investigate\n3. If something checks out, it is correct or satisfactory.\nShe was in San Diego the weekend Jensen got killed. It checked out...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V\n\n4.\n  see also checkout


Words: check up
Meaning:
check up\n1. If you check up on something, you find out information about it.\nIt is certainly worth checking up on your benefit entitlements...\nThe Government employs tax inspectors to check up and make sure people pay all their tax.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P on n, V P\n\n  see also check-up\n2. If you check up on someone, you obtain information about them, usually secretly.\nI’m sure he knew I was checking up on him.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P on n


Words: check-in
Meaning:
check-in  check-ins\n  At an airport, a check-in is the counter or desk where you check in.\n  N-COUNT


Words: check-up
Meaning:
check-up  check-ups\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use, checkup\n  A check-up is a medical examination by your doctor or dentist to make sure that there is nothing wrong with your health.\nThe disease was detected during a routine check-up.\n  N-COUNT


Words: checked
Meaning:
checked\n  Something that is checked has a pattern of small squares, usually of two colours.\nHe was wearing blue jeans and checked shirt.\n  ADJ\n  = check


Words: checker
Meaning:
check.er\n   checker  checkers\n1. Checkers is a game for two people, played with 24 round pieces on a board. (AM; in BRIT, use draughts)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A checker is a person or machine that has the job of checking something.\nModern word processors usually have spelling checkers and even grammar checkers.\n  N-COUNT


Words: checkerboard
Meaning:
checker.board\n   checkerboard  checkerboards\nin BRIT, also use chequerboard\n1. A checkerboard is a square board with 64 black and white squares that is used for playing checkers or chess. (AM; in BRIT, use draughts board, chessboard)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A checkerboard pattern is made up of equal-sized squares of two different colours, usually black and white.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: checking account
Meaning:
check.ing ac.count\n   checking account  checking accounts\n  A checking account is a personal bank account which you can take money out of at any time using your cheque book or cash card. (AM; in BRIT, usually use current account)\n  N-COUNT


Words: checklist
Meaning:
check.list\n   checklist  checklists\n  A checklist is a list of all the things that you need to do, information that you want to find out, or things that you need to take somewhere, which you make in order to ensure that you do not forget anything.\nMake a checklist of the tools and materials you will need.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n\n  = list


Words: checkmate
Meaning:
check.mate\n   checkmate\n  In chess, checkmate is a situation in which you cannot stop your king being captured and so you lose the game.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = mate


Words: checkout
Meaning:
check.out\n   checkout  checkouts   also check-out\n  In a supermarket, a checkout is a counter where you pay for things you are buying.\n...queuing at the checkout in Sainsbury’s.\n  N-COUNT


Words: checkpoint
Meaning:
check.point\n   checkpoint  checkpoints\n  A checkpoint is a place where traffic is stopped so that it can be checked.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cheddar
Meaning:
ched.dar\n   cheddar  cheddars\n  Cheddar is a type of hard yellow cheese, originally made in Britain.\n  N-MASS


Words: cheek
Meaning:
cheek  cheeks\n1. Your cheeks are the sides of your face below your eyes.\nTears were running down her cheeks...\nShe kissed him lightly on both cheeks.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  -cheeked\n...rosy-cheeked children.\n  COMB in ADJ\n\n2. You say that someone has a cheek when you are annoyed or shocked at something unreasonable that they have done. (INFORMAL)\nI’m amazed they had the cheek to ask in the first place...\nI still think it’s a bit of a cheek sending a voucher rather than a refund...\nThe cheek of it, lying to me like that!\n  N-SING: also no det, oft the N to-inf\n\n3. If you turn the other cheek when someone harms or insults you, you do not harm or insult them them in return.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n4.\ncheek by jowl: see jowl


Words: cheekbone
Meaning:
cheek.bone\n   cheekbone  cheekbones\n  Your cheekbones are the two bones in your face just below your eyes.\nShe was very beautiful, with high cheekbones.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: cheeky
Meaning:
cheeky  cheekier  cheekiest\n  If you describe a person or their behaviour as cheeky, you think that they are slightly rude or disrespectful but in a charming or amusing way. (mainly BRIT)\nThe boy was cheeky and casual...\nMartin gave her a cheeky grin.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  cheeki.ly\nHe strolled cheekily past the commissionaires for a free wash in the gentlemen’s cloakroom.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV with cl


Words: cheer
Meaning:
cheer  cheers  cheering  cheered\n1. When people cheer, they shout loudly to show their approval or to encourage someone who is doing something such as taking part in a game.\nThe crowd cheered as Premier Wayne Goss unveiled a lifesize statue of poet Banjo Paterson...\nSwiss fans cheered Jakob Hlasek during yesterday’s match with Courier.\n...the Irish Americans who came to the park to cheer for their boys...\nCheering crowds lined the route.\n  VERB: V, V n, V for n, V-ing\n  !=boo, jeer\n  Cheer is also a noun.\nThe colonel was rewarded with a resounding cheer from the men.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you are cheered by something, it makes you happier or less worried.\nStephen noticed that the people around him looked cheered by his presence...\nThe weather was perfect for a picnic, he told himself, but the thought did nothing to cheer him.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n\n  = hearten  !=sadden\n=>  cheer.ing\n...very cheering news...\n  ADJ\n  = heartening  !=disheartening\n3. People sometimes say `Cheers’ to each other just before they drink an alcoholic drink. (mainly BRIT)\n  CONVENTION  formulae\n\n4. Some people say `Cheers’ as a way of saying `thank you’ or `goodbye’. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n  CONVENTION  formulae


Words: cheer on
Meaning:
cheer on\n  When you cheer someone on, you shout loudly in order to encourage them, for example when they are taking part in a game.\nA thousand supporters packed into the stadium to cheer them on...\nMost will probably be cheering on their favourite players.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron)


Words: cheer up
Meaning:
cheer up\n  When you cheer up or when something cheers you up, you stop feeling depressed and become more cheerful.\nI think he misses her terribly. You might cheer him up...\nI wrote that song just to cheer myself up...\nCheer up, better times may be ahead.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V pron-refl P, V P, also V P n (not pron)


Words: cheerful
Meaning:
cheer.ful\n   cheerful\n1. Someone who is cheerful is happy and shows this in their behaviour.\nThey are both very cheerful in spite of their colds...\nJack sounded quite cheerful about the idea.\n  ADJ\n  = cheery\n=>  cheer.ful.ly\n`We’ve come with good news,’ Pat said cheerfully...\nShe greeted him cheerfully.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n=>  cheer.ful.ness\nI remember this extraordinary man with particular affection for his unfailing cheerfulness.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft adj N\n\n2. Something that is cheerful is pleasant and makes you feel happy.\nThe nursery is bright and cheerful, with plenty of toys.\n  ADJ


Words: cheerio
Meaning:
cheerio\n  People sometimes say `Cheerio’ as a way of saying goodbye. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n  CONVENTION  formulae\n  = bye


Words: cheerleader
Meaning:
cheer.leader\n   cheerleader  cheerleaders\n  A cheerleader is one of the people who leads the crowd in cheering at a large public event, especially a sports event.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cheerless
Meaning:
cheer.less\n   cheerless\n  Cheerless places or weather are dull and depressing.\nThe kitchen was dank and cheerless.\n...a bleak, cheerless day.\n  ADJ\n  = gloomy


Words: cheery
Meaning:
cheery  cheerier  cheeriest\n  If you describe a person or their behaviour as cheery, you mean that they are cheerful and happy.\nShe was cheery and talked to them about their problems.\n  ADJ\n  = cheerful\n=>  cheeri.ly\n`Come on in,’ she said cheerily.\n  ADV


Words: cheese
Meaning:
cheese  cheeses\n1. Cheese is a solid food made from milk. It is usually white or yellow.\n...bread and cheese.\n...cheese sauce...\nHe cut the mould off a piece of cheese.\n...delicious French cheeses.\n  N-MASS\n\n  see also cottage cheese, cream cheese, goat cheese, macaroni cheese\n2.\nas different as chalk and cheese: see chalk


Words: cheeseboard
Meaning:
cheese.board\n   cheeseboard  cheeseboards   also cheese board\n  A cheeseboard is a board from which cheese is served at a meal.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: cheeseburger
Meaning:
cheese.burg.er\n   cheeseburger  cheeseburgers\n  A cheeseburger is a flat round piece of cooked meat called a burger with a slice of cheese on top, served in a bread roll.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cheesecake
Meaning:
cheese.cake\n   cheesecake  cheesecakes\n  Cheesecake is a dessert that consists of a base made from broken biscuits covered with a soft sweet mixture containing cream cheese.\n  N-VAR


Words: cheesecloth
Meaning:
cheese.cloth\n   cheesecloth\n  Cheesecloth is cotton cloth that is very thin and light. There are tiny holes between the threads of the cloth.\n...cheesecloth shirts...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cheesed off
Meaning:
cheesed off\n  If you are cheesed off, you are annoyed, bored, or disappointed. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nJean was thoroughly cheesed off by the whole affair...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ


Words: cheesy
Meaning:
cheesy  cheesier  cheesiest\n1. Cheesy food is food that tastes or smells of cheese.\n...cheesy biscuits...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If you describe something as cheesy, you mean that it is cheap, unpleasant, or insincere. (INFORMAL)\n...a cheesy Baghdad hotel...\nPoliticians persist in imagining that `the people’ warm to their cheesy slogans.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: cheetah
Meaning:
chee.tah\n   cheetah  cheetahs\n  A cheetah is a wild animal that looks like a large cat with black spots on its body. Cheetahs can run very fast.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chemical
Meaning:
chemi.cal\n   chemical  chemicals\n1. Chemical means involving or resulting from a reaction between two or more substances, or relating to the substances that something consists of.\n...chemical reactions that cause ozone destruction.\n...the chemical composition of the ocean.\n...chemical weapons.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  chemi.cal.ly\n...chemically treated foods...\nThe medicine chemically affects your physiology.\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj\n\n2. Chemicals are substances that are used in a chemical process or made by a chemical process.\nThe whole food chain is affected by the over-use of chemicals in agriculture.\n...the chemical industry.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: chemical engineer
Meaning:
chemi.cal en.gi.neer\n   chemical engineer  chemical engineers\n  A chemical engineer is a person who designs and constructs the machines needed for industrial chemical processes.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chemical engineering
Meaning:
chemi.cal en.gi.neer.ing\n   chemical engineering\n  Chemical engineering is the designing and constructing of machines that are needed for industrial chemical processes.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chemise
Meaning:
che.mise\n   chemise  chemises\n  A chemise is a long, loose piece of underwear worn by women in former times.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chemist
Meaning:
chem.ist\n   chemist  chemists\n1. A chemist or a chemist’s is a shop where drugs and medicines are sold or given out, and where you can buy cosmetics and some household goods. (BRIT)\nThere are many creams available from the chemist which should clear the infection...\n  N-COUNT: oft the N\n  = pharmacy\n2. A chemist is someone who works in a chemist’s shop and is qualified to prepare and sell medicines. (BRIT; in AM, use druggist, pharmacist)\n  N-COUNT\n  = pharmacist\n3. A chemist is a person who does research connected with chemistry or who studies chemistry.\nShe worked as a research chemist.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chemistry
Meaning:
chem.is.try\n   chemistry\n1. Chemistry is the scientific study of the structure of substances and of the way that they react with other substances.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. The chemistry of an organism or a material is the chemical substances that make it up and the chemical reactions that go on inside it.\nWe have literally altered the chemistry of our planet’s atmosphere...\nIf the supply of vitamins and minerals in the diet is inadequate, this will result in changes in body chemistry.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp\n\n3. If you say that there is chemistry between two people, you mean that is obvious they are attracted to each other or like each other very much.\n...the extraordinary chemistry between Ingrid and Bogart...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chemotherapy
Meaning:
chemo.thera.py\n   chemotherapy\n  Chemotherapy is the treatment of disease using chemicals. It is often used in treating cancer.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chenille
Meaning:
che.nille\n   chenille\n  Chenille is cloth or clothing made from a type of thick furry thread.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cheque
Meaning:
cheque  cheques\nin AM, use check\n  A cheque is a printed form on which you write an amount of money and who it is to be paid to. Your bank then pays the money to that person from your account.\nHe wrote them a cheque for .10,000...\nI’d like to pay by cheque.\n  N-COUNT: also by N\n\n  see also blank cheque, traveller’s cheque


Words: cheque book
Meaning:
cheque book  cheque books\n  A cheque book is a book of cheques which your bank gives you so that you can pay for things by cheque.\n  N-COUNT\n  The spellings chequebook, and in American English checkbook, are also used.


Words: cheque card
Meaning:
cheque card  cheque cards\n  In Britain, a cheque card or a cheque guarantee card is a small plastic card given to you by your bank and which you have to show when you are paying for something by cheque or when you are cashing a cheque at another bank.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chequebook journalism
Meaning:
cheque.book jour.nal.ism\n  also cheque-book journalism\nin AM, use checkbook journalism\n  Chequebook journalism is the practice of paying people large sums of money for information about crimes or famous people in order to get material for newspaper articles.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: chequered
Meaning:
cheq.uered\n   chequered\nin AM, use checkered\n1. If a person or organization has had a chequered career or history, they have had a varied past with both good and bad periods.\nHe had a chequered political career spanning nearly forty years...\nAlan had led a very chequered past and had been to prison lots of times.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. Something that is chequered has a pattern with squares of two or more different colours.\n...red chequered tablecloths.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = checked


Words: cherish
Meaning:
cher.ish\n   cherish  cherishes  cherishing  cherished\n1. If you cherish something such as a hope or a pleasant memory, you keep it in your mind for a long period of time.\nThe president will cherish the memory of this visit to Ohio...\n  VERB: V n\n  = treasure\n=>  cher.ished\n...the cherished dream of a world without wars.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. If you cherish someone or something, you take good care of them because you love them.\nThe previous owners had cherished the house.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  cher.ished\nHe described the picture as his most cherished possession.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. If you cherish a right, a privilege, or a principle, you regard it as important and try hard to keep it.\nThese people cherish their independence and sovereignty.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  cher.ished\nFreud called into question some deeply cherished beliefs.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: cherry
Meaning:
cher.ry\n   cherry  cherries\n1. Cherries are small, round fruit with red skins.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A cherry or a cherry tree is a tree that cherries grow on.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cherry-pick
Meaning:
cherry-pick cherry-picks cherry-picking cherry-picked\n  If someone cherry-picks people or things, they choose the best ones from a group of them, often in a way that other people consider unfair.\nThe club is in debt while others are queuing to cherry-pick their best players.\n  VERB: V n


Words: cherub
Meaning:
cher.ub\n   cherub  cherubs\n  A cherub is a kind of angel that is represented in art as a naked child with wings.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cherubic
Meaning:
che.ru.bic\n   cherubic\n  If someone looks cherubic, they look sweet and innocent like a cherub. (LITERARY)\n...her beaming, cherubic face.\n  ADJ


Words: Cheshire cat
Meaning:
Cheshire cat\n  If someone is grinning like a Cheshire cat or like the Cheshire cat, they are smiling very widely.\nHe had a grin on his face like a Cheshire Cat.\n...a Cheshire Cat smile.\n  PHRASE


Words: chess
Meaning:
chess\n  Chess is a game for two people, played on a chessboard. Each player has 16 pieces, including a king. Your aim is to move your pieces so that your opponent’s king cannot escape being taken.\n...the world chess championships.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chessboard
Meaning:
chess.board\n   chessboard  chessboards\n  A chessboard is a square board with 64 black and white squares that is used for playing chess.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chest
Meaning:
chest  chests\n1. Your chest is the top part of the front of your body where your ribs, lungs, and heart are.\nHe crossed his arms over his chest...\nHe was shot in the chest...\nHe complained of chest pain.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n\n2. A chest is a large, heavy box used for storing things.\nAt the very bottom of the chest were his carving tools.\n...a treasure chest.\n...a medicine chest.\n  N-COUNT\n  = trunk\n3. If you get something off your chest, you talk about something that has been worrying you.\nI feel it’s done me good to get it off my chest.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n  !=bottle up


Words: chest of drawers
Meaning:
chest of drawers  chests of drawers\n  A chest of drawers is a low, flat piece of furniture with drawers in which you keep clothes and other things.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chestnut
Meaning:
chest.nut\n   chestnut  chestnuts\n1. A chestnut or chestnut tree is a tall tree with broad leaves.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also horse chestnut\n2. Chestnuts are the reddish-brown nuts that grow on chestnut trees. You can eat chestnuts.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. Something that is chestnut is dark reddish-brown in colour.\n...a woman with chestnut hair.\n...a chestnut mare.\n  COLOUR


Words: chevron
Meaning:
chev.ron\n   chevron  chevrons\n  A chevron is a V shape.\nThe chevron or arrow road sign indicates a sharp bend to the left or right.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chew
Meaning:
chew  chews  chewing  chewed\n1. When you chew food, you use your teeth to break it up in your mouth so that it becomes easier to swallow.\nBe certain to eat slowly and chew your food extremely well...\nDaniel leaned back on the sofa, still chewing on his apple.\n...the sound of his mother chewing and swallowing.\n  VERB: V n, V at/on n, V\n\n2. If you chew gum or tobacco, you keep biting it and moving it around your mouth to taste the flavour of it. You do not swallow it.\nOne girl was chewing gum...\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. If you chew your lips or your fingernails, you keep biting them because you are nervous.\nHe chewed his lower lip nervously.\n  VERB: V n\n\n4. If a person or animal chews an object, they bite it with their teeth.\nThey pause and chew their pencils...\nOne owner left his pet under the stairs where the animal chewed through electric cables.\n  VERB: V n, V prep\n  = bite\n5. If you say that someone has bitten off more than they can chew, you mean that they are trying to do something which is too difficult for them.\nMicky is used to handling dodgy deals but this time fears he may have bitten off more than he can chew.\n  PHRASE: bite inflects\n\n6.\nto chew the cud: see cud


Words: chew up
Meaning:
chew up\n1. If you chew food up, you chew it until it is completely crushed or soft.\nI took one of the pills and chewed it up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, also V P n (not pron)\n\n2. If something is chewed up, it has been destroyed or damaged in some way. (INFORMAL)\nEvery spring the ozone is chewed up, and the hole appears.\n...rebels who are now chewing up Government-held territory...\nThis town is notorious for chewing people up and spitting them out.\n  PHRASAL VERB: be V-ed P, V P n (not pron), V n P


Words: chewing gum
Meaning:
chew.ing gum\n   chewing gum\n  Chewing gum is a kind of sweet that you can chew for a long time. You do not swallow it.\n...a stick of chewing gum.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = gum


Words: chewy
Meaning:
chewy  chewier  chewiest\n  If food is chewy, it needs to be chewed a lot before it becomes soft enough to swallow.\nThe meat was too chewy.\n...chewy chocolate cookies.\n  ADJ


Words: chiaroscuro
Meaning:
chia.ro.scu.ro\n   chiaroscuro\n  Chiaroscuro is the use of light and shade in a picture, or the effect produced by light and shade in a place.\n...the natural chiaroscuro of the place.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chic
Meaning:
chic\n1. Something or someone that is chic is fashionable and sophisticated.\nHer gown was very French and very chic.\n  ADJ\n  = stylish\n2. Chic is used to refer to a particular style or to the quality of being chic.\n...French designer chic...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chicanery
Meaning:
chi.can.ery\n   chicanery  chicaneries\n  Chicanery is using cleverness to cheat people. (FORMAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl\n  = trickery


Words: chicano
Meaning:
chi.ca.no\n   chicano  chicanos\n  A chicano is an American citizen, whose family originally came from Mexico. (AM)\n...views expressed by one young Chicano interviewed by Phinney.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chick flick
Meaning:
chick flick chick flicks\n  A chick flick is a romantic film that is not very serious and is intended to appeal to women. (INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: chick lit
Meaning:
Chick lit is modern fiction about the lives and romantic problems of young women, usually written by young women. (INFORMAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chicken
Meaning:
chick.en\n   chicken  chickens  chickening  chickened\n1. Chickens are birds which are kept on a farm for their eggs and for their meat.\nLionel built a coop so that they could raise chickens and have a supply of fresh eggs.\n...free-range chickens.\n  N-COUNT\n  = hen\n  Chicken is the flesh of this bird eaten as food.\n...roast chicken with wild mushrooms.\n...chicken soup.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If someone calls you a chicken, they mean that you are afraid to do something. (INFORMAL)\nI’m scared of the dark. I’m a big chicken.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = coward\n  Chicken is also an adjective.\nWhy are you so chicken, Gregory?\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ\n\n3. If you say that someone is counting their chickens, you mean that they are assuming that they will be successful or get something, when this is not certain.\nI don’t want to count my chickens before they are hatched.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n4. If you describe a situation as a chicken and egg situation, you mean that it is impossible to decide which of two things caused the other one.\nIt’s a chicken and egg situation. Does the deficiency lead to the eczema or has the eczema led to certain deficiencies?\n  PHRASE: PHR n\n\n5.\nchickens come home to roost: see roost


Words: chicken feed
Meaning:
chick.en feed\n   chicken feed   also chickenfeed\n  If you think that an amount of money is so small it is hardly worth having or considering, you can say that it is chicken feed.\nI was making a million a year, but that’s chicken feed in the pop business.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = peanuts


Words: chicken out
Meaning:
chicken out\n  If someone chickens out of something they were intending to do, they decide not to do it because they are afraid. (INFORMAL)\nHis mother complains that he makes excuses to chicken out of family occasions such as weddings...\nI had never ridden on a motor-cycle before. But it was too late to chicken out.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P of n, V P


Words: chickenpox
Meaning:
chicken.pox\n   chickenpox   also chicken pox\n  Chickenpox is a disease which gives you a high temperature and red spots that itch.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chickpea
Meaning:
chick.pea\n   chickpea  chickpeas   also chick pea\n  Chickpeas are hard round seeds that look like pale brown peas. They can be cooked and eaten.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: chickweed
Meaning:
chick.weed\n   chickweed\n  Chickweed is a plant with small leaves and white flowers which grows close to the ground.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chicory
Meaning:
chico.ry\n   chicory\n  Chicory is a plant with crunchy bitter tasting leaves. It is eaten in salads, and its roots are sometimes used instead of coffee.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chide
Meaning:
chide  chides  chiding  chided\n  If you chide someone, you speak to them angrily because they have done something wicked or foolish. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nCross chided himself for worrying...\nHe gently chided the two women.\n  VERB: V n for/about -ing, V n\n  = scold


Words: chief
Meaning:
chief  chiefs\n1. The chief of an organization is the person who is in charge of it.\n...a commission appointed by the police chief.\n...Putin’s chief of security.\n  N-COUNT: with supp\n\n2. The chief of a tribe is its leader.\n...Sitting Bull, chief of the Sioux tribes of the Great Plains.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE\n\n3. Chief is used in the job titles of the most senior worker or workers of a particular kind in an organization.\n...the chief test pilot.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = head\n4. The chief cause, part, or member of something is the most important one.\nFinancial stress is well established as a chief reason for divorce...\nThe job went to one of his chief rivals.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = main, principal


Words: Chief Constable
Meaning:
Chief Con.sta.ble\n   Chief Constable  Chief Constables\n  A Chief Constable is the officer who is in charge of the police force in a particular county or area in Britain.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE


Words: chief executive officer
Meaning:
chief ex.ecu.tive of.fic.er\n   chief executive officer  chief executive officers\n  The chief executive officer of a company is the person who has overall responsibility for the management of that company. The abbreviation CEO is often used. (BUSINESS)\n  N-COUNT


Words: Chief Justice
Meaning:
Chief Jus.tice\n   Chief Justice  Chief Justices\n  A Chief Justice is the most important judge of a court of law, especially a supreme court.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE


Words: Chief of Staff
Meaning:
Chief of Staff  Chiefs of Staff\n  The Chiefs of Staff are the highest-ranking officers of each service of the armed forces.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chiefly
Meaning:
chief.ly\n   chiefly\n  You use chiefly to indicate that a particular reason, emotion, method, or feature is the main or most important one.\nHe joined the consular service, chiefly because this was one of the few job vacancies...\n  ADV: ADV with cl/group, ADV with v\n  = mainly, primarily


Words: chieftain
Meaning:
chief.tain\n   chieftain  chieftains\n  A chieftain is the leader of a tribe.\n...the legendary British chieftain, King Arthur.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chiffon
Meaning:
chif.fon\n   chiffon  chiffons\n  Chiffon is a kind of very thin silk or nylon cloth that you can see through.\n...floaty chiffon skirts.\n  N-MASS


Words: chignon
Meaning:
chi.gnon\n   chignon  chignons\n  A chignon is a knot of hair worn at the back of a woman’s head.\n  N-COUNT\n  = bun


Words: Chihuahua
Meaning:
Chi.hua.hua\n   Chihuahua  Chihuahuas   also chihuahua\n  A Chihuahua is a very small dog with short hair.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chilblain
Meaning:
chil.blain\n   chilblain  chilblains\n  Chilblains are painful red swellings which people sometimes get on their fingers or toes in cold weather.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: child
Meaning:
child  children\n1. A child is a human being who is not yet an adult.\nWhen I was a child I lived in a country village...\nHe’s just a child.\n...a child of six...\nIt was only suitable for children.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Someone’s children are their sons and daughters of any age.\nHow are the children?...\nThe young couple decided to have a child.\n  N-COUNT


Words: child benefit
Meaning:
child ben.efit\n   child benefit\n  In Britain, child benefit is an amount of money paid weekly by the state to families for each of their children.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: child prodigy
Meaning:
child prodi.gy\n   child prodigy  child prodigies\n  A child prodigy is a child with a very great talent.\nShe was a child prodigy, giving concerts before she was a teenager.\n  N-COUNT


Words: childbearing
Meaning:
child.bearing\n   childbearing\n1. Childbearing is the process of giving birth to babies.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A woman of childbearing age is of an age when women are normally able to give birth to children.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: childbirth
Meaning:
child.birth\n   childbirth\n  Childbirth is the act of giving birth to a child.\nShe died in childbirth.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = labour


Words: childcare
Meaning:
child.care\n   childcare\n  Childcare refers to looking after children, and to the facilities which help parents to do so.\nBoth partners shared childcare...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: childhood
Meaning:
child.hood\n   childhood  childhoods\n  A person’s childhood is the period of their life when they are a child.\nShe had a happy childhood...\n...childhood illnesses.\n  N-VAR: oft poss N, N n


Words: childish
Meaning:
child.ish\n   childish\n1. Childish means relating to or typical of a child.\n...childish enthusiasm.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If you describe someone, especially an adult, as childish, you disapprove of them because they behave in an immature way.\n...Penny’s selfish and childish behaviour...\nDon’t be so childish.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = immature


Words: childlike
Meaning:
child.like\n   childlike\n  You describe someone as childlike when they seem like a child in their character, appearance, or behaviour.\nHis most enduring quality is his childlike innocence...\n  ADJ


Words: childminder
Meaning:
child.minder\n   childminder  childminders\n  A childminder is someone whose job it is to look after children when the children’s parents are away or are at work. Childminders usually work in their own homes. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: childminding
Meaning:
child.minding\n   childminding   also child-minding\n  Childminding is looking after children when it is done by someone such as a childminder. (BRIT)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: childproof
Meaning:
child.proof\n   childproof   also child proof\n  Something that is childproof is designed in a way which ensures that children cannot harm it or be harmed by it.\nThe rear doors include childproof locks.\n  ADJ


Words: chill
Meaning:
chill  chills  chilling  chilled\n1. When you chill something or when it chills, you lower its temperature so that it becomes colder but does not freeze.\nChill the fruit salad until serving time...\nThese doughs can be rolled out while you wait for the pastry to chill.\n...a glass of chilled champagne.\n  VERB: V n, V, V-ed\n  !=warm up\n2. When cold weather or something cold chills a person or a place, it makes that person or that place feel very cold.\nAn exposed garden may be chilled by cold winds...\nWade placed his chilled hands on the radiator and warmed them...\nThe boulder sheltered them from the chilling wind.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed, V-ing\n\n3. If something sends a chill through you, it gives you a sudden feeling of fear or anxiety.\nThe violence used against the students sent a chill through Indonesia...\nHe smiled, an odd, dreamy smile that sent chills up my back.\n  N-COUNT\n  = shiver\n4. A chill is a mild illness which can give you a slight fever and headache.\nHe caught a chill while performing at a rain-soaked open-air venue.\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. Chill weather is cold and unpleasant.\n...chill winds, rain and choppy seas.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  Chill is also a noun.\n...the cold chill of the night.\n  N-SING


Words: chill out
Meaning:
chill out\n  To chill out means to relax after you have done something tiring or stressful. (INFORMAL)\nAfter raves, we used to chill out in each others’ bedrooms.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  = relax


Words: chill-out
Meaning:
chill-out\n  Chill-out places or things are intended to help you relax. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n...some summer chill-out music.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: chilli
Meaning:
chil.li\n   chilli  chillies  or chillis\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use, chili\n  Chillies are small red or green peppers. They have a very hot taste and are used in cooking.\n  N-VAR


Words: chilli con carne
Meaning:
chil.li con car.ne\n   chilli con carne\n  Chilli con carne is a dish made from minced meat, vegetables, and powdered or fresh chillies.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chilli powder
Meaning:
chil.li pow.der\n   chilli powder\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use chili powder\n  Chilli powder is a very hot-tasting powder made mainly from dried chillies. It is used in cooking.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chilling
Meaning:
chill.ing\n   chilling\n  If you describe something as chilling, you mean it is frightening.\nHe described in chilling detail how he attacked her during one of their frequent rows.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  chill.ing.ly\n...since the murder of a London teenager in chillingly similar circumstances in February.\n  ADV: usu ADV adj


Words: chilly
Meaning:
chil.ly\n   chilly  chillier  chilliest\n1. Something that is chilly is unpleasantly cold.\nIt was a chilly afternoon...\nThe rooms had grown chilly.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ\n\n2. If you feel chilly, you feel rather cold.\nI’m a bit chilly.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ\n\n3. You say that relations between people are chilly or that a person’s response is chilly when they are not friendly, welcoming, or enthusiastic.\nI was slightly afraid of their chilly distant politeness.\n  ADJ


Words: chime
Meaning:
chime  chimes  chiming  chimed\n1. When a bell or a clock chimes, it makes ringing sounds.\nHe heard the front doorbell chime.\n...as the Guildhall clock chimed three o’clock.\n...a mahogany chiming clock.\n  VERB: V, V n, V-ing\n\n2. A chime is a ringing sound made by a bell, especially when it is part of a clock.\nThe ceremony started as the chimes of midnight struck.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. Chimes are a set of small objects which make a ringing sound when they are blown by the wind.\n...the haunting sound of the wind chimes.\n  N-PLURAL: usu supp N


Words: chime in
Meaning:
chime in\n  If you chime in, you say something just after someone else has spoken.\n`Why?’ Pete asked impatiently..`Yes, why?’ Bob chimed in. `It seems like a good idea to me.’...\nAt this, some of the others chime in with memories of prewar deprivations.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P with quote, V P with n, also V P


Words: chime in with
Meaning:
chime in with   or chime with\n  If one thing chimes in with another thing or chimes with it, the two things are similar or consistent with each other.\nHe has managed to find a response to each new political development that chimes in with most Germans’ instinct...\nThe president’s remarks do not entirely chime with those coming from American and British politicians.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n, V P n


Words: chimera
Meaning:
chi.mera\n   chimera  chimeras\n1. A chimera is an unrealistic idea that you have about something or a hope that you have that is unlikely to be fulfilled. (FORMAL)\nReligious unity remained as much a chimera as ever.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In Greek mythology, a chimera is a creature with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chimney
Meaning:
chim.ney\n   chimney  chimneys\n  A chimney is a pipe through which smoke goes up into the air, usually through the roof of a building.\nThis gas fire doesn’t need a chimney.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chimney breast
Meaning:
chim.ney breast\n   chimney breast  chimney breasts   also chimney-breast\n  A chimney breast is the part of a wall in a room which is built out round a chimney. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: chimney pot
Meaning:
chim.ney pot\n   chimney pot  chimney pots   also chimney-pot\n  A chimney pot is a short pipe which is fixed on top of a chimney.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chimney stack
Meaning:
chim.ney stack\n   chimney stack  chimney stacks   also chimney-stack\n  A chimney stack is the brick or stone part of a chimney that is above the roof of a building. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: chimney sweep
Meaning:
chim.ney sweep\n   chimney sweep  chimney sweeps   also chimney-sweep\n  A chimney sweep is a person whose job is to clean the soot out of chimneys.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chimneypiece
Meaning:
chimney.piece\n   chimneypiece  chimneypieces   also chimney-piece\n  A chimneypiece is the same as a mantlepiece. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: chin
Meaning:
chin  chins\n  Your chin is the part of your face that is below your mouth and above your neck.\n...a double chin...\nHe rubbed the gray stubble on his chin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: china
Meaning:
chi.na\n   china\n1. China is a hard white substance made from clay. It is used to make things such as cups, bowls, plates, and ornaments.\n...a small boat made of china.\n...china cups.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n\n  see also bone china\n2. Cups, bowls, plates, and ornaments made of china are referred to as china.\nJudy collects blue and white china.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: China tea
Meaning:
Chi.na tea\n   China tea\n  China tea is tea made from large dark green or reddish-brown tea leaves. It is usually drunk without milk or sugar.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Chinatown
Meaning:
China.town\n   Chinatown\n  Chinatown is the name given to the area in a city where there are many Chinese shops and restaurants, and which is a social centre for the Chinese community in the city.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Chinese
Meaning:
Chi.nese\n   Chinese  Chinese\n1. Something that is Chinese relates or belongs to China or its languages or people.\n  ADJ\n\n  The Chinese are the people who come from China.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n2. The languages that are spoken in China, especially Mandarin, are often referred to as Chinese.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chink
Meaning:
chink  chinks\n1. A chink in a surface is a very narrow crack or opening in it.\n...a chink in the wall...\nHe peered through a chink in the curtains.\n  N-COUNT: usu N in n\n\n2. A chink of light is a small patch of light that shines through a small opening in something.\nI noticed a chink of light at the end of the corridor.\n  N-COUNT: N of n


Words: chinos
Meaning:
chi.nos\n   chinos\n  Chinos are casual, loose trousers made from cotton.\n  N-PLURAL: also a pair of N


Words: chintz
Meaning:
chintz  chintzes\n  Chintz is a cotton fabric decorated with flowery patterns.\n...chintz curtains.\n  N-MASS


Words: chintzy
Meaning:
chintzy\n1. Something that is chintzy is decorated or covered with chintz. (BRIT)\n...chintzy armchairs.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you describe something as chintzy, you mean that it is showy and looks cheap. (mainly AM)\n...a chintzy table lamp.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n\n3. You can describe someone as chintzy if they are mean and seem to spend very little money compared with other people. (AM INFORMAL)\n...disadvantages such as depending on chintzy and humiliating public dole for income.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: chip
Meaning:
chip  chips  chipping  chipped\n1. Chips are long, thin pieces of potato fried in oil or fat and eaten hot, usually with a meal. (BRIT; in AM, use French fries)\nI had fish and chips in a cafe...\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n2. Chips or potato chips are very thin slices of fried potato that are eaten cold as a snack. (AM; in BRIT, use crisps)\n...a package of onion-flavored potato chips.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n3. A silicon chip is a very small piece of silicon with electronic circuits on it which is part of a computer or other piece of machinery.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. A chip is a small piece of something or a small piece which has been broken off something.\nIt contains real chocolate chips...\nTeichler’s eyes gleamed like chips of blue glass.\n  N-COUNT: oft supp N\n\n5. A chip in something such as a piece of china or furniture is where a small piece has been broken off it.\nThe washbasin had a small chip.\n  N-COUNT\n\n6. If you chip something or if it chips, a small piece is broken off it.\nThe blow chipped the woman’s tooth...\nSteel baths are lighter but chip easily.\n  VERB: V n, V\n\n=>  chipped\nThey drank out of chipped mugs.\n  ADJ\n\n7. Chips are plastic counters used in gambling to represent money.\nHe put the pile of chips in the center of the table and drew a card.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n8. In discussions between people or governments, a chip or a bargaining chip is something of value which one side holds, which can be exchanged for something they want from the other side.\nThe information could be used as a bargaining chip to extract some parallel information from Britain...\n  N-COUNT\n\n9.\n  see also blue chip\n10. If you describe someone as a chip off the old block, you mean that they are just like one of their parents in character or behaviour.\nHer fifth child was born, a son who Sally at first thought was another chip off the old block.\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR\n\n11. If you say that something happens when the chips are down, you mean it happens when a situation gets very difficult. (INFORMAL)\nWhen the chips are down, she’s very tough.\n  PHRASE\n\n12. If you say that someone has a chip on their shoulder, you think that they feel inferior or that they believe they have been treated unfairly. (INFORMAL)\nHe had this chip on his shoulder about my mum and dad thinking that they’re better than him.\n  PHRASE: Ns inflect, usu have/with PHR


Words: chip away at
Meaning:
chip away at\n1. If you chip away at something such as an idea, a feeling, or a system, you gradually make it weaker or less likely to succeed by repeated efforts.\nInstead of an outright coup attempt, the rebels want to chip away at her authority.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n\n  = erode\n2. If you chip away at a debt or an amount of money, you gradually reduce it.\nThe group had hoped to chip away at its debts by selling assets.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n


Words: chip in
Meaning:
chip in\n1. When a number of people chip in, each person gives some money so that they can pay for something together. (INFORMAL)\nThey chip in for the petrol and food...\nThe brothers chip in a certain amount of money each month to hire a home health aide.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P n (not pron), also V P with n\n  = contribute\n2. If someone chips in during a conversation, they interrupt it in order to say something. (INFORMAL)\n`That’s true,’ chipped in Quaver...\nHe chipped in before Clements could answer.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P with quote, V P


Words: chip shop
Meaning:
chip shop  chip shops\n  A chip shop is a shop which sells hot food such as fish and chips, fried chicken, sausages, and meat pies. The food is cooked in the shop and people take it away to eat at home or in the street. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT\n  = fish and chip shop


Words: chipboard
Meaning:
chip.board\n   chipboard\n  Chipboard is a hard material made out of very small pieces of wood which have been pressed together. It is often used for making doors and furniture.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chipmunk
Meaning:
chip.munk\n   chipmunk  chipmunks\n  A chipmunk is a small animal with a large furry tail and a striped back.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Chippendale
Meaning:
Chippendale\n  Chippendale is a style of furniture from the eighteenth century.\n...a pair of Chippendale chairs.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: chippings
Meaning:
chip.pings\n   chippings\n  Wood chippings or stone chippings are small pieces of wood or stone which are used, for example, to cover surfaces such as paths or roads.\n  N-PLURAL: usu n N


Words: chippy
Meaning:
chip.py\n   chippy  chippies   also chippie\n  A chippy is the same as a chip shop. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nI go to the chippy at least once a week.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chiropodist
Meaning:
chi.ropo.dist\n   chiropodist  chiropodists\n  A chiropodist is a person whose job is to treat and care for people’s feet.\n  N-COUNT\n  = podiatrist


Words: chiropody
Meaning:
chi.ropo.dy\n   chiropody\n  Chiropody is the professional treatment and care of people’s feet.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = podiatry


Words: chiropractic
Meaning:
chi.ro.prac.tic\n   chiropractic\n  Chiropractic is the treatment of injuries by pressing and moving people’s joints, especially the spine.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chiropractor
Meaning:
chi.ro.prac.tor\n   chiropractor  chiropractors\n  A chiropractor is a person who treats injuries by chiropractic.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chirp
Meaning:
chirp  chirps  chirping  chirped\n  When a bird or an insect such as a cricket or grasshopper chirps, it makes short high-pitched sounds.\nThe crickets chirped faster and louder.\n  VERB: V\n  = chirrup\n  Chirp is also a noun.\nThe chirps of the small garden birds sounded distant.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  chirp.ing\n...the chirping of birds.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chirpy
Meaning:
chirpy  chirpier  chirpiest\n  If you describe a person or their behaviour as chirpy, you mean they are very cheerful and lively. (INFORMAL)\nHutson is a small, chirpy bloke...\nShe sounded quite chirpy, all she needs is rest.\n  ADJ\n  = cheerful


Words: chirrup
Meaning:
chir.rup\n   chirrup  chirrups  chirruping  chirruped\n  If a person or bird chirrups, they make short high-pitched sounds.\n`My gosh,’ she chirruped...\nI woke up to the sound of larks chirruping.\n  VERB: V with quote, V, also V n\n  = chirp


Words: chisel
Meaning:
chis.el\n   chisel  chisels  chiselling  chiselled\nin AM, use chiseling, chiseled\n1. A chisel is a tool that has a long metal blade with a sharp edge at the end. It is used for cutting and shaping wood and stone.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you chisel wood or stone, you cut and shape it using a chisel.\nThey sit and chisel the stone to size.\n  VERB: V n


Words: chiselled
Meaning:
chis.elled\n   chiselled\nin AM, use chiseled\n  If you say that someone, usually a man, has chiselled features, you mean that their face has a strong, clear bone structure.\nWomen find his chiselled features irresistible.\n...a chiselled jaw.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: chit
Meaning:
chit  chits\n  A chit is a short official note, such as a receipt, an order, or a memo, usually signed by someone in authority. (BRIT; also AM MILITARY)\nSchrader initialled the chit for the barman.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chit-chat
Meaning:
chit-chat\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use chitchat\n  Chit-chat is informal talk about things that are not very important.\nNot being a mother, I found the chit-chat exceedingly dull.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chivalric
Meaning:
chiv.al.ric\n   chivalric\n  Chivalric means relating to or connected with the system of chivalry that was believed in and followed by medieval knights.\n...chivalric ideals.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: chivalrous
Meaning:
chiv.al.rous\n   chivalrous\n  A chivalrous man is polite, kind, and unselfish, especially towards women.\nHe was handsome, upright and chivalrous.\n  ADJ  approval


Words: chivalry
Meaning:
chiv.al.ry\n   chivalry\n1. Chivalry is polite, kind, and unselfish behaviour, especially by men towards women.\nMarie seemed to revel in his old-fashioned chivalry.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = gallantry\n2. In the Middle Ages, chivalry was the set of rules and way of behaving which knights were expected to follow.\n...the age of chivalry.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chives
Meaning:
chives\n  Chives are the long thin hollow green leaves of a herb with purple flowers. Chives are cut into small pieces and added to food to give it a flavour similar to onions.\n  N-PLURAL


Words: chivvy
Meaning:
chiv.vy\n   chivvy  chivvies  chivvying  chivvied\n  If you chivvy someone, you keep telling them to do something that they do not want to do. (BRIT)\nJovial ladies chivvy you into ordering more than you can eat!...\nHe chivvies the troops along with a few well-directed words.\n  VERB: V n into -ing, V n with adv, also V n to-inf, V n, V n prep


Words: chloride
Meaning:
chlo.ride\n   chloride  chlorides\n  Chloride is a chemical compound of chlorine and another substance.\nThe scientific name for common salt is sodium chloride.\n  N-MASS: oft n N


Words: chlorinated
Meaning:
chlo.rin.at.ed\n   chlorinated\n  Chlorinated water, for example drinking water or water in a swimming pool, has been cleaned by adding chlorine to it.\n...swimming in chlorinated pools.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: chlorine
Meaning:
chlo.rine\n   chlorine\n  Chlorine is a strong-smelling gas that is used to clean water and to make cleaning products.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chlorofluorocarbon
Meaning:
chloro.fluoro.car.bon\n   chlorofluorocarbon  chlorofluorocarbons\n  Chlorofluorocarbons are the same as CFCs.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chloroform
Meaning:
chlo.ro.form\n   chloroform\n  Chloroform is a colourless liquid with a strong sweet smell, which makes you unconscious if you breathe its vapour.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chlorophyll
Meaning:
chlo.ro.phyll\n   chlorophyll\n  Chlorophyll is a green substance in plants which enables them to use the energy from sunlight in order to grow.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: choc-ice
Meaning:
choc-ice  choc-ices   also choc ice\n  A choc-ice is a small block of ice cream covered in chocolate. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: chock-a-block
Meaning:
chock-a-block\n  A place that is chock-a-block is very full of people, things, or vehicles. (INFORMAL)\nThe small roads are chock-a-block with traffic.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ with n\n  = packed


Words: chock-full
Meaning:
chock-full\n  Something that is chock-full is completely full. (INFORMAL)\nThe 32-page catalog is chock-full of things that add fun to festive occasions.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ of n


Words: chocoholic
Meaning:
cho.co.hol.ic\n   chocoholic  chocoholics\n  A chocoholic is someone who eats a great deal of chocolate and finds it hard to stop themselves eating it. (INFORMAL)\nThe Confectionery Warehouse is a chocoholic’s dream.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chocolate
Meaning:
choco.late\n   chocolate  chocolates\n1. Chocolate is a sweet hard food made from cocoa beans. It is usually brown in colour and is eaten as a sweet.\n...a bar of chocolate...\nDo you want some chocolate?\n...rich chocolate cake.\n  N-MASS\n\n  see also milk chocolate, plain chocolate\n2. Chocolate or hot chocolate is a drink made from a powder containing chocolate. It is usually made with hot milk.\n...a small cafeteria where the visitors can buy tea, coffee and chocolate...\nI sipped the hot chocolate she had made.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  A cup of chocolate can be referred to as a chocolate or a hot chocolate.\nI’ll have a hot chocolate please.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. Chocolates are small sweets or nuts covered with a layer of chocolate. They are usually sold in a box.\n...a box of chocolates...\nHere, have a chocolate.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. Chocolate is used to describe things that are dark brown in colour.\nThe curtains and the coverlet of the bed were chocolate velvet...\nShe placed the chocolate-colored coat beside the case.\n  COLOUR


Words: chocolate-box
Meaning:
chocolate-box   also chocolate box\n  Chocolate-box places or images are very pretty but in a boring or conventional way. (BRIT)\n...a village of chocolate-box timbered houses.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: choice
Meaning:
choice  choices  choicer  choicest\n1. If there is a choice of things, there are several of them and you can choose the one you want.\nIt’s available in a choice of colours...\nAt lunchtime, there’s a choice between the buffet or the set menu...\nClub Sportif offer a wide choice of holidays.\n  N-COUNT\n  = selection\n2. Your choice is someone or something that you choose from a range of things.\nAlthough he was only grumbling, his choice of words made Rodney angry.\n  N-COUNT: usu poss N\n\n3. Choice means of very high quality. (FORMAL)\n...Fortnum and Mason’s choicest chocolates.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = select\n4. If you have no choice but to do something or have little choice but to do it, you cannot avoid doing it.\nThey had little choice but to agree to what he suggested.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n5. The thing or person of your choice is the one that you choose.\n...tickets to see the football team of your choice...\nIn many societies children still marry someone of their parents’ choice.\n  PHRASE: n PHR\n\n6. The item of choice is the one that most people prefer.\nThe drug is set to become the treatment of choice for asthma worldwide...\n  PHRASE: PHR after n


Words: choir
Meaning:
choir  choirs\n  A choir is a group of people who sing together, for example in a church or school.\nHe has been singing in his church choir since he was six.\n  N-COUNT


Words: choirmaster
Meaning:
choir.master\n   choirmaster  choirmasters\n  A choirmaster is a person whose job is to train a choir.\n  N-COUNT


Words: choke
Meaning:
choke  chokes  choking  choked\n1. When you choke or when something chokes you, you cannot breathe properly or get enough air into your lungs.\nThe coffee was almost too hot to swallow and made him choke for a moment...\nA small child could choke on the doll’s hair...\nDense smoke swirled and billowed, its rank fumes choking her...\nThe girl choked to death after breathing in smoke...\nWithin minutes the hall was full of choking smoke.\n  VERB: V, V on n, V n, V to n, V-ing\n\n2. To choke someone means to squeeze their neck until they are dead.\nThe men pushed him into the entrance of a nearby building where they choked him with his tie.\n  VERB: V n\n  = strangle\n3. If a place is choked with things or people, it is full of them and they prevent movement in it.\nThe village’s roads are choked with traffic...\nHis pond has been choked by the fast-growing weed.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed with n, be V-ed by n\n\n4. The choke in a car, truck, or other vehicle is a device that reduces the amount of air going into the engine and makes it easier to start.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, usu the N


Words: choke back
Meaning:
choke back\n  If you choke back tears or a strong emotion, you force yourself not to show your emotion.\nChoking back tears, he said Mary died in his arms.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron)\n  = suppress


Words: choke off
Meaning:
choke off\n  To choke off financial growth means to restrict or control the rate at which a country’s economy can grow.\nThey warned the Chancellor that raising taxes in the Budget could choke off the recovery.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron)


Words: choked
Meaning:
choked\n  If you say something in a choked voice or if your voice is choked with emotion, your voice does not have its full sound, because you are upset or frightened.\n`Why did Ben do that?’ she asked, in a choked voice...\nOne young conscript rose with a message of thanks, his voice choked with emotion.\n  ADJ: ADJ n, v-link ADJ with n


Words: choker
Meaning:
chok.er\n   choker  chokers\n  A choker is a necklace or band of material that fits very closely round a woman’s neck.\n...a pearl choker.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cholera
Meaning:
chol.era\n   cholera\n  Cholera is a serious disease that often kills people. It is caused by drinking infected water or by eating infected food.\n...a cholera epidemic.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: choleric
Meaning:
chol.er.ic\n   choleric\n  A choleric person gets angry very easily. You can also use choleric to describe a person who is very angry. (FORMAL)\n...his choleric disposition...\nHe was affable at one moment, choleric the next.\n  ADJ


Words: cholesterol
Meaning:
cho.les.ter.ol\n   cholesterol\n  Cholesterol is a substance that exists in the fat, tissues, and blood of all animals. Too much cholesterol in a person’s blood can cause heart disease.\n...a dangerously high cholesterol level.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chomp
Meaning:
chomp  chomps  chomping  chomped\n  If a person or animal chomps their way through food or chomps on food, they chew it noisily. (INFORMAL)\nOn the diet I would chomp my way through breakfast, even though I’m never hungry in the morning...\nI lost a tooth while chomping on a French baguette!\n  VERB: V way through n, V prep/adv, also V n\n  = munch\nto chomp at the bit: see bit


Words: choose
Meaning:
choose  chooses  choosing  chose  chosen\n1. If you choose someone or something from several people or things that are available, you decide which person or thing you want to have.\nThey will be able to choose their own leaders in democratic elections...\nThis week he has chosen Peter Mandelson to replace Mo Mowlam...\nThere are several patchwork cushions to choose from...\nHouston was chosen as the site for the convention...\nHe did well in his chosen profession.\n  VERB: V n, V n to-inf, V from/between n, be V-ed as n, V-ed, also V n as n, V\n  = select\n2. If you choose to do something, you do it because you want to or because you feel that it is right.\nThey knew that discrimination was going on, but chose to ignore it...\nYou can just take out the interest each year, if you choose.\n  VERB: V to-inf, V\n\n3. If there is little to choose between people or things or nothing to choose between them, it is difficult to decide which is better or more suitable. (mainly BRIT)\nThere is very little to choose between the world’s top tennis players.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR\n\n4. The chosen few are a small group who are treated better than other people. You sometimes use this expression when you think this is unfair.\nLearning should no longer be an elitist pastime for the chosen few.\n  PHRASE\n  = elite\n5.\nto pick and choose: see pick


Words: choosy
Meaning:
choosy\n  Someone who is choosy is difficult to please because they will only accept something if it is exactly what they want or if it is of very high quality. (mainly INFORMAL)\nSkiers should be particularly choosy about the insurance policy they buy.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ about n/wh\n  = selective


Words: chop
Meaning:
chop  chops  chopping  chopped\n1. If you chop something, you cut it into pieces with strong downward movements of a knife or an axe.\nChop the butter into small pieces...\nVisitors were set to work chopping wood.\n...chopped tomatoes.\n  VERB: V n into n, V n, V-ed\n\n2. A chop is a small piece of meat cut from the ribs of a sheep or pig.\n...grilled lamb chops.\n  N-COUNT: usu n N\n\n3. When people chop and change, they keep changing their minds about what to do or how to act. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nDon’t ask me why they have chopped and changed so much.\n  PHRASE: Vs inflect\n\n4. If something is for the chop or is going to get the chop, it is going to be stopped or closed. If someone is for the chop, they are going to lose their job or position. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nHe won’t say which programmes are for the chop...\n  PHRASE


Words: chop down
Meaning:
chop down\n  If you chop down a tree, you cut through its trunk with an axe so that it falls to the ground.\nSometimes they have to chop down a tree for firewood.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P\n  = cut down


Words: chop off
Meaning:
chop off\n  To chop off something such as a part of someone’s body means to cut it off.\nShe chopped off her golden, waist-length hair...\nThey dragged him to the village square and chopped his head off.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P\n  = cut off


Words: chop suey
Meaning:
chop suey\n  Chop suey is a Chinese-style dish that consists of meat and vegetables that have been stewed together.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chop up
Meaning:
chop up\n  If you chop something up, you chop it into small pieces.\nChop up three firm tomatoes.\n...chopped up banana.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V-ed P\n  = cut up


Words: chopper
Meaning:
chop.per\n   chopper  choppers\n  A chopper is a helicopter. (INFORMAL)\nOverhead, the chopper roared and the big blades churned the air.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chopping board
Meaning:
chop.ping board\n   chopping board  chopping boards\n  A chopping board is a wooden or plastic board that you chop meat and vegetables on. (BRIT; in AM, usually use cutting board)\n  N-COUNT


Words: choppy
Meaning:
chop.py\n   choppy  choppier  choppiest\n  When water is choppy, there are a lot of small waves on it because there is a wind blowing.\nA gale was blowing and the sea was choppy.\n  ADJ\n  = rough


Words: chopstick
Meaning:
chop.stick\n   chopstick  chopsticks\n  Chopsticks are a pair of thin sticks which people in China and the Far East use to eat their food.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: choral
Meaning:
cho.ral\n   choral\n  Choral music is sung by a choir.\nHis collection of choral music from around the world is called `Voices’.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: chorale
Meaning:
cho.rale\n   chorale  chorales\n1. A chorale is a piece of music sung as part of a church service.\n...a Bach chorale.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A chorale is a group of people who sing together. (AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: chord
Meaning:
chord  chords\n1. A chord is a number of musical notes played or sung at the same time with a pleasing effect.\n...the opening chords of `Stairway to Heaven’.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also vocal cords\n2. If something strikes a chord with you, it makes you feel sympathy or enthusiasm.\nMr Jenkins’ arguments for stability struck a chord with Europe’s two most powerful politicians...\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: chore
Meaning:
chore  chores\n1. A chore is a task that you must do but that you find unpleasant or boring.\nShe sees exercise primarily as an unavoidable chore...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n\n2. Chores are tasks such as cleaning, washing, and ironing that have to be done regularly at home.\nMy husband and I both go out to work so we share the household chores.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: choreograph
Meaning:
cho.reo.graph\n   choreograph  choreographs  choreographing  choreographed\n  When someone choreographs a ballet or other dance, they invent the steps and movements and tell the dancers how to perform them.\nAchim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself...\nShe has danced, choreographed, lectured and taught all over the world.\n  VERB: V n, V


Words: choreographed
Meaning:
cho.reo.graphed\n   choreographed\n  You describe an activity involving several people as choreographed when it is arranged but is intended to appear natural.\n...a carefully choreographed White House meeting between the two presidents.\n  ADJ


Words: choreographer
Meaning:
cho.reog.ra.pher\n   choreographer  choreographers\n  A choreographer is someone who invents the movements for a ballet or other dance and tells the dancers how to perform them.\n  N-COUNT


Words: choreographic
Meaning:
cho.reo.graph.ic\n   choreographic\n  Choreographic means relating to or connected with choreography.\n...his choreographic work for The Birmingham Royal Ballet.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: choreography
Meaning:
cho.reog.ra.phy\n   choreography\n  Choreography is the inventing of steps and movements for ballets and other dances.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chortle
Meaning:
chor.tle\n   chortle  chortles  chortling  chortled\n  To chortle means to laugh in a way that shows you are very pleased. (WRITTEN)\nThere was silence for a moment, then Larry began chortling like an idiot.\n  VERB: V\n\n  Chortle is also a noun.\nHe gave a chortle.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chorus
Meaning:
cho.rus\n   chorus  choruses  chorusing  chorused\n1. A chorus is a part of a song which is repeated after each verse.\nCaroline sang two verses and the chorus of her song...\nEveryone joined in the chorus.\n  N-COUNT\n  = refrain\n2. A chorus is a large group of people who sing together.\nThe chorus was singing `The Ode to Joy’.\n  N-COUNT\n  = choir\n3. A chorus is a piece of music written to be sung by a large group of people.\n...the Hallelujah Chorus.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. A chorus is a group of singers or dancers who perform together in a show, in contrast to the soloists.\nStudents played the lesser parts and sang in the chorus.\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. When there is a chorus of criticism, disapproval, or praise, that attitude is expressed by a lot of people at the same time.\nThe government is defending its economic policies against a growing chorus of criticism.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n\n\n6. When people chorus something, they say it or sing it together. (WRITTEN)\n`Hi,’ they chorused.\n  VERB: V with quote\n\n7.\n  see also dawn chorus


Words: chorus girl
Meaning:
cho.rus girl\n   chorus girl  chorus girls   also chorus-girl\n  A chorus girl is a young woman who sings or dances as part of a group in a show or film.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chow
Meaning:
chow  chows\n1. Food can be referred to as chow. (AM INFORMAL)\nHelp yourself to some chow.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A chow is a kind of dog that has a thick coat and a curled tail. Chows originally came from China.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chow mein
Meaning:
chow mein\n  Chow mein is a Chinese-style dish that consists of fried noodles, cooked meat, and vegetables.\n...chicken chow mein.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chowder
Meaning:
chow.der\n   chowder  chowders\n  Chowder is a thick soup containing pieces of fish.\n  N-MASS: usu n N


Words: Christ
Meaning:
Christ\n  Christ is one of the names of Jesus, whom Christians believe to be the son of God and whose teachings are the basis of Christianity.\n...the teachings of Christ.\n  N-PROPER


Words: christen
Meaning:
chris.ten\n   christen  christens  christening  christened\n1. When a baby is christened, he or she is given a name during the Christian ceremony of baptism. Compare baptize.\nShe was born in March and christened in June...\nShe was christened Susan.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed, be V-ed n-proper\n\n2. You say that you christen a person, place, or object a particular name if you choose a name for them and start calling them by that name. (INFORMAL)\nThe pair were christened `The Women in Black’ after they both wore black dresses at a party.\n  VERB: V n n\n\n3. You say that you christen something new when you use it for the first time, especially if you do something special to mark the occasion. (INFORMAL)\nTo christen the new hall, a number of great orchestras have been invited to play.\n  VERB: V n


Words: Christendom
Meaning:
Chris.ten.dom\n   Christendom\n  All the Christian people and countries in the world can be referred to as Christendom. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-PROPER


Words: christening
Meaning:
chris.ten.ing\n   christening  christenings\n  A christening is a Christian ceremony in which a baby is made a member of the Christian church and is officially given his or her name. Compare baptism.\n...my granddaughter’s christening.\n...a christening robe.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Christian
Meaning:
Christian  Christians\n1. A Christian is someone who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ.\nHe was a devout Christian...\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Christian means relating to Christianity or Christians.\n...the Christian Church.\n...the Christian faith...\nMost of my friends are Christian.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: Christian name
Meaning:
Christian name  Christian names\n  Some people refer to their first names as their Christian names.\nDespite my attempts to get him to call me by my Christian name he insisted on addressing me as `Mr Kennedy’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Christian Science
Meaning:
Christian Sci.ence\n   Christian Science\n  Christian Science is a type of Christianity which emphasizes the use of prayer to cure illness.\n...members of the Christian Science Church.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n


Words: Christianity
Meaning:
Chris.ti.an.ity\n   Christianity\n  Christianity is a religion that is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the belief that he was the son of God.\nHe converted to Christianity that day.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Christmas
Meaning:
Christ.mas\n   Christmas  Christmases\n1. Christmas is a Christian festival when the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated. Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December.\nThe day after Christmas is generally a busy one for retailers...\nMerry Christmas, Mom.\n  N-VAR: oft N n\n\n2. Christmas is the period of several days around and including Christmas Day.\nHe’ll be in the hospital over Christmas, so we’ll be spending our Christmas Day there.\n  N-VAR: oft N n


Words: Christmas cake
Meaning:
Christ.mas cake\n   Christmas cake  Christmas cakes\n  A Christmas cake is a special cake that is eaten at Christmas in Britain and some other countries.\n  N-VAR


Words: Christmas card
Meaning:
Christ.mas card\n   Christmas card  Christmas cards\n  Christmas cards are cards with greetings, which people send to their friends and family at Christmas.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Christmas Day
Meaning:
Christ.mas Day\n   Christmas Day\n  Christmas Day is the 25th of December, when Christmas is celebrated.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Christmas Eve
Meaning:
Christ.mas Eve\n   Christmas Eve\n  Christmas Eve is the 24th of December, the day before Christmas Day.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Christmas pudding
Meaning:
Christ.mas pud.ding\n   Christmas pudding  Christmas puddings\n  Christmas pudding is a special pudding that is eaten at Christmas. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-VAR\n  = plum pudding


Words: Christmas stocking
Meaning:
Christ.mas stock.ing\n   Christmas stocking  Christmas stockings\n  A Christmas stocking is a long sock which children hang up on Christmas Eve. During the night, parents fill the stocking with small presents.\n  N-COUNT\n  = stocking


Words: Christmas tree
Meaning:
Christ.mas tree\n   Christmas tree  Christmas trees\n  A Christmas tree is a fir tree, or an artificial tree that looks like a fir tree, which people put in their houses at Christmas and decorate with coloured lights and ornaments.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Christmassy
Meaning:
Christ.massy\n   Christmassy\nin AM, also use Christmasy\n  Something that is Christmassy is typical of or suitable for Christmas. (INFORMAL)\nChoose Christmassy colours such as red and green.\n  ADJ


Words: chromatic
Meaning:
chro.mat.ic\n   chromatic\n1. In music, chromatic means related to the scale that consists only of semitones.\n...the notes of the chromatic scale.\n  ADJ\n\n2. Chromatic means related to colours.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: chrome
Meaning:
chrome\n  Chrome is metal plated with chromium.\n...old-fashioned chrome taps.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n


Words: chromium
Meaning:
chro.mium\n   chromium\n  Chromium is a hard, shiny metallic element, used to make steel alloys and to coat other metals.\n...chromium-plated fire accessories.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: chromosomal
Meaning:
chro.mo.so.mal\n   chromosomal\n  Chromosomal means relating to or connected with chromosomes.\n...chromosomal abnormalities.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: chromosome
Meaning:
chro.mo.some\n   chromosome  chromosomes\n  A chromosome is a part of a cell in an animal or plant. It contains genes which determine what characteristics the animal or plant will have.\nEach cell of our bodies contains 46 chromosomes.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chronic
Meaning:
chron.ic\n   chronic\n1. A chronic illness or disability lasts for a very long time. Compare acute.\n...chronic back pain.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  chroni.cal.ly\nMost of them were chronically ill.\n  ADV: ADV adj/-ed\n\n2. You can describe someone’s bad habits or behaviour as chronic when they have behaved like that for a long time and do not seem to be able to stop themselves.\n...a chronic worrier.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. A chronic situation or problem is very severe and unpleasant.\nOne cause of the artist’s suicide seems to have been chronic poverty...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = severe\n=>  chroni.cal.ly\nResearch and technology are said to be chronically underfunded.\n  ADV: ADV adj/-ed


Words: chronic fatigue syndrome
Meaning:
chron.ic fa.tigue syn.drome\n   chronic fatigue syndrome\n  Chronic fatigue syndrome is an illness that is thought to be caused by a virus, and which affects people for a long period of time. Its symptoms include tiredness and aching muscles. The abbreviation CFS is often used.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = ME


Words: chronicle
Meaning:
chroni.cle\n   chronicle  chronicles  chronicling  chronicled\n1. To chronicle a series of events means to write about them or show them in broadcasts in the order in which they happened.\nThe series chronicles the everyday adventures of two eternal bachelors.\n  VERB: V n, also V wh\n  = recount\n=>  chroni.cler      chroniclers\n...the chronicler of the English civil war.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A chronicle is an account or record of a series of events.\n...this vast chronicle of Napoleonic times.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n3. Chronicle is sometimes used as part of the name of a newspaper.\n...the San Francisco Chronicle.\n  N-IN-NAMES


Words: chronological
Meaning:
chrono.logi.cal\n   chronological\n1. If things are described or shown in chronological order, they are described or shown in the order in which they happened.\nI have arranged these stories in chronological order.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  chrono.logi.cal.ly\nThe exhibition is organised chronologically.\n  ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed/adj\n\n2. If you refer to someone’s chronological age, you are referring to the number of years they have lived, in contrast to their mental age or the stage they have reached in their physical or emotional development. (FORMAL)\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: chronology
Meaning:
chro.nol.ogy\n   chronology  chronologies\n1. The chronology of a series of past events is the times at which they happened in the order in which they happened.\nShe gave him a factual account of the chronology of her brief liaison.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n\n\n2. A chronology is an account or record of the times and the order in which a series of past events took place.\nThe second part of Duffy’s book is a detailed chronology of the Reformation.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n  = account


Words: chronometer
Meaning:
chro.nom.eter\n   chronometer  chronometers\n  A chronometer is an extremely accurate clock that is used especially by sailors at sea.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chrysalis
Meaning:
chrysa.lis\n   chrysalis  chrysalises\n1. A chrysalis is a butterfly or moth in the stage between being a larva and an adult.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A chrysalis is the hard, protective covering that a chrysalis has.\n...a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chrysanthemum
Meaning:
chry.san.themum\n   chrysanthemum  chrysanthemums\n  A chrysanthemum is a large garden flower with many long, thin petals.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chubby
Meaning:
chub.by\n   chubby  chubbier  chubbiest\n  A chubby person is rather fat.\nDo you think I’m too chubby?\n...his chubby hands.\n  ADJ\n  !=skinny


Words: chuck
Meaning:
chuck  chucks  chucking  chucked\n1. When you chuck something somewhere, you throw it there in a casual or careless way. (INFORMAL)\nI took a great dislike to the clock, so I chucked it in the dustbin...\n  VERB: V n prep/adv\n  = throw\n2. If you chuck your job or some other activity, you stop doing it. (INFORMAL)\nLast summer, he chucked his 10-year career as a London stockbroker and headed for the mountains.\n  VERB: V n\n\n  In British English chuck in and chuck up mean the same as chuck.\nAlmost half the British public think about chucking in their jobs and doing their own thing at least once a month.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P\n\n3. If your girlfriend or boyfriend chucks you, they end the relationship. (INFORMAL)\nThere wasn’t a great fuss when I chucked her.\n  VERB: V n\n\n4. A chuck is a device for holding a tool in a machine such as a drill.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chuck away
Meaning:
chuck away\n  If you chuck something away, you throw it away or waste it. (INFORMAL)\nYou cannot chuck money away on little luxuries like that.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P


Words: chuck out
Meaning:
chuck out\n1. If you chuck something out, you throw it away, because you do not need it or cannot use it. (INFORMAL)\nMany companies have struggled valiantly to use less energy and chuck out less rubbish.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P\n  = throw away\n2. If a person is chucked out of a job, a place, or their home, they are forced by other people to leave. (INFORMAL)\nAny head teacher who made errors like this would be chucked out...\nI was chucked out of my London flat in 1960...\nHer parents are going to chuck her out on the street.\n  PHRASAL VERB: be V-ed P, be V-ed P of n, V n P


Words: chuckle
Meaning:
chuck.le\n   chuckle  chuckles  chuckling  chuckled\n  When you chuckle, you laugh quietly.\nThe banker chuckled and said, `Of course not.’...\nHe chuckled at her forthrightness.\n  VERB: V, V at/over n, also V with quote\n\n  Chuckle is also a noun.\nHe gave a little chuckle.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chuffed
Meaning:
chuffed\n  If you are chuffed about something, you are very pleased about it. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nShe had just moved into a new house and was pretty chuffed about that...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ about/with n, ADJ to-inf, ADJ that


Words: chug
Meaning:
chug  chugs  chugging  chugged\n  When a vehicle chugs somewhere, it goes there slowly, noisily and with difficulty.\nThe train chugs down the track.\n  VERB: V prep/adv


Words: chum
Meaning:
chum  chums\n  Your chum is your friend. (INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED)\n...his old chum Anthony.\n  N-COUNT: usu with poss\n  = pal


Words: chummy
Meaning:
chum.my\n   chummy  chummier  chummiest\n  If people or social events are chummy, they are pleasant and friendly. (INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED)\n  ADJ\n  = friendly


Words: chump
Meaning:
chump  chumps\n  If you call someone who you like a chump, you are telling them that they have done something rather stupid or foolish, or that they are always doing stupid things. (INFORMAL)\nThe guy’s a chump. I could do a better job myself.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = idiot


Words: chunk
Meaning:
chunk  chunks\n1. Chunks of something are thick solid pieces of it.\n...a chunk of meat...\nCut the melon into chunks.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n  = lump\n2. A chunk of something is a large amount or large part of it. (INFORMAL)\nThe company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n


Words: chunky
Meaning:
chunky  chunkier  chunkiest\n1. A chunky person is broad and heavy.\nThe soprano was a chunky girl from California.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. A chunky object is large and thick.\n...a chunky sweater.\n...chunky jewellery.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: church
Meaning:
church  churches\n1. A church is a building in which Christians worship. You usually refer to this place as church when you are talking about the time that people spend there.\n...one of Britain’s most historic churches.\n...St Helen’s Church...\nI didn’t see you in church on Sunday.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. A Church is one of the groups of people within the Christian religion, for example Catholics or Methodists, that have their own beliefs, clergy, and forms of worship.\n...co-operation with the Catholic Church...\nChurch leaders said he was welcome to return.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft adj N, N of n


Words: Church of England
Meaning:
Church of Eng.land\n   Church of England\n  The Church of England is the main church in England. It has the Queen as its head and it does not recognize the authority of the Pope.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: church school
Meaning:
church school  church schools\n  A church school is a school which has a special relationship with a particular branch of the Christian church, and where there is strong emphasis on worship and the teaching of religion.\n  N-COUNT


Words: churchgoer
Meaning:
church.goer\n   churchgoer  churchgoers   also church-goer\n  A churchgoer is a person who goes to church regularly.\n  N-COUNT


Words: churchwarden
Meaning:
church.warden\n   churchwarden  churchwardens\n  In the Anglican Church, a churchwarden is the person who has been chosen by a congregation to help the vicar of a parish with administration and other duties.\n  N-COUNT


Words: churchyard
Meaning:
church.yard\n   churchyard  churchyards\n  A churchyard is an area of land around a church where dead people are buried.\n  N-COUNT


Words: churlish
Meaning:
churl.ish\n   churlish\n  Someone who is churlish is unfriendly, bad-tempered, or impolite.\nShe would think him churlish if he refused...\nThe room was so lovely it seemed churlish to argue.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf  disapproval


Words: churn
Meaning:
churn  churns  churning  churned\n1. A churn is a container which is used for making butter.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N\n\n2. If something churns water, mud, or dust, it moves it about violently.\nFerries churn the waters of Howe Sound from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay.\n...unsurfaced roads now churned into mud by the annual rains.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n\n  Churn up means the same as churn.\nThe recent rain had churned up the waterfall into a muddy whirlpool...\nOccasionally they slap the water with their tails or churn it up in play.\n...muddy, churned-up ground.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P, V-ed P\n\n3. If you say that your stomach is churning, you mean that you feel sick. You can also say that something churns your stomach.\nMy stomach churned as I stood up...\n  VERB: V, also V n\n  = heave


Words: churn out
Meaning:
churn out\n  To churn out something means to produce large quantities of it very quickly. (INFORMAL)\nHe began to churn out literary compositions in English.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P


Words: churning
Meaning:
churn.ing\n   churning\n  Churning water is moving about violently. (LITERARY)\n...anything to take our minds off that gap and the brown, churning water below.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = swirling


Words: chute
Meaning:
chute  chutes\n1. A chute is a steep, narrow slope down which people or things can slide.\nPassengers escaped from the plane’s front four exits by sliding down emergency chutes.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N\n\n2. A chute is a parachute. (INFORMAL)\nYou can release the chute with either hand, but it is easier to do it with the left.\n  N-COUNT


Words: chutney
Meaning:
chut.ney\n   chutney  chutneys\n  Chutney is a cold sauce made from fruit, vinegar, sugar, and spices. It is sold in jars and you eat it with meat or cheese.\n...mango chutney.\n  N-MASS


Words: chutzpah
Meaning:
chutz.pah\n   chutzpah\nin AM, also use chutzpa\n  If you say that someone has chutzpah, you mean that you admire the fact that they are not afraid or embarrassed to do or say things that shock, surprise, or annoy other people.\nEinstein had the chutzpah to discard common sense and long-established theory.\n  N-UNCOUNT  approval


Words: CIA
Meaning:
CIA\n  The CIA is the government organization in the United States that collects secret information about other countries. CIA is an abbreviation for `Central Intelligence Agency’.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: ciabatta
Meaning:
cia.bat.ta\n   ciabatta\n  Ciabatta or ciabatta bread is a type of white Italian bread that is made with olive oil.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: ciao
Meaning:
ciao\n  Some people say `Ciao’ as an informal way of saying goodbye to someone who they expect to see again soon.\n  CONVENTION  formulae\n  = see you


Words: cicada
Meaning:
ci.ca.da\n   cicada  cicadas\n  A cicada is a large insect that lives in hot countries and makes a loud high-pitched noise.\n  N-COUNT


Words: CID
Meaning:
CID\n  The CID is the branch of the police force in Britain concerned with finding out who has committed crimes. CID is an abbreviation for `Criminal Investigation Department’.\n  N-PROPER: oft the N


Words: cider
Meaning:
ci.der\n   cider  ciders\n  Cider is a drink made from apples which in Britain usually contains alcohol. In the United States, cider does not usually contain alcohol, and if it does contain alcohol, it is usually called hard cider.\n  N-MASS\n\n  A glass of cider can be referred to as a cider.\nHe ordered a cider.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cigar
Meaning:
ci.gar\n   cigar  cigars\n  Cigars are rolls of dried tobacco leaves which people smoke.\nHe was sitting alone smoking a big cigar.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cigarette
Meaning:
ciga.rette\n   cigarette  cigarettes\n  Cigarettes are small tubes of paper containing tobacco which people smoke.\nHe went out to buy a packet of cigarettes.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cigarette butt
Meaning:
ciga.rette butt\n   cigarette butt  cigarette butts\nin BRIT, also use cigarette end\n  A cigarette butt or a cigarette end is the part of a cigarette that you throw away when you have finished smoking it.\n  N-COUNT\n  = butt, stub


Words: cigarette holder
Meaning:
ciga.rette hold.er\n   cigarette holder  cigarette holders   also cigarette-holder\n  A cigarette holder is a narrow tube that you can put a cigarette into in order to hold it while you smoke it.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cigarette lighter
Meaning:
ciga.rette light.er\n   cigarette lighter  cigarette lighters\n  A cigarette lighter is a device which produces a small flame when you press a switch and which you use to light a cigarette or cigar.\n  N-COUNT\n  = lighter


Words: cinch
Meaning:
cinch\n  If you say that something is a cinch, you mean that you think it is very easy to do. (INFORMAL)\nIt sounds difficult, but compared to full-time work it was a cinch.\n  N-SING: a N\n  = doddle


Words: cinder block
Meaning:
cin.der block\n   cinder block  cinder blocks   also cinderblock\n  A cinder block is a large grey brick made from coal cinders and cement which is used for building. (AM; in BRIT, use breeze-block)\n  N-COUNT: oft N n


Words: Cinderella
Meaning:
Cinderella  Cinderellas\n  If you describe a person or organization as a Cinderella, you mean that they receive very little attention and that they deserve to receive more.\nIt is a Cinderella of charities, and needs more help.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N n


Words: cinders
Meaning:
cin.ders\n   cinders\n  Cinders are the black pieces that are left after something such as wood or coal has burned away.\nThe wind sent sparks and cinders flying.\n  N-PLURAL\n  = embers


Words: cine
Meaning:
cine\n  Cine is used to refer to things that are used in or connected with the making or showing of films.\n...a cine camera.\n...a cine projector.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: cinema
Meaning:
cin.ema\n   cinema  cinemas\n1. A cinema is a place where people go to watch films for entertainment. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use movie theater, movie house)\nThe country has relatively few cinemas.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. You can talk about the cinema when you are talking about seeing a film in a cinema. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use the movies)\nI can’t remember the last time we went to the cinema...\n  N-SING: the N\n\n3. Cinema is the business and art of making films.\nContemporary African cinema has much to offer in its vitality and freshness.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = film


Words: cinematic
Meaning:
cin.emat.ic\n   cinematic\n  Cinematic means relating to films made for the cinema.\n...a genuine cinematic masterpiece.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: cinematographer
Meaning:
cin.ema.tog.ra.pher\n   cinematographer  cinematographers\n  A cinematographer is a person who decides what filming techniques should be used during the shooting of a film.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cinematography
Meaning:
cin.ema.tog.ra.phy\n   cinematography\n  Cinematography is the technique of making films for the cinema.\n...an admirer of Arthur Jafa’s breathtaking cinematography.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cipher
Meaning:
ci.pher\n   cipher  ciphers   also cypher\n  A cipher is a secret system of writing that you use to send messages.\n...converting their messages into ciphers.\n  N-COUNT\n  = code


Words: circa
Meaning:
cir.ca\n   circa\n  Circa is used in front of a particular year to say that this is the approximate date when something happened or was made. (FORMAL)\nThe story tells of a runaway slave girl in Louisiana, circa 1850.\n  PREP\n  = around


Words: circle
Meaning:
cir.cle\n   circle  circles  circling  circled\n1. A circle is a shape consisting of a curved line completely surrounding an area. Every part of the line is the same distance from the centre of the area.\nThe flag was red, with a large white circle in the center...\nI wrote down the number 46 and drew a circle around it.\n  N-COUNT\n  = ring\n2. A circle of something is a round flat piece or area of it.\nCut out 4 circles of pastry.\n...a circle of yellow light.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n  = ring\n3. A circle of objects or people is a group of them arranged in the shape of a circle.\nThe monument consists of a circle of gigantic stones...\nWe stood in a circle holding hands.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n  = ring\n4. If something circles an object or a place, or circles around it, it forms a circle around it.\nThis is the ring road that circles the city.\n...the long curving driveway that circled around the vast clipped lawn.\n  VERB: V n, V around/round n\n  = encircle\n5. If an aircraft or a bird circles or circles something, it moves round in a circle in the air.\nThe plane circled, awaiting permission to land...\nThere were two helicopters circling around.\n...like a hawk circling prey.\n  VERB: V, V adv/prep, V n\n\n6. To circle around someone or something, or to circle them, means to move around them.\nEmily kept circling around her mother...\nThe silent wolves would track and circle them.\n  VERB: V around/round n, V n\n\n7. If you circle something on a piece of paper, you draw a circle around it.\nCircle the correct answers on the coupon below.\n  VERB: V n\n  = ring\n8. You can refer to a group of people as a circle when they meet each other regularly because they are friends or because they belong to the same profession or share the same interests.\nHe has a small circle of friends...\nAlton has made himself fiercely unpopular in certain circles.\n  N-COUNT: with supp\n\n9. In a theatre or cinema, the circle is an area of seats on the upper floor.\n  N-SING: the N\n\n10.\n  see also Arctic Circle, dress circle, inner circle, vicious circle, virtuous circle\n11. If you say that you have come full circle or have turned full circle, you mean that after a long series of events or changes the same situation that you started with still exists.\nWe’ve come full circle and dark-blue jeans are once again the height of style.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: circuit
Meaning:
cir.cuit\n   circuit  circuits\n1. An electrical circuit is a complete route which an electric current can flow around.\nAny attempts to cut through the cabling will break the electrical circuit.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also closed-circuit, short-circuit\n2. A circuit is a series of places that are visited regularly by a person or group, especially as a part of their job.\nIt’s a common problem, the one I’m asked about most when I’m on the lecture circuit.\n  N-COUNT: usu supp N\n\n3. A racing circuit is a track on which cars, motorbikes, or cycles race. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. A circuit of a place or area is a journey all the way round it. (FORMAL)\nShe made a slow circuit of the room.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n


Words: circuit board
Meaning:
cir.cuit board\n   circuit board  circuit boards\n  A circuit board is the same as a printed circuit board.\n  N-COUNT


Words: circuit breaker
Meaning:
cir.cuit break.er\n   circuit breaker  circuit breakers   also circuit-breaker\n  A circuit breaker is a device which can stop the flow of electricity around a circuit by switching itself off if anything goes wrong.\nThere is an internal circuit breaker to protect the instrument from overload.\n  N-COUNT


Words: circuit training
Meaning:
cir.cuit train.ing\n   circuit training\n  Circuit training is a type of physical training in which you do a series of different exercises, each for a few minutes.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: circuitous
Meaning:
cir.cui.tous\n   circuitous\n  A circuitous route is long and complicated rather than simple and direct. (FORMAL)\nThe cabdriver took them on a circuitous route to the police station...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = roundabout


Words: circuitry
Meaning:
cir.cuit.ry\n   circuitry\n  Circuitry is a system of electric circuits.\nThe computer’s entire circuitry was on a single board.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: circular
Meaning:
cir.cu.lar\n   circular  circulars\n1. Something that is circular is shaped like a circle.\n...a circular hole twelve feet wide and two feet deep...\nPlace your hands on your shoulders and move your elbows up, back, and down, in a circular motion.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n  see also semi-circular\n2. A circular journey or route is one in which you go to a place and return by a different route.\nBoth sides of the river can be explored on this circular walk.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n3. A circular argument or theory is not valid because it uses a statement to prove something which is then used to prove the statement.\n  ADJ\n\n4. A circular is an official letter or advertisement that is sent to a large number of people at the same time.\nThe proposal has been widely publicised in BBC-TV press information circulars sent to 1,800 newspapers.\n  N-COUNT


Words: circular saw
Meaning:
cir.cu.lar saw\n   circular saw  circular saws\n  A circular saw is a round metal disk with a sharp edge which is used for cutting wood and other materials. (BRIT; in AM, use buzzsaw)\n  N-COUNT


Words: circulate
Meaning:
cir.cu.late\n   circulate  circulates  circulating  circulated\n1. If a piece of writing circulates or is circulated, copies of it are passed round among a group of people.\nThe document was previously circulated in New York at the United Nations...\nPublic employees, teachers and liberals are circulating a petition for his recall...\nThis year anonymous leaflets have been circulating in Peking.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n, V\n\n=>  cir.cu.la.tion\n...an inquiry into the circulation of `unacceptable literature’.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu the N of n\n\n2. If something such as a rumour circulates or is circulated, the people in a place tell it to each other.\nRumours were already beginning to circulate that the project might have to be abandoned...\nI deeply resented those sort of rumours being circulated at a time of deeply personal grief.\n  VERB: V, be V-ed, also V n\n  = spread\n3. When something circulates, it moves easily and freely within a closed place or system.\n...a virus which circulates via the bloodstream and causes ill health in a variety of organs...\nCooking odors can circulate throughout the entire house.\n  VERB: V, V, also V prep\n\n=>  cir.cu.la.tion\nThe north pole is warmer than the south and the circulation of air around it is less well contained.\n...the principle of free circulation of goods.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4. If you circulate at a party, you move among the guests and talk to different people.\nLet me get you something to drink, then I must circulate.\n  VERB: V


Words: circulation
Meaning:
cir.cu.la.tion\n   circulation  circulations\n1. The circulation of a newspaper or magazine is the number of copies that are sold each time it is produced.\nThe Daily News once had the highest circulation of any daily in the country...\nThe paper has proved unable to maintain its circulation figures.\n  N-COUNT: with supp\n\n2. Your circulation is the movement of blood through your body.\nAnyone with heart, lung or circulation problems should seek medical advice before flying.\n...cold spots in the fingers caused by poor circulation.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3.\n  see also circulate\n4. If something such as money is in circulation, it is being used by the public. If something is out of circulation or has been withdrawn from circulation, it is no longer available for use by the public.\n...a society like America, with perhaps 180 million guns in circulation.\n...the decision to take 50 and 100 ruble bills out of circulation.\n  PHRASE


Words: circulatory
Meaning:
cir.cu.la.tory\n   circulatory\n  Circulatory means relating to the circulation of blood in the body. (MEDICAL)\n...the human circulatory system.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: circumcise
Meaning:
cir.cum.cise\n   circumcise  circumcises  circumcising  circumcised\n1. If a boy or man is circumcised, the loose skin at the end of his penis is cut off.\nHe had been circumcised within eight days of birth as required by Jewish law.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed\n\n=>  cir.cum.ci.sion\nJews and Moslems practise circumcision for religious reasons.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also a N\n\n2. In some cultures, if a girl or woman is circumcised, her clitoris is cut or cut off.\nAn estimated number of 90 to 100 million women around the world living today have been circumcised.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed\n\n=>  cir.cum.ci.sion\n...a campaigner against female circumcision.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: circumference
Meaning:
cir.cum.fer.ence\n   circumference\n1. The circumference of a circle, place, or round object is the distance around its edge.\n...a scientist calculating the earth’s circumference...\nThe island is 3.5 km in circumference.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. The circumference of a circle, place, or round object is its edge.\nCut the salmon into long strips and wrap it round the circumference of the bread.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: circumflex
Meaning:
cir.cum.flex\n   circumflex  circumflexes\n  A circumflex or a circumflex accent is a symbol written over a vowel in French and other languages, usually to indicate that it should be pronounced longer than usual. It is used for example in the word `role’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: circumlocution
Meaning:
cir.cum.lo.cu.tion\n   circumlocution  circumlocutions\n  A circumlocution is a way of saying or writing something using more words than are necessary instead of being clear and direct. (FORMAL)\n  N-VAR


Words: circumnavigate
Meaning:
cir.cum.navi.gate\n   circumnavigate  circumnavigates  circumnavigating  circumnavigated\n  If someone circumnavigates the world or an island, they sail all the way around it. (FORMAL)\nFor this year at least, our race to circumnavigate the globe in less than 80 days is over.\n  VERB: V n


Words: circumscribe
Meaning:
cir.cum.scribe\n   circumscribe  circumscribes  circumscribing  circumscribed\n  If someone’s power or freedom is circumscribed, it is limited or restricted. (FORMAL)\nThe army evidently fears that, under him, its activities would be severely circumscribed...\nThere are laws circumscribing the right of individual citizens to cause bodily harm to others.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n\n  = limit


Words: circumspect
Meaning:
cir.cum.spect\n   circumspect\n  If you are circumspect, you are cautious in what you do and say and do not take risks. (FORMAL)\nThe banks should have been more circumspect in their dealings...\n  ADJ\n  = cautious, careful  !=reckless\n=>  cir.cum.spect.ly\nI would suggest that for the time being you behave as circumspectly as possible in political matters.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n  = cautiously  !=recklessly


Words: circumspection
Meaning:
cir.cum.spec.tion\n   circumspection\n  Circumspection is cautious behaviour and a refusal to take risks. (FORMAL)\nThis is a region to be treated with circumspection.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft with N\n  = caution, care


Words: circumstance
Meaning:
cir.cum.stance\n   circumstance  circumstances\n1. The circumstances of a particular situation are the conditions which affect what happens.\nRecent opinion polls show that 60 percent favor abortion under certain circumstances...\nI wish we could have met under happier circumstances.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, with supp\n\n2. The circumstances of an event are the way it happened or the causes of it.\nI’m making inquiries about the circumstances of Mary Dean’s murder...\nHundreds of people had died there in terrible circumstances during and after the revolution.\n  N-PLURAL: with supp, oft the N of n\n\n3. Your circumstances are the conditions of your life, especially the amount of money that you have.\n...help and support for the single mother, whatever her circumstances...\nI wouldn’t have expected to find you in such comfortable circumstances.\n  N-PLURAL: usu with poss\n  = situation\n4. Events and situations which cannot be controlled are sometimes referred to as circumstance.\nThere are those, you know, who, by circumstance, end up homeless...\nYou might say that we’ve been victims of circumstance.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n5. You can emphasize that something must not or will not happen by saying that it must not or will not happen under any circumstances.\nShe made it clear that under no circumstances would she cancel the trip.\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl  emphasis\n\n6. You can use in the circumstances or under the circumstances before or after a statement to indicate that you have considered the conditions affecting the situation before making the statement.\nUnder the circumstances, a crash was unavoidable...\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl


Words: circumstantial
Meaning:
cir.cum.stan.tial\n   circumstantial\n  Circumstantial evidence is evidence that makes it seem likely that something happened, but does not prove it. (FORMAL)\nFast work by the police in Birmingham had started producing circumstantial evidence.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: circumvent
Meaning:
cir.cum.vent\n   circumvent  circumvents  circumventing  circumvented\n  If someone circumvents a rule or restriction, they avoid having to obey the rule or restriction, in a clever and perhaps dishonest way. (FORMAL)\nMilitary planners tried to circumvent the treaty.\n  VERB: V n\n  = get round


Words: circus
Meaning:
cir.cus\n   circus  circuses\n1. A circus is a group that consists of clowns, acrobats, and animals which travels around to different places and performs shows.\nMy real ambition was to work in a circus.\n...circus performers.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  The circus is the show performed by these people.\nMy dad took me to the circus.\n  N-SING: the N\n\n2. If you describe a group of people or an event as a circus, you disapprove of them because they attract a lot of attention but do not achieve anything useful.\nIt could well turn into some kind of a media circus.\n  N-SING  disapproval


Words: cirrhosis
Meaning:
cir.rho.sis\n   cirrhosis\n  Cirrhosis or cirrhosis of the liver is a disease which destroys a person’s liver and which can kill them. It is often caused by drinking too much alcohol.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cistern
Meaning:
cis.tern\n   cistern  cisterns\n1. A cistern is a container which stores the water supply for a building, or that holds the water for flushing a toilet. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use tank)\n  N-COUNT\n  = tank\n2. A cistern is a container for storing rain water. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use water butt)\n  N-COUNT


Words: citadel
Meaning:
cita.del\n   citadel  citadels\n1. In the past, a citadel was a strong building in or near a city, where people could shelter for safety.\nThe citadel at Besancon towered above the river.\n  N-COUNT\n  = fortress\n2. If you describe a system or organization as a citadel of a particular way of life, usually one you disapprove of, you mean that it is powerful and effective in defending that way of life. (FORMAL)\nThe business is no longer regarded as a citadel of commerce.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n  disapproval\n  = bastion, stronghold


Words: citation
Meaning:
ci.ta.tion\n   citation  citations\n1. A citation is an official document or speech which praises a person for something brave or special that they have done.\nHis citation says he showed outstanding and exemplary courage.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A citation from a book or other piece of writing is a passage or phrase from it. (FORMAL)\n  N-COUNT\n  = quotation\n3. A citation is the same as a summons. (AM)\nThe court could issue a citation and fine Ms. Robbins.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cite
Meaning:
cite  cites  citing  cited\n1. If you cite something, you quote it or mention it, especially as an example or proof of what you are saying. (FORMAL)\nShe cites a favourite poem by George Herbert...\nI am merely citing his reaction as typical of British industry...\nSpain was cited as the most popular holiday destination.\n  VERB: V n, V n as adj, V n as adj\n\n2. To cite a person means to officially name them in a legal case. To cite a reason or cause means to state it as the official reason for your case.\nThey cited Alex’s refusal to return to the marital home...\nThree admirals and a top Navy civilian will be cited for failing to act on reports of sexual assaults.\n  VERB: V n, be V-ed for -ing\n\n3. If someone is cited, they are officially ordered to appear before a court. (AM LEGAL; in BRIT, use be summonsed)\nThe judge ruled a mistrial and cited the prosecutors for outrageous misconduct.\n  VERB: V n


Words: citizen
Meaning:
citi.zen\n   citizen  citizens\n1. Someone who is a citizen of a particular country is legally accepted as belonging to that country.\n...American citizens...\nThe life of ordinary citizens began to change.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n2. The citizens of a town or city are the people who live there.\n...the citizens of Buenos Aires.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n3.\n  see also senior citizen


Words: citizenry
Meaning:
citi.zen.ry\n   citizenry\n  The people living in a country, state, or city can be referred to as the citizenry. (AM; also BRIT FORMAL)\nHe used the medium of radio when he wanted to enlist public support or reassure the citizenry...\n  N-SING-COLL


Words: Citizens’ Band
Meaning:
Citi.zens’ Band\n   Citizens’ Band\n  Citizens’ Band is a range of radio frequencies which the general public is allowed to use to send messages to each other. It is used especially by truck drivers and other drivers who use radio sets in their vehicles. The abbreviation CB is often used.\n...citizens’ band radios.\n  N-PROPER: oft N n


Words: citizenship
Meaning:
citi.zen.ship\n   citizenship\n1. If you have citizenship of a country, you are legally accepted as belonging to it.\nAfter 15 years in the USA, he has finally decided to apply for American citizenship...\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft adj N\n\n2. Citizenship is the fact of belonging to a community because you live in it, and the duties and responsibilities that this brings.\nTheir German peers had a more developed sense of citizenship.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: citric acid
Meaning:
cit.ric acid\n   citric acid\n  Citric acid is a weak acid found in many kinds of fruit, especially citrus fruit such as oranges and lemons.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: citrus
Meaning:
cit.rus\n   citrus\n  A citrus fruit is a juicy fruit with a sharp taste such as an orange, lemon, or grapefruit.\n...citrus groves.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: City
Meaning:
City\n  The City is the part of London where many important financial institutions have their main offices. People often refer to these financial institutions as the City.\n...a foreign bank in the City...\nThe City fears that profits could fall.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: city centre
Meaning:
city cen.tre\n   city centre  city centres\n  The city centre is the busiest part of a city, where most of the shops and businesses are. (mainly BRIT)\nThere is high demand for city centre offices.\n  N-COUNT: oft the N


Words: city fathers
Meaning:
city fa.thers\n   city fathers   also City Fathers\n  You can refer to the members of a city council or city’s government as the city fathers.\nThe city fathers have just given final approval to a new stadium.\n  N-PLURAL


Words: city hall
Meaning:
city hall  city halls   also City Hall\n  The city hall is the building which a city council uses as its main offices.\nThey massed in front of the city hall.\n...at Sheffield City Hall.\n  N-COUNT; N-PROPER


Words: city slicker
Meaning:
city slick.er\n   city slicker  city slickers\n  If you refer to someone as a city slicker, you mean that they live and work in a city and are used to city life. (INFORMAL)\n...the city slickers in the capital.\n  N-COUNT


Words: civic
Meaning:
civ.ic\n   civic\n1. You use civic to describe people or things that have an official status in a town or city.\n...the businessmen and civic leaders of Manchester.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = municipal\n2. You use civic to describe the duties or feelings that people have because they belong to a particular community.\n...a sense of civic pride.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: civics
Meaning:
civ.ics\n   civics\n  Civics is the study of the rights and duties of the citizens of a society. (mainly AM)\n...my high-school civics class.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n


Words: civil
Meaning:
civ.il\n   civil\n1. You use civil to describe events that happen within a country and that involve the different groups of people in it.\n...civil unrest.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. You use civil to describe people or things in a country that are not connected with its armed forces.\n...the US civil aviation industry.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=military\n3. You use civil to describe things that are connected with the state rather than with a religion.\nThey were married on August 9 in a civil ceremony in Venice.\n...Jewish civil and religious law.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=religious\n4. You use civil to describe the rights that people have within a society.\n...a United Nations covenant on civil and political rights.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n5. Someone who is civil is polite in a formal way, but not particularly friendly. (FORMAL)\nAs visitors, the least we can do is be civil to the people in their own land.\n  ADJ\n  = polite\n=>  civ.il.ly\nThe man nodded civilly to Sharpe, then consulted a notebook.\n  ADV\n\n=>  ci.vil.ity\n...civility to underlings.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: civil defence
Meaning:
civ.il de.fence\n   civil defence\nin AM, use civil defense\n  Civil defence is the organization and training of the ordinary people in a country so that they can help the armed forces, medical services, or police force, for example if the country is attacked by an enemy.\n...a civil defence exercise.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n


Words: civil disobedience
Meaning:
civ.il dis.obedi.ence\n   civil disobedience\n  Civil disobedience is the refusal by ordinary people in a country to obey laws or pay taxes, usually as a protest.\nThe opposition threatened a campaign of civil disobedience.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: civil engineer
Meaning:
civ.il en.gi.neer\n   civil engineer  civil engineers\n  A civil engineer is a person who plans, designs, and constructs roads, bridges, harbours, and public buildings.\n  N-COUNT


Words: civil engineering
Meaning:
civ.il en.gi.neer.ing\n   civil engineering\n  Civil engineering is the planning, design, and building of roads, bridges, harbours, and public buildings.\nThe Channel Tunnel project is the biggest civil engineering project in Europe.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: civil law
Meaning:
civ.il law\n   civil law\n  Civil law is the part of a country’s set of laws which is concerned with the private affairs of citizens, for example marriage and property ownership, rather than with crime.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft the N\n  !=criminal law


Words: civil liberties
Meaning:
civ.il lib.er.ties\n   civil liberties\n  A person’s civil liberties are the rights they have to say, think, and do what they want as long as they respect other people’s rights.\n...his commitment to human rights and civil liberties.\n...civil liberty campaigners.\n  N-PLURAL\n  The form civil liberty is used as a modifier.\n  = human rights


Words: Civil List
Meaning:
Civ.il List\n   Civil List\n  The Civil List is money paid by the state every year to members of the British Royal Family to cover their living expenses.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: civil rights
Meaning:
civ.il rights\n   civil rights\n  Civil rights are the rights that people have in a society to equal treatment and equal opportunities, whatever their race, sex, or religion.\n...the civil rights movement.\n...violations of civil rights.\n  N-PLURAL: oft N n


Words: civil servant
Meaning:
civ.il serv.ant\n   civil servant  civil servants\n  A civil servant is a person who works in the Civil Service in Britain and some other countries, or for the local, state, or federal government in the United States.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Civil Service
Meaning:
Civ.il Ser.vice\n   Civil Service   also civil service\n  The Civil Service of a country consists of its government departments and all the people who work in them. In many countries, the departments concerned with military and legal affairs are not part of the Civil Service.\n...a job in the Civil Service.\n  N-SING: usu the N


Words: civil war
Meaning:
civ.il war\n   civil war  civil wars\n  A civil war is a war which is fought between different groups of people who live in the same country.\n...the Spanish Civil War.\n  N-COUNT


Words: civilian
Meaning:
ci.vil.ian\n   civilian  civilians\n1. In a military situation, a civilian is anyone who is not a member of the armed forces.\nThe safety of civilians caught up in the fighting must be guaranteed.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In a military situation, civilian is used to describe people or things that are not military.\n...the country’s civilian population.\n...civilian casualties.\n...a soldier in civilian clothes.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=military


Words: civilization
Meaning:
civi.li.za.tion\n   civilization  civilizations\nin BRIT, also use civilisation\n1. A civilization is a human society with its own social organization and culture.\nThe ancient civilizations of Central and Latin America were founded upon corn...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. Civilization is the state of having an advanced level of social organization and a comfortable way of life.\n...our advanced state of civilisation.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: civilize
Meaning:
civi.lize\n   civilize  civilizes  civilizing  civilized\nin BRIT, also use civilise\n  To civilize a person or society means to educate them and improve their way of life.\n...a comedy about a man who tries to civilise a woman.but she ends up civilising him...\nIt exerts a civilizing influence on mankind.\n  VERB: V n, V-ing


Words: civilized
Meaning:
civi.lized\n   civilized\nin BRIT, also use civilised\n1. If you describe a society as civilized, you mean that it is advanced and has sensible laws and customs.\nI believed that in civilized countries, torture had ended long ago.\n  ADJ  approval\n\n2. If you describe a person or their behaviour as civilized, you mean that they are polite and reasonable.\nI wrote to my ex-wife. She was very civilised about it.\n  ADJ


Words: civvies
Meaning:
civ.vies\n   civvies\n  People in the armed forces use civvies to refer to ordinary clothes that are not part of a uniform. (INFORMAL)\nThey might have been soldiers in civvies.\n  N-PLURAL: oft in N


Words: civvy street
Meaning:
civ.vy street\n   civvy street\n  People in the armed forces use civvy street to refer to life and work which is not connected with the armed forces. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu prep N


Words: CJD
Meaning:
CJD is an incurable brain disease that affects human beings and is believed to be caused by eating beef from cows with BSE. CJD is an abbreviation for `Creutzfeld Jacob disease’.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: clack
Meaning:
clack  clacks  clacking  clacked\n  If things clack or if you clack them, they make a short loud noise, especially when they hit each other.\nThe windshield wipers clacked back and forth...\nI clacked one ski against the other and almost tripped.\n  VERB: V, V n\n\n  Clack is also a noun.\n...listening to the clack of her shoes on the stairs...\nHer bracelets were going clack-clack-clack, she was shaking so hard.\n  N-SING; SOUND


Words: clad
Meaning:
clad\n1. If you are clad in particular clothes, you are wearing them. (LITERARY)\n...the figure of a woman, clad in black...\n...posters of scantily-clad women.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ in n, adv ADJ\n\n  Clad is also a combining form.\n...the leather-clad biker.\n  COMB in ADJ\n\n2. A building, part of a building, or mountain that is clad with something is covered by that thing. (LITERARY)\nThe walls and floors are clad with ceramic tiles.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ in/with n\n\n  Clad is also a combining form.\n...the distant shapes of snow-clad mountains.\n  COMB in ADJ


Words: cladding
Meaning:
clad.ding\n   cladding\n1. Cladding is a covering of tiles, wooden boards, or other material that is fixed to the outside of a building to protect it against bad weather or to make it look more attractive.\n...stone cladding.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft n N\n  = facing\n2. Cladding is a layer of metal which is put round fuel rods in a nuclear reactor.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: claim
Meaning:
claim  claims  claiming  claimed\n1. If you say that someone claims that something is true, you mean they say that it is true but you are not sure whether or not they are telling the truth.\nHe claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him...\nA man claiming to be a journalist threatened to reveal details about her private life...\n`I had never received one single complaint against me,’ claimed the humiliated doctor...\nHe claims a 70 to 80 per cent success rate.\n  VERB: V that, V to-inf, V with quote, V n\n  = maintain\n2. A claim is something which someone says which they cannot prove and which may be false.\nHe repeated his claim that the people of Trinidad and Tobago backed his action...\nHe rejected claims that he had affairs with six women.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N that\n\n3. If you say that someone claims responsibility or credit for something, you mean they say that they are responsible for it, but you are not sure whether or not they are telling the truth.\nAn underground organisation has claimed responsibility for the bomb explosion...\n  VERB: V n\n\n4. If you claim something, you try to get it because you think you have a right to it.\nNow they are returning to claim what was theirs.\n  VERB: V n\n\n5. A claim is a demand for something that you think you have a right to.\nRival claims to Macedonian territory caused conflict in the Balkans.\n  N-COUNT: oft N to n\n\n6. If someone claims a record, title, or prize, they gain or win it. (JOURNALISM)\nZhuang claimed the record in 54.64 seconds...\n  VERB: V n\n\n7. If you have a claim on someone or their attention, you have the right to demand things from them or to demand their attention.\nShe’d no claims on him now...\nHe was surrounded by people, all with claims on his attention.\n  N-COUNT: N on n\n\n8. If something or someone claims your attention, they need you to spend your time and effort on them.\nThere is already a long list of people claiming her attention.\n  VERB: V n\n\n9. If you claim money from the government, an insurance company, or another organization, you officially apply to them for it, because you think you are entitled to it according to their rules.\nSome 25 per cent of the people who are entitled to claim State benefits do not do so...\nJohn had taken out redundancy insurance but when he tried to claim, he was refused payment...\nThey intend to claim for damages against the three doctors.\n  VERB: V n, V, V for n\n\n  Claim is also a noun.\n...the office which has been dealing with their claim for benefit...\nLast time we made a claim on our insurance they paid up really quickly.\n  N-COUNT: oft N for n\n\n10. If you claim money or other benefits from your employers, you demand them because you think you deserve or need them.\nThe union claimed a pay rise worth four times the rate of inflation.\n  VERB: V n\n\n  Claim is also a noun.\nThey are making substantial claims for improved working conditions...\nElectricity workers have voted for industrial action in pursuit of a pay claim.\n  N-COUNT: oft N for n\n\n11. If you say that a war, disease, or accident claims someone’s life, you mean that they are killed in it or by it. (FORMAL)\nHeart disease is the biggest killer, claiming 180,000 lives a year.\n  VERB: V n\n\n12.\n  see also no claims\n13. Someone’s claim to fame is something quite important or interesting that they have done or that is connected with them.\nBarbara Follett’s greatest claim to fame is that she taught Labour MPs how to look good on television.\n  PHRASE: claim inflects, oft poss PHR\n\n14. If you lay claim to something you do not have, you say that it belongs to you. (FORMAL)\nFive Asian countries lay claim to the islands.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n\n\n15.\nto stake a claim: see stake


Words: claimant
Meaning:
claim.ant\n   claimant  claimants\n1. A claimant is someone who is receiving money from the state because they are unemployed or they are unable to work because they are ill. (BRIT)\n...benefit claimants.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A claimant is someone who asks to be given something which they think they are entitled to.\nThe compensation will be split between 140 claimants.\n  N-COUNT


Words: claims adjuster
Meaning:
claims ad.just.er\n   claims adjuster  claims adjusters   also claims adjustor\n  A claims adjuster is someone who is employed by an insurance company to decide how much money a person making a claim should receive. (AM BUSINESS; in BRIT, use loss adjuster)\n  N-COUNT\n  = insurance adjuster


Words: clairvoyant
Meaning:
clair.voy.ant\n   clairvoyant  clairvoyants\n1. Someone who is believed to be clairvoyant is believed to know about future events or to be able to communicate with dead people.\n...clairvoyant powers.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A clairvoyant is someone who claims to be clairvoyant.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clam up
Meaning:
clam up\n  If someone clams up, they stop talking, often because they are shy or to avoid giving away secrets. (INFORMAL)\nAs soon as I told her my name, she clammed up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: clamber
Meaning:
clam.ber\n   clamber  clambers  clambering  clambered\n  If you clamber somewhere, you climb there with difficulty, usually using your hands as well as your feet.\nThey clambered up the stone walls of a steeply terraced olive grove...\n  VERB: V prep/adv\n  = scramble


Words: clammy
Meaning:
clam.my\n   clammy\n  Something that is clammy is unpleasantly damp or sticky.\nMy shirt was clammy with sweat.\n  ADJ


Words: clamorous
Meaning:
clam.or.ous\n   clamorous\n  If you describe people or their voices as clamorous, you mean they are talking loudly or shouting. (LITERARY)\n...the crowded, clamorous streets.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: clamour
Meaning:
clam.our\n   clamour  clamours  clamouring  clamoured\nin AM, use clamor\n1. If people are clamouring for something, they are demanding it in a noisy or angry way. (JOURNALISM)\n...competing parties clamouring for the attention of the voter...\nAt breakfast next morning my two grandsons were clamouring to go swimming.\n  VERB: V for n, V to-inf\n\n  Clamour is also a noun.\n...the clamour for his resignation.\n  N-SING: oft N for n\n\n2. Clamour is used to describe the loud noise of a large group of people talking or shouting together.\nShe could hear a clamour in the road outside.\n  N-SING


Words: clamp
Meaning:
clamp  clamps  clamping  clamped\n1. A clamp is a device that holds two things firmly together.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. When you clamp one thing to another, you fasten the two things together with a clamp.\nSomebody forgot to bring along the U-bolts to clamp the microphones to the pole.\n  VERB: V n to n\n\n3. To clamp something in a particular place means to put it or hold it there firmly and tightly.\nSimon finished dialing and clamped the phone to his ear...\nHe clamped his lips together...\nYou beg him to try just one spoonful, and he clamps his mouth shut...\nPeter jumped to his feet with his hand clamped to his neck.\n  VERB: V n prep, V n together, V n adj, V-ed\n\n4. A clamp is a large metal device which is fitted to the wheel of an illegally parked car or other vehicle in order to prevent it from being driven away. The driver has to pay to have the clamp removed. (BRIT; in AM, use Denver boot)\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. To clamp a car means to fit a clamp to one of its wheels so that it cannot be driven away. (BRIT; in AM, use boot)\nCourts in Scotland have ruled it illegal to clamp a car parked on private ground and then to demand a fine.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  clamp.ing\nThe AA called for laws to regulate clamping firms.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: clamp down
Meaning:
clamp down\n  To clamp down on people or activities means to take strong official action to stop or control them. (JOURNALISM)\nIf the government clamps down on the protestors, that will only serve to strengthen them in the long run...\nBanking regulators failed to clamp down until earlier this month.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P on n, V P\n  = crack down


Words: clampdown
Meaning:
clamp.down\n   clampdown  clampdowns   also clamp-down\n  A clampdown is a sudden restriction on a particular activity by a government or other authority. (JOURNALISM)\n...a clampdown on the employment of illegal immigrants...\n  N-COUNT: oft N on n


Words: clan
Meaning:
clan  clans\n1. A clan is a group which consists of families that are related to each other.\n...rival clans.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. You can refer to a group of people with the same interests as a clan. (INFORMAL)\n...a powerful clan of industrialists from Monterrey.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clandestine
Meaning:
clan.des.tine\n   clandestine\n  Something that is clandestine is hidden or kept secret, often because it is illegal. (FORMAL)\n...their clandestine meetings.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = secret


Words: clang
Meaning:
clang  clangs  clanging  clanged\n  When a large metal object clangs, it makes a loud noise.\nThe door clanged shut behind them.\n  VERB: V\n\n  Clang is also a noun.\nHe pulled the gates to with a clang...\n  N-VAR


Words: clanger
Meaning:
clang.er\n   clanger  clangers\n  You can refer to something stupid or embarrassing that someone does or says as a clanger. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT\n\n  If you say that you have dropped a clanger, you mean that you have done or said something stupid or embarrassing.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect


Words: clank
Meaning:
clank  clanks  clanking  clanked\n  When large metal objects clank, they make a noise because they are hitting together or hitting against something hard.\nA pan rattled and clanked...\n`Here we are now,’ Beth said, as the train clanked into a tiny station.\n...the clanking noise of the ferry.\n  VERB: V, V prep, V-ing


Words: clannish
Meaning:
clan.nish\n   clannish\n  If you describe a group of people as clannish, you mean that they often spend time together and may seem unfriendly to other people who are not in the group. (INFORMAL)\nThey were a clannish lot, not given to welcoming strangers.\n  ADJ\n  = cliquey


Words: clansman
Meaning:
clans.man\n   clansman  clansmen\n  Clansmen are people who are members of the same clan.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: clap
Meaning:
clap  claps  clapping  clapped\n1. When you clap, you hit your hands together to show appreciation or attract attention.\nThe men danced and the women clapped...\nMidge clapped her hands, calling them back to order...\nLondoners came out on to the pavement to wave and clap the marchers.\n  VERB: V, V n, V n\n\n  Clap is also a noun.\nLet’s give the children a big clap.\n  N-SING: a N\n\n2. If you clap your hand or an object onto something, you put it there quickly and firmly.\nI clapped a hand over her mouth.\n  VERB: V n prep\n\n3. A clap of thunder is a sudden and loud noise of thunder.\n  N-COUNT: N of n\n\n4.\nto clap eyes on someone: see eye


Words: clapboard
Meaning:
clap.board\n   clapboard  clapboards\n1. A clapboard building has walls which are covered with long narrow pieces of wood, usually painted white.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. A clapboard is the same as a clapperboard. (AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: clapped-out
Meaning:
clapped-out   also clapped out\n  If you describe a person or a machine as clapped-out, you mean that they are old and no longer able to work properly. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n...his clapped-out old car.\n...clapped out comedians.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  disapproval


Words: clapperboard
Meaning:
clapper.board\n   clapperboard  clapperboards   also clapper-board\n  A clapperboard consists of two pieces of wood that are connected by a hinge and hit together before each scene when making a film, to make it easier to match the sound and pictures of different scenes. (BRIT; in AM, use clapboard)\n  N-COUNT


Words: claptrap
Meaning:
clap.trap\n   claptrap\n  If you describe something that someone says as claptrap, you mean that it is stupid or foolish although it may sound important. (INFORMAL)\nThis is the claptrap that politicians have peddled many times before.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval\n  = drivel


Words: claret
Meaning:
clar.et\n   claret  clarets\n1. Claret is a type of French red wine.\n  N-MASS\n\n2. Something that is claret is purplish-red in colour. (LITERARY)\n  COLOUR


Words: clarify
Meaning:
clari.fy\n   clarify  clarifies  clarifying  clarified\n  To clarify something means to make it easier to understand, usually by explaining it in more detail. (FORMAL)\nA bank spokesman was unable to clarify the situation.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  clari.fi.ca.tion      clarifications\nThe union has written to Zurich asking for clarification of the situation.\n  N-VAR


Words: clarinet
Meaning:
clari.net\n   clarinet  clarinets\n  A clarinet is a musical instrument in the shape of a pipe. You play the clarinet by blowing into it and covering and uncovering the holes with your fingers.\n  N-VAR: oft the N


Words: clarinettist
Meaning:
clari.net.tist\n   clarinettist  clarinettists\nin AM and sometimes in BRIT, use clarinetist\n  A clarinettist is someone who plays the clarinet.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clarion call
Meaning:
clari.on call\n   clarion call  clarion calls\n  A clarion call is a strong and emotional appeal to people to do something. (LITERARY)\nPaine’s words are a clarion call for democracy.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clarity
Meaning:
clar.ity\n   clarity\n1. The clarity of something such as a book or argument is its quality of being well explained and easy to understand.\n...the ease and clarity with which the author explains difficult technical and scientific subjects.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = lucidity\n2. Clarity is the ability to think clearly.\nIn business circles he is noted for his flair and clarity of vision.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n\n\n3. Clarity is the quality of being clear in outline or sound.\nThis remarkable technology provides far greater clarity than conventional x-rays.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = precision


Words: clash
Meaning:
clash  clashes  clashing  clashed\n1. When people clash, they fight, argue, or disagree with each other. (JOURNALISM)\nA group of 400 demonstrators clashed with police...\nBehind the scenes, Parsons clashed with almost everyone on the show...\nThe United States and Israel clashed over demands for a UN investigation into the killings.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, V with n, pl-n V\n\n  Clash is also a noun.\nThere have been a number of clashes between police in riot gear and demonstrators.\n  N-COUNT: oft N between/with n\n\n2. Beliefs, ideas, or qualities that clash with each other are very different from each other and therefore are opposed.\nDon’t make any policy decisions which clash with official company thinking...\nHere, morality and good sentiments clash headlong.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, pl-n V\n\n  Clash is also a noun.\nInside government, there was a clash of views.\n  N-COUNT: N of n\n\n3. If one event clashes with another, the two events happen at the same time so that you cannot attend both of them.\nThe detective changed his holiday dates when his flight was brought forward and it now clashed with the trial.\n  VERB: V with n\n\n4. If one colour or style clashes with another, the colours or styles look ugly together. You can also say that two colours or styles clash.\nThe red door clashed with the soft, natural tones of the stone walls...\nSo what if the colours clashed?\n  V-RECIP: V with n, pl-n V


Words: clasp
Meaning:
clasp  clasps  clasping  clasped\n1. If you clasp someone or something, you hold them tightly in your hands or arms.\nShe clasped the children to her...\nHe paced the corridor, hands clasped behind his back.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n\n2. A clasp is a small device that fastens something.\n...the clasp of her handbag.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp


Words: class
Meaning:
class  classes  classing  classed\n1. A class is a group of pupils or students who are taught together.\nHe had to spend about six months in a class with younger students...\nReducing class sizes should be a top priority.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A class is a course of teaching in a particular subject.\nHe acquired a law degree by taking classes at night...\nI go to dance classes here in New York.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N\n  = lesson\n3. If you do something in class, you do it during a lesson in school.\nThere is lots of reading in class.\n  N-UNCOUNT: in N\n\n4. The students in a school or university who finish their course in a particular year are often referred to as the class of that year.\nThese two members of Yale’s Class of ’57 never miss a reunion.\n  N-SING: N of date\n\n5. Class refers to the division of people in a society into groups according to their social status.\n...the relationship between social classes...\n...the characteristics of the British class structure.\n  N-VAR\n\n  see also chattering classes, middle class, upper class, working class\n6. A class of things is a group of them with similar characteristics.\n...the division of the stars into six classes of brightness.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n7. If someone or something is classed as a particular thing, they are regarded as belonging to that group of things.\nSince the birds inter-breed they cannot be classed as different species...\nI class myself as an ordinary working person...\nI would class my garden as medium in size...\nMalaysia wants to send back refugees classed as economic migrants.\n  VERB: be V-ed as n/adj, V pron-refl as n, V n as adj, V-ed\n\n8. If you say that someone or something has class, you mean that they are elegant and sophisticated. (INFORMAL)\nHe’s got the same style off the pitch as he has on it.sheer class.\n  N-UNCOUNT  approval\n\n9.\n  see also business class, first-class, second-class, third-class, top-class, world-class\n10. If someone is in a class of their own, they have more of a particular skill or quality than anyone else. If something is in a class of its own, it is better than any other similar thing.\nAs a player, he was in a class of his own.\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR


Words: class action
Meaning:
class ac.tion\n   class action  class actions\n  A class action is a legal case brought by a group of people rather than an individual.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: class-conscious
Meaning:
class-conscious\n  Someone who is class-conscious is very aware of the differences between the various classes of people in society, and often has a strong feeling of belonging to a particular class.\nNineteenth-century Britain was a class-conscious society.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  class-consciousness\nThere was very little snobbery or class-consciousness in the wartime navy.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: classic
Meaning:
clas.sic\n   classic  classics\n1. A classic example of a thing or situation has all the features which you expect such a thing or situation to have.\nThe debate in the mainstream press has been a classic example of British hypocrisy...\nHis first two goals were classic cases of being in the right place at the right time.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = typical\n  Classic is also a noun.\nIt was a classic of interrogation: first the bully, then the kind one who offers sympathy.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n2. A classic film, piece of writing, or piece of music is of very high quality and has become a standard against which similar things are judged.\n...the classic children’s film Huckleberry Finn.\n...a classic study of the American penal system.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  Classic is also a noun.\nThe record won a gold award and remains one of the classics of modern popular music.\n...a film classic.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n3. A classic is a book which is well-known and considered to be of a high literary standard. You can refer to such books generally as the classics.\nAs I grow older, I like to reread the classics regularly.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. Classic style is simple and traditional and is not affected by changes in fashion.\nWear classic clothes which feel good and look good...\nThese are classic designs which will fit in well anywhere.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n5. Classics is the study of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, especially their languages, literature, and philosophy.\n...a Classics degree.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: classical
Meaning:
clas.si.cal\n   classical\n1. You use classical to describe something that is traditional in form, style, or content.\nFokine did not change the steps of classical ballet; instead he found new ways of using them.\n...the scientific attitude of Smith and earlier classical economists.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=modern\n2. Classical music is music that is considered to be serious and of lasting value.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n3. Classical is used to describe things which relate to the ancient Greek or Roman civilizations.\n...the healers of ancient Egypt and classical Greece...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: classically
Meaning:
clas.si.cal.ly\n   classically\n1. Someone who has been classically trained in something such as art, music, or ballet has learned the traditional skills and methods of that subject.\nPeter is a classically trained pianist.\n  ADV: ADV -ed\n\n2. Classically is used to indicate that something is based on or reminds people of the culture of ancient Greece and Rome.\n...the classically inspired church of S. Francesco.\n  ADV: ADV adj/-ed


Words: classicism
Meaning:
clas.si.cism\n   classicism\n  Classicism is a style of art practised especially in the 18th century in Europe. It has simple regular forms and the artist does not attempt to express strong emotions.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: classicist
Meaning:
clas.si.cist\n   classicist  classicists\n1. A classicist is someone who studies the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, especially their languages, literature, and philosophy.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In the arts, especially in architecture, a classicist is someone who follows the principles of classicism in their work.\n  N-COUNT


Words: classification
Meaning:
clas.si.fi.ca.tion\n   classification  classifications\n  A classification is a division or category in a system which divides things into groups or types.\nIts tariffs cater for four basic classifications of customer.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also classify


Words: classified
Meaning:
clas.si.fied\n   classified\n  Classified information or documents are officially secret.\nHe has a security clearance that allows him access to classified information...\n  ADJ


Words: classified ad
Meaning:
clas.si.fied ad\n   classified ad  classified ads\n  Classified ads or classified advertisements are small advertisements in a newspaper or magazine. They are usually from a person or small company.\n  N-COUNT


Words: classifieds
Meaning:
clas.si.fieds\n   classifieds\n  The classifieds are the same as classified ads.\n  N-PLURAL: usu the N


Words: classify
Meaning:
clas.si.fy\n   classify  classifies  classifying  classified\n  To classify things means to divide them into groups or types so that things with similar characteristics are in the same group.\nIt is necessary initially to classify the headaches into certain types...\nThe coroner immediately classified his death as a suicide.\n  VERB: V n, V n as n\n  = categorize\n=>  clas.si.fi.ca.tion      classifications\n...the British Board of Film Classification.\n  N-VAR


Words: classless
Meaning:
class.less\n   classless\n  When politicians talk about a classless society, they mean a society in which people are not affected by social status.\n...the new Prime Minister’s vision of a classless society.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  approval


Words: classmate
Meaning:
class.mate\n   classmate  classmates\n  Your classmates are students who are in the same class as you at school or college.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N


Words: classroom
Meaning:
class.room\n   classroom  classrooms\n  A classroom is a room in a school where lessons take place.\n  N-COUNT


Words: classy
Meaning:
classy  classier  classiest\n  If you describe someone or something as classy, you mean they are stylish and sophisticated. (INFORMAL)\nThe German star put in a classy performance...\n  ADJ


Words: clatter
Meaning:
clat.ter\n   clatter  clatters  clattering  clattered\n1. If you say that people or things clatter somewhere, you mean that they move there noisily.\nHe turned and clattered down the stairs.\n  VERB: V prep/adv\n\n2. If something hard clatters, it makes repeated short noises as it hits against another hard thing. (LITERARY)\nShe set her cup down, and it clattered against the saucer.\n  VERB: V prep\n\n  Clatter is also a noun.\nFrom somewhere distant he heard the clatter of a typewriter.\n  N-SING: usu with supp


Words: clause
Meaning:
clause  clauses\n1. A clause is a section of a legal document.\nHe has a clause in his contract which entitles him to a percentage of the profits.\n...a complaint alleging a breach of clause 4 of the code.\n  N-COUNT: oft N num\n\n2. In grammar, a clause is a group of words containing a verb. Sentences contain one or more clauses. There are finite clauses and non-finite clauses.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also main clause, relative clause, subordinate clause


Words: claustrophobia
Meaning:
claus.tro.pho.bia\n   claustrophobia\n  Someone who suffers from claustrophobia feels very uncomfortable or anxious when they are in small or enclosed places.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: claustrophobic
Meaning:
claus.tro.pho.bic\n   claustrophobic\n1. You describe a place or situation as claustrophobic when it makes you feel uncomfortable and unhappy because you are enclosed or restricted.\nThey lived in an unhealthily claustrophobic atmosphere...\nThe house felt too claustrophobic.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you feel claustrophobic, you feel very uncomfortable or anxious when you are in a small, crowded, or enclosed place.\nThe churning, pressing crowds made her feel claustrophobic.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: clavichord
Meaning:
clavi.chord\n   clavichord  clavichords\n  A clavichord is a musical instrument rather like a small piano. When you press the keys, small pieces of metal come up and hit the strings. Clavichords were especially popular during the eighteenth century.\n  N-VAR: oft the N


Words: claw
Meaning:
claw  claws  clawing  clawed\n1. The claws of a bird or animal are the thin, hard, curved nails at the end of its feet.\nThe cat tried to cling to the edge by its claws.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n2. The claws of a lobster, crab, or scorpion are the two pointed parts at the end of its legs which are used for holding things.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n3. If an animal claws at something, it scratches or damages it with its claws.\nThe wolf clawed at the tree and howled the whole night.\n  VERB: V at n\n\n4. To claw at something mean to try very hard to get hold of it.\nHis fingers clawed at Blake’s wrist...\n  VERB: V at n\n\n5. If you claw your way somewhere, you move there with great difficulty, trying desperately to find things to hold on to.\nSome did manage to claw their way up iron ladders to the safety of the upper deck.\n  VERB: V way prep/adv


Words: claw back
Meaning:
claw back\n1. If someone claws back some of the money or power they had lost, they get some of it back again. (BRIT)\nThey will eventually be able to claw back all or most of the debt...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron)\n\n2. If a government claws back money, it finds a way of taking money back from people that it gave money to in another way. (BRIT)\nThe Chancellor will try to claw back .3.5 billion in next year’s Budget.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P


Words: clay
Meaning:
clay  clays\n1. Clay is a kind of earth that is soft when it is wet and hard when it is dry. Clay is shaped and baked to make things such as pots and bricks.\n...the heavy clay soils of Cambridgeshire...\nAs the wheel turned, the potter shaped and squeezed the lump of clay into a graceful shape.\n...a little clay pot.\n  N-MASS: oft N n\n\n2. In tennis, matches played on clay are played on courts whose surface is covered with finely crushed stones or brick.\nHe was a clay-court specialist who won Wimbledon five times.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft on N, N n


Words: clay pigeon
Meaning:
clay pi.geon\n   clay pigeon  clay pigeons\n  Clay pigeons are discs of baked clay which are thrown into the air by a machine as targets for gun shooting practice.\n...hunting and clay-pigeon shooting.\n  N-COUNT: usu N n


Words: clean
Meaning:
clean  cleaner  cleanest  cleans  cleaning  cleaned\n1. Something that is clean is free from dirt or unwanted marks.\nHe wore his cleanest slacks, a clean shirt and a navy blazer...\nDisease has not been a problem because clean water is available...\nThe metro is efficient and spotlessly clean...\n  ADJ\n  !=dirty\n2. You say that people or animals are clean when they keep themselves or their surroundings clean.\n  ADJ\n  !=dirty\n3. A clean fuel or chemical process does not create many harmful or polluting substances.\nFans of electric cars say they are clean, quiet and economical.\n  ADJ\n  !=dirty\n=>  clean.ly\nManufacturers are working with new fuels to find one that burns more cleanly than petrol.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n4. If you clean something or clean dirt off it, you make it free from dirt and unwanted marks, for example by washing or wiping it. If something cleans easily, it is easy to clean.\nHer father cleaned his glasses with a paper napkin...\nIt took half an hour to clean the orange powder off the bath...\nWood flooring not only cleans easily, but it’s environmentally friendly into the bargain.\n  VERB: V n, V n prep/adv, V adv\n\n  Clean is also a noun.\nGive the cooker a good clean.\n  N-SING\n\n5. If you clean a room or house, you make the inside of it and the furniture in it free from dirt and dust.\nWith them also lived Mary Burinda, who cooked and cleaned...\nShe got up early and cleaned the flat.\n  VERB: V, V n\n\n=>  clean.ing\nI do the cleaning myself.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n6. If you describe something such as a book, joke, or lifestyle as clean, you think that they are not sexually immoral or offensive.\nThey’re trying to show clean, wholesome, decent movies...\nFlirting is good clean fun...\n  ADJ  approval\n  !=dirty\n7. If someone has a clean reputation or record, they have never done anything illegal or wrong.\nAccusations of tax evasion have tarnished his clean image...\nYou can hire these from most car hire firms, provided you have a clean driving licence.\n  ADJ\n\n8. A clean game or fight is carried out fairly, according to the rules.\nHe called for a clean fight in the election and an end to `negative campaigning’...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = fair  !=dirty\n=>  clean.ly\nThe game had been cleanly fought.\n  ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed\n\n9. A clean sheet of paper has no writing or drawing on it.\nTake a clean sheet of paper and down the left-hand side make a list.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = blank\n10. If you make a clean break or start, you end a situation completely and start again in a different way.\nShe wanted to make a clean break from her mother and father.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n11. Clean is used to emphasize that something was done completely. (INFORMAL)\nIt burned clean through the seat of my overalls...\nI clean forgot everything I had prepared.\n  ADV: usu ADV prep/adv, also ADV before v  emphasis\n\n12. You can describe an action as clean to indicate that it is carried out simply and quickly without mistakes.\nThey were more concerned about the dogs’ welfare than a clean getaway...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=messy\n=>  clean.ly\nI struck the ball cleanly and my shot was on target.\n  ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed\n\n13. If you come clean about something that you have been keeping secret, you admit it or tell people about it. (INFORMAL)\nIt would be better if you come clean about it and let her know what kind of man she is seeing.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR about/on n\n\n14.\nto clean up your act: see act\nto keep your nose clean: see nose\na clean slate: see slate\nto wipe the slate clean: see slate\na clean sweep: see sweep\nclean as a whistle: see whistle


Words: clean out
Meaning:
clean out\n1. If you clean out something such as a cupboard, room, or container, you take everything out of it and clean the inside of it thoroughly.\nMr. Wall asked if I would help him clean out the bins...\nIf you are using the same pan, clean it out.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P\n\n2. If someone cleans you out, they take all the money and valuables you have. If they clean out a place, they take everything of value that is in it. (INFORMAL)\nI’m sure the burglars waited until my insurance claim was through and came back to clean me out again...\nWhen they first captured the port, they virtually cleaned out its warehouses.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron)


Words: clean up
Meaning:
clean up\n1. If you clean up a mess or clean up a place where there is a mess, you make things tidy and free of dirt again.\nPolice in the city have been cleaning up the debris left by a day of violent confrontation...\nNina and Mary were in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V P\n\n2. To clean up something such as the environment or an industrial process means to make it free from substances or processes that cause pollution.\nUnder pressure from the public, many regional governments cleaned up their beaches.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron)\n\n3. If the police or authorities clean up a place or area of activity, they make it free from crime, corruption, and other unacceptable forms of behaviour.\nAfter years of neglect and decline the city was cleaning itself up...\nSince then, the authorities have tried to clean up the sport.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron)\n\n4. If you go and clean up, you make yourself clean and tidy, especially after doing something that has made you dirty.\nJohnny, go inside and get cleaned up...\nI cleaned myself up a bit, and got the baby ready.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V pron-refl P\n\n5. If someone cleans up, they make a large profit or get a lot of money. (INFORMAL)\nIt has cleaned up at the box office.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: clean up after
Meaning:
clean up after\n  If you clean up after someone, you clean or tidy a place that they have made dirty or untidy.\nAt the end, he nursed Lilly and cleaned up after her without minding.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n


Words: clean-cut
Meaning:
clean-cut\n  Someone, especially a boy or man, who is clean-cut has a neat, tidy appearance.\n...his clean-cut good looks.\n  ADJ


Words: clean-up
Meaning:
clean-up  clean-ups\nin AM, use cleanup\n  A clean-up is the removing of dirt, pollution, crime, or corruption from somewhere.\n...the need for a clean-up of Italian institutions...\nThe Governor has now called in the National Guard to assist the cleanup operation.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cleaner
Meaning:
clean.er\n   cleaner  cleaners\n1. A cleaner is someone who is employed to clean the rooms and furniture inside a building.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A cleaner is someone whose job is to clean a particular type of thing.\nHe was a window cleaner.\n  N-COUNT: n N\n\n3. A cleaner is a substance used for cleaning things.\n...oven cleaner.\n...abrasive cleaners.\n  N-MASS: usu n N\n\n4. A cleaner is a device used for cleaning things.\n...an air cleaner.\n  N-COUNT: usu n N\n\n  see also pipe cleaner, vacuum cleaner\n5. A cleaner or a cleaner’s is a shop where things such as clothes are dry-cleaned.\n  N-COUNT: oft the N


Words: cleaning lady
Meaning:
clean.ing lady\n   cleaning lady  cleaning ladies\n  A cleaning lady is a woman who is employed to clean the rooms and furniture inside a building.\n  N-COUNT\n  = cleaner


Words: cleaning woman
Meaning:
clean.ing wom.an\n   cleaning woman  cleaning women\n  A cleaning woman is the same as a cleaning lady.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cleanliness
Meaning:
clean.li.ness\n   cleanliness\n  Cleanliness is the degree to which people keep themselves and their surroundings clean.\nMany of Britain’s beaches fail to meet minimum standards of cleanliness.\n...the importance of personal cleanliness.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cleanse
Meaning:
cleanse  cleanses  cleansing  cleansed\n1. To cleanse a place, person, or organization of something dirty, unpleasant, or evil means to make them free from it.\nStraight after your last cigarette your body will begin to cleanse itself of tobacco toxins...\nConfession cleanses the soul.\n  VERB: V n of n, V n\n\n2. If you cleanse your skin or a wound, you clean it.\nCatherine demonstrated the proper way to cleanse the face.\n...cleansing lotions.\n  VERB: V n, V-ing


Words: cleanser
Meaning:
cleans.er\n   cleanser  cleansers\n1. A cleanser is a liquid or cream that you use for cleaning your skin.\n  N-MASS\n\n2. A cleanser is a liquid or powder that you use in cleaning kitchens and bathrooms. (mainly AM)\n  N-MASS


Words: clear
Meaning:
clear  clearer  clearest  clears  clearing  cleared\n1. Something that is clear is easy to understand, see, or hear.\nThe book is clear, readable and adequately illustrated...\nThe space telescope has taken the clearest pictures ever of Pluto...\nHe repeated his answer, this time in a clear, firm tone of voice.\n  ADJ\n  !=unclear\n=>  clear.ly\nWhales journey up the coast of Africa, clearly visible from the beach...\nIt was important for children to learn to express themselves clearly.\n  ADV: usu ADV -ed/adj, also ADV after v\n\n2. Something that is clear is obvious and impossible to be mistaken about.\nIt was a clear case of homicide...\nThe clear message of the scientific reports is that there should be a drastic cut in car use...\nA spokesman said the British government’s position is perfectly clear...\nIt’s not clear whether the incident was an accident or deliberate.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ that/wh\n  !=unclear\n=>  clear.ly\nClearly, the police cannot break the law in order to enforce it...\n  ADV: ADV with cl/group\n  = obviously\n3. If you are clear about something, you understand it completely.\nIt is important to be clear about what Chomsky is doing here...\nPeople use scientific terms with no clear idea of their meaning.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ about/on n/wh\n\n4. If your mind or your way of thinking is clear, you are able to think sensibly and reasonably, and you are not affected by confusion or by a drug such as alcohol.\nShe needed a clear head to carry out her instructions.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  clear.ly\nThe only time I can think clearly is when I’m alone.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n5. To clear your mind or your head means to free it from confused thoughts or from the effects of a drug such as alcohol.\nHe walked up Fifth Avenue to clear his head...\nOur therapists will show you how to clear your mind of worries.\n  VERB: V n, V n of n\n\n6. A clear substance is one which you can see through and which has no colour, like clean water.\n...a clear glass panel...\nThe water is clear and plenty of fish are visible.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = transparent\n7. If a surface, place, or view is clear, it is free of unwanted objects or obstacles.\nThe runway is clear.go ahead and land...\nCaroline prefers her worktops to be clear of clutter...\nThe windows will allow a clear view of the beach.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n\n8. When you clear an area or place or clear something from it, you remove things from it that you do not want to be there.\nTo clear the land and harvest the bananas they decided they needed a male workforce...\nWorkers could not clear the tunnels of smoke...\nFiremen were still clearing rubble from apartments damaged at the scene of the attack.\n  VERB: V n, V n of n, V n from/off n\n\n9. If something or someone clears the way or the path for something to happen, they make it possible.\nThe Prime Minister resigned today, clearing the way for the formation of a new government...\n  VERB: V n for n\n\n10. If it is a clear day or if the sky is clear, there is no mist, rain, or cloud.\nOn a clear day you can see the French coast...\nThe winter sky was clear.\n  ADJ\n\n11. When fog or mist clears, it gradually disappears.\nThe early morning mist had cleared.\n  VERB: V\n\n12. Clear eyes look healthy, attractive, and shining.\n...clear blue eyes...\nHer eyes were clear and steady.\n  ADJ\n\n13. If your skin is clear, it is healthy and free from spots.\n  ADJ\n\n14. If you say that your conscience is clear, you mean you do not think you have done anything wrong.\nMr Garcia said his conscience was clear over the jail incidents...\n  ADJ\n\n15. If something or someone is clear of something else, it is not touching it or is a safe distance away from it.\nAs soon as he was clear of the terminal building he looked round...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ of n, v n ADJ\n\n16. If an animal or person clears an object or clears a certain height, they jump over the object, or over something that height, without touching it.\nSotomayor, the Cuban holder of the world high jump record, cleared 2.36 metres.\n(next)


Words: clear .1
Meaning:
VERB: V n\n\n17. When a bank clears a cheque or when a cheque clears, the bank agrees to pay the sum of money mentioned on it.\nPolish banks can still take two or three weeks to clear a cheque...\nAllow time for the cheque to clear.\n  VERB: V n, V\n\n18. If a course of action is cleared, people in authority give permission for it to happen.\nLinda Gradstein has this report from Jerusalem, which was cleared by an Israeli censor...\nWithin an hour, the helicopter was cleared for take-off...\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed, be V-ed for n\n\n19. If someone is cleared, they are proved to be not guilty of a crime or mistake.\nShe was cleared of murder and jailed for just five years for manslaughter...\nIn a final effort to clear her name, Eunice has written a book.\n  VERB: be V-ed of n/-ing, V n\n\n20.\n  see also clearing, crystal clear\n21. You can say `Is that clear?’ or `Do I make myself clear?’ after you have told someone your wishes or instructions, to make sure that they have understood you, and to emphasize your authority.\nWe’re only going for half an hour, and you’re not going to buy anything. Is that clear?\n  CONVENTION\n\n22. If someone is in the clear, they are not in danger, or are not blamed or suspected of anything.\nThe Audit Commission said that the ministry was in the clear.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v\n\n23. If you make something clear, you say something in a way that makes it impossible for there to be any doubt about your meaning, wishes, or intentions.\nMr O’Friel made it clear that further insults of this kind would not be tolerated...\nThe far-right has now made its intentions clear.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR that\n\n24. If something or someone is a certain amount clear of a competitor, they are that amount ahead of them in a competition or race. (BRIT)\nKeegan’s team are now seven points clear of West Ham...\nHe crossed the line three seconds clear of Tom Snape.\n  PREP-PHRASE: amount PREP n\n\n25. If you steer clear or stay clear of someone or something, you avoid them.\nThe rabbis try to steer clear of political questions.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR of n\n\n26.\nto clear the air: see air\nthe coast is clear: see coast\nto clear the decks: see deck\nloud and clear: see loud\nto clear your throat: see throat


Words: clear away
Meaning:
clear away\n  When you clear things away or clear away, you put away the things that you have been using, especially for eating or cooking.\nThe waitress had cleared away the plates and brought coffee...\nTania cooked, served, and cleared away.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V P, also V n P


Words: clear off
Meaning:
clear off\n  If you tell someone to clear off, you are telling them rather rudely to go away. (INFORMAL)\nThe boys told me to clear off.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: clear out
Meaning:
clear out\n1. If you tell someone to clear out of a place or to clear out, you are telling them rather rudely to leave the place. (INFORMAL)\nShe turned to the others in the room. `The rest of you clear out of here.’...\n`Clear out!’ he bawled. `Private property!’\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P of n, V P  disapproval\n  = get out\n2. If you clear out a container, room, or house, you tidy it and throw away the things in it that you no longer want.\nI took the precaution of clearing out my desk before I left.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P\n\n  see also clear-out


Words: clear up
Meaning:
clear up\n1. When you clear up or clear a place up, you tidy things and put them away.\nAfter breakfast they played while I cleared up...\nI cleared up my room.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P n (not pron), also V n P\n\n2. To clear up a problem, misunderstanding, or mystery means to settle it or find a satisfactory explanation for it.\nDuring dinner the confusion was cleared up: they had mistaken me for Kenny.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P\n  = sort out\n  see also clear-up\n3. To clear up a medical problem, infection, or disease means to cure it or get rid of it. If a medical problem clears up, it goes away.\nAntibiotics should be used to clear up the infection...\nAcne often clears up after the first three months of pregnancy.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V P, also V n P\n\n4. When the weather clears up, it stops raining or being cloudy.\nIt all depends on the weather clearing up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: clear-cut
Meaning:
clear-cut\n  Something that is clear-cut is easy to recognize and quite distinct.\nThis was a clear-cut case of the original land owner being in the right...\nThe issue is not so clear cut.\n  ADJ


Words: clear-headed
Meaning:
clear-headed\n  If you describe someone as clear-headed, you mean that they are sensible and think clearly, especially in difficult situations.\n...his clear-headed grasp of the laws of economics.\n  ADJ  approval


Words: clear-out
Meaning:
clear-out  clear-outs\n  When you have a clear-out, you collect together all the things that you do not want and throw them away. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: clear-sighted
Meaning:
clear-sighted\n  If you describe someone as clear-sighted, you admire them because they are able to understand situations well and to make sensible judgments and decisions about them.\nTry to keep a clear-sighted view of your objective.\n  ADJ  approval


Words: clear-up
Meaning:
clear-up\n  The clear-up rate for a crime or in an area is the percentage of criminals caught by the police, compared to the total number of crimes reported. (BRIT)\nThe clear-up rate for murders remains high...\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: clearance
Meaning:
clear.ance\n   clearance  clearances\n1. Clearance is the removal of old buildings, trees, or other things that are not wanted from an area.\n...a slum clearance operation in Nairobi...\nThe UN pledged to help supervise the clearance of mines.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If you get clearance to do or have something, you get official approval or permission to do or have it.\nThai Airways said the plane had been given clearance to land...\n  N-VAR\n  = authorization\n3. The clearance of a bridge is the distance between the lowest point of the bridge and the road or the water under the bridge.\nThe lowest fixed bridge has 12.8m clearance.\n  N-VAR


Words: clearance sale
Meaning:
clear.ance sale\n   clearance sale  clearance sales\n  A clearance sale is a sale in which the goods in a shop are sold at reduced prices, because the shopkeeper wants to get rid of them quickly or because the shop is closing down.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clearing
Meaning:
clear.ing\n   clearing  clearings\n  A clearing is a small area in a forest where there are no trees or bushes.\nA helicopter landed in a clearing in the dense jungle.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clearing bank
Meaning:
clear.ing bank\n   clearing bank  clearing banks\n  The clearing banks are the main banks in Britain. Clearing banks use the central clearing house in London to deal with other banks. (BUSINESS)\n  N-COUNT


Words: clearing house
Meaning:
clear.ing house\n   clearing house  clearing houses   also clearing-house\n1. If an organization acts as a clearing house, it collects, sorts, and distributes specialized information.\nThe centre will act as a clearing house for research projects for former nuclear scientists.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A clearing house is a central bank which deals with all the business between the banks that use its services. (BUSINESS)\n  N-COUNT


Words: cleat
Meaning:
cleat  cleats\n  A cleat is a kind of hook with two ends which is used to hold ropes, especially on sailing boats.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cleavage
Meaning:
cleav.age\n   cleavage  cleavages\n  A woman’s cleavage is the space between her breasts, especially the top part which you see if she is wearing a dress with a low neck.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cleave
Meaning:
cleave  cleaves  cleaving\n\n  The past tense can be either cleaved or clove; the past participle can be cleaved, cloven, or cleft for meaning 1, and is cleaved for meaning 2.\n\n1. To cleave something means to split or divide it into two separate parts, often violently. (LITERARY)\nThey just cleave the stone along the cracks.\n  VERB: V n\n  = split\n2. If someone cleaves to something or to someone else, they begin or continue to have strong feelings of loyalty towards them. (FORMAL)\nShe has cleaved to these principles all her life...\n  VERB: V to n


Words: cleaver
Meaning:
cleav.er\n   cleaver  cleavers\n  A cleaver is a knife with a large square blade, used for chopping meat or vegetables.\n...a meat cleaver.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clef
Meaning:
clef  clefs\n  A clef is a symbol at the beginning of a line of music that indicates the pitch of the written notes.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cleft
Meaning:
cleft  clefts\n1. A cleft in a rock or in the ground is a narrow opening in it.\n...a narrow cleft in the rocks too small for humans to enter.\n  N-COUNT\n  = fissure\n2. A cleft in someone’s chin is a line down the middle of it.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If someone has a cleft chin, they have a cleft in their chin.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: cleft palate
Meaning:
cleft pal.ate\n   cleft palate  cleft palates\n  If someone has a cleft palate, they were born with a narrow opening along the roof of their mouth which makes it difficult for them to speak properly.\n  N-VAR


Words: clematis
Meaning:
clema.tis\n   clematis  clematises  or clematis\n  A clematis is a type of flowering shrub which can be grown to climb up walls or fences. There are many different varieties of clematis.\n  N-VAR


Words: clemency
Meaning:
clem.en.cy\n   clemency\n  If someone is granted clemency, they are punished less severely than they could be. (FORMAL)\nSeventeen prisoners held on death row are to be executed after their pleas for clemency were turned down.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: clement
Meaning:
clem.ent\n   clement\n  Clement weather is pleasantly mild and dry. (FORMAL)\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=inclement


Words: clementine
Meaning:
clem.en.tine\n   clementine  clementines\n  A clementine is a fruit that looks like a small orange.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clench
Meaning:
clench  clenches  clenching  clenched\n1. When you clench your fist or your fist clenches, you curl your fingers up tightly, usually because you are very angry.\nAlex clenched her fists and gritted her teeth...\nShe pulled at his sleeve and he turned on her, fists clenching again before he saw who it was.\n...angry protestors with clenched fists.\n  VERB: V n, V, V-ed\n\n2. When you clench your teeth or they clench, you squeeze your teeth together firmly, usually because you are angry or upset.\nPatsy had to clench her jaw to suppress her anger...\nSlowly, he released his breath through clenched teeth.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed, also V\n  = grit\n3. If you clench something in your hand or in your teeth, you hold it tightly with your hand or your teeth.\nI clenched the arms of my chair.\n  VERB: V n\n  = grip


Words: clergy
Meaning:
cler.gy\n   clergy\n  The clergy are the official leaders of the religious activities of a particular group of believers.\nThese proposals met opposition from the clergy.\n  N-PLURAL: oft the N


Words: cleric
Meaning:
cler.ic\n   cleric  clerics\n  A cleric is a member of the clergy.\nHis grandfather was a Muslim cleric.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clerical
Meaning:
cleri.cal\n   clerical\n1. Clerical jobs, skills, and workers are concerned with work that is done in an office.\n...a strike by clerical staff in all government departments...\nThe hospital blamed the mix-up on a clerical error.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = administrative\n2. Clerical means relating to the clergy.\n...Iran’s clerical leadership.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: clerk
Meaning:
clerk  clerks  clerking  clerked\n1. A clerk is a person who works in an office, bank, or law court and whose job is to look after the records or accounts.\nShe was offered a job as an accounts clerk with a travel firm.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In a hotel, office, or hospital, a clerk is the person whose job is to answer the telephone and deal with people when they arrive. (mainly AM)\n...a hotel clerk.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. A clerk is someone who works in a store. (AM)\n  N-COUNT\n  = sales clerk\n4. To clerk means to work as a clerk. (mainly AM)\nGene clerked at the auction...\n  VERB: V


Words: clever
Meaning:
clev.er\n   clever  cleverer  cleverest\n1. Someone who is clever is intelligent and able to understand things easily or plan things well.\nHe’s a very clever man...\nMy sister was always a lot cleverer than I was...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  clev.er.ly\nShe would cleverly pick up on what I said.\n  ADV\n\n=>  clev.er.ness\nHer cleverness seems to get in the way of her emotions.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A clever idea, book, or invention is extremely effective and shows the skill of the people involved.\n...a clever and gripping novel.\n...this clever new gadget.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = ingenious\n=>  clev.er.ly\n...a cleverly designed swimsuit.\n  ADV: ADV -ed


Words: cliche
Meaning:
cli.che\n   cliche  cliches\nin BRIT, also use cliche\n  A cliche is an idea or phrase which has been used so much that it is no longer interesting or effective or no longer has much meaning.\nI’ve learned that the cliche about life not being fair is true...\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: cliched
Meaning:
cli.ched\n   cliched\nin BRIT, also use cliched\n  If you describe something as cliched, you mean that it has been said, done, or used many times before, and is boring or untrue.\nThe dialogue and acting in Indecent Proposal are tired, cliched and corny.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: click
Meaning:
click  clicks  clicking  clicked\n1. If something clicks or if you click it, it makes a short, sharp sound.\nThe applause rose to a crescendo and cameras clicked...\nHe clicked off the radio...\nBlake clicked his fingers at a passing waiter, who hurried across to them.\n  VERB: V, V n with off/on, V n\n\n  Click is also a noun.\nThe telephone rang three times before I heard a click and then her recorded voice.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you click on an area of a computer screen, you point the cursor at that area and press one of the buttons on the mouse in order to make something happen. (COMPUTING)\nI clicked on a link and recent reviews of the production came up.\n  VERB: no passive, V on n, also V, V n\n\n  Click is also a noun.\nYou can check your email with a click of your mouse.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n\n3. When you suddenly understand something, you can say that it clicks. (INFORMAL)\nWhen I saw the television report, it all clicked...\nIt suddenly clicked that this was fantastic fun.\n  VERB: V, it V that\n\n4.\nto click into place: see place


Words: clickable
Meaning:
click.able\n\n  A clickable image on a computer screen is one that you can point the cursor at and click on, in order to make something happen. (COMPUTING)\n...a Web site with clickable maps showing hotel locations.\n  ADJ


Words: client
Meaning:
cli.ent\n   client  clients\n  A client of a professional person or organization is a person or company that receives a service from them in return for payment. (BUSINESS)\n...a solicitor and his client...\nThe company required clients to pay substantial fees in advance.\n  N-COUNT


Words: client base
Meaning:
cli.ent base\n   client base client bases\n  A business’s client base is the same as its customer base. (BUSINESS)\nEnviros Consulting has a client base of more than 2,000 organisations worldwide.\n  N-COUNT


Words: client state
Meaning:
cli.ent state\n   client state  client states\n  A client state is a country which is controlled or influenced by another larger and more powerful state, or which depends on this state for support and protection.\n...France and its African client states.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clientele
Meaning:
cli.en.tele\n   clientele\n  The clientele of a place or organization are its customers or clients.\nThis pub had a mixed clientele...\n  N-SING-COLL


Words: cliff
Meaning:
cliff  cliffs\n  A cliff is a high area of land with a very steep side, especially one next to the sea.\nThe car rolled over the edge of a cliff.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cliffhanger
Meaning:
cliff.hanger\n   cliffhanger cliffhangers  also cliff-hanger\n  A cliffhanger is a situation or part of a play or film that is very exciting or frightening because you are left for a long time not knowing what will happen next.\nThe election is likely to be a cliff-hanger.\n...cliffhanger endings to keep you in suspense.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clifftop
Meaning:
cliff.top\n   clifftop  clifftops\n  A clifftop is the area of land around the top of a cliff.\n...a house on the clifftop.\n...25 acres of spectacular clifftop scenery.\n  N-COUNT


Words: climactic
Meaning:
cli.mac.tic\n   climactic\n  A climactic moment in a story or a series of events is one in which a very exciting or important event occurs. (FORMAL)\n...the film’s climactic scene.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: climate
Meaning:
cli.mate\n   climate  climates\n1. The climate of a place is the general weather conditions that are typical of it.\n...the hot and humid climate of Cyprus.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. You can use climate to refer to the general atmosphere or situation somewhere.\nThe economic climate remains uncertain.\n...the existing climate of violence and intimidation...\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp


Words: climatic
Meaning:
cli.mat.ic\n   climatic\n  Climatic conditions, changes, and effects relate to the general weather conditions of a place.\n...the threat of rising sea levels and climatic change from overheating of the atmosphere.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: climatologist
Meaning:
cli.ma.tolo.gist\n   climatologist  climatologists\n  A climatologist is someone who studies climates.\n  N-COUNT


Words: climax
Meaning:
cli.max\n   climax  climaxes  climaxing  climaxed\n1. The climax of something is the most exciting or important moment in it, usually near the end.\nFor Pritchard, reaching an Olympics was the climax of her career...\nIt was the climax to 24 hours of growing anxiety...\nThe last golf tournament of the European season is building up to a dramatic climax.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of/to n\n\n2. The event that climaxes a sequence of events is an exciting or important event that comes at the end. You can also say that a sequence of events climaxes with a particular event. (JOURNALISM)\nThe demonstration climaxed two weeks of strikes...\nThey’ve just finished a sell-out UK tour that climaxed with a three-night stint at Brixton Academy.\n  VERB: V n, V with n\n\n3. A climax is an orgasm.\n  N-VAR\n\n4. When someone climaxes, they have an orgasm.\nOften, a man can enjoy making love but may not be sufficiently aroused to climax.\n  VERB: V


Words: climb
Meaning:
climb  climbs  climbing  climbed\n1. If you climb something such as a tree, mountain, or ladder, or climb up it, you move towards the top of it. If you climb down it, you move towards the bottom of it.\nHe picked up his suitcase and climbed the stairs...\nI told her about him climbing up the drainpipe...\nKelly climbed down the ladder into the water...\nChildren love to climb.\n  VERB: V n, V up n, V down n, V, also V up/down\n\n  Climb is also a noun.\n...an hour’s leisurely climb through olive groves and vineyards.\n  N-COUNT: oft N prep\n\n2. If you climb somewhere, you move there carefully, for example because you are moving into a small space or trying to avoid falling.\nThe girls hurried outside, climbed into the car, and drove off...\nHe must have climbed out of his cot...\n  VERB: V prep/adv, V prep/adv\n\n3. When something such as an aeroplane climbs, it moves upwards to a higher position. When the sun climbs, it moves higher in the sky.\nThe plane took off for LA, lost an engine as it climbed, and crashed just off the runway.\n  VERB: V, also V prep\n  = rise\n4. When something climbs, it increases in value or amount.\nThe nation’s unemployment rate has been climbing steadily since last June...\nPrices have climbed by 21% since the beginning of the year...\nThe FA Cup Final’s audience climbed to 12.3 million...\nJaguar shares climbed 43 pence to 510 pence.\n  VERB: V, V by amount, V to/from amount, V amount\n\n5.\na mountain to climb: see mountain\n  see also climbing


Words: climb down
Meaning:
climb down\n  If you climb down in an argument or dispute, you admit that you are wrong, or change your intentions or demands.\nIf Lafontaine is forced to climb down, he may wish to reconsider his position...\nHe has climbed down on pledges to reduce capital gains tax.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P on/over n\n  = back down


Words: climb-down
Meaning:
climb-down  climb-downs   also climbdown\n  A climb-down in an argument or dispute is the act of admitting that you are wrong or of changing your intentions or demands.\nIn an embarrassing climb-down, the Home Secretary lifted the deportation threat.\n  N-COUNT


Words: climber
Meaning:
climb.er\n   climber  climbers\n1. A climber is someone who climbs rocks or mountains as a sport or a hobby.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A climber is a plant that grows upwards by attaching itself to other plants or objects.\n  N-COUNT


Words: climbing
Meaning:
climb.ing\n   climbing\n  Climbing is the activity of climbing rocks or mountains.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  see also climb, rock climbing, social climbing


Words: climbing frame
Meaning:
climb.ing frame\n   climbing frame  climbing frames\n  A climbing frame is a structure that has been made for children to climb and play on. It consists of metal or wooden bars joined together. (BRIT; in AM, use jungle gym)\n  N-COUNT


Words: clime
Meaning:
clime  climes\n  You use clime in expressions such as warmer climes and foreign climes to refer to a place that has a particular kind of climate. (LITERARY)\nHe left Britain for the sunnier climes of Southern France...\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, usu adj N


Words: clinch
Meaning:
clinch  clinches  clinching  clinched\n1. If you clinch something you are trying to achieve, such as a business deal or victory in a contest, you succeed in obtaining it.\nHibernian clinched the First Division title when they beat Hamilton 2-0...\nThis has fuelled speculation that he is about to clinch a deal with an American engine manufacturer.\n  VERB: V n, V n with n\n  = secure\n2. The thing that clinches an uncertain matter settles it or provides a definite answer.\nEvidently this information clinched the matter...\nThat was the clue which clinched it for us.\n  VERB: V n, V it


Words: clincher
Meaning:
clinch.er\n   clincher  clinchers\n  A clincher is a fact or argument that finally proves something, settles a dispute, or helps someone achieve a victory. (INFORMAL)\nDNA fingerprinting has proved the clincher in this investigation...\nThe clincher was City’s second goal, scored minutes from the end.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cling
Meaning:
cling  clings  clinging  clung\n1. If you cling to someone or something, you hold onto them tightly.\nAnother man was rescued as he clung to the riverbank...\nThey hugged each other, clinging together under the lights.\n  VERB: V to/onto n, V together\n\n2. If someone clings to a position or a possession they have, they do everything they can to keep it even though this may be very difficult.\nHe appears determined to cling to power...\nAnother minister clung on with a majority of only 18...\nJapan’s productivity has overtaken America in some industries, but elsewhere the United States has clung on to its lead.\n  VERB: V to/onto n, V on, V on to n


Words: clingfilm
Meaning:
cling.film\n   clingfilm   also cling film\n  Clingfilm is a thin, clear, stretchy plastic that you use to cover food in order to keep it fresh. (BRIT; in AM, use plastic wrap, Saran wrap)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: clingy
Meaning:
clingy\n1. If you describe someone as clingy, you mean that they become very attached to people and depend on them too much.\nA very clingy child can drive a parent to distraction.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = clinging\n2. Clingy clothes fit tightly round your body.\n...long clingy skirts.\n  ADJ\n  = clinging


Words: clinic
Meaning:
clin.ic\n   clinic  clinics\n  A clinic is a building where people go to receive medical advice or treatment.\n...a family planning clinic.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clinical
Meaning:
clini.cal\n   clinical\n1. Clinical means involving or relating to the direct medical treatment or testing of patients. (MEDICAL)\nThe first clinical trials were expected to begin next year.\n...a clinical psychologist.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  clini.cal.ly\nIt has been clinically proved that it is better to stretch the tight muscles first.\n  ADV: usu ADV adj/-ed\n\n2. You use clinical to describe thought or behaviour which is very logical and does not involve any emotion.\nAll this questioning is so analytical and clinical.it kills romance.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = impersonal


Words: clinical trial
Meaning:
clini.cal tri.al\n   clinical trial  clinical trials\n  When a new type of drug or medical treatment undergoes clinical trials, it is tested directly on patients to see if it is effective.\nTwo rival laser surgery systems are undergoing clinical trials in the US.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clinician
Meaning:
cli.ni.cian\n   clinician  clinicians\n  A clinician is a doctor who specializes in clinical work.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clink
Meaning:
clink  clinks  clinking  clinked\n  If objects made of glass, pottery, or metal clink or if you clink them, they touch each other and make a short, light sound.\nShe clinked her glass against his...\nThey clinked glasses...\nThe empty whisky bottle clinked against the seat...\nTheir glasses clinked, their eyes met.\n  V-RECIP: V n against/with n, V pl-n, V against n, pl-n V\n\n  Clink is also a noun.\n...the clink of a spoon in a cup.\n  N-COUNT; SOUND


Words: clip
Meaning:
clip  clips  clipping  clipped\n1. A clip is a small device, usually made of metal or plastic, that is specially shaped for holding things together.\nShe took the clip out of her hair.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. When you clip things together or when things clip together, you fasten them together using a clip or clips.\nHe clipped his safety belt to a fitting on the deck...\nHe clipped his cufflinks neatly in place.\n...an electronic pen which clips to the casing...\nHis flashlight was still clipped to his belt.\n  VERB: V n to/on n, V n prep/adv, V to n, V-ed\n\n3. A clip from a film or a radio or television programme is a short piece of it that is broadcast separately.\n...a clip from the movie `Shane’.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N, N from/of n\n\n4. If you clip something, you cut small pieces from it, especially in order to shape it.\nI saw an old man out clipping his hedge...\n  VERB: V n\n\n5. If you clip something out of a newspaper or magazine, you cut it out.\nKids in his neighborhood clipped his picture from the newspaper and carried it around.\n  VERB: V n from/out of n\n\n6. If something clips something else, it hits it accidentally at an angle before moving off in a different direction.\nThe lorry clipped the rear of a tanker and then crashed into a second truck.\n  VERB: V n\n\n7.\n  see also clipping, clipped, bulldog clip, paper clip


Words: clip-on
Meaning:
clip-on\n  A clip-on object is designed to be fastened to something by means of a clip.\n...a clip-on tie.\n...a clip-on light.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: clipboard
Meaning:
clip.board\n   clipboard  clipboards\n1. A clipboard is a board with a clip at the top. It is used to hold together pieces of paper that you need to carry around, and provides a firm base for writing.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In computing, a clipboard is a file where you can temporarily store text or images from one document until you are ready to use them again. (COMPUTING)\n  N-COUNT


Words: clipped
Meaning:
clipped\n1. Clipped means neatly cut.\n...a quiet street of clipped hedges and flowering gardens.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If you say that someone has a clipped way of speaking, you mean they speak with quick, short sounds, and usually that they sound upper-class.\nThe Chief Constable’s clipped tones crackled over the telephone line.\n  ADJ


Words: clipper
Meaning:
clip.per\n   clipper  clippers\n  Clippers are a tool used for cutting small amounts from something, especially from someone’s hair or nails.\n  N-PLURAL: also a pair of N


Words: clipping
Meaning:
clip.ping\n   clipping  clippings\n1. A clipping is an article, picture, or advertisement that has been cut from a newspaper or magazine.\n...bulletin boards crowded with newspaper clippings.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N\n  = cutting\n2. Clippings are small pieces of something that have been cut from something larger.\nHaving mown the lawn, there are all those grass clippings to get rid of.\n...nail clippings.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, oft n N


Words: clique
Meaning:
clique  cliques\n  If you describe a group of people as a clique, you mean that they spend a lot of time together and seem unfriendly towards people who are not in the group.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: cliquey
Meaning:
cli.quey\n   cliquey\nin AM, usually use cliquish\n  If you describe a group of people or their behaviour as cliquey, you mean they spend their time only with other members of the group and seem unfriendly towards people who are not in the group.\n...cliquey gossip.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: clitoral
Meaning:
clito.ral\n   clitoral\n  Clitoral means concerned with or relating to the clitoris.\n...clitoral stimulation.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: clitoris
Meaning:
clito.ris\n   clitoris  clitorises\n  The clitoris is a part at the front of a woman’s sexual organs where she can feel sexual pleasure.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cloak
Meaning:
cloak  cloaks  cloaking  cloaked\n1. A cloak is a long, loose, sleeveless piece of clothing which people used to wear over their other clothes when they went out.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A cloak of something such as mist or snow completely covers and hides something.\nToday most of England will be under a cloak of thick mist.\n  N-SING: N of n\n  = blanket\n3. If you refer to something as a cloak, you mean that it is intended to hide the truth about something.\nPreparations for the wedding were made under a cloak of secrecy...\n  N-SING: N of/for n\n\n4. To cloak something means to cover it or hide it. (WRITTEN)\n...the decision to cloak major tourist attractions in unsightly hoardings...\nThe beautiful sweeping coastline was cloaked in mist.\n  VERB: V n in n, V-ed


Words: cloak-and-dagger
Meaning:
cloak-and-dagger   also cloak and dagger\n  A cloak-and-dagger activity is one which involves mystery and secrecy.\nShe was released from prison in a cloak and dagger operation yesterday...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: cloakroom
Meaning:
cloak.room\n   cloakroom  cloakrooms\n1. In a public building, the cloakroom is the place where people can leave their coats, umbrellas, and so on.\n...a cloakroom attendant.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A cloakroom is a room containing toilets in a public building or a room containing a toilet on the ground floor of someone’s house. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: clobber
Meaning:
clob.ber\n   clobber  clobbers  clobbering  clobbered\n1. You can refer to someone’s possessions, especially their clothes, as their clobber. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you clobber someone, you hit them. (INFORMAL)\nHillary clobbered him with a vase.\n  VERB: V n


Words: cloche
Meaning:
cloche  cloches\n  A cloche is a long, low cover made of glass or clear plastic that is put over young plants to protect them from the cold.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clock
Meaning:
clock  clocks  clocking  clocked\n1. A clock is an instrument, for example in a room or on the outside of a building, that shows what time of day it is.\nHe was conscious of a clock ticking...\nHe also repairs clocks and watches...\n...a digital clock.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A time clock in a factory or office is a device that is used to record the hours that people work. Each worker puts a special card into the device when they arrive and leave, and the times are recorded on the card.\nGovernment workers were made to punch time clocks morning, noon and night.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N\n\n3. In a car, the clock is the instrument that shows the speed of the car or the distance it has travelled. (mainly BRIT)\nThe car had 160,000 miles on the clock...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, the N\n\n4. To clock a particular time or speed in a race means to reach that time or speed.\nElliott clocked the fastest time this year for the 800 metres...\n  VERB: V n\n\n5. If something or someone is clocked at a particular time or speed, their time or speed is measured at that level.\nHe has been clocked at 11 seconds for 100 metres...\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed at amount\n\n6.\n  see also alarm clock, biological clock, body clock, cuckoo clock, grandfather clock, o’clock\n7. If you are doing something against the clock, you are doing it in a great hurry, because there is very little time.\nThe emergency services were working against the clock as the tide began to rise...\nIt’s now become a race against the clock.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v, n PHR\n\n8. If something is done round the clock or around the clock, it is done all day and all night without stopping.\nRescue services have been working round the clock to free stranded motorists...\n  PHRASE: PHR with v, PHR n\n\n9. If you want to turn the clock back or put the clock back, you want to return to a situation that used to exist, usually because the present situation is unpleasant.\nIn some ways we wish we could turn the clock back...\nWe cannot put back the clock.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: clock in
Meaning:
clock in\n  When you clock in at work, you arrive there or put a special card into a device to show what time you arrived.\nI have to clock in by eight.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  !=clock off


Words: clock off
Meaning:
clock off\n  When you clock off at work, you leave work or put a special card into a device to show what time you left.\nThe Night Duty Officer was ready to clock off...\nThey clocked off duty and left at ten to three.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P n\n  !=clock in


Words: clock on
Meaning:
clock on\n  When workers clock on at a factory or office, they put a special card into a device to show what time they arrived.\nThey arrived to clock on and found the factory gates locked.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  = clock in


Words: clock out
Meaning:
clock out\n  Clock out means the same as clock off.\nShe had clocked out of her bank at 5.02pm using her plastic card.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P of n, also V P


Words: clock tower
Meaning:
clock tow.er\n   clock tower  clock towers\n  A clock tower is a tall, narrow building with a clock at the top.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clock up
Meaning:
clock up\n  If you clock up a large number or total of things, you reach that number or total.\nIn two years, he clocked up over 100 victories...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron)\n  = notch up


Words: clockwise
Meaning:
clock.wise\n   clockwise\n  When something is moving clockwise, it is moving in a circle in the same direction as the hands on a clock.\nHe told the children to start moving clockwise around the room.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n  !=anti-clockwise, counterclockwise\n  Clockwise is also an adjective.\nGently swing your right arm in a clockwise direction.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: clockwork
Meaning:
clock.work\n   clockwork\n1. A clockwork toy or device has machinery inside it which makes it move or operate when it is wound up with a key.\n...a clockwork train-set.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. If you say that something happens like clockwork, you mean that it happens without any problems or delays, or happens regularly.\nThe Queen’s holiday is arranged to go like clockwork, everything pre-planned to the minute...\n  PHRASE: PHR after v


Words: clog
Meaning:
clog  clogs  clogging  clogged\n1. When something clogs a hole or place, it blocks it so that nothing can pass through.\nDirt clogs the pores, causing spots...\nThe traffic clogged the Thames bridges.\n  VERB: V n, V n\n  = block\n2. Clogs are heavy leather or wooden shoes with thick wooden soles.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: clog up
Meaning:
clog up\n  When something clogs up a place, or when it clogs up, it becomes blocked so that little or nothing can pass through.\n22,000 tourists were clogging up the pavements...\nThe result is that the lungs clog up with a thick mucus.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V P


Words: cloister
Meaning:
clois.ter\n   cloister  cloisters\n  A cloister is a covered area round a square in a monastery or a cathedral.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cloistered
Meaning:
clois.tered\n   cloistered\n  If you have a cloistered way of life, you live quietly and are not involved in the normal busy life of the world around you.\n...the cloistered world of royalty.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = sheltered


Words: clone
Meaning:
clone  clones  cloning  cloned\n1. If someone or something is a clone of another person or thing, they are so similar to this person or thing that they seem to be exactly the same as them.\nDesigners are mistaken if they believe we all want to be supermodel clones.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n2. A clone is an animal or plant that has been produced artificially, for example in a laboratory, from the cells of another animal or plant. A clone is exactly the same as the original animal or plant.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. To clone an animal or plant means to produce it as a clone.\nThe idea of cloning extinct life forms still belongs to science fiction.\n  VERB: V n


Words: Close
Meaning:
USED AS A ROAD NAME\n   Close Closes\n  Close is used in the names of some streets in Britain.\n...116 Dendridge Close.\n  N-IN-NAMES: n N


Words: close
Meaning:
NEARNESS; ADJECTIVE USES\n   close  closer  closest\n\nPlease look at category 18 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.\n1. If one thing or person is close to another, there is only a very small distance between them.\nHer lips were close to his head and her breath tickled his ear...\nThe man moved closer, lowering his voice...\nThe tables were pushed close together so diners could talk across the aisles.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, ADJ after v, oft ADJ prep/adv\n  = near\n=>  close.ly\nWherever they went they were closely followed by security men.\n  ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed\n\n2. You say that people are close to each other when they like each other very much and know each other very well.\nShe and Linda became very close...\nAs a little girl, Karan was closest to her sister Gail...\nI shared a house with a close friend from school...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ to n\n\n=>  close.ness\nI asked whether her closeness to her mother ever posed any problems.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. Your close relatives are the members of your family who are most directly related to you, for example your parents and your brothers or sisters.\n...large changes such as the birth of a child or death of a close relative.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=distant\n4. A close ally or partner of someone knows them well and is very involved in their work.\nHe was once regarded as one of Mr Brown’s closest political advisers...\nA senior source close to Mr Blair told us: `Our position has not changed.’\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n, also v-link ADJ to n\n\n5. Close contact or co-operation involves seeing or communicating with someone often.\nBoth nations are seeking closer links with the West...\nHe lived alone, keeping close contact with his three grown-up sons.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  close.ly\nWe work closely with the careers officers in schools.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n6. If there is a close connection or resemblance between two things, they are strongly connected or are very similar.\nThere is a close connection between pain and tension...\nClare’s close resemblance to his elder sister invoked a deep dislike in him.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = strong\n=>  close.ly\n...a pattern closely resembling a cross.\n...fruits closely related to the orange.\n  ADV: ADV before v, ADV -ed\n\n7. Close inspection or observation of something is careful and thorough.\nHe discovered, on closer inspection, that the rocks contained gold...\nLet’s have a closer look.\n  ADJ\n  = thorough\n=>  close.ly\nIf you look closely at many of the problems in society, you’ll see evidence of racial discrimination.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n8. A close competition or election is won or seems likely to be won by only a small amount.\nIt is still a close contest between two leading opposition parties...\nIt’s going to be very close.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  close.ly\nThis will be a closely fought race.\n  ADV: usu ADV -ed\n\n9. If you are close to something or if it is close, it is likely to happen or come soon. If you are close to doing something, you are likely to do it soon.\nShe sounded close to tears...\nA senior White House official said the agreement is close...\nHe’s close to signing a contract.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ to n/-ing\n  = near\n10. If something is close or comes close to something else, it almost is, does, or experiences that thing.\nAn airliner came close to disaster while approaching Heathrow Airport...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ to n\n  = near\n11. If the atmosphere somewhere is close, it is unpleasantly warm with not enough air.\n  ADJ\n\n12. Something that is close by or close at hand is near to you.\nDid a new hairdressing shop open close by?...\nHis wife remains behind in Germany, but Jason, his 18-year-old son, is closer at hand.\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR, PHR after v\n  = nearby\n13. If you describe an event as a close shave, a close thing, or a close call, you mean that an accident or a disaster very nearly happened.\nYou had a close shave, but you knew when you accepted this job that there would be risks.\n  PHRASE\n\n(next)\n\nNEARNESS; VERB USES\n   close  closes  closing  closed\n  If you are closing on someone or something that you are following, you are getting nearer and nearer to them.\nI was within 15 seconds of the guy in second place and closing on him.\n  VERB: V on n\n\nSHUTTING OR COMPLETING\n   close  closes  closing  closed\n\nPlease look at category 12 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.\n1. When you close something such as a door or lid or when it closes, it moves so that a hole, gap, or opening is covered.\nIf you are cold, close the window...\nZacharias heard the door close...\nKeep the curtains closed.\n  VERB: V n, V, V-ed\n  = shut  !=open\n2. When you close something such as an open book or umbrella, you move the different parts of it together.\nSlowly he closed the book.\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. If you close something such as a computer file or window, you give the computer an instruction to remove it from the screen. (COMPUTING)\nTo close your document, press CTRL+W on your keyboard.\n  VERB: V n\n\n4. When you close your eyes or your eyes close, your eyelids move downwards, so that you can no longer see.\nBess closed her eyes and fell asleep...\nWhen we sneeze, our eyes close.\n  VERB: V n, V\n\n5. When a place closes or is closed, work or activity stops there for a short period.\nShops close only on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day...\nIt was Saturday; they could close the office early...\nGovernment troops closed the airport...\nThe restaurant was closed for the night.\n  VERB: V, V n, V n, V-ed\n  = shut  !=open\n6. If a place such as a factory, shop, or school closes, or if it is closed, all work or activity stops there permanently.\nMany enterprises will be forced to close...\nIf they do close the local college I’ll have to go to Worcester.\n  VERB: V, V n\n\n  Close down means the same as close.\nMinford closed down the business and went into politics...\nMany of the smaller stores have closed down.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V P, also V n P\n\n=>  clos.ing\n...since the closing of the steelworks in nearby Duquesne in 1984.\n  N-SING\n  = closure\n7. To close a road or border means to block it in order to prevent people from using it.\nThey were cut off from the West in 1948 when their government closed that border crossing.\n  VERB: V n\n\n8. To close a conversation, event, or matter means to bring it to an end or to complete it.\nJudge Isabel Oliva said last night: `I have closed the case. There was no foul play.’...\nThe Prime Minister is said to now consider the matter closed.\n...the closing ceremony of the National Political Conference.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed, V-ing\n\n9. If you close a bank account, you take all your money out of it and inform the bank that you will no longer be using the account.\nHe had closed his account with the bank five years earlier.\n  VERB: V n\n  !=open\n10. On the stock market or the currency markets, if a share price or a currency closes at a particular value, that is its value at the end of the day’s business. (BUSINESS)\nDawson shares closed at 219p, up 5p...\nThe US dollar closed higher in Tokyo today.\n  VERB: V prep/adv, V adj-compar\n  !=open\n11. The close of a period of time or an activity is the end of it. To bring or draw something to a close means to end it.\nBy the close of business last night, most of the big firms were hailing yesterday’s actions as a success...\nBrian’s retirement brings to a close a glorious chapter in British football history...\n  N-SING: oft the N of n, to a N\n  = end\n12.\nto close the door on something: see door\nto close your eyes to something: see eye\nto close ranks: see rank\n  see also closed, closing


Words: close .1
Meaning:
14. If you keep a close eye on someone or something or keep a close watch on them, you observe them carefully to make sure they are progressing as you want them to.\nThe President’s foreign policy team are keeping a close eye on events.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR on n\n\n15. Close to a particular amount or distance means slightly less than that amount or distance. In British English, you can also say close on a particular amount or distance.\nSisulu spent close to 30 years in prison...\nCatering may now account for close on a quarter of pub turnover.\n  PREP-PHRASE: PREP amount\n  = almost, nearly\n16. If you look at something close up or close to, you look at it when you are very near to it.\nThey always look smaller close up.\n  PHRASE: usu PHR after v, v-link PHR\n\n  see also close-up\n17. If something such as a competition or an election is too close to call, it is not possible to predict who will win because it seems likely to be won by only a very small margin. (JOURNALISM)\nIn the Senate, the count is too close to call at this point.\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl\n\n18.\nat close quarters: see quarter\nat close range: see range


Words: close in
Meaning:
close in\n1. If a group of people close in on a person or place, they come nearer and nearer to them and gradually surround them.\nHitler himself committed suicide as Soviet forces were closing in on Berlin...\nAs Parretti walked across the tarmac, fraud officers closed in.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P on n, V P\n  = move in\n2. When winter or darkness closes in, it arrives.\nThe dark nights and cold weather are closing in.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  = descend


Words: close off
Meaning:
close off\n  To close something off means to separate it from other things or people so that they cannot go there.\nPolice closed off about 12 blocks of a major San Francisco thoroughfare for today’s march...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron)\n  = seal off


Words: close season
Meaning:
close sea.son\n   close season\nin AM, use closed season\n  In football and some other sports, the close season is the period of the year when the sport is not played professionally. (BRIT)\nFootball clubs have been busy in the close season transfer market.\n  N-SING


Words: close up
Meaning:
close up\n1. If someone closes up a building, they shut it completely and securely, often because they are going away.\nJust close up the shop...\nThe summer house had been closed up all year.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V-ed P\n  = shut up, lock up\n2. If an opening, gap, or something hollow closes up, or if you close it up, it becomes closed or covered.\nDon’t use cold water as it shocks the blood vessels into closing up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, also V n P


Words: close-fitting
Meaning:
close-fitting\n  Close-fitting clothes fit tightly and show the shape of your body.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: close-knit
Meaning:
close-knit\n  A close-knit group of people are closely linked, do things together, and take an interest in each other.\nEvents over the last year have created a close-knit community.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: close-run
Meaning:
close-run\n  If you describe something such as a race or contest as a close-run thing, you mean that it was only won by a very small amount.\nIn such a close-run race as this election, the campaign becomes all important.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: close-up
Meaning:
close-up  close-ups\n  A close-up is a photograph or a picture in a film that shows a lot of detail because it is taken very near to the subject.\n...a close-up of Harvey’s face.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  If you see something in close-up, you see it in great detail in a photograph or piece of film which has been taken very near to the subject.\nHughes stared up at him in close-up from the photograph.\n  PHRASE


Words: closed
Meaning:
closed\n1. A closed group of people does not welcome new people or ideas from outside.\nIt was to be a closed circle of no more than twelve women...\nIt is a closed society in the sense that they’ve not been exposed to many things.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=open\n2.\na closed book: see book\nbehind closed doors: see door\n  see also close


Words: closed shop
Meaning:
closed shop  closed shops\n  If a factory, shop, or other business is a closed shop, the employees must be members of a particular trade union. (BUSINESS)\n...the trade union which they are required to join under the closed shop agreement.\n  N-COUNT


Words: closed-circuit
Meaning:
closed-circuit   also closed circuit\n  A closed-circuit television or video system is one that operates within a limited area such as a building.\nThere’s a closed-circuit television camera in the reception area.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: closet
Meaning:
clos.et\n   closet  closets\n1. A closet is a piece of furniture with doors at the front and shelves inside, which is used for storing things. (AM; in BRIT, use cupboard)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A closet is a very small room for storing things, especially one without windows. (AM; also BRIT OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. Closet is used to describe a person who has beliefs, habits, or feelings which they keep secret, often because they are embarrassed about them. Closet is also used of their beliefs, habits, or feelings.\nHe is a closet Fascist.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n4.\na skeleton in the closet: see skeleton\n  see also closeted


Words: closeted
Meaning:
clos.et.ed\n   closeted\n  If you are closeted with someone, you are talking privately to them. (FORMAL or LITERARY)\nCharles and I were closeted in his study for the briefing session.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ with/in n


Words: closing
Meaning:
clos.ing\n   closing\n  The closing part of an activity or period of time is the final part of it.\nHe entered RAF service in the closing stages of the war...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  see also close


Words: closing price
Meaning:
clos.ing price\n   closing price  closing prices\n  On the stock exchange, the closing price of a share is its price at the end of a day’s business. (BUSINESS)\nThe price is slightly above yesterday’s closing price.\n  N-COUNT


Words: closing time
Meaning:
clos.ing time\n   closing time  closing times\n  Closing time is the time when something such as a shop, library, or pub closes and people have to leave.\nWe were in the pub until closing time.\n  N-VAR


Words: closure
Meaning:
clo.sure\n   closure  closures\n1. The closure of a place such as a business or factory is the permanent ending of the work or activity there.\n...the closure of the Ravenscraig steelworks...\nAlmost three in four clinics say they face closure by the end of the year.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. The closure of a road or border is the blocking of it in order to prevent people from using it.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n3. If someone achieves closure, they succeed in accepting something bad that has happened to them. (mainly AM)\nI asked McKeown if the reunion was meant to achieve closure.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: clot
Meaning:
clot  clots  clotting  clotted\n1. A clot is a sticky lump that forms when blood dries up or becomes thick.\nHe needed emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. When blood clots, it becomes thick and forms a lump.\nThe patient’s blood refused to clot...\nAspirin apparently thins the blood and inhibits clotting.\n  VERB: V, V-ing


Words: cloth
Meaning:
cloth  cloths\n1. Cloth is fabric which is made by weaving or knitting a substance such as cotton, wool, silk, or nylon. Cloth is used especially for making clothes.\nShe began cleaning the wound with a piece of cloth.\n  N-MASS\n  = fabric, material\n2. A cloth is a piece of cloth which you use for a particular purpose, such as cleaning something or covering something.\nClean the surface with a damp cloth.\n...a tray covered with a cloth.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. The cloth is sometimes used to refer to Christian priests and ministers.\n...a man of the cloth.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: cloth cap
Meaning:
cloth cap  cloth caps\n  A cloth cap is a soft flat cap with a stiff, curved part at the front called a peak. Cloth caps are usually worn by men.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clothe
Meaning:
clothe  clothes  clothing  clothed\n  To clothe someone means to provide them with clothes to wear.\nShe was on her own with two kids to feed and clothe.\n  VERB: V n\n\n  see also clothed, clothes, clothing


Words: clothed
Meaning:
clothed\n  If you are clothed in a certain way, you are dressed in that way.\nHe lay down on the bed fully clothed...\n...women clothed in black.\n  ADJ: adv ADJ, v-link ADJ in n\n  = dressed


Words: clothes
Meaning:
clothes\n  Clothes are the things that people wear, such as shirts, coats, trousers, and dresses.\nMoira walked upstairs to change her clothes...\nHe dressed quickly in casual clothes.\n  N-PLURAL\n\n  see also plain-clothes


Words: clothes horse
Meaning:
clothes horse  clothes horses\n1. A clothes horse is a folding frame used inside someone’s house to hang washing on while it dries.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you describe someone, especially a woman, as a clothes horse, you mean that they are fashionable and think a lot about their clothes, but have little intelligence or no other abilities.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: clothes peg
Meaning:
clothes peg  clothes pegs\n  A clothes peg is a small device which you use to fasten clothes to a washing line. (BRIT; in AM, use clothespin)\n  N-COUNT


Words: clothesline
Meaning:
clothes.line\n   clothesline  clotheslines   also clothes line\n  A clothesline is a thin rope on which you hang washing so that it can dry.\n  N-COUNT\n  = washing line


Words: clothespin
Meaning:
clothes.pin\n   clothespin  clothespins\n  A clothespin is the same as a clothes peg. (AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: clothing
Meaning:
cloth.ing\n   clothing\n  Clothing is the things that people wear.\nSome locals offered food and clothing to the refugees...\nWhat is your favourite item of clothing?...\nWear protective clothing.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: clotted cream
Meaning:
clot.ted cream\n   clotted cream\n  Clotted cream is very thick cream made by heating milk gently and taking the cream off the top. It is made mainly in the south west of England.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cloud
Meaning:
cloud  clouds  clouding  clouded\n1. A cloud is a mass of water vapour that floats in the sky. Clouds are usually white or grey in colour.\n...the varied shapes of the clouds...\nThe sky was almost entirely obscured by cloud.\n...the risks involved in flying through cloud.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. A cloud of something such as smoke or dust is a mass of it floating in the air.\nThe hens darted away on all sides, raising a cloud of dust.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n3. If you say that something clouds your view of a situation, you mean that it makes you unable to understand the situation or judge it properly.\nPerhaps anger had clouded his vision, perhaps his judgment had been faulty...\nIn his latter years religious mania clouded his mind.\n  VERB: V n, V n\n\n4. If you say that something clouds a situation, you mean that it makes it unpleasant.\nThe atmosphere has already been clouded by the BJP’s anger at the media.\n  VERB: V n\n\n5. If glass clouds or if moisture clouds it, tiny drops of water cover the glass, making it difficult to see through.\nThe mirror clouded beside her cheek...\nI run the water very hot, clouding the mirror.\n  VERB: V, V n\n  = mist\n6. If you say that someone is on cloud nine, you are emphasizing that they are very happy. (INFORMAL)\nWhen Michael was born I was on cloud nine.\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR  emphasis\n\n7.\nevery cloud has a silver lining: see silver lining


Words: cloud over
Meaning:
cloud over\n  If the sky clouds over, it becomes covered with clouds.\nAfter a fine day, the sky had clouded over and suddenly rain lashed against the windows.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n  see also cloud 5


Words: cloud-cuckoo-land
Meaning:
cloud-cuckoo-land\n  If you say that someone is living in cloud-cuckoo-land, you are criticizing them because they think there are no problems and that things will happen exactly as they want them to, when this is obviously not the case. (mainly BRIT)\nI was living in cloud-cuckoo-land about my salary expectations.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also a N  disapproval


Words: cloudburst
Meaning:
cloud.burst\n   cloudburst  cloudbursts\n  A cloudburst is a sudden, very heavy fall of rain.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cloudy
Meaning:
cloudy  cloudier  cloudiest\n1. If it is cloudy, there are a lot of clouds in the sky.\n...a windy, cloudy day.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A cloudy liquid is less clear than it should be.\n  ADJ


Words: clout
Meaning:
clout  clouts  clouting  clouted\n1. If you clout someone, you hit them. (INFORMAL)\nRachel clouted him...\nThe officer clouted her on the head.\n  VERB: V n, V n on n\n\n  Clout is also a noun.\nI was half tempted to give one of them a clout myself.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A person or institution that has clout has influence and power. (INFORMAL)\nMr Sutherland may have the clout needed to push the two trading giants into a deal...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = influence


Words: clove
Meaning:
clove  cloves\n1. Cloves are small dried flower buds which are used as a spice.\n...chicken soup with cloves.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. A clove of garlic is one of the sections of a garlic bulb.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n


Words: cloven hoof
Meaning:
clo.ven hoof\n   cloven hoof  cloven hooves  or cloven hoofs\n  Animals that have cloven hooves have feet that are divided into two parts. Cows, sheep, and goats have cloven hooves.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clover
Meaning:
clo.ver\n   clover  clovers\n  Clover is a small plant with pink or white ball-shaped flowers.\n...a four leaf clover.\n  N-VAR


Words: clown
Meaning:
clown  clowns  clowning  clowned\n1. A clown is a performer in a circus who wears funny clothes and bright make-up, and does silly things in order to make people laugh.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you clown, you do silly things in order to make people laugh.\nBruno clowned and won affection everywhere.\n  VERB: V\n  = mess around\n  Clown around and clown about mean the same as clown.\nBev made her laugh, the way she was always clowning around.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n=>  clown.ing\nShe senses that behind the clowning there is a terrible sense of anguish.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. If you say that someone is a clown, you mean that they say funny things or do silly things to amuse people.\nHe was laughing, the clown of the twosome.\n  N-COUNT\n  = joker\n4. If you describe someone as a clown, you disapprove of them and have no respect for them. (INFORMAL)\nI still think I could do a better job than those clowns in Washington.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = idiot, fool


Words: clownish
Meaning:
clown.ish\n   clownish\n  If you describe a person’s appearance or behaviour as clownish, you mean that they look or behave rather like a clown, and often that they appear rather foolish.\nHe had a clownish sense of humour.\n  ADJ


Words: cloying
Meaning:
cloy.ing\n   cloying\n  You use cloying to describe something that you find unpleasant because it is much too sweet, or too sentimental.\nHer cheap, cloying scent enveloped him...\n  ADJ


Words: cloze
Meaning:
cloze  clozes\n  In language teaching, a cloze test is a test in which words are removed from a text and replaced with spaces. The task of the learner is to fill each space with the missing word or a suitable word. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-COUNT: usu N n\n  = gap-fill


Words: club
Meaning:
club  clubs  clubbing  clubbed\n1. A club is an organization of people interested in a particular activity or subject who usually meet on a regular basis.\n...the Chorlton Conservative Club.\n...a youth club...\nHe was club secretary.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A club is a place where the members of a club meet.\nI stopped in at the club for a drink.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n\n3. A club is a team which competes in sporting competitions.\n...Liverpool football club.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. A club is the same as a nightclub.\nIt’s a big dance hit in the clubs.\n...the London club scene.\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. A club is a long, thin, metal stick with a piece of wood or metal at one end that you use to hit the ball in golf.\n...a six-iron club.\n  N-COUNT\n  = golf club\n6. A club is a thick heavy stick that can be used as a weapon.\nMen armed with knives and clubs attacked his home.\n  N-COUNT\n\n7. To club a person or animal means to hit them hard with a thick heavy stick or a similar weapon.\nTwo thugs clubbed him with baseball bats...\nClubbing baby seals to death for their pelts is wrong.\n  VERB: V n, V n to n\n\n8. Clubs is one of the four suits in a pack of playing cards. Each card in the suit is marked with one or more black symbols: ..\n...the ace of clubs.\n  N-UNCOUNT-COLL\n\n  A club is a playing card of this suit.\nThe next player discarded a club.\n  N-COUNT


Words: club foot
Meaning:
club foot  club feet\nin AM, usually use clubfoot\n  If someone has a club foot, they are born with a badly twisted foot.\n  N-COUNT


Words: club soda
Meaning:
club soda\n  Club soda is fizzy water used for mixing with alcoholic drinks and fruit juice. (mainly AM)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = soda water


Words: club together
Meaning:
club together\n  If people club together to do something, they all give money towards the cost of it. (BRIT)\nFor my thirtieth birthday, my friends clubbed together and bought me a watch.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: clubbable
Meaning:
club.bable\n   clubbable\n  A clubbable person is friendly and likes being with other people, which makes them good members of social clubs.\nHe is a clubbable chap.\n  ADJ


Words: clubby
Meaning:
club.by\n   clubby\n  If you describe an institution or a group of people as clubby, you mean that all the people in it are friendly with each other and do not welcome other people in. (INFORMAL)\nPolitics is clubby, careerist, and cynical...\n  ADJ\n  = cliquey


Words: clubhouse
Meaning:
club.house\n   clubhouse  clubhouses   also club-house\n  A clubhouse is a place where the members of a club, especially a sports club, meet.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clubland
Meaning:
club.land\n   clubland\n1. A city’s clubland is the area that contains all the best nightclubs. (BRIT)\n...London’s clubland.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Clubland refers to the most popular nightclubs and the people that go to them. (BRIT)\n...a contemporary clubland sound.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n


Words: cluck
Meaning:
cluck  clucks  clucking  clucked\n  When a hen clucks, it makes short, low noises.\nChickens clucked in the garden.\n  VERB: V


Words: clue
Meaning:
clue  clues\n1. A clue to a problem or mystery is something that helps you to find the answer to it.\nGeneticists in Canada have discovered a clue to the puzzle of why our cells get old and die...\n  N-COUNT: oft N to n\n\n2. A clue is an object or piece of information that helps someone solve a crime.\nThe vital clue to the killer’s identity was his nickname, Peanuts.\n  N-COUNT: oft N to n\n\n3. A clue in a crossword or game is information which is given to help you to find the answer to a question.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. If you haven’t a clue about something, you do not know anything about it or you have no idea what to do about it. (INFORMAL)\nI haven’t a clue what I’ll give Carl for his birthday next year.\n  PHRASE: usu PHR wh


Words: clued-up
Meaning:
clued-up   also clued up\n  If you say that someone is clued-up on a particular subject, you are showing your approval of the fact that they have a great deal of detailed knowledge and information about it. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nI’ve always found him clued-up on whatever he was talking about...\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ on n/wh  approval


Words: clueless
Meaning:
clue.less\n   clueless\n  If you describe someone as clueless, you are showing your disapproval of the fact that they do not know anything about a particular subject or that they are incapable of doing a particular thing properly. (INFORMAL)\nI came into adult life clueless about a lot of things that most people take for granted...\n  ADJ: oft ADJ about n  disapproval


Words: clump
Meaning:
clump  clumps  clumping  clumped\n1. A clump of things such as trees or plants is a small group of them growing together.\n...a clump of trees bordering a side road.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n, in N in pl\n  = cluster\n2. A clump of things such as wires or hair is a group of them collected together in one place.\nI was combing my hair and it was just falling out in clumps.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n, in N in pl\n\n3. If things clump together, they gather together and form small groups or lumps.\nBrown rice takes longer to cook but it doesn’t clump together as easily as white rice.\n  VERB: V together


Words: clumsy
Meaning:
clum.sy\n   clumsy  clumsier  clumsiest\n1. A clumsy person moves or handles things in a careless, awkward way, often so that things are knocked over or broken.\nUnfortunately, I was still very clumsy behind the wheel of the jeep.\n  ADJ\n  = awkward\n=>  clum.si.ly\nThe rooks flew clumsily towards their nests.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n=>  clum.si.ness\nBen’s biggest problem is clumsiness.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A clumsy action or statement is not skilful or is likely to upset people.\nThe action seemed a clumsy attempt to topple the Janata Dal government...\nHe denied the announcement was clumsy and insensitive.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  clum.si.ly\nIf the matter were handled clumsily, it could cost Miriam her life.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v\n\n=>  clum.si.ness\nI was ashamed at my clumsiness and insensitivity.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: clunk
Meaning:
clunk  clunks\n  A clunk is a sound made by a heavy object hitting something hard.\nSomething fell to the floor with a clunk.\n  N-COUNT; SOUND: usu sing; SOUND


Words: clunker
Meaning:
clunk.er\n   clunker  clunkers\n  If you describe a machine, especially a car, as a clunker, you mean that it is very old and almost falling apart. (AM)\n  N-COUNT\n  = banger


Words: clunky
Meaning:
clunky\n  If you describe something as clunky, you mean that it is solid, heavy, and rather awkward.\n...a clunky piece of architecture.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: cluster
Meaning:
clus.ter\n   cluster  clusters  clustering  clustered\n1. A cluster of people or things is a small group of them close together.\nThere’s no town here, just a cluster of shops, cabins and motels at the side of the highway.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n2. If people cluster together, they gather together in a small group.\nThe passengers clustered together in small groups...\nThe children clustered around me.\n  VERB: V together, V around/round n\n\n  see also clustered


Words: cluster bomb
Meaning:
clus.ter bomb\n   cluster bomb  cluster bombs\n  A cluster bomb is a type of bomb which is dropped from an aircraft. It contains a large number of smaller bombs that spread out before they hit the ground.\n  N-COUNT


Words: clustered
Meaning:
clus.tered\n   clustered\n  If people or things are clustered somewhere, there is a group of them close together there.\nOfficials were clustered at every open office door, talking excitedly...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ prep/adv


Words: clutch
Meaning:
clutch  clutches  clutching  clutched\n1. If you clutch at something or clutch something, you hold it tightly, usually because you are afraid or anxious.\nI staggered and had to clutch at a chair for support...\nShe was clutching a photograph.\n  VERB: V at n, V n\n  = grasp, grip\n2. If someone is in another person’s clutches, that person has captured them or has power over them.\nStojanovic escaped their clutches by jumping from a moving vehicle.\n  N-PLURAL: usu with poss\n  = grasp\n3. In a vehicle, the clutch is the pedal that you press before you change gear.\nLaura let out the clutch and pulled slowly away down the drive.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4.\nto clutch at straws: see straw


Words: clutter
Meaning:
clut.ter\n   clutter  clutters  cluttering  cluttered\n1. Clutter is a lot of things in an untidy state, especially things that are not useful or necessary.\nCaroline prefers her worktops to be clear of clutter.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If things or people clutter a place, they fill it in an untidy way.\nEmpty soft-drink cans clutter the desks...\nThe roads were cluttered with cars and vans.\n  VERB: V n, be V-ed with n\n\n  Clutter up means the same as clutter.\nThe vehicles cluttered up the car park...\nThis room is so impressive it would be a shame to clutter it up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P, also V n P with n


Words: co-
Meaning:
1. co- is used to form verbs or nouns that refer to people sharing things or doing things together.\n...commercial co-operation between the two countries...\nHe co-produced the album with Bowie.\n  PREFIX\n\n2. co- is used to form nouns that refer to people who share a job or task with someone else.\nHis co-workers hated him...\nHe is now co-partner in a new property company.\n  PREFIX


Words: co-author
Meaning:
co-author  co-authors  co-authoring  co-authored   also coauthor\n1. The co-authors of a book, play, or report are the people who have written it together.\nHe is co-author, with Andrew Blowers, of `The International Politics of Nuclear Waste’.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n2. If two or more people co-author a book, play, or report, they write it together.\nHe’s co-authored a book on Policy for Tourism...\nKaren Matthews co-authored the study with Lewis Kullers.\n  VERB: V n, V n with n


Words: co-dependent
Meaning:
co-dependent  co-dependents\n  A co-dependent person is in an unsatisfactory relationship with someone who is ill or an addict, but does not want the relationship to end. (TECHNICAL)\nGuys can be co-dependent, too.\n  ADJ\n\n  Co-dependent is also a noun.\nThe program is geared around the problems of being a co-dependent.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  co-dependency\n...the dangers of co-dependency.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: co-ed
Meaning:
co-ed  co-eds\nin AM, usually use coed\n1. A co-ed school or college is the same as a co-educational school or college.\nHe was educated at a co-ed comprehensive school.\n  ADJ\n  = mixed  !=single-sex\n2. A co-ed is a female student at a co-educational college or university. (AM INFORMAL)\n...two University of Florida coeds.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. A co-ed sports facility or sporting activity is one that both males and females use or take part in at the same time. (AM; in BRIT, usually use mixed)\nYou have a choice of co-ed or single-sex swimming exercise classes.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=single-sex


Words: co-educational
Meaning:
co-educational   also coeducational\n  A co-educational school, college, or university is attended by both boys and girls.\nThe college has been co-educational since 1971.\n  ADJ


Words: co-op
Meaning:
co-op  co-ops\n  A co-op is a co-operative. (INFORMAL)\nThe co-op sells the art work at exhibitions.\n  N-COUNT


Words: co-operate
Meaning:
co-operate  co-operates  co-operating  co-operated   also cooperate\n1. If you co-operate with someone, you work with them or help them for a particular purpose. You can also say that two people co-operate.\nThe UN had been co-operating with the State Department on a plan to find countries willing to take the refugees...\nThe couple spoke about how they would co-operate in the raising of their child...\n  V-RECIP: V with n, pl-n V\n\n=>  co-operation\nA deal with Japan could indeed open the door to economic co-operation with East Asia.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you co-operate, you do what someone has asked or told you to do.\nHe agreed to co-operate with the police investigation...\nThe plan failed because the soldiers refused to co-operate.\n  VERB: V with n, V\n\n=>  co-operation\nThe police underlined the importance of the public’s co-operation in the hunt for the bombers.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = assistance


Words: co-operative
Meaning:
co-operative  co-operatives   also cooperative\n1. A co-operative is a business or organization run by the people who work for it, or owned by the people who use it. These people share its benefits and profits. (BUSINESS)\nThey decided a housing co-operative was the way to regenerate Ormiston Crescent...\nThe restaurant is run as a co-operative.\n  N-COUNT\n  = collective\n2. A co-operative activity is done by people working together.\nHe was transferred to FBI custody in a smooth co-operative effort between Egyptian and US authorities...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  co-operatively\nThey agreed to work co-operatively to ease tensions wherever possible.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n3. If you say that someone is co-operative, you mean that they do what you ask them to without complaining or arguing.\nI made every effort to be co-operative.\n  ADJ\n  = obliging


Words: co-operative society
Meaning:
co-operative so.ci.ety\n   co-operative society  co-operative societies\n  In Britain, a co-operative society is a commercial organization with several shops in a particular district. Customers can join this organization and get a share of its profits.\n  N-COUNT\n  = co-op


Words: co-opt
Meaning:
co-opt  co-opts  co-opting  co-opted\n1. If you co-opt someone, you persuade them to help or support you.\nMr Wallace tries to co-opt rather than defeat his critics...\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. If someone is co-opted into a group, they are asked by that group to become a member, rather than joining or being elected in the normal way.\nHe was co-opted into the Labour Government of 1964...\nHe’s been authorised to co-opt anyone he wants to join him.\n  VERB: be V-ed into/onto n, V n\n\n3. If a group or political party co-opts a slogan or policy, they take it, often from another group or political party, and use it themselves.\nHe co-opted many nationalist slogans and cultivated a populist image.\n  VERB: V n


Words: co-ordinate
Meaning:
co-ordinate co-ordinates co-ordinating  co-ordinated   also coordinate\nThe verb is pronounced   The noun is pronounced\n1. If you co-ordinate an activity, you organize the various people and things involved in it.\nGovernment officials visited the earthquake zone on Thursday morning to co-ordinate the relief effort.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  co-ordinated\n...a rapid and well co-ordinated international rescue operation.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  co-ordinator      co-ordinators\n...the party’s campaign co-ordinator, Mr Peter Mandelson.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n2. If you co-ordinate clothes or furnishings that are used together, or if they co-ordinate, they are similar in some way and look nice together.\nShe’ll show you how to co-ordinate pattern and colours...\nTie it with fabric bows that co-ordinate with other furnishings...\nColours and looks must fit the themes of the seasons so that the shops co-ordinate well.\n...curtains and co-ordinating bed covers.\n  V-RECIP: V pl-n, V with n, pl-n V, V-ing\n\n3. Co-ordinates are pieces of clothing or soft furnishings which are similar and which are intended to be worn or used together.\n...new lingerie co-ordinates.\n  N-PLURAL\n\n4. If you co-ordinate the different parts of your body, you make them work together efficiently to perform particular movements.\nThey spend several weeks each year undergoing intensive treatment which enables them to coordinate their limbs better.\n  VERB: V n\n\n5. The co-ordinates of a point on a map or graph are the two sets of numbers or letters that you need in order to find that point. (TECHNICAL)\nCan you give me your co-ordinates?\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: co-ordinating conjunction
Meaning:
co-ordinating con.junc.tion\n   co-ordinating conjunction  co-ordinating conjunctions\n  A co-ordinating conjunction is a word such as `and’, `or’, or `but’ which joins two or more words, groups, or clauses of equal status, for example two main clauses. Compare subordinating conjunction. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: co-ordination
Meaning:
co-ordination\n1. Co-ordination means organizing the activities of two or more groups so that they work together efficiently and know what the others are doing.\n...the lack of co-ordination between the civilian and military authorities.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N between/of n\n\n  If you do something in co-ordination with someone else, you both organize your activities so that you work together efficiently.\n...operating either in coordination with federal troops or alone.\n  PREP-PHRASE\n\n2. Co-ordination is the ability to use the different parts of your body together efficiently.\nTo improve hand-eye co-ordination, practise throwing and catching balls.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: co-pilot
Meaning:
co-pilot  co-pilots\n  The co-pilot of an aircraft is a pilot who assists the chief pilot.\n  N-COUNT


Words: co-religionist
Meaning:
co-religionist  co-religionists\nin AM, usually use coreligionist\n  A person’s co-religionists are people who have the same religion. (FORMAL)\nThey will turn for help to their co-religionists in the Middle East.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, oft poss N


Words: co-star
Meaning:
co-star  co-stars  co-starring  co-starred\nin AM, also use costar\n1. An actor’s or actress’s co-stars are the other actors or actresses who also have one of the main parts in a particular film.\nDuring the filming, Curtis fell in love with his co-star, Christine Kaufmann.\n  N-COUNT: usu poss N\n\n2. If an actor or actress co-stars with another actor or actress, the two of them have the main parts in a particular film.\nThis fall she co-stars in a film with the acclaimed British actor Kenneth Branagh...\nWright and Penn met when they co-starred in the movie `State Of Grace’...\nCosby had originally selected her to co-star in his movie `Leonard Part 6’.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, pl-n V in n, V in n (non-recip)\n\n3. If a film co-stars particular actors, they have the main parts in it.\nProduced by Oliver Stone, `Wild Palms’ co-stars Dana Delaney, Jim Belushi and Angie Dickinson.\n  VERB: V n


Words: co-worker
Meaning:
co-worker  co-workers\n  Your co-workers are the people you work with, especially people on the same job or project as you.\n  N-COUNT\n  = colleague


Words: Co.
Meaning:
1. Co. is used as an abbreviation for company when it is part of the name of an organization. (BUSINESS)\n...the Blue Star Amusement Co.\n\n2. Co. is used as a written abbreviation for county before the names of some counties, especially in Ireland.\n...Co. Waterford.\n\n3. You use and co. after someone’s name to mean the group of people associated with that person. (INFORMAL)\nWayne Hussey and co. will be playing two live sets each evening.\n  PHRASE: n-proper PHR


Words: coach
Meaning:
coach  coaches  coaching  coached\n1. A coach is someone who trains a person or team of people in a particular sport.\nTony Woodcock has joined German amateur team SC Brueck as coach.\n  N-COUNT\n  = trainer\n2. When someone coaches a person or a team, they help them to become better at a particular sport.\nBeckenbauer coached the West Germans to success in the World Cup final in Italy...\nI had coached the Alliance team for some time.\n  VERB: V n to n, V n\n  = train\n3. A coach is a person who is in charge of a sports team. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use manager)\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. In baseball, a coach is a member of a team who stands near the first or third base, and gives signals to other members of the team who are on bases and are trying to score. (AM)\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. A coach is someone who gives people special teaching in a particular subject, especially in order to prepare them for an examination.\nWhat you need is a drama coach.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N\n  = tutor\n6. If you coach someone, you give them special teaching in a particular subject, especially in order to prepare them for an examination.\nHe gently coached me in French.\n  VERB: V n\n\n7. A coach is a large, comfortable bus that carries passengers on long journeys. (BRIT; in AM, use bus)\nAs we headed back to Calais, the coach was badly delayed by roadworks...\nI hate travelling by coach.\n  N-COUNT: also by N\n\n8. A coach is one of the separate sections of a train that carries passengers. (BRIT; in AM, use car)\nThe train was an elaborate affair of sixteen coaches.\n  N-COUNT\n\n9. A coach is an enclosed vehicle with four wheels which is pulled by horses, and in which people used to travel. Coaches are still used for ceremonial events in some countries, such as Britain.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coach station
Meaning:
coach sta.tion\n   coach station  coach stations\n  A coach station is an area or a building which coaches leave from or arrive at on regular journeys. (BRIT; in AM, use bus station)\n  N-COUNT


Words: coachload
Meaning:
coach.load\n   coachload  coachloads   also coach-load\n  A coachload of people is a group of people who are travelling somewhere together in a coach. (BRIT)\nDorset is as yet unspoilt by coachloads of tourists.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n


Words: coachman
Meaning:
coach.man\n   coachman  coachmen\n  A coachman was a man who drove a coach that was pulled by horses. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT


Words: coagulate
Meaning:
co.agu.late\n   coagulate  coagulates  coagulating  coagulated\n  When a liquid coagulates, it becomes very thick.\nThe blood coagulates to stop wounds bleeding.\n  VERB: V\n  = congeal\n=>  co.agu.la.tion\nBlood becomes stickier to help coagulation in case of a cut.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coal
Meaning:
coal  coals\n1. Coal is a hard black substance that is extracted from the ground and burned as fuel.\nGas-fired electricity is cheaper than coal...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Coals are burning pieces of coal.\nIt is important to get the coals white-hot before you start cooking.\n  N-PLURAL


Words: coal mine
Meaning:
coal mine  coal mines   also coalmine\n  A coal mine is a place where coal is dug out of the ground.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coal miner
Meaning:
coal min.er\n   coal miner  coal miners   also coalminer\n  A coal miner is a person whose job is mining coal.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coal scuttle
Meaning:
coal scut.tle\n   coal scuttle  coal scuttles\n  A coal scuttle is a container for keeping coal in. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: coal tar
Meaning:
coal tar   also coal-tar\n  Coal tar is a thick black liquid made from coal which is used for making drugs and chemical products.\n...coal tar dyes.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coalesce
Meaning:
coa.lesce\n   coalesce  coalesces  coalescing  coalesced\n  If two or more things coalesce, they come together and form a larger group or system. (FORMAL)\nCities, if unrestricted, tend to coalesce into bigger and bigger conurbations...\nHis sporting and political interests coalesced admirably in his writing about climbing.\n  VERB: V prep, V\n  = merge


Words: coalface
Meaning:
coal.face\n   coalface  coalfaces\n  In a coal mine, the coalface is the part where the coal is being cut out of the rock.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coalfield
Meaning:
coal.field\n   coalfield  coalfields\n  A coalfield is a region where there is coal under the ground.\nThe park lies on top of a coalfield.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coalition
Meaning:
coa.li.tion\n   coalition  coalitions\n1. A coalition is a government consisting of people from two or more political parties.\nSince June the country has had a coalition government...\n  N-COUNT: oft N n\n\n2. A coalition is a group consisting of people from different political or social groups who are co-operating to achieve a particular aim.\nHe had been opposed by a coalition of about 50 civil rights, women’s and Latino organizations.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n  = alliance


Words: coarse
Meaning:
coarse  coarser  coarsest\n1. Coarse things have a rough texture because they consist of thick threads or large pieces.\n...a jacket made of very coarse cloth.\n...a beach of coarse sand.\n  ADJ\n  = rough  !=fine\n=>  coarse.ly\n...coarsely ground black pepper.\n  ADV\n\n2. If you describe someone as coarse, you mean that he or she talks and behaves in a rude and offensive way.\nThe soldiers did not bother to moderate their coarse humour in her presence.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = vulgar, crude\n=>  coarse.ly\nThe women laughed coarsely at some vulgar joke.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: coarsen
Meaning:
coars.en\n   coarsen  coarsens  coarsening  coarsened\n1. If something coarsens or is coarsened, it becomes thicker or rougher in texture.\nSkin thickens, dries and coarsens after sun exposure.\n...his gnarled, coarsened features.\n  VERB: V, V-ed, also V n\n\n2. If someone’s behaviour or speech coarsens or if they coarsen it, they become less polite or they begin to speak in a less pleasant way.\nHer voice has deepened and coarsened with the years...\nHe had coarsened his voice to an approximation of Cockney.\n  VERB: V, V n


Words: coast
Meaning:
coast  coasts  coasting  coasted\n1. The coast is an area of land that is next to the sea.\nCamp sites are usually situated along the coast, close to beaches.\n...the west coast of Scotland.\n  N-COUNT: oft adj N, N of n\n\n2. If a vehicle coasts somewhere, it continues to move there with the motor switched off, or without being pushed or pedalled.\nI switched off the engine and coasted round the corner.\n  VERB: V prep/adv\n\n3. If you say that the coast is clear, you mean that there is nobody around to see you or catch you.\nYou can come out now,’ he called. `The coast is clear. She’s gone.’\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: coastal
Meaning:
coast.al\n   coastal\n  Coastal is used to refer to things that are in the sea or on the land near a coast.\nLocal radio stations serving coastal areas often broadcast forecasts for yachtsmen...\nThe fish are on sale from our own coastal waters.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: coaster
Meaning:
coast.er\n   coaster  coasters\n1. A coaster is a small mat that you put underneath a glass or cup to protect the surface of a table.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A coaster is a ship that sails along the coast taking goods to ports. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT\n\n3.\n  see also roller-coaster


Words: coastguard
Meaning:
coast.guard\n   coastguard  coastguards\nin AM, usually use Coast Guard\n1. A coastguard is an official who watches the sea near a coast in order to get help for sailors when they need it and to stop illegal activities. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-COUNT\n\n  The coastguard is the organization to which coastguards belong. (BRIT)\nThe survivors were lifted off by two helicopters, one from the Coastguard and one from the RAF.\n  N-SING: the N\n\n2. The Coast Guard is a part of a country’s military forces and is responsible for protecting the coast, carrying out rescues, and doing police work along the coast. (AM)\nThe US Coast Guard says it rescued more than 100 Haitian refugees.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  A Coast Guard is a member of the coastguard. (AM)\nThe boat was intercepted by US Coast Guards.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coastline
Meaning:
coast.line\n   coastline  coastlines\n  A country’s coastline is the outline of its coast.\nThousands of volunteers gave up part of their weekend to clean up the California coastline.\n  N-VAR: oft supp N


Words: coat
Meaning:
coat  coats  coating  coated\n1. A coat is a piece of clothing with long sleeves which you wear over your other clothes when you go outside.\nHe turned off the television, put on his coat and walked out.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. An animal’s coat is the fur or hair on its body.\nVitamin B6 is great for improving the condition of dogs’ and horses’ coats.\n  N-COUNT: usu with poss\n\n3. If you coat something with a substance or in a substance, you cover it with a thin layer of the substance.\nCoat the fish with seasoned flour.\n  VERB: V n with/in n\n\n=>  coat.ed\nTV pictures showed a dying bird coated with oil...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, ADJ with/in n, adv ADJ\n\n4. A coat of paint or varnish is a thin layer of it on a surface.\nThe front door needs a new coat of paint...\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n


Words: coat hanger
Meaning:
coat hang.er\n   coat hanger  coat hangers   also coathanger\n  A coat hanger is a curved piece of wood, metal, or plastic that you hang a piece of clothing on.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coat of arms
Meaning:
coat of arms  coats of arms\n  The coat of arms of a family, town, or organization is a special design in the form of a shield that they use as a symbol of their identity. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n  = crest


Words: coat-tails
Meaning:
coat-tails   also coattails\n1. Coat-tails are the two long pieces at the back of a tailcoat.\n  N-PLURAL: oft poss N\n\n2. If you do something on the coat-tails of someone else, you are able to do it because of the other person’s success, and not because of your own efforts.\nThey accused him of riding on the coat-tails of the president.\n  PHRASE: usu PHR after v


Words: coating
Meaning:
coat.ing\n   coating  coatings\n  A coating of a substance is a thin layer of it spread over a surface.\nUnder the coating of dust and cobwebs, he discovered a fine French Louis XVI clock.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp


Words: coax
Meaning:
coax  coaxes  coaxing  coaxed\n1. If you coax someone into doing something, you gently try to persuade them to do it.\nAfter lunch, she watched, listened and coaxed Bobby into talking about himself...\nThe government coaxed them to give up their strike by promising them temporary residence permits.\n  VERB: V n prep, V n to-inf\n\n2. If you coax something such as information out of someone, you gently persuade them to give it to you.\nThe WPC talked yesterday of her role in trying to coax vital information from the young victim...\n  VERB: V n out of/from n


Words: cob
Meaning:
cob  cobs\n1. A cob is a round loaf of bread. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A cob is a type of short strong horse.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3.\n  see also corn on the cob


Words: cobalt
Meaning:
co.balt\n   cobalt\n1. Cobalt is a hard silvery-white metal which is used to harden steel and for producing a blue dye.\n...a country rich in copper, cobalt and diamonds.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Cobalt or cobalt blue is a deep blue colour.\n...a woman in a soft cobalt blue dress.\n  COLOUR


Words: cobble
Meaning:
cob.ble\n   cobble  cobbles  cobbling  cobbled\n  Cobbles are the same as cobblestones.\nThey found Trish sitting on the cobbles of the stable yard.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: cobble together
Meaning:
cobble together\n  If you say that someone has cobbled something together, you mean that they have made or produced it roughly or quickly.\nThe group had cobbled together a few decent songs...\nYou can cobble it together from any old combination of garments.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P


Words: cobbled
Meaning:
cob.bled\n   cobbled\n  A cobbled street has a surface made of cobblestones.\nCottrell strode out across the cobbled courtyard.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: cobbler
Meaning:
cob.bler\n   cobbler  cobblers\n1. A cobbler is a person whose job is to make or mend shoes. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you describe something that someone has just said as cobblers, you mean that you think it is nonsense. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nThese guys talk an awful load of old cobblers.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = codswallop


Words: cobblestone
Meaning:
cobble.stone\n   cobblestone  cobblestones\n  Cobblestones are stones with a rounded upper surface which used to be used for making streets.\n...the narrow, cobblestone streets of the Left Bank.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: cobra
Meaning:
co.bra\n   cobra  cobras\n  A cobra is a kind of poisonous snake that can make the skin on the back of its neck into a hood.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cobweb
Meaning:
cob.web\n   cobweb  cobwebs\n1. A cobweb is the net which a spider makes for catching insects.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If something blows or clears away the cobwebs, it makes you feel more mentally alert and lively when you had previously been feeling tired.\n...a walk on the South Downs to blow away the cobwebs.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: cobwebbed
Meaning:
cob.webbed\n   cobwebbed\n  A cobwebbed surface is covered with cobwebs.\n...cobwebbed racks of wine bottles.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: cocaine
Meaning:
co.caine\n   cocaine\n  Cocaine is a powerful drug which some people take for pleasure, but which they can become addicted to.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coccyx
Meaning:
coc.cyx\n   coccyx  coccyxes\n  The coccyx is the small triangular bone at the lower end of the spine in human beings and some apes.\n  N-COUNT\n  The plural coccyges is used in American English.


Words: cochineal
Meaning:
cochi.neal\n   cochineal\n  Cochineal is a red substance that is used for colouring food.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cochlea
Meaning:
coch.lea\n   cochlea  cochleae\n  The cochlea is the spiral-shaped part of the inner ear.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cock
Meaning:
cock  cocks  cocking  cocked\n1. A cock is an adult male chicken. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use rooster)\nThe cock was announcing the start of a new day.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. You refer to a male bird, especially a male game bird, as a cock when you want to distinguish it from a female bird. (mainly BRIT)\n...a cock pheasant.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n\n\n3. A man’s cock is his penis. (INFORMAL, VERY RUDE)\n  N-COUNT\n\n4.\n  see also stopcock\n5.\nto cock a snook at someone: see snook


Words: cock up
Meaning:
cock up\n  If you cock something up, you ruin it by doing something wrong. (BRIT INFORMAL, RUDE)\n`Seems like I’ve cocked it up,’ Egan said...\nThey’ve cocked up the address.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron)\n\n  see also cock-up


Words: cock-a-hoop
Meaning:
cock-a-hoop\n  If you are cock-a-hoop, you are extremely pleased about something that you have done. (INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED)\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: cock-and-bull story
Meaning:
cock-and-bull sto.ry\n   cock-and-bull story  cock-and-bull stories\n  If you describe something that someone tells you as a cock-and-bull story, you mean that you do not believe it is true. (INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: cock-up
Meaning:
cock-up  cock-ups\n  If you make a cock-up of something, you ruin it by doing something wrong. (BRIT INFORMAL, RUDE)\nHe was in danger of making a real cock-up of this...\n  N-COUNT


Words: cockatiel
Meaning:
cocka.tiel\n   cockatiel cockatiels\n  A cockatiel is a bird similar to a cockatoo that is often kept as a pet.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cockatoo
Meaning:
cocka.too\n   cockatoo  cockatoos\n  A cockatoo is a kind of parrot from Australia or New Guinea which has a bunch of feathers called a crest on its head.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cocked hat
Meaning:
cocked hat  cocked hats\n1. A cocked hat is a hat with three corners that used to be worn with some uniforms.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you say that one thing knocks another thing into a cocked hat, you mean that it is much better or much more significant than the other thing.\nThis design knocks everything else into a cocked hat.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: cocker spaniel
Meaning:
cock.er span.iel\n   cocker spaniel  cocker spaniels\n  A cocker spaniel is a breed of small dog with silky hair and long ears.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cockeyed
Meaning:
cock.eyed\n   cockeyed   also cock-eyed\n1. If you say that an idea or scheme is cockeyed, you mean that you think it is very unlikely to succeed.\nShe has some cockeyed delusions about becoming a pop star.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If something is cockeyed, it looks wrong because it is not in a level or straight position.\n...dusty photographs hanging at cockeyed angles on the walls.\n  ADJ


Words: cockney
Meaning:
cock.ney\n   cockney  cockneys\n1. A cockney is a person who was born in the East End of London.\n...a Cockney cab driver...\n  N-COUNT: oft N n\n\n2. Cockney is the dialect and accent of the East End of London.\nThe man spoke with a Cockney accent.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cockpit
Meaning:
cock.pit\n   cockpit  cockpits\n  In an aeroplane or racing car, the cockpit is the part where the pilot or driver sits.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cockroach
Meaning:
cock.roach\n   cockroach  cockroaches\n  A cockroach is a large brown insect that is sometimes found in warm places or where food is kept.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cocksure
Meaning:
cock.sure\n   cocksure\n  Someone who is cocksure is so confident and sure of their abilities that they annoy other people. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = cocky


Words: cocktail
Meaning:
cock.tail\n   cocktail  cocktails\n1. A cocktail is an alcoholic drink which contains several ingredients.\nOn arrival, guests are offered wine or a champagne cocktail...\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A cocktail is a mixture of a number of different things, especially ones that do not go together well.\nThe court was told she had taken a cocktail of drugs and alcohol...\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n3.\n  see also fruit cocktail, prawn cocktail, Molotov cocktail


Words: cocktail dress
Meaning:
cock.tail dress\n   cocktail dress  cocktail dresses\n  A cocktail dress is a dress that is suitable for formal social occasions.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cocktail lounge
Meaning:
cock.tail lounge\n   cocktail lounge  cocktail lounges\n  A cocktail lounge is a room in a hotel, restaurant, or club where you can buy alcoholic drinks.\nLet’s meet in the cocktail lounge at the Hilton.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cocktail party
Meaning:
cock.tail par.ty\n   cocktail party  cocktail parties\n  A cocktail party is a party, usually held in the early evening, where cocktails or other alcoholic drinks are served. People often dress quite formally for them.\n  N


Words: cocky
Meaning:
cocky  cockier  cockiest\n  Someone who is cocky is so confident and sure of their abilities that they annoy other people. (INFORMAL)\nHe was a little bit cocky when he was about 11 because he was winning everything.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = cocksure


Words: cocoa
Meaning:
co.coa\n   cocoa\n1. Cocoa is a brown powder made from the seeds of a tropical tree. It is used in making chocolate.\nThe Ivory Coast became the world’s leading cocoa producer.\n...cocoa beans.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Cocoa is a hot drink made from cocoa powder and milk or water.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coconut
Meaning:
coco.nut\n   coconut  coconuts\n1. A coconut is a very large nut with a hairy shell, which has white flesh and milky juice inside it.\n...the smell of roasted meats mingled with spices, coconut oil and ripe tropical fruits.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Coconut is the white flesh of a coconut.\n...desiccated coconut.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coconut palm
Meaning:
coco.nut palm\n   coconut palm  coconut palms\n  A coconut palm is a tall tree on which coconuts grow.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cocoon
Meaning:
co.coon\n   cocoon  cocoons  cocooning  cocooned\n1. A cocoon is a covering of silky threads that the larvae of moths and other insects make for themselves before they grow into adults.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you are in a cocoon of something, you are wrapped up in it or surrounded by it.\nHe stood there in a cocoon of golden light.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n3. If you are living in a cocoon, you are in an environment in which you feel protected and safe, and sometimes isolated from everyday life.\nYou cannot live in a cocoon and overlook these facts.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n4. If something cocoons you from something, it protects you or isolates you from it.\nThere is nowhere to hide when things go wrong, no organisation to cocoon you from blame...\nThe playwright cocooned himself in a world of pretence.\n  VERB: V n from/in n, V pron-refl in n


Words: cocooned
Meaning:
co.cooned\n   cocooned\n1. If someone is cocooned in blankets or clothes, they are completely wrapped in them.\nShe is comfortably cocooned in pillows.\n...my snugly cocooned baby sleeping in his pram.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ in n\n\n2. If you say that someone is cocooned, you mean that they are isolated and protected from everyday life and problems.\nShe was cocooned in a private world of privilege...\nThey were cocooned from the experience of poverty.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ in/from n\n  = cloistered


Words: cod
Meaning:
cod  cods or cod\n1. Cod are a type of large edible fish.\n  N-VAR\n\n  Cod is this fish eaten as food.\nA Catalan speciality is to serve salt cod cold.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. You use cod to describe something which is not genuine and which is intended to deceive or amuse people by looking or sounding like the real thing. (BRIT)\n...a cod documentary on what animals think of living in a zoo.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = mock


Words: cod-liver oil
Meaning:
cod-liver oil   also cod liver oil\n  Cod liver oil is a thick yellow oil which is given as a medicine, especially to children, because it is full of vitamins A and D.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coda
Meaning:
coda  codas\n1. A coda is a separate passage at the end of something such as a book or a speech that finishes it off.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In music, a coda is the final part of a fairly long piece of music which is added in order to finish it off in a pleasing way.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coddle
Meaning:
cod.dle\n   coddle  coddles  coddling  coddled\n  To coddle someone means to treat them too kindly or protect them too much.\nShe coddled her youngest son madly...\n  VERB: V n  disapproval


Words: code
Meaning:
code  codes  coding  coded\n1. A code is a set of rules about how people should behave or about how something must be done.\n...Article 159 of the Turkish penal code.\n...local building codes.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N, N of n\n\n2. A code is a system of replacing the words in a message with other words or symbols, so that nobody can understand it unless they know the system.\nThey used elaborate secret codes, as when the names of trees stood for letters...\nIf you can’t remember your number, write it in code in a diary.\n  N-COUNT: also in N\n\n3. A code is a group of numbers or letters which is used to identify something, such as a postal address or part of a telephone system.\nCallers dialing the wrong area code will not get through.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. A code is any system of signs or symbols that has a meaning.\nIt will need different microchips to reconvert the digital code back into normal TV signals.\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. The genetic code of a person, animal or plant is the information contained in DNA which determines the structure and function of cells, and the inherited characteristics of all living things.\nScientists provided the key to understanding the genetic code that determines every bodily feature.\n  N-COUNT: with supp, V n\n\n6. To code something means to give it a code or to mark it with its code.\nHe devised a way of coding every statement uniquely...\n  VERB: V n\n\n7. Computer code is a system or language for expressing information and instructions in a form which can be understood by a computer. (COMPUTING)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n8.\n  see also bar code, Highway Code, machine code, morse code, postcode, zip code


Words: code name
Meaning:
code name  code names  code naming  code named   also codename, code-name\n1. A code name is a name used for someone or something in order to keep their identity secret.\nOne of their informers was working under the code name Czerny...\n  N-COUNT: usu N n\n\n2. If a military or police operation is code-named something, it is given a name which only the people involved in it know.\nThe operation was code-named Moonlight Sonata.\n...a military contingent, code-named Sparrowhawk.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed n, V-ed


Words: code of conduct
Meaning:
code of con.duct\n   code of conduct  codes of conduct\n  The code of conduct for a group or organization is an agreement on rules of behaviour for the members of that group or organization.\nDoctors in Britain say a new code of conduct is urgently needed to protect the doctor-patient relationship.\n  N-COUNT


Words: code of practice
Meaning:
code of prac.tice\n   code of practice  codes of practice\n  A code of practice is a set of written rules which explains how people working in a particular profession should behave.\nThe auctioneers are violating a code of practice by dealing in stolen goods.\n  N-COUNT


Words: code word
Meaning:
code word  code words   also codeword, code-word\n  A code word is a word or phrase that has a special meaning, different from its normal meaning, for the people who have agreed to use it in this way.\n...magnum, the code word for launching a radar attack.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coded
Meaning:
cod.ed\n   coded\n1. Coded messages have words or symbols which represent other words, so that the message is secret unless you know the system behind the code.\nIn a coded telephone warning, Scotland Yard were told four bombs had been planted in the area.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If someone is using coded language, they are expressing their opinion in an indirect way, usually because that opinion is likely to offend people.\nIt’s widely assumed that his lyrics were coded references to homosexuality.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n3. Coded electronic signals use a binary system of digits which can be decoded by an appropriate machine. (TECHNICAL)\nThe coded signal is received by satellite dish aerials.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: codeine
Meaning:
co.deine\n   codeine\n  Codeine is a drug which is used to relieve pain, especially headaches, and the symptoms of a cold.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: codex
Meaning:
co.dex\n   codex  codices\n  A codex is an ancient type of book which was written by hand, not printed.\n  N-COUNT


Words: codger
Meaning:
codg.er\n   codger  codgers\n  Old codger is a disrespectful way of referring to an old man.\n  N-COUNT: usu adj N  disapproval


Words: codicil
Meaning:
codi.cil\n   codicil  codicils\n  A codicil is an instruction that is added to a will after the main part of it has been written. (LEGAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: codify
Meaning:
codi.fy\n   codify  codifies  codifying  codified\n  If you codify a set of rules, you define them or present them in a clear and ordered way.\nThe latest draft of the agreement codifies the panel’s decision.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  codi.fi.ca.tion\nThe codification of the laws began in the 1840s.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n


Words: coding
Meaning:
cod.ing\n   coding\n  Coding is a method of making something easy to recognize or distinct, for example by colouring it.\n...a colour coding that will ensure easy reference for potential users.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu adj N


Words: codpiece
Meaning:
cod.piece\n   codpiece  codpieces\n  A codpiece was a piece of material worn by men in the 15th and 16th centuries to cover their genitals.\n  N-COUNT


Words: codswallop
Meaning:
cods.wallop\n   codswallop\n  If you describe something that someone has just said as codswallop, you mean that you think it is nonsense. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nThis is a load of codswallop.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval\n  = cobblers


Words: coefficient
Meaning:
co.ef.fi.cient\n   coefficient  coefficients\n  A coefficient is a number that expresses a measurement of a particular quality of a substance or object under specified conditions. (TECHNICAL)\n...production coefficients...\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp


Words: coerce
Meaning:
co.erce\n   coerce  coerces  coercing  coerced\n  If you coerce someone into doing something, you make them do it, although they do not want to. (FORMAL)\nPotter had argued that the government coerced him into pleading guilty...\n  VERB: V n into -ing\n  = pressurize


Words: coercion
Meaning:
co.er.cion\n   coercion\n  Coercion is the act or process of persuading someone forcefully to do something that they do not want to do.\nIt was vital that the elections should be free of coercion or intimidation.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coercive
Meaning:
co.er.cive\n   coercive\n  Coercive measures are intended to force people to do something that they do not want to do.\nThe eighteenth-century Admiralty had few coercive powers over its officers.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: coexist
Meaning:
co.ex.ist\n   coexist  coexists  coexisting  coexisted   also co-exist\n  If one thing coexists with another, they exist together at the same time or in the same place. You can also say that two things coexist.\nPockets of affluence coexist with poverty...\nBankers and clockmakers have coexisted in the City for hundreds of years.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, pl-n V


Words: coexistence
Meaning:
co.ex.ist.ence\n   coexistence   also co-existence\n  The coexistence of one thing with another is the fact that they exist together at the same time or in the same place.\nHe also believed in coexistence with the West.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of/with/between n


Words: coffee
Meaning:
cof.fee\n   coffee  coffees\n1. Coffee is a hot drink made with water and ground or powdered coffee beans.\nWould you like some coffee?...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  A coffee is a cup of coffee.\nI made a coffee.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Coffee is the roasted beans or powder from which the drink is made.\nBrazil harvested 28m bags of coffee in 1991, the biggest crop for four years.\n...superior quality coffee.\n  N-MASS


Words: coffee bar
Meaning:
cof.fee bar\n   coffee bar  coffee bars\n  A coffee bar is a small cafe where non-alcoholic drinks and snacks are sold.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coffee bean
Meaning:
cof.fee bean\n   coffee bean  coffee beans\n  Coffee beans are small dark brown beans that are roasted and ground to make coffee. They are the seeds of the coffee plant.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: coffee break
Meaning:
cof.fee break\n   coffee break  coffee breaks\n  A coffee break is a short period of time, usually in the morning or afternoon, when you stop working and have a cup of coffee.\nIt looks like she’ll be too busy to stop for a coffee break.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coffee cup
Meaning:
cof.fee cup\n   coffee cup  coffee cups   also coffee-cup\n  A coffee cup is a cup in which coffee is served. Coffee cups are usually smaller than tea cups.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coffee grinder
Meaning:
cof.fee grind.er\n   coffee grinder  coffee grinders\n  A coffee grinder is a machine for grinding coffee beans.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coffee house
Meaning:
cof.fee house\n   coffee house  coffee houses   also coffee-house\n  A coffee house is a kind of bar where people sit to drink coffee and talk. Coffee houses were especially popular in Britain in the 18th century.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coffee morning
Meaning:
cof.fee morn.ing\n   coffee morning  coffee mornings\n  A coffee morning is a social event at which coffee and tea are served. It takes place in the morning, and is usually intended to raise money for charity. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: coffee pot
Meaning:
cof.fee pot\n   coffee pot  coffee pots   also coffeepot\n  A coffee pot is a tall narrow pot with a spout and a lid, in which coffee is made or served.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coffee shop
Meaning:
cof.fee shop\n   coffee shop  coffee shops   also coffee-shop\n  A coffee shop is a kind of restaurant that sells coffee, tea, cakes, and sometimes sandwiches and light meals.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coffee table
Meaning:
cof.fee ta.ble\n   coffee table  coffee tables   also coffee-table\n  A coffee table is a small low table in a living room.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coffee-table book
Meaning:
coffee-table book  coffee-table books\n  A coffee-table book is a large expensive book with a lot of pictures, which is designed to be looked at rather than to be read properly, and is usually placed where people can see it easily.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coffer
Meaning:
cof.fer\n   coffer  coffers\n1. A coffer is a large strong chest used for storing valuable objects such as money or gold and silver. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. The coffers of an organization consist of the money that it has to spend, imagined as being collected together in one place.\nThe proceeds from the lottery go towards sports and recreation, as well as swelling the coffers of the government...\n  N-PLURAL: with supp, oft N of n, n N


Words: coffin
Meaning:
cof.fin\n   coffin  coffins\n1. A coffin is a box in which a dead body is buried or cremated.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you say that one thing is a nail in the coffin of another thing, you mean that it will help bring about its end or failure.\nA fine would be the final nail in the coffin of the airline.\n  PHRASE: oft PHR of n


Words: cog
Meaning:
cog  cogs\n1. A cog is a wheel with square or triangular teeth around the edge, which is used in a machine to turn another wheel or part.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you describe someone as a cog in a machine or wheel, you mean that they are a small part of a large organization or group.\nMr Lake was an important cog in the Republican campaign machine.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR


Words: cogent
Meaning:
co.gent\n   cogent\n  A cogent reason, argument, or example is strong and convincing. (FORMAL)\nThere were perfectly cogent reasons why Julian Cavendish should be told of the Major’s impending return.\n  ADJ\n  = convincing\n=>  co.gen.cy\nThe film makes its points with cogency and force.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cogitate
Meaning:
cogi.tate\n   cogitate  cogitates  cogitating  cogitated\n  If you are cogitating, you are thinking deeply about something. (FORMAL)\nHe sat silently cogitating.\n...to cogitate on the meaning of life.\n  VERB: V, V on/about n\n\n=>  cogi.ta.tion\nAfter much cogitation, we decided to move to the Isle of Wight.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cognac
Meaning:
cog.nac\n   cognac  cognacs   also Cognac\n  Cognac is a type of brandy made in the south west of France.\n...a bottle of Cognac.\n...one of the world’s finest cognacs.\n  N-MASS\n\n  A cognac is a glass of cognac.\nPhillips ordered a cognac.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cognate
Meaning:
cog.nate\n   cognate\n  Cognate things are related to each other. (FORMAL)\n...cognate words.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ with n


Words: cognition
Meaning:
cog.ni.tion\n   cognition\n  Cognition is the mental process involved in knowing, learning, and understanding things. (FORMAL)\n...processes of perception and cognition.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cognitive
Meaning:
cog.ni.tive\n   cognitive\n  Cognitive means relating to the mental process involved in knowing, learning, and understanding things. (TECHNICAL or FORMAL)\nAs children grow older, their cognitive processes become sharper.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: cognizance
Meaning:
cog.ni.zance\n   cognizance\nin BRIT, also use cognisance\n1. If you take cognizance of something, you take notice of it or acknowledge it. (FORMAL)\nThe government failed to take cognisance of their protest.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n  = acknowledge\n2. Cognizance is knowledge or understanding. (FORMAL)\n...the teacher’s developing cognizance of the child’s intellectual activity.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n


Words: cognizant
Meaning:
cog.ni.zant\n   cognizant\nin BRIT, also use cognisant\n  If someone is cognizant of something, they are aware of it or understand it. (FORMAL)\nWe are cognizant of the problem.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ of n\n  = conscious


Words: cognoscenti
Meaning:
co.gno.scen.ti\n   cognoscenti\n  The cognoscenti are the people who know a lot about a particular subject. (FORMAL)\nShe has an international reputation among film cognoscenti.\n  N-PLURAL: oft n N\n  = connoisseurs


Words: cohabit
Meaning:
co.hab.it\n   cohabit  cohabits  cohabiting  cohabited\n  If two people are cohabiting, they are living together and have a sexual relationship, but are not married. (FORMAL)\nIn Italy people hardly ever cohabit...\nThe dentist left his wife of 15 years and openly cohabited with his receptionist...\nAny solicitor will tell you, if you’re cohabiting and the man leaves you, you haven’t got a leg to stand on.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n, V (non-recip)\n\n=>  co.habi.ta.tion\nThe decline in marriage has been offset by a rise in cohabitation.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cohere
Meaning:
co.here\n   cohere  coheres  cohering  cohered\n  If the different elements of a piece of writing, a piece of music, or a set of ideas cohere, they fit together well so that they form a united whole.\nThe various elements of the novel fail to cohere...\nThis coheres with Peel’s championing of alternative music...\nThe empire could not cohere as a legitimate whole.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n, V (non-recip)\n  = hang together


Words: coherence
Meaning:
co.her.ence\n   coherence\n  Coherence is a state or situation in which all the parts or ideas fit together well so that they form a united whole.\nThe anthology has a surprising sense of coherence.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coherent
Meaning:
co.her.ent\n   coherent\n1. If something is coherent, it is well planned, so that it is clear and sensible and all its parts go well with each other.\nHe has failed to work out a coherent strategy for modernising the service...\nThe President’s policy is perfectly coherent.\n  ADJ\n  !=muddled\n=>  co.her.ence\nThe campaign was widely criticised for making tactical mistakes and for a lack of coherence.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If someone is coherent, they express their thoughts in a clear and calm way, so that other people can understand what they are saying.\nHe’s so calm when he answers questions in interviews. I wish I could be that coherent.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ\n  !=incoherent\n=>  co.her.ence\nShe lost consciousness and when she came round she still lacked coherence and focus.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cohesion
Meaning:
co.he.sion\n   cohesion\n  If there is cohesion within a society, organization, or group, the different members fit together well and form a united whole.\nBy 1990, it was clear that the cohesion of the armed forces was rapidly breaking down...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cohesive
Meaning:
co.he.sive\n   cohesive\n  Something that is cohesive consists of parts that fit together well and form a united whole.\nHuston had assembled a remarkably cohesive and sympathetic cast.\n  ADJ


Words: cohort
Meaning:
co.hort\n   cohort  cohorts\n  A person’s cohorts are their friends, supporters, or associates.\nDrake and his cohorts were not pleased with my appointment.\n  N-COUNT: usu poss N  disapproval


Words: coiffed
Meaning:
coiffed\n  If someone has neatly coiffed hair, their hair is very carefully arranged. (FORMAL)\nHer hair was perfectly coiffed.\n  ADJ: usu adv ADJ


Words: coiffure
Meaning:
coif.fure\n   coiffure  coiffures\n  A person’s coiffure is their hairstyle. (FORMAL)\n...her immaculate golden coiffure.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coil
Meaning:
coil  coils  coiling  coiled\n1. A coil of rope or wire is a length of it that has been wound into a series of loops.\nTod shook his head angrily and slung the coil of rope over his shoulder...\nThe steel arrives at the factory in coils.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n2. A coil is one loop in a series of loops.\nPythons kill by tightening their coils so that their victim cannot breathe.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. A coil is a thick spiral of wire through which an electrical current passes.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. The coil is a contraceptive device used by women. It is fitted inside a woman’s womb, usually for several months or years.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N in sing\n\n5. If you coil something, you wind it into a series of loops or into the shape of a ring. If it coils around something, it forms loops or a ring.\nHe turned off the water and began to coil the hose...\nA huge rattlesnake lay coiled on the blanket.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n\n  Coil up means the same as coil.\nOnce we have the wire, we can coil it up into the shape of a spring...\nHer hair was coiled up on top of her head.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V-ed P, also V P n (not pron)


Words: coiled
Meaning:
coiled\n  Coiled means in the form of a series of loops.\n...a heavy coiled spring.\n...special coiled kettle flexes.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: coin
Meaning:
coin  coins  coining  coined\n1. A coin is a small piece of metal which is used as money.\n...50 pence coins.\n...Frederick’s gold coin collection.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you coin a word or a phrase, you are the first person to say it.\nJaron Lanier coined the term `virtual reality’ and pioneered its early development...\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. You say `to coin a phrase’ to show that you realize you are making a pun or using a cliche.\nFifty local musicians have, to coin a phrase, banded together to form the Jazz Umbrella.\n  PHRASE\n\n4. You use the other side of the coin to mention a different aspect of a situation.\nThese findings are a reminder that low pay is the other side of the coin of falling unemployment.\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl


Words: coinage
Meaning:
coin.age\n   coinage\n1. Coinage is the coins which are used in a country.\n...the world’s finest collection of medieval European coinage.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Coinage is the system of money used in a country.\nIt took four years for Britain just to decimalise its own coinage.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coincide
Meaning:
co.in.cide\n   coincide  coincides  coinciding  coincided\n1. If one event coincides with another, they happen at the same time.\nThe exhibition coincides with the 50th anniversary of his death...\nThe beginning of the solar and lunar years coincided every 13 years.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, pl-n V\n\n2. If the ideas or interests of two or more people coincide, they are the same.\nThe kids’ views on life don’t always coincide, but they’re not afraid of voicing their opinions...\nHe gave great encouragement to his students, especially if their passions happened to coincide with his own.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n


Words: coincidence
Meaning:
co.in.ci.dence\n   coincidence  coincidences\n  A coincidence is when two or more similar or related events occur at the same time by chance and without any planning.\nMr. Berry said the timing was a coincidence and that his decision was unrelated to Mr. Roman’s departure...\nThe premises of Chabert and Sons were situated by the river and, by coincidence, not too far away from where Eric Talbot had met his death.\n  N-VAR


Words: coincident
Meaning:
co.in.ci.dent\n   coincident\n1. Coincident events happen at the same time. (FORMAL)\n...coincident birth times...\nCoincident with the talks, the bank was permitted to open a New York branch.\n  ADJ: oft v-link ADJ with n\n\n2. Coincident opinions, ideas, or policies are the same or are very similar to each other. (FORMAL)\nTheir aims are coincident with ours...\nCoincident interests with the corporate rich and political directorate are pointed out.\n  ADJ: oft v-link ADJ with n


Words: coincidental
Meaning:
co.in.ci.dent.al\n   coincidental\n  Something that is coincidental is the result of a coincidence and has not been deliberately arranged.\nAny resemblance to actual persons, places or events is purely coincidental...\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft it v-link ADJ that


Words: coincidentally
Meaning:
co.in.ci.dent.al.ly\n   coincidentally\n  You use coincidentally when you want to draw attention to a coincidence.\nCoincidentally, I had once found myself in a similar situation...\n  ADV: usu ADV with cl/group, also ADV before v


Words: coir
Meaning:
coir\n  Coir is a rough material made from coconut shells which is used to make ropes and mats.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coital
Meaning:
coi.tal\n   coital\n  Coital means connected with or relating to sexual intercourse. (TECHNICAL)\n...coital techniques.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: coke
Meaning:
coke\n1. Coke is a solid black substance that is produced from coal and is burned as a fuel.\n...a coke-burning stove.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Coke is the same as cocaine. (INFORMAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Col.
Meaning:
Col. is a written abbreviation for Colonel when it is being used as a title in front of someone’s name.\n...Col. Frank Weldon.\n  N-TITLE


Words: colander
Meaning:
col.an.der\n   colander  colanders\n  A colander is a container in the shape of a bowl with holes in it which you wash or drain food in.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cold
Meaning:
cold  colder  coldest  colds\n1. Something that is cold has a very low temperature or a lower temperature than is normal or acceptable.\nRinse the vegetables under cold running water...\nHe likes his tea neither too hot nor too cold...\nYour dinner’s getting cold.\n  ADJ\n  !=hot, warm\n=>  cold.ness\nShe complained about the coldness of his hands.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp\n  !=warmth\n2. If it is cold, or if a place is cold, the temperature of the air is very low.\nIt was bitterly cold...\nThe house is cold because I can’t afford to turn the heat on...\nThis is the coldest winter I can remember.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ\n  !=hot, warm\n=>  cold.ness\nWithin quarter of an hour the coldness of the night had gone.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp\n\n3. Cold weather or low temperatures can be referred to as the cold.\nHe must have come inside to get out of the cold...\nHis feet were blue with cold.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also the N\n  !=heat\n4. If you are cold, your body is at an unpleasantly low temperature.\nI was freezing cold...\nI’m hungry, I’m cold and I’ve nowhere to sleep.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n\n5. Cold food, such as salad or meat that has been cooked and cooled, is not intended to be eaten hot.\nA wide variety of hot and cold snacks will be available.\n...cold meats.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=hot\n6. Cold colours or cold light give an impression of coldness.\nGenerally, warm colours advance in painting and cold colours recede.\n...the cold blue light from a streetlamp.\n  ADJ\n  !=warm\n7. A cold person does not show much emotion, especially affection, and therefore seems unfriendly and unsympathetic. If someone’s voice is cold, they speak in an unfriendly unsympathetic way.\nWhat a cold, unfeeling woman she was...\n`Send her away,’ Eve said in a cold, hard voice.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  !=warm\n=>  cold.ly\n`I’ll see you in the morning,’ Hugh said coldly.\n  ADV\n\n=>  cold.ness\nHis coldness angered her.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n8. A cold trail or scent is one which is old and therefore difficult to follow.\nHe could follow a cold trail over hard ground and even over stones.\n  ADJ\n  !=fresh\n9. If you have a cold, you have a mild, very common illness which makes you sneeze a lot and gives you a sore throat or a cough.\n  N-COUNT\n\n10.\n  see also common cold\n11. If you catch cold, or catch a cold, you become ill with a cold.\nLet’s dry our hair so we don’t catch cold.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n12. If something leaves you cold, it fails to excite or interest you.\nLawrence is one of those writers who either excite you enormously or leave you cold.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n13. If someone is out cold, they are unconscious or sleeping very heavily.\nShe was out cold but still breathing.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR\n\n14.\nin cold blood: see blood\nto get cold feet: see foot\nto blow hot and cold: see hot\nto pour cold water on something: see water


Words: cold call
Meaning:
cold call cold calls cold calling cold called\n1. If someone makes a cold call, they telephone or visit someone they have never contacted, without making an appointment, in order to try and sell something.\nShe had worked as a call centre operator making cold calls for time-share holidays.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. To cold call means to make a cold call.\nYou should refuse to meet anyone who cold calls with an offer of financial advice.\n  VERB: V, also V n\n\n=>  cold calling\nWe will adhere to strict sales ethics, with none of the cold calling that has given the industry such a bad name.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cold comfort
Meaning:
cold com.fort\n   cold comfort\n  If you say that a slightly encouraging fact or event is cold comfort to someone, you mean that it gives them little or no comfort because their situation is so difficult or unpleasant.\nThese figures may look good on paper but are cold comfort to the islanders themselves.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N to/for n


Words: cold fish
Meaning:
cold fish\n  If you say that someone is a cold fish, you think that they are unfriendly and unemotional.\n  N-SING  disapproval


Words: cold frame
Meaning:
cold frame  cold frames\n  A cold frame is a wooden frame with a glass top in which you grow small plants to protect them from cold weather.\n  N-COUNT


Words: cold shoulder
Meaning:
cold shoul.der\n   cold shoulder  cold-shoulders  cold-shouldering  cold-shouldered\n\n  The form cold-shoulder is used for the verb.\n\n1. If one person gives another the cold shoulder, they behave towards them in an unfriendly way, to show them that they do not care about them or that they want them to go away.\nBut when Gough looked to Haig for support, he was given the cold shoulder.\n  N-SING: usu the N\n\n2. If one person cold-shoulders another, they give them the cold-shoulder.\nEven her own party considered her shrewish and nagging, and cold-shouldered her in the corridors.\n  VERB: V n


Words: cold snap
Meaning:
cold snap  cold snaps\n  A cold snap is a short period of cold and icy weather.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: cold sore
Meaning:
cold sore  cold sores\n  Cold sores are small sore spots that sometimes appear on or near someone’s lips and nose when they have a cold. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use fever blister)\n  N-COUNT


Words: cold storage
Meaning:
cold stor.age\n   cold storage\n  If something such as food is put in cold storage, it is kept in an artificially cooled place in order to preserve it.\nThe strawberries are kept in cold storage to prevent them spoiling during transportation.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: cold store
Meaning:
cold store  cold stores\n  A cold store is a building or room which is artificially cooled so that food can be preserved in it. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: cold sweat
Meaning:
cold sweat  cold sweats\n  If you are in a cold sweat, you are sweating and feel cold, usually because you are very afraid or nervous.\nHe awoke from his sleep in a cold sweat.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, usu in/into N


Words: cold turkey
Meaning:
cold tur.key\n   cold turkey\n  Cold turkey is the unpleasant physical reaction that people experience when they suddenly stop taking a drug that they have become addicted to. (INFORMAL)\nThe quickest way to get her off the drug was to let her go cold turkey.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Cold War
Meaning:
Cold War   also cold war\n  The Cold War was the period of hostility and tension between the Soviet bloc and the Western powers that followed the Second World War.\n...the first major crisis of the post-Cold War era.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: cold-blooded
Meaning:
cold-blooded\n1. Someone who is cold-blooded does not show any pity or emotion.\n...a cold-blooded murderer...\nThis was a brutal and cold-blooded killing.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n\n2. Cold-blooded animals have a body temperature that changes according to the surrounding temperature. Reptiles, for example, are cold-blooded.\n  ADJ\n  !=warm-blooded


Words: cold-hearted
Meaning:
cold-hearted\n  A cold-hearted person does not feel any affection or sympathy towards other people.\n...a cold-hearted killer.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  disapproval\n  !=warm-hearted


Words: coleslaw
Meaning:
cole.slaw\n   coleslaw\n  Coleslaw is a salad of chopped raw cabbage, carrots, onions, and sometimes other vegetables, usually with mayonnaise.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: colic
Meaning:
col.ic\n   colic\n  Colic is an illness in which you get severe pains in your stomach and bowels. Babies especially suffer from colic.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: colicky
Meaning:
col.icky\n   colicky\n  If someone, especially a baby, is colicky, they are suffering from colic.\n  ADJ


Words: colitis
Meaning:
co.li.tis\n   colitis\n  Colitis is an illness in which your colon becomes inflamed. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: collaborate
Meaning:
col.labo.rate\n   collaborate  collaborates  collaborating  collaborated\n1. When one person or group collaborates with another, they work together, especially on a book or on some research.\nHe collaborated with his son Michael on the English translation of a text on food production...\nThe government is urging Japan’s firms to collaborate with foreigners.\n...a place where professionals and amateurs collaborated in the making of music...\nThe two men met and agreed to collaborate.\n  V-RECIP: V with n on/in n/-ing, V with n, pl-n V on/in n/-ing, pl-n V\n\n2. If someone collaborates with an enemy that is occupying their country during a war, they help them.\nHe was accused of having collaborated with the secret police.\n  VERB: V with n, also V  disapproval


Words: collaboration
Meaning:
col.labo.ra.tion\n   collaboration  collaborations\n1. Collaboration is the act of working together to produce a piece of work, especially a book or some research.\nClose collaboration between the Bank and the Fund is not merely desirable, it is essential.\n...scientific collaborations...\nDrummond was working on a book in collaboration with Zodiac Mindwarp.\n  N-VAR: oft N with n, N between pl-n, in N\n\n2. A collaboration is a piece of work that has been produced as the result of people or groups working together.\nHe was also a writer of beautiful stories, some of which are collaborations with his fiancee.\n  N-COUNT: usu N between pl-n, N with n\n\n3. Collaboration is the act of helping an enemy who is occupying your country during a war.\nShe faced charges of collaboration.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp, oft N with n  disapproval


Words: collaborationist
Meaning:
col.labo.ra.tion.ist\n   collaborationist\n  A collaborationist government or individual is one that helps or gives support to the enemy during the war.\nQuinn headed the collaborationist government throughout the war.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  disapproval


Words: collaborative
Meaning:
col.labo.ra.tive\n   collaborative\n  A collaborative piece of work is done by two or more people or groups working together. (FORMAL)\n...a collaborative research project...\n`The First Day’ is their first collaborative album.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: collaborator
Meaning:
col.labo.ra.tor\n   collaborator  collaborators\n1. A collaborator is someone that you work with to produce a piece of work, especially a book or some research.\nThe Irvine group and their collaborators are testing whether lasers do the job better.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n\n2. A collaborator is someone who helps an enemy who is occupying their country during a war.\nTwo alleged collaborators were shot dead by masked activists.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: collage
Meaning:
col.lage\n   collage  collages\n1. A collage is a picture that has been made by sticking pieces of coloured paper and cloth onto paper.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Collage is the method of making pictures by sticking pieces of coloured paper and cloth onto paper.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: collagen
Meaning:
col.la.gen\n   collagen\n  Collagen is a protein that is found in the bodies of people and animals. It is often used as an ingredient in cosmetics or is injected into the face in cosmetic surgery, in order to make the skin look younger.\nThe collagen that is included in face creams comes from animal skin.\n...collagen injections.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: collapse
Meaning:
col.lapse\n   collapse  collapses  collapsing  collapsed\n1. If a building or other structure collapses, it falls down very suddenly.\nA section of the Bay Bridge had collapsed...\nMost of the deaths were caused by landslides and collapsing buildings.\n  VERB: V, V-ing\n\n  Collapse is also a noun.\nGovernor Deukmejian called for an inquiry into the freeway’s collapse.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If something, for example a system or institution, collapses, it fails or comes to an end completely and suddenly.\nHis business empire collapsed under a massive burden of debt...\nThe rural people have been impoverished by a collapsing economy.\n  VERB: V, V-ing\n\n  Collapse is also a noun.\nThe coup’s collapse has speeded up the drive to independence...\nTheir economy is teetering on the brink of collapse.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. If you collapse, you suddenly faint or fall down because you are very ill or weak.\nHe collapsed following a vigorous exercise session at his home...\n  VERB: V\n\n  Collapse is also a noun.\nA few days after his collapse he was sitting up in bed.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4. If you collapse onto something, you sit or lie down suddenly because you are very tired.\nShe arrived home exhausted and barely capable of showering before collapsing on her bed.\n  VERB: V prep, also V


Words: collapsible
Meaning:
col.laps.ible\n   collapsible\n  A collapsible object is designed to be folded flat when it is not being used.\n...a collapsible chair.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = folding


Words: collar
Meaning:
col.lar\n   collar  collars  collaring  collared\n1. The collar of a shirt or coat is the part which fits round the neck and is usually folded over.\nHis tie was pulled loose and his collar hung open.\n...a coat with a huge fake fur collar.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also blue-collar, dog-collar, white-collar\n2. A collar is a band of leather or plastic which is put round the neck of a dog or cat.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If you collar someone who has done something wrong or who is running away, you catch them and hold them so that they cannot escape. (INFORMAL)\nAs Kerr fled towards the exit, Boycott collared him at the ticket barrier.\n  VERB: V n\n  = grab


Words: collarbone
Meaning:
collar.bone\n   collarbone  collarbones\nin BRIT, also use collar bone\n  Your collarbones are the two long bones which run from throat to your shoulders.\nHarold had a broken collarbone.\n  N-COUNT


Words: collate
Meaning:
col.late\n   collate  collates  collating  collated\n  When you collate pieces of information, you gather them all together and examine them.\nRoberts has spent much of his working life collating the data on which the study was based...\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  col.la.tion\nMany countries have no laws governing the collation of personal information.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n


Words: collateral
Meaning:
col.lat.er.al\n   collateral\n  Collateral is money or property which is used as a guarantee that someone will repay a loan. (FORMAL)\nMost people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft as N\n  = security


Words: collateral damage
Meaning:
col.lat.er.al dam.age\n   collateral damage\n  Collateral damage is accidental injury to non-military people or damage to non-military buildings which occurs during a military operation.\nTo minimize collateral damage maximum precision in bombing was required.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: colleague
Meaning:
col.league\n   colleague  colleagues\n  Your colleagues are the people you work with, especially in a professional job.\nA colleague urged him to see a psychiatrist, but Faulkner refused.\n  N-COUNT: oft with poss


Words: collect
Meaning:
col.lect\n   collect  collects  collecting  collected\n1. If you collect a number of things, you bring them together from several places or from several people.\nTwo young girls were collecting firewood...\n1.5 million signatures have been collected.\n  VERB: V n, V n\n  = gather\n2. If you collect things, such as stamps or books, as a hobby, you get a large number of them over a period of time because they interest you.\nOne of Tony’s hobbies was collecting rare birds.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  col.lect.ing\n...hobbies like stamp collecting and fishing.\n  N-UNCOUNT: with supp, oft n N\n\n3. When you collect someone or something, you go and get them from the place where they are waiting for you or have been left for you. (BRIT; in AM, usually use pick up)\nDavid always collects Alistair from school on Wednesdays...\nAfter collecting the cash, the kidnapper made his escape down the disused railway line.\n  VERB: V n from n, V n\n  = pick up\n4. If a substance collects somewhere, or if something collects it, it keeps arriving over a period of time and is held in that place or thing.\nMethane gas does collect in the mines around here.\n...water tanks which collect rainwater from the house roof.\n  VERB: V prep/adv, V n, also V\n\n5. If something collects light, energy, or heat, it attracts it.\nLike a telescope it has a curved mirror to collect the sunlight.\n  VERB: V n\n\n6. If you collect for a charity or for a present for someone, you ask people to give you money for it.\nAre you collecting for charity?...\nThey collected donations for a fund to help military families.\n  VERB: V for n, V n for n, also V n\n\n7. If you collect yourself or collect your thoughts, you make an effort to calm yourself or prepare yourself mentally.\nShe paused for a moment to collect herself...\nHe was grateful for a chance to relax and collect his thoughts.\n  VERB: V pron-refl, V n\n  = compose\n8. A collect call is a telephone call that is paid for by the person receiving it, not the person making it. (AM)\nShe received a collect phone call from Alaska.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  If you call collect when you make a telephone call, the person who you are phoning pays the cost of the call and not you.\nShould you lose your ticket call collect on STA’s helpline.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: collectable
Meaning:
col.lect.able\n   collectable   also collectible\n  A collectable object is one which is valued very highly by collectors because it is rare or beautiful.\nMany of these cushions have survived and are very collectible.\n  ADJ


Words: collected
Meaning:
col.lect.ed\n   collected\n1. An author’s collected works or letters are all their works or letters published in one book or in a set of books.\n...the collected works of Rudyard Kipling...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = complete\n2. If you say that someone is collected, you mean that they are very calm and self-controlled, especially when they are in a difficult or serious situation.\nPolice say she was cool and collected during her interrogation.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n\n3.\n  see also collect


Words: collecting
Meaning:
col.lect.ing\n   collecting\n  A collecting tin or box is one that is used to collect money for charity. (BRIT; in AM, use collection box)\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  see also collect


Words: collection
Meaning:
col.lec.tion\n   collection  collections\n1. A collection of things is a group of similar things that you have deliberately acquired, usually over a period of time.\nThe Art Gallery of Ontario has the world’s largest collection of sculptures by Henry Moore...\nHe made the mistake of leaving his valuable record collection with a former girlfriend.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n2. A collection of stories, poems, or articles is a number of them published in one book.\nThe Brookings Institution has assembled a collection of essays from foreign affairs experts.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n3. A collection of things is a group of things.\nWye Lea is a collection of farm buildings that have been converted into an attractive complex.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n4. A fashion designer’s new collection consists of the new clothes they have designed for the next season.\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. Collection is the act of collecting something from a place or from people.\nMoney can be sent to any one of 22,000 agents worldwide for collection.\n...computer systems to speed up collection of information.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n6. If you organize a collection for charity, you collect money from people to give to charity.\nI asked my headmaster if he could arrange a collection for a refugee charity.\n  N-COUNT\n\n7. A collection is money that is given by people in church during some Christian services.\n  N-COUNT


Words: collection box
Meaning:
col.lec.tion box\n   collection box  collection boxes\n  A collection box is a box or tin that is used to collect money for charity. (AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: collective
Meaning:
col.lec.tive\n   collective  collectives\n1. Collective actions, situations, or feelings involve or are shared by every member of a group of people.\nIt was a collective decision...\nThe country’s politicians are already heaving a collective sigh of relief.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = joint\n=>  col.lec.tive.ly\nThe Cabinet is collectively responsible for policy.\n  ADV: oft ADV with cl\n\n2. A collective amount of something is the total obtained by adding together the amounts that each person or thing in a group has.\nTheir collective volume wasn’t very large.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = combined\n=>  col.lec.tive.ly\nIn 1968 the states collectively spent $2 billion on it.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n3. The collective term for two or more types of thing is a general word or expression which refers to all of them.\nSocial science is a collective name, covering a series of individual sciences.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  col.lec.tive.ly\n...other sorts of cells (known collectively as white corpuscles).\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n4. A collective is a business or farm which is run, and often owned, by a group of people who take an equal share of any profits. (BUSINESS)\nHe will see that he is participating in all the decisions of the collective.\n  N-COUNT\n  = co-operative


Words: collective bargaining
Meaning:
col.lec.tive bar.gain.ing\n   collective bargaining\n  When a trade union engages in collective bargaining, it has talks with an employer about its members’ pay and working conditions. (BUSINESS)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: collective noun
Meaning:
col.lec.tive noun\n   collective noun  collective nouns\n  A collective noun is a noun such as `family’ or `team’ that refers to a group of people or things.\n  N-COUNT


Words: collective unconscious
Meaning:
col.lec.tive un.con.scious\n   collective unconscious\n  In psychology, the collective unconscious consists of the basic ideas and images that all people are believed to share because they have inherited them.\n  N-SING: usu the N


Words: collectivism
Meaning:
col.lec.tiv.ism\n   collectivism\n  Collectivism is the political belief that a country’s industries and services should be owned and controlled by the state or by all the people in a country. Socialism and communism are both forms of collectivism.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: collectivist
Meaning:
col.lec.tiv.ist\n   collectivist\n  Collectivist means relating to collectivism.\n...collectivist ideals.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: collectivize
Meaning:
col.lec.ti.vize\n   collectivize  collectivizes  collectivizing  collectivized\nin BRIT, also use collectivise\n  If farms or factories are collectivized, they are brought under state ownership and control, usually by combining a number of small farms or factories into one large one.\nMost large businesses were collectivized at the start of the war...\nHe forced the country to collectivize agriculture.\n...large collectivised farms.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n, V-ed\n\n=>  col.lec.tivi.za.tion\n...the collectivisation of agriculture.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n


Words: collector
Meaning:
col.lec.tor\n   collector  collectors\n1. A collector is a person who collects things of a particular type as a hobby.\n...a stamp-collector.\n...a respected collector of Indian art...\n  N-COUNT: oft n N, N of n\n\n2. You can use collector to refer to someone whose job is to take something such as money, tickets, or rubbish from people. For example, a rent collector collects rent from people.\nHe earned his living as a tax collector.\n...a garbage collector.\n  N-COUNT: with supp, usu n N


Words: collector’s item
Meaning:
col.lec.tor’s item\n   collector’s item  collector’s items\n  A collector’s item is an object which is highly valued by collectors because it is rare or beautiful.\n  N-COUNT


Words: college
Meaning:
col.lege\n   college  colleges\n1. A college is an institution where students study after they have left school.\nTheir daughter Joanna is doing business studies at a local college...\nHe is now a professor of economics at Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts.\n  N-VAR; N-IN-NAMES\n\n2. A college is one of the institutions which some British universities are divided into.\nHe was educated at Balliol College, Oxford.\n  N-COUNT: oft in names after n\n\n3. At some universities in the United States, colleges are divisions which offer degrees in particular subjects.\n...a professor at the University of Florida College of Law.\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES\n\n4. College is used in Britain in the names of some secondary schools which charge fees.\nIn 1854, Cheltenham Ladies’ College became the first girls’ public school.\n  N-IN-NAMES


Words: collegiate
Meaning:
col.legi.ate\n   collegiate\n  Collegiate means belonging or relating to a college or to college students. (mainly AM)\nThe 1933 national collegiate football championship was won by Michigan.\n...collegiate life.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = college


Words: collide
Meaning:
col.lide\n   collide  collides  colliding  collided\n1. If two or more moving people or objects collide, they crash into one another. If a moving person or object collides with a person or object that is not moving, they crash into them.\nTwo trains collided head-on in north-eastern Germany early this morning...\nRacing up the stairs, he almost collided with Daisy...\nHe collided with a pine tree near the North Gate.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n, V with n (non-recip)\n\n2. If the aims, opinions, or interests of one person or group collide with those of another person or group, they are very different from each other and are therefore opposed.\nThe aims of the negotiators in New York again seem likely to collide with the aims of the warriors in the field...\nWhat happens when the two interests collide will make a fascinating spectacle.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, pl-n V\n  = clash


Words: collie
Meaning:
col.lie\n   collie  collies\n  A collie or a collie dog is a dog with long hair and a long, narrow nose.\n  N-COUNT


Words: colliery
Meaning:
col.liery\n   colliery  collieries\n  A colliery is a coal mine and all the buildings and equipment which are connected with it. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT\n  = pit


Words: collision
Meaning:
col.li.sion\n   collision  collisions\n1. A collision occurs when a moving object crashes into something.\nThey were on their way to the Shropshire Union Canal when their van was involved in a collision with a car...\nI saw a head-on collision between two aeroplanes.\n  N-VAR: oft N with/between n\n  = crash\n2. A collision of cultures or ideas occurs when two very different cultures or people meet and conflict.\nThe play represents the collision of three generations.\n  N-COUNT: oft N of/between/with n\n  = clash


Words: collision course
Meaning:
col.li.sion course\n   collision course\n1. If two or more people or things are on a collision course, there is likely to be a sudden and violent disagreement between them.\nThe two communities are now on a collision course...\nBritain’s universities are set on a collision course with the government.\n  N-SING: usu on a N, oft N with n\n\n2. If two or more people or things are on a collision course, they are likely to meet and crash into each other violently.\nThere is an asteroid on a collision course with the Earth.\n  N-SING: usu on a N, oft N with n


Words: collocate
Meaning:
col.lo.cate\n   collocate collocates collocating  collocated\nThe noun is pronounced   The verb is pronounced\n1. In linguistics, a collocate of a particular word is another word which often occurs with that word. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In linguistics, if one word collocates with another, they often occur together. (TECHNICAL)\n`Detached’ collocates with `house’.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, also pl-n V


Words: collocation
Meaning:
col.lo.ca.tion\n   collocation  collocations\n  In linguistics, collocation is the way that some words occur regularly whenever another word is used. (TECHNICAL)\n...the basic notion of collocation.\n  N-VAR


Words: colloquial
Meaning:
col.lo.quial\n   colloquial\n  Colloquial words and phrases are informal and are used mainly in conversation.\n...a colloquial expression...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  col.lo.qui.al.ly\nThe people who write parking tickets in New York are known colloquially as `brownies’.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: colloquialism
Meaning:
col.lo.qui.al.ism\n   colloquialism  colloquialisms\n  A colloquialism is a colloquial word or phrase.\n  N-COUNT


Words: collude
Meaning:
col.lude\n   collude  colludes  colluding  colluded\n  If one person colludes with another, they co-operate with them secretly or illegally.\nSeveral local officials are in jail on charges of colluding with the Mafia...\nMy mother colluded in the myth of him as the swanky businessman...\nThe store’s `no refunds’ policy makes it harder for dishonest cashiers and customers to collude.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, V in n/-ing, pl-n V  disapproval


Words: collusion
Meaning:
col.lu.sion\n   collusion\n  Collusion is secret or illegal co-operation, especially between countries or organizations. (FORMAL)\nHe found no evidence of collusion between record companies and retailers...\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N between pl-n, N with n, in N  disapproval


Words: collusive
Meaning:
col.lu.sive\n   collusive\n  Collusive behaviour involves secret or illegal co-operation, especially between countries or organizations. (FORMAL)\n...collusive business practices.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  disapproval


Words: Colombian
Meaning:
Co.lom.bian\n   Colombian  Colombians\n1. Colombian means belonging or relating to Colombia or its people or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A Colombian is a Colombian citizen, or a person of Colombian origin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: colon
Meaning:
co.lon\n   colon  colons\n1. A colon is the punctuation mark : which you can use in several ways. For example, you can put it before a list of things or before reported speech.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Your colon is the part of your intestine above your rectum.\n...cancer of the colon.\n  N-COUNT


Words: colonel
Meaning:
colo.nel\n   colonel  colonels\n  A colonel is a senior officer in an army, air force, or the marines.\nThis particular place was run by an ex-Army colonel.\n...Colonel Edward Staley.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE; N-VOC


Words: colonial
Meaning:
co.lo.nial\n   colonial\n1. Colonial means relating to countries that are colonies, or to colonialism.\n...the 31st anniversary of Jamaica’s independence from British colonial rule.\n...the colonial civil service.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. A Colonial building or piece of furniture was built or made in a style that was popular in America in the 17th and 18th centuries. (mainly AM)\n...the white colonial houses on the north side of the campus...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: colonialism
Meaning:
co.lo.ni.al.ism\n   colonialism\n  Colonialism is the practice by which a powerful country directly controls less powerful countries and uses their resources to increase its own power and wealth.\n...the bitter oppression of slavery and colonialism...\nIt is interesting to reflect why European colonialism ended.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: colonialist
Meaning:
co.lo.ni.al.ist\n   colonialist  colonialists\n1. Colonialist means relating to colonialism.\n...the European colonialist powers.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A colonialist is a person who believes in colonialism or helps their country to get colonies.\n...rulers who were imposed on the people by the colonialists.\n  N-COUNT


Words: colonist
Meaning:
colo.nist\n   colonist  colonists\n  Colonists are the people who start a colony or the people who are among the first to live in a particular colony.\n...the early American colonists.\n  N-COUNT


Words: colonize
Meaning:
colo.nize\n   colonize  colonizes  colonizing  colonized\nin BRIT, also use colonise\n1. If people colonize a foreign country, they go to live there and take control of it.\nThe first British attempt to colonize Ireland was in the twelfth century...\nFor more than 400 years, we were a colonized people.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n\n2. When large numbers of animals colonize a place, they go to live there and make it their home.\nToads are colonising the whole place.\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. When an area is colonized by a type of plant, the plant grows there in large amounts.\nThe area was then colonized by scrub.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed by n


Words: colonnade
Meaning:
col.on.nade\n   colonnade  colonnades\n  A colonnade is a row of evenly spaced columns.\n...a colonnade with stone pillars.\n  N-COUNT


Words: colony
Meaning:
colo.ny\n   colony  colonies\n1. A colony is a country which is controlled by a more powerful country.\nIn France’s former North African colonies, anti-French feeling is growing...\n  N-COUNT: usu supp N\n\n2. You can refer to a place where a particular group of people lives as a particular kind of colony.\n...a penal colony.\n...industrial colonies.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n3. A colony of birds, insects, or animals is a group of them that live together.\nThe Shetlands are famed for their colonies of sea birds...\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n


Words: coloration
Meaning:
col.ora.tion\n   coloration\n  The coloration of an animal or a plant is the colours and patterns on it.\n...plants with yellow or red coloration.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: coloratura
Meaning:
colo.ra.tu.ra\n   coloratura  coloraturas\n1. Coloratura is very complicated and difficult music for a solo singer, especially in opera. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A coloratura is a singer, usually a woman, who is skilled at singing coloratura. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-COUNT: oft N n


Words: colorization
Meaning:
col.ori.za.tion\n   colorization\n  Colorization is a technique used to add colour to old black and white films.\n...the colorization of old film classics.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: colorized
Meaning:
col.or.ized\n   colorized\n  A colorized film is an old black and white film which has had colour added to it using a special technique.\nThe film is available in a colorized version.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: colossal
Meaning:
co.los.sal\n   colossal\n  If you describe something as colossal, you are emphasizing that it is very large.\nThere has been a colossal waste of public money...\nThe task they face is colossal.\n  ADJ  emphasis\n  = enormous, immense\n=>  co.los.sal.ly\nTheir policies have been colossally destructive.\n  ADV: ADV adj


Words: colossus
Meaning:
co.los.sus\n   colossus  colossi\n1. If you describe someone or something as a colossus, you think that they are extremely important and great in ability or size. (JOURNALISM)\n...saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins...\nHe became a colossus of the labour movement.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n  emphasis\n  = giant\n2. A colossus is an extremely large statue.\n  N-COUNT


Words: colostomy
Meaning:
co.los.to.my\n   colostomy  colostomies\n  A colostomy is a surgical operation in which a permanent opening from the colon is made. (MEDICAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: colour
Meaning:
col.our\n   colour  colours  colouring  coloured\nin AM, use color\n1. The colour of something is the appearance that it has as a result of the way in which it reflects light. Red, blue, and green are colours.\n`What colour is the car?’.`Red.’...\nHer silk dress was sky-blue, the colour of her eyes...\nJudi’s favourite colour is pink...\nThe badges come in twenty different colours and shapes.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n2. A colour is a substance you use to give something a particular colour. Dyes and make-up are sometimes referred to as colours.\n...The Body Shop Herbal Hair Colour...\nIt is better to avoid all food colours.\n...the latest lip and eye colours.\n  N-VAR\n\n3. If you colour something, you use something such as dyes or paint to change its colour.\nMany women begin colouring their hair in their mid-30s...\nWe’d been making cakes and colouring the posters...\nThe petals can be cooked with rice to colour it yellow.\n  VERB: V n, V n, V n colour\n\n=>  col.our.ing\nThey could not afford to spoil those maps by careless colouring.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4. If someone colours, their face becomes redder than it normally is, usually because they are embarrassed.\nAndrew couldn’t help noticing that she coloured slightly.\n  VERB: V\n  = blush\n5. Someone’s colour is the colour of their skin. People often use colour in this way to refer to a person’s race.\nI don’t care what colour she is...\nHe acknowledged that Mr Taylor’s colour and ethnic origins were utterly irrelevant in the circumstances.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, oft poss N  politeness\n\n6. A colour television, photograph, or picture is one that shows things in all their colours, and not just in black, white, and grey.\nIn Japan 99 per cent of all households now have a colour television set.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n7. Colour is a quality that makes something especially interesting or exciting.\nShe had resumed the travel necessary to add depth and colour to her novels.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  see also local colour\n8. If something colours your opinion, it affects the way that you think about something.\nThe attitude of the parents toward the usefulness of what is learned must colour the way children approach school.\n  VERB: V n\n  = affect\n9. A country’s national colours are the colours of its national flag.\nThe Opera House is decorated with the Hungarian national colours: green, red and white.\n  N-PLURAL\n\n10. People sometimes refer to the flag of a particular part of an army, navy, or air force, or the flag of a particular country as its colours.\nTroops raised the country’s colors in a special ceremony.\n...the battalion’s colours.\n  N-PLURAL: poss N\n\n11. A sports team’s colours are the colours of the clothes they wear when they play.\nI was wearing the team’s colours.\n  N-PLURAL\n\n12.\n  see also coloured, colouring\n13. If you pass a test with flying colours, you have done very well in the test.\nSo far McAllister seemed to have passed all the tests with flying colors.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v\n\n14. If a film or television programme is in colour, it has been made so that you see the picture in all its colours, and not just in black, white, or grey.\nWas he going to show the film? Was it in colour?...\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v\n\n15. People of colour are people who belong to a race with dark skins.\nBlack communities spoke up to defend the rights of all people of color.\n  PHRASE: n PHR  politeness\n\n16. If you see someone in their true colours or if they show their true colours, you realize what they are really like.\nThe children are seeing him in his true colours for the first time now...\nHere, the organization has had time to show its true colours, to show its inefficiency and its bungling.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v


Words: colour in
Meaning:
colour in\n  If you colour in a drawing, you give it different colours using crayons or paints.\nDraw simple shapes for your child to colour in.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P


Words: colour scheme
Meaning:
col.our scheme\n   colour scheme  colour schemes\nin AM, use color scheme\n  In a room or house, the colour scheme is the way in which colours have been used to decorate it.\n...a stylish colour scheme of olive green and mustard.\n  N-COUNT


Words: colour supplement
Meaning:
col.our sup.plement\n   colour supplement  colour supplements\n  A colour supplement is a colour magazine which is one of the sections of a newspaper, especially at weekends. (BRIT; in AM, use supplement)\n  N-COUNT


Words: colour-blind
Meaning:
colour-blind\nin AM, use color-blind\n1. Someone who is colour-blind cannot see the difference between colours, especially between red and green.\nSixteen times as many men are colour-blind as women.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n\n=>  colour-blindness\nWhat exactly is colour-blindness and how do you find out if you have it?\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A colour-blind system or organization does not treat people differently according to their race or nationality.\n...the introduction of more colour-blind anti-poverty programmes...\n  ADJ


Words: colour-coded
Meaning:
colour-coded\nin AM, use color-coded\n  Things that are colour-coded use colours to represent different features or functions.\nThe contents are emptied into color-coded buckets.\n  ADJ


Words: colourant
Meaning:
col.our.ant\n   colourant  colourants\nin AM, use colorant\n  A colourant is a substance that is used to give something a particular colour.\n...a new range of hair colourants.\n  N-COUNT


Words: coloured
Meaning:
col.oured\n   coloured\nin AM, use colored\n1. Something that is coloured a particular colour is that colour.\nThe illustration shows a cluster of five roses coloured apricot orange.\n...a cheap gold-coloured bracelet.\n  ADJ\n\n2. Something that is coloured is a particular colour or combination of colours, rather than being just white, black, or the colour that it is naturally.\nYou can often choose between plain white or coloured and patterned scarves.\n...brightly coloured silks laid out on market stalls.\n  ADJ\n\n3. A coloured person belongs to a race of people with dark skins. (OFFENSIVE, OLD-FASHIONED)\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: colourfast
Meaning:
col.our.fast\n\nin AM, use colorfast\n  A fabric that is colourfast has a colour that will not get paler when the fabric is washed or worn.\n  ADJ


Words: colourful
Meaning:
col.our.ful\n   colourful\nin AM, use colorful\n1. Something that is colourful has bright colours or a lot of different colours.\nThe flowers were colourful and the scenery magnificent...\nPeople wore colorful clothes and seemed to be having a good time.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  col.our.ful.ly\n...the sight of dozens of colourfully dressed people.\n  ADV\n\n2. A colourful story is full of exciting details.\nThe story she told was certainly colourful, and extended over her life in England, Germany and Spain.\n...the country’s colourful and often violent history.\n  ADJ\n\n3. A colourful character is a person who behaves in an interesting and amusing way.\nCasey Stengel was probably the most colorful character in baseball.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n4. If someone has had a colourful past or a colourful career, they have been involved in exciting but often slightly shocking things.\nMore details surfaced of her colourful past as the story developed.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n5. Colourful language is rude or offensive language.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  politeness\n  = bad


Words: colouring
Meaning:
col.our.ing\n   colouring\nin AM, use coloring\n1. The colouring of something is the colour or colours that it is.\nOther countries vary the coloring of their bank notes as well as their size.\n...the scenery was losing its bright colouring.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with poss\n\n2. Someone’s colouring is the colour of their hair, skin, and eyes.\nNone of them had their father’s dark colouring...\nChoose shades which tone in with your natural colouring.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with poss\n\n3. Colouring is a substance that is used to give colour to food.\nA few drops of green food coloring were added.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4.\n  see also colour


Words: colouring book
Meaning:
col.our.ing book\n   colouring book  colouring books\nin AM, use coloring book\n  A colouring book is a book of simple drawings which children can colour in.\n  N-COUNT


Words: colourist
Meaning:
col.our.ist\n   colourist  colourists\nin AM, use colorist\n1. A colourist is someone such as an artist or a fashion designer who uses colours in an interesting and original way.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A colourist is a hairdresser who specializes in colouring people’s hair.\n  N-COUNT


Words: colourless
Meaning:
col.our.less\n   colourless\nin AM, use colorless\n1. Something that is colourless has no colour at all.\n...a colourless, almost odourless liquid with a sharp, sweetish taste.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If someone’s face is colourless, it is very pale, usually because they are frightened, shocked, or ill.\nHer face was colourless, and she was shaking...\nHis complexion was colorless and he hadn’t shaved.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n\n3. Colourless people or places are dull and uninteresting.\nWe hurried through the colourless little town set on the fast-flowing Nyakchu.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: coltish
Meaning:
colt.ish\n   coltish\n  A young person or animal that is coltish is full of energy but clumsy or awkward, because they lack physical skill or control.\n...coltish teenagers.\n  ADJ


Words: column
Meaning:
col.umn\n   column  columns\n1. A column is a tall, often decorated cylinder of stone which is built to honour someone or forms part of a building.\n...a London landmark, Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square.\n  N-COUNT\n  = pillar\n2. A column is something that has a tall narrow shape.\nThe explosion sent a column of smoke thousands of feet into the air.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n3. A column is a group of people or animals which moves in a long line.\nThere were reports of columns of military vehicles appearing on the streets.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n4. On a printed page such as a page of a dictionary, newspaper, or printed chart, a column is one of two or more vertical sections which are read downwards.\nWe had stupidly been looking at the wrong column of figures...\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. In a newspaper or magazine, a column is a section that is always written by the same person or is always about the same topic.\nShe also writes a regular column for the Times Educational Supplement.\n  N-COUNT: usu supp N\n\n6.\n  see also agony column, gossip column, personal column, spinal column, steering column


Words: columnist
Meaning:
col.umn.ist\n   columnist  columnists\n  A columnist is a journalist who regularly writes a particular kind of article in a newspaper or magazine.\nClarence Page is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.\n  N-COUNT: oft N for n


Words: coma
Meaning:
coma  comas\n  Someone who is in a coma is in a state of deep unconsciousness.\nShe was in a coma for seven weeks...\n  N-COUNT: usu in/into N


Words: comatose
Meaning:
co.ma.tose\n   comatose\n1. A person who is comatose is in a coma. (MEDICAL)\nThe right side of my brain had been so severely bruised that I was comatose for a month.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A person who is comatose is in a deep sleep, usually because they are tired or have drunk too much alcohol. (INFORMAL)\nGrandpa lies comatose on the sofa.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ after v


Words: comb
Meaning:
comb  combs  combing  combed\n1. A comb is a flat piece of plastic or metal with narrow pointed teeth along one side, which you use to tidy your hair.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. When you comb your hair, you tidy it using a comb.\nSalvatore combed his hair carefully...\nHer reddish hair was cut short and neatly combed.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n\n3. If you comb a place, you search everywhere in it in order to find someone or something.\nOfficers combed the woods for the murder weapon...\nThey fanned out and carefully combed the temple grounds.\n  VERB: V n for n, V n\n\n4. If you comb through information, you look at it very carefully in order to find something.\nEight policemen then spent two years combing through the evidence.\n  VERB: V through n\n\n5.\n  see also fine-tooth comb


Words: combat
Meaning:
com.bat\n   combat combats combating  or combatting  combated  or combatted\nThe noun is pronounced   The verb is pronounced\n1. Combat is fighting that takes place in a war.\nOver 16 million men had died in combat...\nYesterday saw hand-to-hand combat in the city.\n...combat aircraft.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A combat is a battle, or a fight between two people.\nIt was the end of a long combat.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If people in authority combat something, they try to stop it happening.\nCongress has criticised new government measures to combat crime.\n  VERB: V n


Words: combat trousers
Meaning:
com.bat trou.sers\n\n  Combat trousers are large, loose trousers with lots of pockets.\nHe was wearing black combat trousers and a hooded fleece.\n  N-PLURAL: also a pair of N


Words: combatant
Meaning:
com.bat.ant\n   combatant  combatants\n  A combatant is a person, group, or country that takes part in the fighting in a war.\nI have never suggested that UN forces could physically separate the combatants in the region...\nThey come from the combatant nations.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: combative
Meaning:
com.bat.ive\n   combative\n  A person who is combative is aggressive and eager to fight or argue.\nHe conducted the meeting in his usual combative style, refusing to admit any mistakes.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  com.bat.ive.ness\nThey quickly developed a reputation for combativeness.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: combination
Meaning:
com.bi.na.tion\n   combination  combinations\n  A combination of things is a mixture of them.\n...a fantastic combination of colours.\n...the combination of science and art.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n


Words: combination lock
Meaning:
com.bi.na.tion lock\n   combination lock  combination locks\n  A combination lock is a lock which can only be opened by turning a dial or a number of dials according to a particular series of letters or numbers.\n...a briefcase with combination locks.\n  N-COUNT


Words: combine
Meaning:
com.bine\n   combine combines combining  combined\nThe verb is pronounced   The noun is pronounced\n1. If you combine two or more things or if they combine, they exist together.\nThe Church has something to say on how to combine freedom with responsibility...\nRelief workers say it’s worse than ever as disease and starvation combine to kill thousands...\nA stagnant economy combined with a surge in the number of teenagers is likely to have contributed to rising crime levels in the US.\n  V-RECIP: V n with n, pl-n V, V-ed, also V with n, V pl-n\n\n2. If you combine two or more things or if they combine, they join together to make a single thing.\nDavid Jacobs was given the job of combining the data from these 19 studies into one giant study...\nCombine the flour with 3 tablespoons water to make a paste...\nCarbon, hydrogen and oxygen combine chemically to form carbohydrates and fats...\nCombined with other compounds, they created a massive dynamite-type bomb.\n  V-RECIP: V pl-n, V n with n, pl-n V, V-ed, also V with n\n\n3. If someone or something combines two qualities or features, they have both those qualities or features at the same time.\nTheir system seems to combine the two ideals of strong government and proportional representation.\n...a clever, far-sighted lawyer who combines legal expertise with social concern...\nHer tale has a consciously youthful tone and storyline, combined with a sly humour.\n  VERB: V pl-n, V n with n, V-ed\n\n4. If someone combines two activities, they do them both at the same time.\nIt is possible to combine a career with being a mother...\nHe will combine the two jobs over the next three years.\n  VERB: V n with n/-ing, V pl-n\n\n5. If two or more groups or organizations combine or if someone combines them, they join to form a single group or organization.\n...an announcement by Steetley and Tarmac of a joint venture that would combine their operations...\nDifferent states or groups can combine to enlarge their markets.\n  V-RECIP: V pl-n, pl-n V, also V with n, V n with n\n  = amalgamate\n6. A combine is a group of people or organizations that are working or acting together.\n...Veba, an energy-and-chemicals combine that is Germany’s fourth-biggest company.\n  N-COUNT


Words: combine harvester
Meaning:
com.bine har.vest.er\n   combine harvester  combine harvesters\n  A combine harvester is a large machine which is used on farms to cut, sort, and clean grain.\n  N-COUNT


Words: combined
Meaning:
com.bined\n   combined\n1. A combined effort or attack is made by two or more groups of people at the same time.\nThese refugees are looked after by the combined efforts of the host countries and non-governmental organisations.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = joint\n2. The combined size or quantity of two or more things is the total of their sizes or quantities added together.\nSuch a merger would be the largest in US banking history, giving the two banks combined assets of some $146 billion\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = total


Words: combining form
Meaning:
com.bin.ing form\n   combining form  combining forms\n  A combining form is a word that is used, or used with a particular meaning, only when joined to another word. For example, `-legged’ as in `four-legged’ and `-fold’ as in `fivefold’ are combining forms.\n  N-COUNT


Words: combo
Meaning:
com.bo\n   combo  combos\n  A combo is a small group of musicians who play jazz, dance, or popular music. (INFORMAL)\n...a new-wave rock combo.\n  N-COUNT\n  = band


Words: combustible
Meaning:
com.bus.tible\n   combustible\n  A combustible material or gas catches fire and burns easily. (FORMAL)\nThe ability of coal to release a combustible gas has long been known.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = inflammable


Words: combustion
Meaning:
com.bus.tion\n   combustion\n  Combustion is the act of burning something or the process of burning. (TECHNICAL)\nThe energy is released by combustion on the application of a match...\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n\n  see also internal combustion engine


Words: come
Meaning:
come  comes  coming  came\n\n  The form come is used in the present tense and is the past participle. Come is used in a large number of expressions which are explained under other words in this dictionary. For example, the expression `to come to terms with something’ is explained at `term’.\n\n1. When a person or thing comes to a particular place, especially to a place where you are, they move there.\nTwo police officers came into the hall...\nCome here, Tom...\nYou’ll have to come with us...\nWe heard the train coming...\nCan I come too?...\nThe impact blew out some of the windows and the sea came rushing in.\n  VERB: V prep/adv, V prep/adv, V prep/adv, V, V, V -ing prep/adv\n\n2. When someone comes to do something, they move to the place where someone else is in order to do it, and they do it. In British English, someone can also come and do something and in American English, someone can come do something. However, you always say that someone came and did something.\nEleanor had come to visit her...\nCome and meet Roger...\nI want you to come visit me.\n  VERB: V to-inf, V and v, V inf\n\n3. When you come to a place, you reach it.\nHe came to a door that led into a passageway.\n  VERB: V to n\n\n4. If something comes up to a particular point or down to it, it is tall enough, deep enough, or long enough to reach that point.\nThe water came up to my chest...\nI wore a large shirt of Jamie’s which came down over my hips.\n  VERB: V up/down prep, V up/down prep\n\n5. If something comes apart or comes to pieces, it breaks into pieces. If something comes off or comes away, it becomes detached from something else.\nThe pistol came to pieces, easily and quickly...\nThe door knobs came off in our hands.\n  VERB: V adv/prep, V adv/prep\n\n6. You use come in expressions such as come to an end or come into operation to indicate that someone or something enters or reaches a particular state or situation.\nThe Communists came to power in 1944...\nI came into contact with very bright Harvard and Yale students...\nTheir worst fears may be coming true.\n  V-LINK: V to n, V into n, V adj\n\n7. If someone comes to do something, they do it at the end of a long process or period of time.\nShe said it so many times that she came to believe it...\n  VERB: V to-inf\n\n8. You can ask how something came to happen when you want to know what caused it to happen or made it possible.\nHow did you come to meet him?\n  VERB: V to-inf\n\n9. When a particular event or time comes, it arrives or happens.\nThe announcement came after a meeting at the Home Office...\nThe time has come for us to move on...\nThere will come a time when the crisis will occur.\n  VERB: V prep/adv, V, there V n\n\n=>  com.ing\nMost of my patients welcome the coming of summer.\n  N-SING: usu the N of n\n\n10. You can use come before a date, time, or event to mean when that date, time, or event arrives. For example, you can say come the spring to mean `when the spring arrives’.\nCome the election on the 20th of May, we will have to decide...\n  PREP\n\n11. If a thought, idea, or memory comes to you, you suddenly think of it or remember it.\nHe was about to shut the door when an idea came to him...\nThen it came to me that perhaps he did understand.\n  VERB: V to n, it V to n that\n  = occur\n12. If money or property is going to come to you, you are going to inherit or receive it.\nHe did have pension money coming to him when the factory shut down.\n  VERB: V to n\n\n13. If a case comes before a court or tribunal or comes to court, it is presented there so that the court or tribunal can examine it.\nThe membership application came before the Council of Ministers in September...\nPresident Cristiani expected the case to come to court within ninety days.\n  VERB: V before n, V to n\n\n14. If something comes to a particular number or amount, it adds up to it.\nLunch came to $80.\n  VERB: V to amount\n\n15. If someone or something comes from a particular place or thing, that place or thing is their origin, source, or starting point.\n(next)


Words: come .1
Meaning:
Nearly half the students come from abroad...\nChocolate comes from the cacao tree...\nThe term `claret’, used to describe Bordeaux wines, may come from the French word `clairet’.\n  VERB: V from n, V from n, V from n\n\n16. Something that comes from something else or comes of it is the result of it.\nThere is a feeling of power that comes from driving fast...\nHe asked to be transferred there some years ago, but nothing came of it.\n  VERB: V from n/-ing, V of n/-ing\n\n17. If someone or something comes first, next, or last, they are first, next, or last in a series, list, or competition.\nThe two countries have been unable to agree which step should come next...\nThe horse had already won at Lincolnshire and come second at Lowesby.\n  VERB: V ord, V ord\n\n18. If a type of thing comes in a particular range of colours, forms, styles, or sizes, it can have any of those colours, forms, styles, or sizes.\nBikes come in all shapes and sizes...\nThe wallpaper comes in black and white only.\n  VERB: V in n, V in n\n\n19. You use come in expressions such as it came as a surprise when indicating a person’s reaction to something that happens.\nMajor’s reply came as a complete surprise to the House of Commons...\nThe arrest has come as a terrible shock.\n  VERB: V as n to n, V as n\n\n20. The next subject in a discussion that you come to is the one that you talk about next.\nFinally in the programme, we come to the news that the American composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein, has died...\nThat is another matter altogether. And we shall come to that next.\n  VERB: V to n, V to n\n\n21. To come means to have an orgasm. (INFORMAL)\n  VERB: V\n\n22.\n  see also coming, comings and goings\n23. If you say that someone is, for example, as good as they come, or as stupid as they come, you are emphasizing that they are extremely good or extremely stupid.\nThe new finance minister was educated at Oxford and is as traditional as they come.\n  PHRASE  emphasis\n\n24. You can use the expression when it comes down to it or when you come down to it for emphasis, when you are giving a general statement or conclusion.\nWhen you come down to it, however, the basic problems of life have not changed...\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl  emphasis\n\n25. If you say that someone has it coming to them, you mean that they deserve everything bad that is going to happen to them, because they have done something wrong or are a bad person. If you say that someone got what was coming to them, you mean that they deserved the punishment or bad experience that they have had. (INFORMAL)\nHe was pleased that Brady was dead because he probably had it coming to him.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n26. You use the expression come to think of it to indicate that you have suddenly realized something, often something obvious.\nYou know, when you come to think of it, this is very odd.\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl\n\n27. When you refer to a time or an event to come or one that is still to come, you are referring to a future time or event.\nI hope in years to come he will reflect on his decision...\nThe worst of the storm is yet to come.\n  PHRASE: usu n PHR, also v-link PHR\n\n28. You can use the expression when it comes to or when it comes down to in order to introduce a new topic or a new aspect of a topic that you are talking about.\nMost of us know we should cut down on fat. But knowing such things isn’t much help when it comes to shopping and eating...\nHowever, when it comes down to somebody that they know, they have a different feeling.\n  PHRASE: PHR n/-ing\n\n29. You can use expressions like I know where you’re coming from or you can see where she’s coming from to say that you understand someone’s attitude or point of view.\nTo understand why they are doing it, it is necessary to know where they are coming from...\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: come about
Meaning:
come about\n  When you say how or when something came about, you say how or when it happened.\nAny possible solution to the Irish question can only come about through dialogue...\nThat came about when we went to Glastonbury last year...\nThus it came about that, after many years as an interior designer and antiques dealer, he combined both businesses.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P through n, V P, it V P that


Words: come across
Meaning:
come across\n1. If you come across something or someone, you find them or meet them by chance.\nI came across a group of children playing.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n\n  = encounter\n2. If someone or what they are saying comes across in a particular way, they make that impression on people who meet them or are listening to them.\nWhen sober he can come across as an extremely pleasant and charming young man...\nHe came across very, very well.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P as n, V P adv\n  = come over


Words: come along
Meaning:
come along\n1. You tell someone to come along to encourage them in a friendly way to do something, especially to attend something.\nThere’s a big press launch today and you’re most welcome to come along.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  = come on\n2. You say `come along’ to someone to encourage them to hurry up, usually when you are rather annoyed with them.\nCome along, Osmond. No sense in your standing around.\n  CONVENTION\n  = come on\n3. When something or someone comes along, they occur or arrive by chance.\nI waited a long time until a script came along that I thought was genuinely funny...\nIt was lucky you came along.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P\n\n4. If something is coming along, it is developing or making progress.\nPentagon spokesman Williams says those talks are coming along quite well...\nHow’s Ferguson coming along?\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P adv, V P


Words: come around
Meaning:
come around\n1. If someone comes around or comes round to your house, they call there to see you.\nBeryl came round this morning to apologize...\nQuite a lot of people came round to the house.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P to n\n  = come over\n2. If you come around or come round to an idea, you eventually change your mind and accept it or agree with it.\nIt looks like they’re coming around to our way of thinking...\nShe will eventually come round.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P to n, V P\n\n3. When something comes around or comes round, it happens as a regular or predictable event.\nI hope still to be in the side when the World Cup comes around next year.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n4. When someone who is unconscious comes around or comes round, they recover consciousness.\nWhen I came round I was on the kitchen floor.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  = come to


Words: come at
Meaning:
come at\n  If a person or animal comes at you, they move towards you in a threatening way and try to attack you.\nHe maintained that he was protecting himself from Mr Cox, who came at him with an axe.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n with n, also V P n


Words: come back
Meaning:
come back\n1. If something that you had forgotten comes back to you, you remember it.\nHe was also an MP.I’ll think of his name in a moment when it comes back to me...\nWhen I thought about it, it all came back.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P to n, V P\n\n2. When something comes back, it becomes fashionable again.\nI’m glad hats are coming back.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n3.\n  see also comeback


Words: come back to
Meaning:
come back to\n  If you come back to a topic or point, you talk about it again later.\n`What does that mean please?’.`I’m coming back to that. Just write it down for the minute.’\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n


Words: come between
Meaning:
come between\n  If someone or something comes between two people, or comes between a person and a thing, they make the relationship or connection between them less close or happy.\nIt’s difficult to imagine anything coming between them...\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P pl-n


Words: come by
Meaning:
come by\n  To come by something means to obtain it or find it.\nHow did you come by that cheque?...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n


Words: come down
Meaning:
come down\n1. If the cost, level, or amount of something comes down, it becomes less than it was before.\nInterest rates should come down...\nIf you buy three bottles, the bottle price comes down to .2.42...\nThe price of petrol is coming down by four pence a gallon.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P to/from n, V P by n\n  !=go up\n2. If something comes down, it falls to the ground.\nThe cold rain came down...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: come down on
Meaning:
come down on\n1. If you come down on one side of an argument, you declare that you support that side.\nHe clearly and decisively came down on the side of President Rafsanjani.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n\n\n2. If you come down on someone, you criticize them severely or treat them strictly.\nIf Douglas came down hard enough on him, Dale would rebel.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n


Words: come down to
Meaning:
come down to\n  If a problem, decision, or question comes down to a particular thing, that thing is the most important factor involved.\nWalter Crowley says the problem comes down to money...\nI think that it comes down to the fact that people do feel very dependent on their automobile...\nWhat it comes down to is, there are bad people out there, and somebody has to deal with them.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n, it V P P n, it V P P n


Words: come down with
Meaning:
come down with\n  If you come down with an illness, you get it.\nThomas came down with chickenpox at the weekend.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n


Words: come for
Meaning:
come for\n  If people such as soldiers or police come for you, they come to find you, usually in order to harm you or take you away, for example to prison.\nLotte was getting ready to fight if they came for her.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n


Words: come forward
Meaning:
come forward\n  If someone comes forward, they offer to do something or to give some information in response to a request for help.\nA vital witness came forward to say that she saw Tanner wearing the boots.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: come in
Meaning:
come in\n1. If information, a report, or a telephone call comes in, it is received.\nReports are now coming in of trouble at yet another jail.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n2. If you have some money coming in, you receive it regularly as your income.\nShe had no money coming in and no funds.\n  PHRASAL VERB: usu cont, V P\n\n3. If someone comes in on a discussion, arrangement, or task, they join it.\nCan I come in here too, on both points?...\nHe had a designer come in and redesign the uniforms.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P on n, V P\n\n4. When a new idea, fashion, or product comes in, it becomes popular or available.\nIt was just when geography was really beginning to change and lots of new ideas were coming in...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n5. If you ask where something or someone comes in, you are asking what their role is in a particular matter.\nRose asked again, `But where do we come in, Henry?’...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n6. When the tide comes in, the water in the sea gradually moves so that it covers more of the land.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  !=go out


Words: come in for
Meaning:
come in for\n  If someone or something comes in for criticism or blame, they receive it.\nThe plans have already come in for fierce criticism in many quarters of the country.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n


Words: come into
Meaning:
come into\n1. If someone comes into some money, some property, or a title, they inherit it.\nMy father has just come into a fortune in diamonds.\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P n\n  = inherit\n2. If someone or something comes into a situation, they have a role in it.\nWe don’t really know where Hortense comes into all this...\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P n


Words: come off
Meaning:
come off\n1. If something comes off, it is successful or effective.\nIt was a good try but it didn’t quite come off...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n2. If someone comes off worst in a contest or conflict, they are in the worst position after it. If they come off best, they are in the best position.\nSome Democrats still have bitter memories of how, against all odds, they came off worst during the inquiry...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P adv\n\n3. If you come off a drug or medicine, you stop taking it.\n...people trying to come off tranquillizers.\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P n\n\n4. You say `come off it’ to someone to show them that you think what they are saying is untrue or wrong. (INFORMAL, SPOKEN)\n  CONVENTION


Words: come on
Meaning:
come on\n1. You say `Come on’ to someone to encourage them to do something they do not much want to do. (SPOKEN)\nCome on Doreen, let’s dance.\n  CONVENTION\n  = come along\n2. You say `Come on’ to someone to encourage them to hurry up. (SPOKEN)\n  CONVENTION\n  = come along\n3. If you have an illness or a headache coming on, you can feel it starting.\nTiredness and fever are much more likely to be a sign of flu coming on.\n  PHRASAL VERB: usu cont, V P\n\n4. If something or someone is coming on well, they are developing well or making good progress.\nLee is coming on very well now and it’s a matter of deciding how to fit him into the team...\n  PHRASAL VERB: usu cont, V P adv\n  = come along\n5. When something such as a machine or system comes on, it starts working or functioning.\nThe central heating was coming on and the ancient wooden boards creaked.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  !=go off\n6. If a new season or type of weather is coming on, it is starting to arrive.\nWinter was coming on again...\nI had two miles to go and it was just coming on to rain.\n  PHRASAL VERB: usu cont, V P, it V P to-inf


Words: come on to
Meaning:
come on to\n1. When you come on to a particular topic, you start discussing it.\nWe’re now looking at a smaller system but I’ll come on to that later.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n\n\n2. If someone comes on to you, they show that they are interested in starting a sexual relationship with you. (INFORMAL)\nI don’t think that a woman, by using make-up, is trying to come on to a man.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n


Words: come out
Meaning:
come out\n1. When a new product such as a book or CD comes out, it becomes available to the public.\nThe book comes out this week...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n2. If a fact comes out, it becomes known to people.\nThe truth is beginning to come out about what happened...\nIt will come out that she has covertly donated considerable sums to the IRA.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, it V P that\n\n3. When a gay person comes out, they let people know that they are gay.\n...the few gay men there who dare to come out...\nI came out as a lesbian when I was still in my teens.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P as n/adj\n\n4. To come out in a particular way means to be in the position or state described at the end of a process or event.\nIn this grim little episode of recent American history, few people come out well...\nSo what makes a good marriage? Faithfulness comes out top of the list...\nJulian ought to have resigned, then he’d have come out of it with some credit.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P adv/prep, V P adj, V P of n adv/prep\n\n5. If you come out for something, you declare that you support it. If you come out against something, you declare that you do not support it.\nIts members had come out virtually unanimously against the tests.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P prep/adv\n\n6. When a group of workers comes out on strike, they go on strike. (BRIT; in AM, use go out on strike)\nOn September 18 the dockers again came out on strike.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P prep\n\n7. If a photograph does not come out, it does not appear or is unclear when it is developed and printed.\nNone of her snaps came out.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n8. When the sun, moon, or stars come out, they appear in the sky.\nOh, look. The sun’s come out.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  !=go in


Words: come out in
Meaning:
come out in\n  If you come out in spots, you become covered with them. (BRIT; in AM, use break out)\nWhen I changed to a new soap I came out in a terrible rash.\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P P n\n  = break out in


Words: come out with
Meaning:
come out with\n  If you come out with a remark, especially a surprising one, you make it.\nEveryone who heard it just burst out laughing when he came out with it...\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P n


Words: come over
Meaning:
come over\n1. If a feeling or desire, especially a strange or surprising one, comes over you, it affects you strongly.\nAs I entered the corridor which led to my room that eerie feeling came over me...\nI’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P n, V P n\n\n2. If someone comes over all dizzy or shy, for example, they suddenly start feeling or acting in that way.\nWhen Connie pours her troubles out to him, Joe comes over all sensitive...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P adj\n\n3. If someone or what they are saying comes over in a particular way, they make that impression on people who meet them or are listening to them.\nYou come over as a capable and amusing companion...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P as n\n  = come across


Words: come through
Meaning:
come through\n1. To come through a dangerous or difficult situation means to survive it and recover from it.\nThe city had faced racial crisis and come through it...\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P n\n\n2. If a feeling or message comes through, it is clearly shown in what is said or done.\nI hope my love for the material came through, because it is a great script...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  = come across\n3. If something comes through, it arrives, especially after some procedure has been carried out.\nThe news came through at about five o’clock on election day.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n4. If you come through with what is expected or needed from you, you succeed in doing or providing it.\nHe puts his administration at risk if he doesn’t come through on these promises for reform...\nWe found that we were totally helpless, and our women came through for us.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P on/with n, V P for n


Words: come to
Meaning:
come to\n  When someone who is unconscious comes to, they recover consciousness.\nWhen he came to and raised his head he saw Barney.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  = come around


Words: come under
Meaning:
come under\n1. If you come under attack or pressure, for example, people attack you or put pressure on you.\nHis relationship with the KGB came under scrutiny.\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P n\n\n2. If something comes under a particular authority, it is managed or controlled by that authority.\nThey were neglected before because they did not come under the Ministry of Defence.\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P n\n\n3. If something comes under a particular heading, it is in the category mentioned.\nThere was more news about Britain, but it came under the heading of human interest.\n  PHRASAL VERB: no passive, V P n


Words: come up
Meaning:
come up\n1. If someone comes up or comes up to you, they approach you until they are standing close to you.\nHer cat came up and rubbed itself against their legs...\nHe came up to me and said: `Come on, John.’\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P to n\n\n2. If something comes up in a conversation or meeting, it is mentioned or discussed.\nThe subject came up at a news conference in Peking today...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  = crop up\n3. If something is coming up, it is about to happen or take place.\nWe do have elections coming up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n4. If something comes up, it happens unexpectedly.\nI was delayed.something came up at home...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n5. If a job comes up or if something comes up for sale, it becomes available.\nA research fellowship came up at Girton and I applied for it and got it...\nThe house came up for sale and the couple realised they could just about afford it.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P for n\n\n6. When the sun or moon comes up, it rises.\nIt will be so great watching the sun come up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  !=go down\n7. In law, when a case comes up, it is heard in a court of law.\nHe is one of the reservists who will plead not guilty when their cases come up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: come up against
Meaning:
come up against\n  If you come up against a problem or difficulty, you are faced with it and have to deal with it.\nWe came up against a great deal of resistance in dealing with the case.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n


Words: come up for
Meaning:
come up for\n  When someone or something comes up for consideration or action of some kind, the time arrives when they have to be considered or dealt with.\nThe TV rights contract came up for renegotiation in 1988...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n


Words: come up to
Meaning:
come up to\n  To be coming up to a time or state means to be getting near to it.\nIt’s just coming up to ten minutes past eleven now.\n  PHRASAL VERB: usu cont, V P P n\n  = approach


Words: come up with
Meaning:
come up with\n1. If you come up with a plan or idea, you think of it and suggest it.\nSeveral of the members have come up with suggestions of their own...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n\n\n2. If you come up with a sum of money, you manage to produce it when it is needed.\nIf Warren can come up with the $15 million, we’ll go to London.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P P n


Words: come upon
Meaning:
come upon\n1. If you come upon someone or something, you meet them or find them by chance.\nI came upon an irresistible item at a yard sale.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n\n  = come across\n2. If an attitude or feeling comes upon you, it begins to affect you. (LITERARY)\nA sense of impending doom came upon all of us.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n


Words: come-on
Meaning:
come-on  come-ons\n  A come-on is a gesture or remark which someone, especially a woman, makes in order to encourage another person to make sexual advances to them. (INFORMAL)\nHe ignores come-ons from the many women who seem to find him attractive.\n  N-COUNT


Words: comeback
Meaning:
come.back\n   comeback  comebacks\n1. If someone such as an entertainer or sports personality makes a comeback, they return to their profession or sport after a period away.\nSixties singing star Petula Clark is making a comeback.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If something makes a comeback, it becomes fashionable again.\nTight fitting T-shirts are making a comeback.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If you have no comeback when someone has done something wrong to you, there is nothing you can do to have them punished or held responsible.\n  N-UNCOUNT: with brd-neg\n  = redress


Words: comedian
Meaning:
co.median\n   comedian  comedians\n  A comedian is an entertainer whose job is to make people laugh, by telling jokes or funny stories.\n  N-COUNT\n  = comic


Words: comedic
Meaning:
co.medic\n   comedic\n  Comedic means relating to comedy. (FORMAL)\n...a festival of comedic talent from around the world.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=tragic


Words: comedienne
Meaning:
co.medi.enne\n   comedienne  comediennes\n  A comedienne is a female entertainer whose job is to make people laugh, by telling jokes or funny stories.\n  N-COUNT\n  = comic


Words: comedown
Meaning:
come.down\n   comedown\nin BRIT, also use come-down\n  If you say that something is a comedown, you think that it is not as good as something else that you have just done or had.\nThe prospect of relegation is a comedown for a club that finished second two seasons ago.\n  N-SING: a N


Words: comedy
Meaning:
com.edy\n   comedy  comedies\n1. Comedy consists of types of entertainment, such as plays and films, or particular scenes in them, that are intended to make people laugh.\nActor Dom Deluise talks about his career in comedy.\n...a TV comedy series.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A comedy is a play, film, or television programme that is intended to make people laugh.\n  N-COUNT\n  !=tragedy\n3. The comedy of a situation involves those aspects of it that make you laugh.\nJackie sees the comedy in her millionaire husband’s thrifty habits.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = humour\n4.\n  see also situation comedy


Words: comely
Meaning:
come.ly\n   comely  comelier  comeliest\n  A comely woman is attractive. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: comer
Meaning:
com.er\n   comer  comers\n  You can use comers to refer to people who arrive at a particular place.\nI arrived at the church at two-thirty p.m. to find some early comers outside the main door...\nThe first comer was the Sultan himself.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, supp N\n\n  see also all-comers, latecomer, newcomer


Words: comet
Meaning:
com.et\n   comet  comets\n  A comet is a bright object with a long tail that travels around the sun.\nHalley’s Comet is going to come back in 2061.\n  N-COUNT


Words: comeuppance
Meaning:
come.up.pance\n   comeuppance   also come-uppance\n  If you say that someone has got their comeuppance, you approve of the fact that they have been punished or have suffered for something wrong that they have done. (INFORMAL)\nThe central character is a bad man who shoots people and gets his comeuppance.\n  N-SING: usu poss N  approval\n  = just deserts


Words: comfort
Meaning:
com.fort\n   comfort  comforts  comforting  comforted\n1. If you are doing something in comfort, you are physically relaxed and contented, and are not feeling any pain or other unpleasant sensations.\nThis will enable the audience to sit in comfort while watching the shows...\nThe shoe has padding around the collar, heel and tongue for added comfort.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft in/for N\n  !=discomfort\n2. Comfort is a style of life in which you have enough money to have everything you need.\nSurely there is some way of ordering our busy lives so that we can live in comfort and find spiritual harmony too.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft in N\n\n3. Comfort is what you feel when worries or unhappiness stop.\nHe welcomed the truce, but pointed out it was of little comfort to families spending Christmas without a loved one...\nHe will be able to take some comfort from inflation figures due on Friday...\nHe found comfort in Eva’s blind faith in him.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  see also cold comfort\n4. If you refer to a person, thing, or idea as a comfort, you mean that it helps you to stop worrying or makes you feel less unhappy.\nIt’s a comfort talking to you...\nBeing able to afford a drink would be a comfort in these tough times.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N to n, it v-link N to-inf/-ing\n\n5. If you comfort someone, you make them feel less worried, unhappy, or upset, for example by saying kind things to them.\nNed put his arm around her, trying to comfort her.\n  VERB: V n\n  = console\n6. Comforts are things which make your life easier and more pleasant, such as electrical devices you have in your home.\nShe enjoys the material comforts married life has brought her...\nElectricity provides us with warmth and light and all our modern home comforts...\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n  see also creature comforts\n7. If you say that something is, for example, too close for comfort, you mean you are worried because it is closer than you would like it to be.\nThe bombs fell in the sea, many too close for comfort...\nAlthough crimes against visitors were falling, the levels of crime were still too high for comfort.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR


Words: comfortable
Meaning:
com.fort.able\n   comfortable\n1. If a piece of furniture or an item of clothing is comfortable, it makes you feel physically relaxed when you use it, for example because it is soft.\n...a comfortable fireside chair...\nTrainers are so comfortable to wear.\n  ADJ\n  !=uncomfortable\n2. If a building or room is comfortable, it makes you feel physically relaxed when you spend time in it, for example because it is warm and has nice furniture.\nA home should be comfortable and friendly.\n...somewhere warm and comfortable.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  com.fort.ably\n...the comfortably furnished living room.\n  ADV: usu ADV -ed\n\n3. If you are comfortable, you are physically relaxed because of the place or position you are sitting or lying in.\nLie down on your bed and make yourself comfortable...\nShe tried to maneuver her body into a more comfortable position.\n  ADJ\n  !=uncomfortable\n=>  com.fort.ably\nAre you sitting comfortably?...\nHe would be tucked comfortably into bed.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n4. If you say that someone is comfortable, you mean that they have enough money to be able to live without financial problems.\n`Is he rich?’.`He’s comfortable.’...\nShe came from a stable, comfortable, middle-class family.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  com.fort.ably\nCayton describes himself as comfortably well-off.\n  ADV\n\n5. In a race, competition, or election, if you have a comfortable lead, you are likely to win it easily. If you gain a comfortable victory or majority, you win easily.\nBy half distance we held a comfortable two-lap lead...\nHe appeared to be heading for a comfortable victory.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  com.fort.ably\n...the Los Angeles Raiders, who comfortably beat the Bears earlier in the season.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n  = easily\n6. If you feel comfortable with a particular situation or person, you feel confident and relaxed with them.\nNervous politicians might well feel more comfortable with a step-by-step approach...\nHe liked me and I felt comfortable with him...\nI’ll talk to them, but I won’t feel comfortable about it.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ prep\n\n=>  com.fort.ably\nThey talked comfortably of their plans.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n7. When a sick or injured person is said to be comfortable, they are in a stable physical condition.\nHe was described as comfortable in hospital last night.\n  ADJ\n\n8. A comfortable life, job, or situation does not cause you any problems or worries.\n...a comfortable teaching job at a university...\nKohl’s retirement looks far from comfortable.\n  ADJ


Words: comfortably
Meaning:
com.fort.ably\n   comfortably\n  If you do something comfortably, you do it easily.\nOnly take upon yourself those things that you know you can manage comfortably...\nThree of the six have comfortably exceeded their normal life expectancy.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n  see also comfortable


Words: comfortably off
Meaning:
com.fort.ably off\n   comfortably off\n  If someone is comfortably off, they have enough money to be able to live without financial problems.\nHe had no plans to retire even though he is now very comfortably off.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: comforter
Meaning:
com.fort.er\n   comforter  comforters\n1. A comforter is a person or thing that comforts you.\nHe became Vivien Leigh’s devoted friend and comforter.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A comforter is a large cover filled with feathers or similar material which you put over yourself in bed instead of a sheet and blankets. (AM; in BRIT, use duvet, quilt)\n  N-COUNT


Words: comforting
Meaning:
com.fort.ing\n   comforting\n  If you say that something is comforting, you mean it makes you feel less worried or unhappy.\nMy mother had just died and I found the book very comforting...\nIn the midst of his feelings of impotence, a comforting thought arrived.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  com.fort.ing.ly\n`Everything’s under control here,’ her mother said comfortingly. `You’ve nothing to worry about.’\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, ADV adj, also ADV with cl


Words: comfy
Meaning:
com.fy\n   comfy  comfier  comfiest\n  A comfy item of clothing, piece of furniture, room, or position is a comfortable one. (INFORMAL)\nLoose-fitting shirts are comfy.\n...a comfy chair.\n  ADJ


Words: comic
Meaning:
com.ic\n   comic  comics\n1. If you describe something as comic, you mean that it makes you laugh, and is often intended to make you laugh.\nThe novel is comic and tragic...\nMost of these trips had exciting or comic moments.\n  ADJ\n\n2. Comic is used to describe comedy as a form of entertainment, and the actors and entertainers who perform it.\nGrodin is a fine comic actor.\n...a comic opera.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. A comic is an entertainer who tells jokes in order to make people laugh.\n  N-COUNT\n  = comedian\n4. A comic is a magazine that contains stories told in pictures. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use comic book)\nJoe loved to read `Superman’ comics.\n  N-COUNT\n  = comic book


Words: comic book
Meaning:
com.ic book\n   comic book  comic books\n  A comic book is a magazine that contains stories told in pictures. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use comic)\n  N-COUNT\n  = comic


Words: comic strip
Meaning:
com.ic strip\n   comic strip  comic strips\n  A comic strip is a series of drawings that tell a story, especially in a newspaper or magazine.\n  N-COUNT


Words: comical
Meaning:
comi.cal\n   comical\n  If you describe something as comical, you mean that it makes you want to laugh because it seems funny or silly.\nHer expression is almost comical...\nEvents took a comical turn.\n  ADJ\n  = funny\n=>  comi.cal.ly\nShe raised her eyebrows comically...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj


Words: coming
Meaning:
com.ing\n   coming\n  A coming event or time is an event or time that will happen soon.\nThis obviously depends on the weather in the coming months...\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: coming of age
Meaning:
com.ing of age\n   coming of age\n1. When something reaches an important stage of development and is accepted by a large number of people, you can refer to this as its coming of age.\n...postwar Germany’s final coming-of-age as an independent sovereign state.\n  N-SING: with supp\n\n2. Someone’s coming of age is the time when they become legally an adult.\n...traditional coming-of-age ceremonies.\n  N-SING: with poss


Words: comings and goings
Meaning:
com.ings and go.ings\n   comings and goings\n  Comings and goings refers to the way people keep arriving at and leaving a particular place.\nThey noted the comings and goings of the journalists...\n  N-PLURAL: with poss


Words: comma
Meaning:
com.ma\n   comma  commas\n  A comma is the punctuation mark , which is used to separate parts of a sentence or items in a list.\n  N-COUNT


Words: command
Meaning:
com.mand\n   command  commands  commanding  commanded\n1. If someone in authority commands you to do something, they tell you that you must do it. (mainly WRITTEN)\nHe commanded his troops to attack...\n`Get in your car and follow me,’ he commanded...\nHe commanded that roads be built to link castles across the land...\n`Don’t panic,’ I commanded myself.\n  VERB: V n to-inf, V with quote, V that, V n with quote\n  = instruct, order\n  Command is also a noun.\nThe tanker failed to respond to a command to stop...\n...the note of command in his voice.\n  N-VAR\n  = instruction, order\n2. If you command something such as respect or obedience, you obtain it because you are popular, famous, or important.\n...an excellent physician who commanded the respect of all his colleagues...\n  VERB: no cont, V n\n\n3. If an army or country commands a place, they have total control over it.\nYemen commands the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.\n  VERB: V n\n  = rule\n  Command is also a noun.\n...the struggle for command of the air.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n\n\n4. An officer who commands part of an army, navy, or air force is responsible for controlling and organizing it.\n...the French general who commands the UN troops in the region...\nHe didn’t just command. He personally fought in several heavy battles.\n  VERB: V n, V\n\n  Command is also a noun.\nIn 1942 he took command of 108 Squadron.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = charge\n5. In the armed forces, a command is a group of officers who are responsible for organizing and controlling part of an army, navy, or air force.\nHe had authorisation from the military command to retaliate...\n  N-COUNT-COLL: usu supp N\n\n6. In computing, a command is an instruction that you give to a computer.\n  N-COUNT\n\n7. If someone has command of a situation, they have control of it because they have, or seem to have, power or authority.\nMr Baker would take command of the campaign...\nIn times of currency crisis interest rates can raised as a sign that a government is in command.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n8. Your command of something, such as a foreign language, is your knowledge of it and your ability to use this knowledge.\nHis command of English was excellent.\n  N-UNCOUNT: N of n\n\n9.\n  see also high command, second-in-command\n10. If you have a particular skill or particular resources at your command, you have them and can use them fully. (FORMAL)\nThe country should have the right to defend itself with all legal means at its command.\n  PHRASE


Words: command economy
Meaning:
com.mand econo.my\n   command economy  command economies\n  In a command economy, business activities and the use of resources are decided by the government, and not by market forces. (BUSINESS)\n...the Czech Republic’s transition from a command economy to a market system.\n  N-COUNT


Words: command performance
Meaning:
com.mand per.for.mance\n   command performance  command performances\n  A command performance is a special performance of a play or show which is given for a head of state.\n  N-COUNT


Words: command post
Meaning:
com.mand post\n   command post  command posts\n  A command post is a place from which a commander in the army controls and organizes his forces.\n  N-COUNT


Words: commandant
Meaning:
com.man.dant\n   commandant  commandants\n  A commandant is an army officer in charge of a particular place or group of people.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE


Words: commandeer
Meaning:
com.man.deer\n   commandeer  commandeers  commandeering  commandeered\n1. If the armed forces commandeer a vehicle or building owned by someone else, they officially take charge of it so that they can use it.\nThe soldiers commandeered vehicles in the capital and occupied the television station...\nThey drove in convoy round the city in commandeered cars.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed\n  = requisition\n2. To commandeer something owned by someone else means to take charge of it so that you can use it.\nThe hijacker commandeered the plane on a domestic flight.\n  VERB: V n  disapproval\n  = appropriate


Words: commander
Meaning:
com.mand.er\n   commander  commanders\n1. A commander is an officer in charge of a military operation or organization.\nThe commander and some of the men had been released.\n...Commander Bob Marks.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE; N-VOC\n\n2. A commander is an officer in the Royal Navy or the U.S. Navy.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE; N-VOC


Words: commander-in-chief
Meaning:
commander-in-chief  commanders-in-chief\n  A commander-in-chief is an officer in charge of all the forces in a particular area.\nHe was to be the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE


Words: commanding
Meaning:
com.mand.ing\n   commanding\n1. If you are in a commanding position or situation, you are in a strong or powerful position or situation.\nRight now you’re in a more commanding position than you have been for ages...\nThe French vessel has a commanding lead.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If you describe someone as commanding, you mean that they are powerful and confident.\nLovett was a tall, commanding man with a waxed gray mustache...\nThe voice at the other end of the line was serious and commanding.\n  ADJ  approval\n  = authoritative\n3.\n  see also command


Words: commanding officer
Meaning:
com.mand.ing of.fic.er\n   commanding officer  commanding officers\n  A commanding officer is an officer who is in charge of a military unit.\nHe got permission from his commanding officer to join me.\n  N-COUNT


Words: commandment
Meaning:
com.mand.ment\n   commandment  commandments\n  The Ten Commandments are the ten rules of behaviour which, according to the Old Testament of the Bible, people should obey.\n  N-COUNT


Words: commando
Meaning:
com.man.do\n   commando  commandos  or commandoes\n1. A commando is a group of soldiers who have been specially trained to carry out surprise attacks.\n...a small commando of marines...\nThe hostages were freed in the commando raid.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n\n\n2. A commando is a soldier who is a member of a commando.\n  N-COUNT


Words: commemorate
Meaning:
com.memo.rate\n   commemorate  commemorates  commemorating  commemorated\n  To commemorate an important event or person means to remember them by means of a special action, ceremony, or specially created object.\nOne room contained a gallery of paintings commemorating great moments in baseball history...\n  VERB: V n\n  = celebrate\n=>  com.memo.ra.tion      commemorations\n...the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.\n  N-VAR: usu with supp


Words: commemorative
Meaning:
com.memo.ra.tive\n   commemorative\n  A commemorative object or event is intended to make people remember a particular event or person.\nThe Queen unveiled a commemorative plaque.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: commence
Meaning:
com.mence\n   commence  commences  commencing  commenced\n  When something commences or you commence it, it begins. (FORMAL)\nThe academic year commences at the beginning of October...\nThey commenced a systematic search...\nThe hunter knelt beside the animal carcass and commenced to skin it.\n  VERB: V, V n/-ing, V to-inf\n  = begin


Words: commencement
Meaning:
com.mence.ment\n   commencement  commencements\n1. The commencement of something is its beginning. (FORMAL)\nAll applicants should be at least 16 years of age at the commencement of this course.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu the N of n\n\n2. Commencement is a ceremony at a university, college, or high school at which students formally receive their degrees or diplomas. (AM; in BRIT, use graduation)\n  N-VAR: usu N n


Words: commend
Meaning:
com.mend\n   commend  commends  commending  commended\n1. If you commend someone or something, you praise them formally. (FORMAL)\nI commended her for that action...\nI commend Ms. Orth on writing such an informative article...\nThe book was widely commended for its candour...\nThe reports commend her bravery...\nHis actions were commended by the Jury.\n  VERB: V n for/on n/-ing, V n for/on n/-ing, V n for/on n/-ing, V n, V n\n\n=>  com.men.da.tion      commendations\nThe Company received a commendation from the Royal Society of Arts.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If someone commends a person or thing to you, they tell you that you will find them good or useful. (FORMAL)\nI can commend it to him as a realistic course of action.\n  VERB: V n to n\n  = recommend


Words: commendable
Meaning:
com.mend.able\n   commendable\n  If you describe someone’s behaviour as commendable, you approve of it or are praising it. (FORMAL)\nMr Sparrow has acted with commendable speed...\n  ADJ  approval\n  = admirable


Words: commensurate
Meaning:
com.men.su.rate\n   commensurate\n  If the level of one thing is commensurate with another, the first level is in proportion to the second. (FORMAL)\nEmployees are paid salaries commensurate with those of teachers...\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ with/to n, ADJ n


Words: comment
Meaning:
com.ment\n   comment  comments  commenting  commented\n1. If you comment on something, you give your opinion about it or you give an explanation for it.\nStratford police refuse to comment on whether anyone has been arrested...\nYou really can’t comment till you know the facts...\n`I’m always happy with new developments,’ he commented...\nStuart commented that this was very true.\n  VERB: V on n/wh, V, V with quote, V that\n\n2. A comment is something that you say which expresses your opinion of something or which gives an explanation of it.\nHe made his comments at a news conference in Amsterdam...\nThere’s been no comment so far from police about the allegations...\nLady Thatcher, who is abroad, was not available for comment.\n  N-VAR\n\n3. If an event or situation is a comment on something, it reveals something about that thing, usually something bad.\nHe argues that family problems are typically a comment on some unresolved issues in the family.\n  N-SING: usu a N on n\n  = reflection\n4. People say `no comment’ as a way of refusing to answer a question, usually when it is asked by a journalist.\nNo comment. I don’t know anything.\n  CONVENTION


Words: commentary
Meaning:
com.men.tary\n   commentary  commentaries\n1. A commentary is a description of an event that is broadcast on radio or television while the event is taking place.\nHe gave the listening crowd a running commentary...\nThat programme will include live commentary on the England-Ireland game.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. A commentary is an article or book which explains or discusses something.\nMr Rich will be writing a twice-weekly commentary on American society and culture.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. Commentary is discussion or criticism of something.\nThe show mixed comedy with social commentary...\n  N-UNCOUNT: also a N, with supp\n  = comment


