# dict

Words: morbid
Meaning:
mor.bid\n   morbid\n  If you describe a person or their interest in something as morbid, you mean that they are very interested in unpleasant things, especially death, and you think this is strange.\nSome people have a morbid fascination with crime.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n\n=>  mor.bid.ly\nThere’s something morbidly fascinating about the thought.\n  ADV: usu ADV adj


Words: mordant
Meaning:
mor.dant\n   mordant\n  Mordant humour is very critical and often mocks someone or something. (FORMAL)\nA wicked, mordant sense of humour has come to the fore in Blur’s world.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = caustic


Words: more
Meaning:
more\nMore is often considered to be the comparative form of much and many.\n1. You use more to indicate that there is a greater amount of something than before or than average, or than something else. You can use `a little’, `a lot’, `a bit’, `far’, and `much’ in front of more.\nMore and more people are surviving heart attacks...\nHe spent more time perfecting his dance moves instead of gym work.\n...teaching more children foreign languages other than English...\n  DET: DET pl-n-uncount\n  !=less\n  More is also a pronoun.\nAs the level of work increased from light to heavy, workers ate more...\nHe had four hundred dollars in his pocket. Billy had more.\n  PRON\n\n  More is also a quantifier.\nEmployees may face increasing pressure to take on more of their own medical costs in retirement...\n  QUANT: QUANT of def-n\n\n2. You use more than before a number or amount to say that the actual number or amount is even greater.\nThe Afghan authorities say the airport had been closed for more than a year.\n...classy leather and silk jackets at more than .250.\n  PREP-PHRASE: PREP amount\n  = over\n3. You use more to indicate that something or someone has a greater amount of a quality than they used to or than is average or usual.\nPrison conditions have become more brutal...\nWe can satisfy our basic wants more easily than in the past.\n  ADV: ADV adj/adv\n  !=less\n4. If you say that something is more one thing than another, you mean that it is like the first thing rather than the second.\nThe exhibition at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is more a production than it is a museum display...\nHe’s more like a film star than a life-guard, really...\nShe looked more sad than in pain...\nSue screamed, not loudly, more in surprise than terror...\nShe’s more of a social animal than me.\n  ADV: ADV group than group/cl, ADV of a n\n  !=less\n5. If you do something more than before or more than someone else, you do it to a greater extent or more often.\nWhen we are tired, tense, depressed or unwell, we feel pain much more...\nWhat impressed me more was that she knew Tennessee Williams.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n  !=less\n6. You can use more to indicate that something continues to happen for a further period of time.\nThings might have been different if I’d talked a bit more.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n  You can use some more to indicate that something continues to happen for a further period of time.\nWe walked some more.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v\n\n7. You use more to indicate that something is repeated. For example, if you do something `once more’, you do it again once.\nThis train would stop twice more in the suburbs before rolling southeast toward Munich...\nThe breathing exercises should be repeated several times more.\n  ADV: adv ADV, n ADV\n\n8. You use more to refer to an additional thing or amount. You can use `a little’, `a lot’, `a bit’, `far’ and `much’ in front of more.\nThey needed more time to consider whether to hold an inquiry.\n  DET: DET pl-n-uncount\n\n  More is also an adjective.\nWe stayed in Danville two more days...\nAre you sure you wouldn’t like some more wine?\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  More is also a pronoun.\nOxfam has appealed to western nations to do more to help the refugees...\n`None of them are very nice folks.’.`Tell me more.’\n  PRON\n\n9. You use more in conversations when you want to draw someone’s attention to something interesting or important that you are about to say.\nEurope’s economies have converged in several areas. More interestingly, there has been convergence in economic growth rates...\nMore seriously for him, there are members who say he is wrong on this issue.\n  ADV: ADV adv/adj\n  !=less\n10. You can use more and more to indicate that something is becoming greater in amount, extent, or degree all the time.\nHer life was heading more and more where she wanted it to go...\n  PHRASE: usu PHR with v, PHR group/cl\n\n11. If something is more or less true, it is true in a general way, but is not completely true.\nThe Conference is more or less over...\n(next)


Words: more .1
Meaning:
He more or less started the firm...\n  PHRASE: PHR with group/cl, PHR before v  vagueness\n\n12. If something is more than a particular thing, it has greater value or importance than this thing.\nHe’s more than a coach, he’s a friend.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR n\n\n13. You use more than to say that something is true to a greater degree than is necessary or than average.\nLithuania produces more than enough food to feed itself.\n  PHRASE: PHR n, PHR adj\n\n14. You use no more than or not more than when you want to emphasize how small a number or amount is.\nHe was a kid really, not more than eighteen or nineteen.\n  PHRASE: PHR amount  emphasis\n  !=no less than\n15. If you say that someone or something is nothing more than a particular thing, you are emphasizing that they are only that thing, and nothing more interesting or important.\nThe newly discovered notes are nothing more than Lang’s personal journal.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR n  emphasis\n\n16. You can use what is more or what’s more to introduce an extra piece of information which supports or emphasizes the point you are making.\nYou should remember it, and what’s more, you should get it right.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR cl  emphasis\n  = moreover, furthermore\n17.\nall the more: see all\nany more: see any


Words: moreish
Meaning:
more.ish\n   moreish\n  If you describe food as moreish, you mean that it is so nice that you want to keep eating more of it once you have started. (INFORMAL)\nThai food’s very moreish, isn’t it?\n  ADJ


Words: moreover
Meaning:
more.over\n   moreover\n  You use moreover to introduce a piece of information that adds to or supports the previous statement. (FORMAL)\nShe saw that there was indeed a man immediately behind her. Moreover, he was observing her strangely...\n  ADV: ADV with cl (not last in cl)


Words: mores
Meaning:
mo.res\n   mores\n  The mores of a particular place or group of people are the customs and behaviour that are typically found in that place or group. (FORMAL)\n...the accepted mores of British society.\n  N-PLURAL: usu with supp


Words: morgue
Meaning:
morgue  morgues\n  A morgue is a building or a room in a hospital where dead bodies are kept before they are buried or cremated, or before they are identified or examined.\n  N-COUNT\n  = mortuary


Words: moribund
Meaning:
mori.bund\n   moribund\n  If you describe something as moribund, you mean that it is in a very bad condition. (FORMAL)\n...the moribund economy.\n  ADJ


Words: Mormon
Meaning:
Mor.mon\n   Mormon  Mormons\n  Mormon means relating to the religion started by Joseph Smith in the United States.\n...the Mormon church.\n  ADJ\n\n  Mormons are people who are Mormon.\n  N-COUNT


Words: morn
Meaning:
morn\n  Morn means the same as morning. (LITERARY)\n...one cold February morn.\n  N-SING: also no det


Words: morning
Meaning:
morn.ing\n   morning  mornings\n1. The morning is the part of each day between the time that people usually wake up and 12 o’clock noon or lunchtime.\nDuring the morning your guide will take you around the city...\nOn Sunday morning Bill was woken by the telephone...\nHe read about it in his morning paper.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If you refer to a particular time in the morning, you mean a time between 12 o’clock midnight and 12 o’clock noon.\nI often stayed up until two or three in the morning...\n  N-SING: the N\n\n3. If you say that something will happen in the morning, you mean that it will happen during the morning of the following day.\nI’ll fly it to London in the morning...\n  PHRASE\n\n4. If you say that something happens morning, noon and night, you mean that it happens all the time.\nYou get fit by playing the game, day in, day out, morning, noon and night.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v


Words: morning dress
Meaning:
morn.ing dress\n   morning dress\n  Morning dress is a suit that is worn by men for very formal occasions such as weddings. It consists of a grey or black coat that is longer at the back than the front, grey trousers, a white shirt, a grey tie, and often a top hat.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: morning room
Meaning:
morn.ing room\n   morning room  morning rooms   also morning-room\n  In some large, old houses, the morning room is a living room which gets the sun in the morning. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT


Words: morning sickness
Meaning:
morn.ing sick.ness\n   morning sickness\n  Morning sickness is a feeling of sickness that some women have, often in the morning, when they are pregnant.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: morning star
Meaning:
morn.ing star\n   morning star\n  The morning star is the planet Venus, which can be seen shining in the sky just after the sun rises.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: morning-after pill
Meaning:
morning-after pill  morning-after pills\n  The morning-after pill is a pill that a woman can take some hours after having sex to prevent herself from becoming pregnant.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N in sing


Words: Moroccan
Meaning:
Mo.roc.can\n   Moroccan  Moroccans\n1. Moroccan means belonging or relating to Morocco or to its people or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A Moroccan is a Moroccan citizen, or a person of Moroccan origin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: moron
Meaning:
mor.on\n   moron  morons\n  If you refer to someone as a moron, you think that they are very stupid. (OFFENSIVE)\nI used to think that Gordon was a moron...\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = idiot


Words: moronic
Meaning:
mo.ron.ic\n   moronic\n  If you say that a person or their behaviour is moronic, you think that they are very stupid. (OFFENSIVE)\nIt was wanton, moronic vandalism.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = mindless


Words: morose
Meaning:
mo.rose\n   morose\n  Someone who is morose is miserable, bad-tempered, and not willing to talk very much to other people.\nShe was morose, pale, and reticent.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  mo.rose.ly\nOne elderly man sat morosely at the bar.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v


Words: morph
Meaning:
morph  morphs  morphing  morphed\n  If one thing morphs into another thing, especially something very different, the first thing changes into the second. (INFORMAL)\nMild-mannered Stanley morphs into a confident, grinning hero.\n  VERB: V into n


Words: morpheme
Meaning:
mor.pheme\n   morpheme  morphemes\n  A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in a language. The words `the’, `in’, and `girl’ consist of one morpheme. The word `girls’ consists of two morphemes: `girl’ and `s’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: morphing
Meaning:
morph.ing\n   morphing\n  Morphing is a technique which involves using a computer to make an image on film or television appear to change shape or change into something else.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: morphology
Meaning:
mor.phol.ogy\n   morphology\n  The morphology of something is its form and structure. In linguistics, morphology refers to the way words are constructed with stems, prefixes, and suffixes. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: morris dancer
Meaning:
mor.ris danc.er\n   morris dancer  morris dancers\n  A morris dancer is a person who takes part in morris dancing.\n  N-COUNT


Words: morris dancing
Meaning:
mor.ris danc.ing\n   morris dancing\n  Morris dancing is a type of old English country dancing which is performed by people wearing special costumes.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: morrow
Meaning:
mor.row\n   morrow\n1. The morrow means the next day or tomorrow. (LITERARY or OLD-FASHIONED)\nWe do depart for Wales on the morrow.\n  N-SING: the N, oft on the N\n\n2. Good morrow means the same as `good morning’. (LITERARY or OLD-FASHIONED)\nGood morrow to you, my lord.\n  CONVENTION


Words: morse code
Meaning:
morse code   also Morse code\n  Morse code or morse is a code used for sending messages. It represents each letter of the alphabet using short and long sounds or flashes of light, which can be written down as dots and dashes.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: morsel
Meaning:
mor.sel\n   morsel  morsels\n  A morsel is a very small amount of something, especially a very small piece of food.\n...a delicious little morsel of meat.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n


Words: mortal
Meaning:
mor.tal\n   mortal  mortals\n1. If you refer to the fact that people are mortal, you mean that they have to die and cannot live for ever.\nA man is deliberately designed to be mortal. He grows, he ages, and he dies.\n  ADJ\n  !=immortal\n=>  mor.tal.ity\nShe has suddenly come face to face with her own mortality.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu poss N\n\n2. You can describe someone as a mortal when you want to say that they are an ordinary person.\nTickets seem unobtainable to the ordinary mortal.\n  N-COUNT\n  = human\n3. You can use mortal to show that something is very serious or may cause death.\nThe police were defending themselves and others against mortal danger...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  mor.tal.ly\nHe falls, mortally wounded.\n  ADV: usu ADV -ed/adj/adv\n\n4. You can use mortal to emphasize that a feeling is extremely great or severe.\nWhen self-esteem is high, we lose our mortal fear of jealousy.\n  ADJ: ADJ n  emphasis\n\n=>  mor.tal.ly\nCandida admits to having been `mortally embarrassed’.\n  ADV: ADV -ed/adj/adv


Words: mortal sin
Meaning:
mor.tal sin\n   mortal sin  mortal sins\n  In the Roman Catholic Church, a mortal sin is an extremely serious sin and the person who has committed it will be punished after death unless they are forgiven by the Church.\n  N-VAR


Words: mortality
Meaning:
mor.tal.ity\n   mortality\n  The mortality in a particular place or situation is the number of people who die.\nThe nation’s infant mortality rate has reached a record low.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n  = death rate


Words: mortar
Meaning:
mor.tar\n   mortar  mortars\n1. A mortar is a big gun which fires missiles high into the air over a short distance.\nHe was killed in a mortar attack.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Mortar is a mixture of sand, water, and cement or lime which is put between bricks to hold them together.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. A mortar is a bowl in which you can crush things such as herbs, spices, or grain using a rod called a pestle.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4.\nbricks and mortar: see brick


Words: mortar board
Meaning:
mor.tar board\n   mortar board  mortar boards   also mortarboard\n  A mortar board is a stiff black cap which has a flat square top with a bunch of threads attached to it. In Britain, mortar boards are sometimes worn on formal occasions by university students and teachers. In the United States, mortar boards are worn by students at graduation ceremonies at high schools, colleges, and universities.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mortgage
Meaning:
mort.gage\n   mortgage  mortgages  mortgaging  mortgaged\n1. A mortgage is a loan of money which you get from a bank or building society in order to buy a house.\n...an increase in mortgage rates.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n\n\n2. If you mortgage your house or land, you use it as a guarantee to a company in order to borrow money from them.\nThey had to mortgage their home to pay the bills.\n  VERB: V n


Words: mortice lock
Meaning:
mor.tice lock\n   mortice lock  mortice locks\nin AM and sometimes in BRIT, use mortise lock\n  A mortice lock is a type of lock which fits into a hole cut into the edge of a door rather than being fixed to one side of it.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mortician
Meaning:
mor.ti.cian\n   mortician  morticians\n  A mortician is a person whose job is to deal with the bodies of people who have died and to arrange funerals. (mainly AM)\n  N-COUNT\n  = undertaker


Words: mortification
Meaning:
mor.ti.fi.ca.tion\n   mortification\n  Mortification is a strong feeling of shame and embarrassment.\nThe chairman tried to disguise his mortification.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft poss N


Words: mortified
Meaning:
mor.ti.fied\n   mortified\n  If you say that someone is mortified, you mean that they feel extremely offended, ashamed, or embarrassed.\nIf I reduced somebody to tears I’d be mortified.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: mortify
Meaning:
mor.ti.fy\n   mortify  mortifies  mortifying  mortified\n  If you say that something mortifies you, you mean that it offends or embarrasses you a great deal.\nJane mortified her family by leaving her husband.\n  VERB: no cont, V n


Words: mortifying
Meaning:
mor.ti.fy.ing\n   mortifying\n  If you say that something is mortifying, you mean that it makes you feel extremely ashamed or embarrassed.\nShe felt it would be utterly mortifying to be seen in such company as his by anyone.\n  ADJ


Words: mortuary
Meaning:
mor.tu.ary\n   mortuary  mortuaries\n  A mortuary is a building or a room in a hospital where dead bodies are kept before they are buried or cremated, or before they are identified or examined.\n  N-COUNT\n  = morgue


Words: mosaic
Meaning:
mo.sa.ic\n   mosaic  mosaics\n  A mosaic is a design which consists of small pieces of coloured glass, pottery, or stone set in concrete or plaster.\n...a Roman villa which once housed a fine collection of mosaics...\n  N-VAR


Words: mosey
Meaning:
mo.sey\n   mosey  moseys  moseying  moseyed\n  If you mosey somewhere, you go there slowly, often without any particular purpose. (INFORMAL)\nHe usually moseys into town for no special reason.\n  VERB: V adv/prep\n  = wander, stroll


Words: mosh
Meaning:
mosh moshes moshing moshed\n  If people at a rock concert mosh, they jump up and down together in front of the stage, often pushing each other.\nMoshing down the front, crushed against the stage in a sweat-drenched T-shirt is all part of the gig experience.\n  VERB: V


Words: moshpit
Meaning:
mosh.pit\n   moshpit moshpits  also mosh pit\n  The moshpit at a rock concert is the area in front of the stage where people jump up and down. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: mosquito
Meaning:
mos.qui.to\n   mosquito  mosquitoes  or mosquitos\n  Mosquitos are small flying insects which bite people and animals in order to suck their blood.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mosquito net
Meaning:
mos.qui.to net\n   mosquito net  mosquito nets\n  A mosquito net is a curtain made of very fine cloth which is hung round a bed in order to keep mosquitoes and other insects away from a person while they are sleeping.\n  N-COUNT


Words: moss
Meaning:
moss  mosses\n  Moss is a very small soft green plant which grows on damp soil, or on wood or stone.\n...ground covered over with moss.\n  N-MASS


Words: most
Meaning:
most\nMost is often considered to be the superlative form of much and many.\n1. You use most to refer to the majority of a group of things or people or the largest part of something.\nBy stopping smoking you are undoing most of the damage smoking has caused...\nSadly, most of the house was destroyed by fire in 1828.\n  QUANT: QUANT of def-n\n\n  Most is also a determiner.\nMost people think the Queen has done a good job over the last 50 years...\n  DET: DET pl-n\n\n  Most is also a pronoun.\nSeventeen civilians were hurt. Most are students who had been attending a twenty-first birthday party...\n  PRON\n\n2. You use the most to mean a larger amount than anyone or anything else, or the largest amount possible.\nThe President himself won the most votes...\n  ADJ: the ADJ n\n\n  Most is also a pronoun.\nThe most they earn in a day is ten roubles.\n  PRON\n\n3. You use most to indicate that something is true or happens to a greater degree or extent than anything else.\nWhat she feared most was becoming like her mother...\n...Professor Morris, the person he most hated.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n  !=least\n  You use most of all to indicate that something happens or is true to a greater extent than anything else.\nShe said she wanted most of all to be fair.\n  PHRASE: PHR with v\n\n4. You use most to indicate that someone or something has a greater amount of a particular quality than most other things of its kind.\nHe was one of the most influential performers of modern jazz...\nIf anything, swimming will appeal to her most strongly...\n  ADV: ADV adj/adv\n  !=least\n5. If you do something the most, you do it to the greatest extent possible or with the greatest frequency.\nWhat question are you asked the most?...\n  ADV: the ADV after v\n\n6. You use most in conversations when you want to draw someone’s attention to something very interesting or important that you are about to say.\nMost surprisingly, quite a few said they don’t intend to vote at all...\n  ADV: ADV adv/adj\n\n7. You use most to emphasize an adjective or adverb. (FORMAL)\nI’ll be most pleased to speak to them...\n  ADV: ADV adj/adv  emphasis\n\n8. You use at most or at the most to say that a number or amount is the maximum that is possible and that the actual number or amount may be smaller.\nPoach the pears in apple juice for perhaps ten minutes at most.\n...staying on at school for two extra years to study only three, or at the most four subjects...\n  PHRASE: amount PHR, PHR with cl\n\n9. If you make the most of something, you get the maximum use or advantage from it.\nHappiness is the ability to make the most of what you have...\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n10.\nfor the most part: see part


Words: mostly
Meaning:
most.ly\n   mostly\n  You use mostly to indicate that a statement is generally true, for example true about the majority of a group of things or people, true most of the time, or true in most respects.\nI am working with mostly highly motivated people...\nCars are mostly metal.\n...men and women, mostly in their 30s...\n  ADV: ADV with cl/group\n  = mainly


Words: MOT
Meaning:
MOT  MOTs\n  In Britain, an MOT is a test which, by law, must be made each year on all road vehicles that are more than 3 years old, in order to check that they are safe to drive.\nMy car is due for its MOT in two days’ time.\n  N-COUNT


Words: motel
Meaning:
mo.tel\n   motel  motels\n  A motel is a hotel intended for people who are travelling by car.\n  N-COUNT


Words: moth-eaten
Meaning:
moth-eaten\n1. Moth-eaten clothes look very old and have holes in them.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you describe something as moth-eaten, you mean that it seems unattractive or useless because it is old or has been used too much.\nWe drove through a somewhat moth-eaten deer park...\nThis strategy looks increasingly moth-eaten.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: mothball
Meaning:
moth.ball\n   mothball  mothballs  mothballing  mothballed\n1. A mothball is a small ball made of a special chemical, which you can put among clothes or blankets in order to keep moths away.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If someone in authority mothballs a plan, factory, or piece of equipment, they decide to stop developing or using it, perhaps temporarily. (JOURNALISM)\n...the decision to mothball the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, for safety and political reasons...\n  VERB: V n


Words: mother
Meaning:
moth.er\n   mother  mothers  mothering  mothered\n1. Your mother is the woman who gave birth to you. You can also call someone your mother if she brings you up as if she was this woman.\nShe sat on the edge of her mother’s bed...\nShe’s an English teacher and a mother of two children...\nI’m here, Mother.\n  N-FAMILY\n\n2. If a woman mothers a child, she looks after it and brings it up, usually because she is its mother.\nColleen had dreamed of mothering a large family.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  moth.er.ing\nThe reality of mothering is frequently very different from the romantic ideal.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. If you mother someone, you treat them with great care and affection, as if they were a small child.\nStop mothering me.\n  VERB: V n


Words: mother country
Meaning:
moth.er coun.try\n   mother country  mother countries   also Mother Country\n1. Someone’s mother country is the country in which they or their ancestors were born and to which they still feel emotionally linked, even if they live somewhere else.\nDr Kengerli looks to Turkey as his mother country.\n  N-COUNT: oft with poss\n  = motherland\n2. If you refer to the mother country of a particular state or country, you are referring to the very powerful country that used to control its affairs.\nAustralia, New Zealand, and Canada, had no colonial conflict with the mother country.\n  N-SING: usu the N


Words: mother figure
Meaning:
moth.er fig.ure\n   mother figure  mother figures   also mother-figure\n  If you regard someone as a mother figure, you think of them as having the role of a mother and being the person you can turn to for help, advice, or support.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Mother Nature
Meaning:
Moth.er Nature\n   Mother Nature\n  Mother Nature is sometimes used to refer to nature, especially when it is being considered as a force that affects human beings.\n...when Mother Nature created Iceland out of volcanic lava and glaciers.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Mother of God
Meaning:
Mother of God\n  In Christianity, the Mother of God is another name for the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.\n  N-PROPER


Words: Mother Superior
Meaning:
Moth.er Su.peri.or\n   Mother Superior  Mother Superiors\n  A Mother Superior is a nun who is in charge of the other nuns in a convent.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mother tongue
Meaning:
moth.er tongue\n   mother tongue  mother tongues   also mother-tongue\n  Your mother tongue is the language that you learn from your parents when you are a baby.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n  = native tongue


Words: Mother’s Day
Meaning:
Moth.er’s Day\n   Mother’s Day\n  Mother’s Day is a special day on which children give cards and presents to their mothers as a sign of their love for them. In Britain, Mother’s Day is the fourth Sunday in Lent. In the United States, it is the second Sunday in May.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: mother-in-law
Meaning:
mother-in-law  mothers-in-law\n  Someone’s mother-in-law is the mother of their husband or wife.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N


Words: mother-of-pearl
Meaning:
mother-of-pearl   also mother of pearl\n  Mother-of-pearl is the shiny layer on the inside of some shells. It is used to make buttons or to decorate things.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: mother-to-be
Meaning:
mother-to-be  mothers-to-be\n  A mother-to-be is a woman who is pregnant, especially for the first time.\n  N-COUNT


Words: motherboard
Meaning:
mother.board\n   motherboard  motherboards\n  In a computer, the motherboard is the main electronic circuit board to which the microchips that perform important functions are attached.\n  N-COUNT


Words: motherfucker
Meaning:
mother.fucker\n   motherfucker  motherfuckers\n  If someone calls a person, usually a man, a motherfucker, they are insulting him in a very unpleasant way. (mainly AM  VERY RUDE)\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: motherhood
Meaning:
moth.er.hood\n   motherhood\n  Motherhood is the state of being a mother.\n...women who try to combine work and motherhood.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Mothering Sunday
Meaning:
Moth.er.ing Sun.day\n   Mothering Sunday\n  Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent, when children give cards and presents to their mothers as a sign of their love for them. (BRIT OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = Mother’s Day


Words: motherland
Meaning:
mother.land\n   motherland   also Motherland\n  The motherland is the country in which you or your ancestors were born and to which you still feel emotionally linked, even if you live somewhere else.\n...love for the motherland.\n  N-SING: usu the N\n  = mother country


Words: motherless
Meaning:
moth.er.less\n   motherless\n  You describe children as motherless if their mother has died or does not live with them.\n...Michael’s seven motherless children.\n  ADJ


Words: motherly
Meaning:
moth.er.ly\n   motherly\n  Motherly feelings or actions are like those of a kind mother.\nIt was an incredible display of motherly love and forgiveness.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = maternal


Words: motif
Meaning:
mo.tif\n   motif  motifs\n  A motif is a design which is used as a decoration or as part of an artistic pattern.\n...a rose motif.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp


Words: motion
Meaning:
mo.tion\n   motion  motions  motioning  motioned\n1. Motion is the activity or process of continually changing position or moving from one place to another.\n...the laws governing light, sound, and motion...\nOne group of muscles sets the next group in motion...\nThe wind from the car’s motion whipped her hair around her head.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = movement\n2. A motion is an action, gesture, or movement.\nHe made a neat chopping motion with his hand.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n  = movement\n3. A motion is a formal proposal or statement in a meeting, debate, or trial, which is discussed and then voted on or decided on.\nThe conference is now debating the motion and will vote on it shortly...\nOpposition parties are likely to bring a no-confidence motion against the government...\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. If you motion to someone, you move your hand or head as a way of telling them to do something or telling them where to go.\nShe motioned for the locked front doors to be opened...\nHe stood aside and motioned Don to the door...\nI motioned him to join us...\nHe motioned to her to go behind the screen.\n  VERB: V for n to-inf, V n prep/adv, V n to-inf, V to n to-inf\n  = signal, gesture\n5.\n  see also slow motion, time and motion\n6. If you say that someone is going through the motions, you think they are only saying or doing something because it is expected of them without being interested, enthusiastic, or sympathetic.\n`You really don’t care, do you?’ she said quietly. `You’re just going through the motions.’\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n7. If a process or event is in motion, it is happening. If it is set in motion, it is happening or beginning to happen.\nHis job as England manager begins in earnest now his World Cup campaign is in motion...\nHer sharp, aggressive tone set in motion the events that led to her downfall.\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR, PHR after v\n\n8. If someone sets the wheels in motion, they take the necessary action to make something start happening.\nI have set the wheels in motion to sell Endsleigh Court.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: motion picture
Meaning:
mo.tion pic.ture\n   motion picture  motion pictures\n  A motion picture is a film made for cinema. (mainly AM)\nIt was there that I saw my first motion picture.\n  N-COUNT\n  = movie


Words: motionless
Meaning:
mo.tion.less\n   motionless\n  Someone or something that is motionless is not moving at all.\nHe stood there motionless.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n  = still


Words: motivate
Meaning:
mo.ti.vate\n   motivate  motivates  motivating  motivated\n1. If you are motivated by something, especially an emotion, it causes you to behave in a particular way.\nThey are motivated by a need to achieve...\nI don’t want to be missing out. And that motivates me to get up and do something every day.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n to-inf, also V n\n\n=>  mo.ti.vat.ed\n...highly motivated employees.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  mo.ti.va.tion\nHis poor performance may be attributed to lack of motivation rather than to reading difficulties.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If someone motivates you to do something, they make you feel determined to do it.\nHow do you motivate people to work hard and efficiently?...\nNever let it be said that the manager doesn’t know how to motivate his players.\n  VERB: V n to-inf, V n\n  = inspire\n=>  mo.ti.va.tion\nGross’s skill in motivation looked in doubt when his side began the second half badly.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: motivation
Meaning:
mo.ti.va.tion\n   motivation  motivations\n  Your motivation for doing something is what causes you to want to do it.\nMoney is my motivation...\nThe timing of the attack, and its motivations, are unknown.\n  N-COUNT: usu with poss


Words: motive
Meaning:
mo.tive\n   motive  motives\n  Your motive for doing something is your reason for doing it.\nPolice have ruled out robbery as a motive for the killing.\n...the motives and objectives of British foreign policy...\n  N-COUNT: oft N prep


Words: motley
Meaning:
mot.ley\n   motley\n  You can describe a group of things as a motley collection if you think they seem strange together because they are all very different.\n...a motley collection of vans, old buses, cattle-trucks, and even a fire engine...\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: motor
Meaning:
mo.tor\n   motor  motors\n1. The motor in a machine, vehicle, or boat is the part that uses electricity or fuel to produce movement, so that the machine, vehicle, or boat can work.\nShe got in and started the motor.\n  N-COUNT\n  = engine\n2. Motor vehicles and boats have a petrol or diesel engine.\nTheft of motor vehicles is up by 15.9%.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. Motor is used to describe activities relating to vehicles such as cars and buses. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use automotive, automobile)\n...the future of the British motor industry...\nHe worked as a motor mechanic.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n4. Some people refer to a car as a motor. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT\n\n5.\n  see also motoring, outboard motor


Words: motor car
Meaning:
mo.tor car\n   motor car  motor cars   also motorcar\n  A motor car is the same as a car. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT


Words: motor home
Meaning:
mo.tor home\n   motor home  motor homes\n  A motor home is a large vehicle containing beds and equipment for cooking and washing. Motor homes can be used for holidays or very long journeys.\n  N-COUNT


Words: motor neurone disease
Meaning:
mo.tor neu.rone dis.ease\n   motor neurone disease\n  Motor neurone disease is a disease which destroys the part of a person’s nervous system that controls movement.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: motorbike
Meaning:
motor.bike\n   motorbike  motorbikes   also motor-bike\n1. A motorbike is the same as a motorcycle. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A motorbike is a lighter, less powerful motorcycle. (AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: motorboat
Meaning:
motor.boat\n   motorboat  motorboats   also motor boat\n  A motorboat is a boat that is driven by an engine.\n  N-COUNT


Words: motorcade
Meaning:
motor.cade\n   motorcade  motorcades\n  A motorcade is a line of slow-moving cars carrying important people, usually as part of a public ceremony.\nAt times the president’s motorcade slowed to a crawl.\n  N-COUNT


Words: motorcycle
Meaning:
motor.cycle\n   motorcycle  motorcycles\n  A motorcycle is a vehicle with two wheels and an engine.\n  N-COUNT\n  = motorbike


Words: motorcyclist
Meaning:
motor.cyclist\n   motorcyclist  motorcyclists\n  A motorcyclist is a person who rides a motorcycle.\n  N-COUNT


Words: motoring
Meaning:
mo.tor.ing\n   motoring\n  Motoring means relating to cars and driving. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use driving, automobile)\n...a three-month sentence for motoring offences...\nPolice and motoring organizations said the roads were slightly busier than normal.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: motorist
Meaning:
mo.tor.ist\n   motorist  motorists\n  A motorist is a person who drives a car. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use driver)\n  N-COUNT\n  = driver


Words: motorized
Meaning:
mo.tor.ized\n   motorized\nin BRIT, also use motorised\n1. A motorized vehicle has an engine.\nAround 1910 motorized carriages were beginning to replace horse-drawn cabs.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. A motorized group of soldiers is equipped with motor vehicles.\n...motorized infantry and artillery.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: motormouth
Meaning:
motor.mouth\n   motormouth\n  If you describe someone as a motormouth, you mean that they talk a lot, especially in a loud or aggressive way. (INFORMAL)\n  N-SING  disapproval


Words: motorway
Meaning:
motor.way\n   motorway  motorways\n  A motorway is a major road that has been specially built for fast travel over long distances. Motorways have several lanes and special places where traffic gets on and leaves. (BRIT; in AM, usually use freeway)\n...the M1 motorway.\n...the national motorway network.\n  N-VAR


Words: mottled
Meaning:
mott.led\n   mottled\n  Something that is mottled is covered with patches of different colours which do not form a regular pattern.\n...mottled green and yellow leaves.\n  ADJ


Words: motto
Meaning:
mot.to\n   motto  mottoes  or mottos\n  A motto is a short sentence or phrase that expresses a rule for sensible behaviour, especially a way of behaving in a particular situation.\nOur motto is `Plan for the worst and hope for the best’.\n  N-COUNT: oft with poss


Words: mould
Meaning:
mould  moulds  moulding  moulded\nin AM, use mold\n1. A mould is a hollow container that you pour liquid into. When the liquid becomes solid, it takes the same shape as the mould.\nSpoon the mixture carefully into the mould...\n...jelly moulds.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If a person fits into or is cast in a mould of a particular kind, they have the characteristics, attitudes, behaviour, or lifestyle that are typical of that type of person.\nHe was from the same mould as the men she had gazed at worshipfully when a child: rich, handsome, of impeccable social standing.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n  If you say that someone breaks the mould, you mean that they do completely different things from what has been done before or from what is usually done.\nMemorial services have become tedious and expected. I would like to help break the mould...\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n3. If you mould a soft substance such as plastic or clay, you make it into a particular shape or into an object.\nUsing 2 spoons, mould the cheese mixture into small balls or ovals...\n  VERB: V n into n\n\n4. To mould someone or something means to change or influence them over a period of time so that they develop in a particular way.\nShe was only 17 at the time and the experience moulded her personality...\nToo often we try to mold our children into something they do not wish to be.\n  VERB: V n, V n into n\n  = form, shape\n5. When something moulds to an object or when you mould it there, it fits round the object tightly so that the shape of the object can still be seen.\nYou need a malleable pillow that will mould to the curves of your neck...\nShe stood there, the wind moulding the dress around her.\n  VERB: V to/around/round n, V n around/round/to n\n\n6. Mould is a soft grey, green, or blue substance that sometimes forms in spots on old food or on damp walls or clothes.\n  N-MASS\n\n  see also leaf mould


Words: moulder
Meaning:
mould.er\n   moulder  moulders  mouldering  mouldered\nin AM, use molder\n  If something is mouldering, it is decaying slowly where it has been left.\n...one of your scripts that’s been mouldering under the bed for ages...\nIt is clear that such ideas will be left to moulder.\n...the empty, mouldering old house.\n  VERB: usu cont, V, V, V-ing


Words: moulding
Meaning:
mould.ing\n   moulding  mouldings\nin AM, use molding\n  A moulding is a strip of plaster or wood along the top of a wall or round a door, which has been made into an ornamental shape or decorated with a pattern.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mouldy
Meaning:
mouldy\nin AM, use moldy\n  Something that is mouldy is covered with mould.\n...mouldy bread...\nOranges can be kept for a long time without going mouldy.\n  ADJ


Words: moult
Meaning:
moult  moults  moulting  moulted\nin AM, use molt\n  When an animal or bird moults, it gradually loses its coat or feathers so that a new coat or feathers can grow.\nFinches start to moult at around twelve weeks of age.\n  VERB: V


Words: mound
Meaning:
mound  mounds\n1. A mound of something is a large rounded pile of it.\nThe bulldozers piled up huge mounds of dirt...\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n2. In baseball, the mound is the raised area where the pitcher stands when he or she throws the ball.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N in sing


Words: mount
Meaning:
mount  mounts  mounting  mounted\n1. If you mount a campaign or event, you organize it and make it take place.\n...a security operation mounted by the army.\n  VERB: V n\n  = organize\n2. If something mounts, it increases in intensity.\nFor several hours, tension mounted...\nThere was mounting concern in her voice.\n  VERB: V, V-ing\n  = rise\n3. If something mounts, it increases in quantity.\nThe uncollected garbage mounts in city streets...\nHe ignored his mounting debts.\n  VERB: V, V-ing\n\n  To mount up means the same as to mount.\nHer medical bills mounted up.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n4. If you mount the stairs or a platform, you go up the stairs or go up onto the platform. (FORMAL)\nLlewelyn was mounting the stairs up into the keep...\n  VERB: V n\n\n5. If you mount a horse or cycle, you climb on to it so that you can ride it.\nA man in a crash helmet was mounting a motorbike...\nHe went to the small stable where his horse was, harnessed it, mounted, and rode out to the beach.\n  VERB: V n, V\n  = get on\n6. If you mount an object on something, you fix it there firmly.\nHer husband mounts the work on velour paper and makes the frame...\n...a specially mounted horse shoe.\n  VERB: V n on n, V-ed, also V n\n\n=>  -mounted\n...a wall-mounted electric fan.\n  COMB in ADJ\n\n7. If you mount an exhibition or display, you organize and present it.\nThe gallery has mounted an exhibition of art by Irish women painters.\n  VERB: V n\n  = put on, stage\n8. Mount is used as part of the name of a mountain.\n...Mount Everest.\n  N-IN-NAMES\n\n9.\n  see also mounted


Words: mountain
Meaning:
moun.tain\n   mountain  mountains\n1. A mountain is a very high area of land with steep sides.\nBen Nevis, in Scotland, is Britain’s highest mountain.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you talk about a mountain of something, or mountains of something, you are emphasizing that there is a large amount of it. (INFORMAL)\nThey are faced with a mountain of bureaucracy...\n  QUANT: QUANT of pl-n-uncount  emphasis\n\n3. If you say that someone has a mountain to climb, you mean that it will be difficult for them to achieve what they want to achieve. (JOURNALISM)\n`We had a mountain to climb after the second goal went in,’ said Crosby.\n  PHRASE: usu v PHR\n\n4.\nto make a mountain out of a molehill: see molehill


Words: mountain bike
Meaning:
moun.tain bike\n   mountain bike  mountain bikes\n  A mountain bike is a type of bicycle that is suitable for riding over rough ground. It has a strong frame and thick tyres.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mountain lion
Meaning:
moun.tain lion\n   mountain lion  mountain lions\n  A mountain lion is a wild animal that is a member of the cat family. Mountain lions have brownish-grey fur and live in mountain regions of North and South America. (mainly AM; in BRIT, use puma)\n  N-COUNT\n  = cougar


Words: mountaineer
Meaning:
moun.tain.eer\n   mountaineer  mountaineers\n  A mountaineer is a person who is skilful at climbing the steep sides of mountains.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mountaineering
Meaning:
moun.tain.eer.ing\n   mountaineering\n  Mountaineering is the activity of climbing the steep sides of mountains as a hobby or sport.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: mountainous
Meaning:
moun.tain.ous\n   mountainous\n1. A mountainous place has a lot of mountains.\n...the mountainous region of Campania.\n  ADJ\n\n2. You use mountainous to emphasize that something is great in size, quantity, or degree.\nThe plan is designed to reduce some of the company’s mountainous debt.\n  ADJ: ADJ n  emphasis\n  = huge


Words: mountainside
Meaning:
moun.tain.side\n   mountainside  mountainsides\n  A mountainside is one of the steep sides of a mountain.\nThe couple trudged up the dark mountainside.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mounted
Meaning:
mount.ed\n   mounted\n  Mounted police or soldiers ride horses when they are on duty.\nA dozen mounted police rode into the square.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  see also mount


Words: mourn
Meaning:
mourn  mourns  mourning  mourned\n1. If you mourn someone who has died or mourn for them, you are very sad that they have died and show your sorrow in the way that you behave.\nJoan still mourns her father...\nHe mourned for his valiant men...\nAs the nation continued to mourn, the new President of South Africa paid his own tribute.\n  VERB: V n, V for n, V\n\n2. If you mourn something or mourn for it, you regret that you no longer have it and show your regret in the way that you behave.\nWe mourned the loss of our cities...\nShe mourned for the beloved past.\n  VERB: V n, V for n\n\n3.\n  see also mourning


Words: mourner
Meaning:
mourn.er\n   mourner  mourners\n  A mourner is a person who attends a funeral, especially as a relative or friend of the dead person.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mournful
Meaning:
mourn.ful\n   mournful\n1. If you are mournful, you are very sad.\nHe looked mournful, even near to tears...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  mourn.ful.ly\nHe stood mournfully at the gate waving bye bye.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v\n\n2. A mournful sound seems very sad.\n...the mournful wail of bagpipes.\n  ADJ


Words: mourning
Meaning:
mourn.ing\n   mourning\n1. Mourning is behaviour in which you show sadness about a person’s death.\nExpect to feel angry, depressed and confused. It’s all part of the mourning process...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you are in mourning, you are dressed or behaving in a particular way because someone you love or respect has died.\nYesterday the whole of Greece was in mourning...\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR


Words: mouse
Meaning:
mouse  mice\n\n  The plural mouses can be used for meaning 2.\n\n1. A mouse is a small furry animal with a long tail.\n...a mouse running in a wheel in its cage.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A mouse is a device that is connected to a computer. By moving it over a flat surface and pressing its buttons, you can move the cursor around the screen and do things without using the keyboard.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3.\ngame of cat and mouse: see cat


Words: mouse mat
Meaning:
mouse mat mouse mats  also mousemat\n  A mouse mat is a flat piece of plastic or some other material that you rest the mouse on while using a computer. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: mouse pad
Meaning:
mouse pad mouse pads  also mousepad\n  A mouse pad is the same as a mouse mat. (mainly AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: mousetrap
Meaning:
mouse.trap\n   mousetrap  mousetraps\n  A mousetrap is a small device that catches or kills mice.\n  N-COUNT


Words: moussaka
Meaning:
mous.sa.ka\n   moussaka  moussakas\n  Moussaka is a Greek dish consisting of layers of meat and aubergine.\n  N-VAR


Words: mousse
Meaning:
mousse  mousses\n1. Mousse is a sweet light food made from eggs and cream. It is often flavoured with fruit or chocolate.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. Mousse is a soft substance containing a lot of tiny bubbles, for example one that you can put in your hair to make it easier to shape into a particular style.\n  N-MASS


Words: moustache
Meaning:
mous.tache\n   moustache  moustaches   also mustache\n  A man’s moustache is the hair that grows on his upper lip. If it is very long, it is sometimes referred to as his moustaches.\nHe was short and bald and had a moustache.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  mous.tached\n...three burly, moustached middle-aged men.\n  ADJ


Words: moustachioed
Meaning:
mous.ta.chi.oed\n   moustachioed   also mustachioed\n  A moustachioed man has a moustache. (HUMOROUS or WRITTEN)\n  ADJ


Words: mousy
Meaning:
mousy   also mousey\n1. Mousy hair is a dull light brown colour.\nHe was aged between 25 and 30, with a medium build and collar-length mousy hair.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If you describe someone as mousy, you mean that they are quiet and shy and that people do not notice them.\nThe Inspector remembered her as a small, mousy woman, invariably worried.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: mouth
Meaning:
mouth mouths  mouthing  mouthed\nPronounced   for the noun, and   for the verb.\n1. Your mouth is the area of your face where your lips are or the space behind your lips where your teeth and tongue are.\nShe clamped her hand against her mouth...\nHis mouth was full of peas.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n\n=>  -mouthed\nHe straightened up and looked at me, open-mouthed.\n  COMB in ADJ\n\n2. You can say that someone has a particular kind of mouth to indicate that they speak in a particular kind of way or that they say particular kinds of things.\nYou’ve got such a crude mouth!\n  N-COUNT: with supp, oft adj N\n\n=>  -mouthed\n...Simon, their smart-mouthed teenage son.\n  COMB in ADJ\n\n3. The mouth of a cave, hole, or bottle is its entrance or opening.\nBy the mouth of the tunnel he bent to retie his lace.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n\n  = entrance\n=>  -mouthed\nHe put the flowers in a wide-mouthed blue vase.\n  COMB in ADJ\n\n4. The mouth of a river is the place where it flows into the sea.\n...the town at the mouth of the River Dart.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n5. If you mouth something, you form words with your lips without making any sound.\nI mouthed a goodbye and hurried in behind Momma...\n`It’s for you,’ he mouthed.\n  VERB: V n, V with quote\n\n6. If you mouth something, you say it, especially without believing it or without understanding it.\nI mouthed some sympathetic platitudes...\n  VERB: V n\n\n7. If you have a number of mouths to feed, you have the responsibility of earning enough money to feed and look after that number of people.\nHe had to feed his family on the equivalent of four hundred pounds a month and, with five mouths to feed, he found this very hard.\n  PHRASE: N inflects\n\n8. If you say that someone does not open their mouth, you are emphasizing that they never say anything at all.\nSometimes I hardly dare open my mouth...\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect, with brd-neg  emphasis\n\n9. If you keep your mouth shut about something, you do not talk about it, especially because it is a secret.\nYou wouldn’t be here now if she’d kept her mouth shut.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect\n\n10.\nto live hand to mouth: see hand\nheart in your mouth: see heart\nfrom the horse’s mouth: see horse\nto put your money where your mouth is: see money\nshut your mouth: see shut\nto be born with a silver spoon in your mouth: see spoon\nword of mouth: see word


Words: mouth organ
Meaning:
mouth or.gan\n   mouth organ  mouth organs\n  A mouth organ is the same as a harmonica. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
Meaning:
mouth-to-mouth re.sus.ci.ta.tion\n   mouth-to-mouth resuscitation   or mouth-to-mouth\n  If you give someone who has stopped breathing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, you breathe into their mouth to make them start breathing again.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: mouth-watering
Meaning:
mouth-watering   also mouthwatering\n1. Mouth-watering food looks or smells extremely nice.\n...hundreds of cheeses, in a mouth-watering variety of shapes, textures and tastes.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you describe something as mouth-watering, you are emphasizing that it is very attractive. (JOURNALISM)\nPrizes worth a mouth-watering .9.6 million are unclaimed.\n  ADJ  emphasis


Words: mouthful
Meaning:
mouth.ful\n   mouthful  mouthfuls\n1. A mouthful of drink or food is the amount that you put or have in your mouth.\nShe gulped down a mouthful of coffee...\n  N-COUNT: oft N of n\n\n2. If you describe a long word or phrase as a mouthful, you mean that it is difficult to say. (INFORMAL)\nIt’s called the Pan-Caribbean Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Project, which is quite a mouthful.\n  N-SING: a N


Words: mouthpiece
Meaning:
mouth.piece\n   mouthpiece  mouthpieces\n1. The mouthpiece of a telephone is the part that you speak into.\nHe shouted into the mouthpiece.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. The mouthpiece of a musical instrument or other device is the part that you put into your mouth.\nHe showed him how to blow into the ivory mouthpiece.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. The mouthpiece of an organization or person is someone who informs other people of the opinions and policies of that organization or person.\nTheir mouthpiece is the vice-president...\n  N-COUNT: usu with poss


Words: mouthwash
Meaning:
mouth.wash\n   mouthwash  mouthwashes\n  Mouthwash is a liquid that you put in your mouth and then spit out in order to clean your mouth and make your breath smell pleasant.\n  N-MASS


Words: movable
Meaning:
mov.able\n   movable   also moveable\n  Something that is movable can be moved from one place or position to another.\nIt’s a vinyl doll with movable arms and legs...\n  ADJ


Words: move
Meaning:
move  moves  moving  moved\n1. When you move something or when it moves, its position changes and it does not remain still.\nShe moved the sheaf of papers into position...\nA traffic warden asked him to move his car...\nI could see the branches of the trees moving back and forth...\nThe train began to move.\n  VERB: V n prep/adv, V n, V prep/adv, V\n\n2. When you move, you change your position or go to a different place.\nShe waited for him to get up, but he didn’t move...\nHe moved around the room, putting his possessions together...\n  VERB: V, V prep/adv\n\n  Move is also a noun.\nThe doctor made a move towards the door...\nDaniel’s eyes followed her every move.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n  = movement\n3. If you move, you act or you begin to do something.\nIndustrialists must move fast to take advantage of new opportunities in Eastern Europe.\n  VERB: V\n  = act\n4. A move is an action that you take in order to achieve something.\nThe one point cut in interest rates was a wise move...\nThe thirty-five member nations agreed to the move...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n\n5. If a person or company moves, they leave the building where they have been living or working, and they go to live or work in a different place, taking their possessions with them.\nMy family home is in Yorkshire and they don’t want to move...\nShe had often considered moving to London...\nThey move house fairly frequently...\n  VERB: V, V to n, V n\n\n  Move is also a noun.\nModigliani announced his move to Montparnasse in 1909.\n  N-COUNT\n\n6. If people in authority move someone, they make that person go from one place or job to another one.\nHis superiors moved him to another parish...\nMs Clark is still in position and there are no plans to move her...\n  VERB: V n prep/adv, V n\n  = transfer\n7. If you move from one job or interest to another, you change to it.\nHe moved from being an extramural tutor to being a lecturer in social history...\nIn the early days Christina moved jobs to get experience.\n  VERB: V from/to n/-ing, V n\n\n  Move is also a noun.\nHis move to the chairmanship means he will take a less active role in day-to-day management.\n  N-COUNT\n\n8. If you move to a new topic in a conversation, you start talking about something different.\nLet’s move to another subject, Dan.\n  VERB: V from/to n/-ing\n\n9. If you move an event or the date of an event, you change the time at which it happens.\nThe club has moved its meeting to Saturday, January 22nd...\nThe band have moved forward their Leeds date to October 27.\n  VERB: V n to n, V n with adv, also V n\n\n10. If you move towards a particular state, activity, or opinion, you start to be in that state, do that activity, or have that opinion.\nSince the Convention was drawn up international opinion has begun to move against it.\n  VERB: V prep/adv\n\n  Move is also a noun.\nHis move to the left was not a sudden leap but a natural working out of ideas.\n  N-COUNT\n  = shift\n11. If a situation or process is moving, it is developing or progressing, rather than staying still.\nEvents are moving fast...\nSomeone has got to get things moving.\n  VERB: usu cont, V, V n -ing\n\n12. If you say that you will not be moved, you mean that you have come to a decision and nothing will change your mind.\nEveryone thought I was mad to go back, but I wouldn’t be moved.\n  VERB: usu passive, with neg, be V-ed\n  = budge\n13. If something moves you to do something, it influences you and causes you to do it.\nIt was punk that first moved him to join a band seriously...\n  VERB: V n to-inf\n\n14. If something moves you, it has an effect on your emotions and causes you to feel sadness or sympathy for another person.\nThese stories surprised and moved me...\nHis prayer moved me to tears.\n  VERB: V n, V n to n\n\n=>  moved\nThose who listened to him were deeply moved.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ\n\n15. If you say that someone moves in a particular society, circle, or world, you mean that they know people in a particular social class or group and spend most of their time with them.\n(next)


Words: move .1
Meaning:
She moves in high-society circles in London...\n  VERB: V in n\n\n16. At a meeting, if you move a motion, you formally suggest it so that everyone present can vote on it.\nLabour quickly moved a closure motion to end the debate...\nI move that the case be dismissed.\n  VERB: V n, V that\n  = put forward, propose\n17. A move is an act of putting a chess piece or other counter in a different position on a board when it is your turn to do so in a game.\nWith no idea of what to do for my next move, my hand hovered over the board.\n  N-COUNT\n\n18. If you say that one false move will cause a disaster, you mean that you or someone else must not make any mistakes because the situation is so difficult or dangerous.\nHe knew one false move would end in death.\n  PHRASE\n\n19. If you tell someone to get a move on, you are telling them to hurry. (INFORMAL)\n  PHRASE\n  = hurry up\n20. If you make a move, you prepare or begin to leave one place and go somewhere else.\nHe glanced at his wristwatch. `I suppose we’d better make a move.’\n  PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR to-inf\n\n21. If you make a move, you take a course of action.\nThe week before the deal was supposed to close, fifteen Japanese banks made a move to pull out...\n  PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR to-inf\n\n22. If you are on the move, you are going from one place to another.\nJack never wanted to stay in one place for very long, so they were always on the move.\n  PHRASE: usu PHR after v, v-link PHR\n\n23.\nto move the goalposts: see goalpost\nto move a muscle: see muscle


Words: move along
Meaning:
move along\n1. If someone, especially a police officer, tells you to move along, or if they move you along, they tell you to stop standing in a particular place and to go somewhere else.\nCurious pedestrians were ordered to move along...\nOur officers are moving them along and not allowing them to gather in large groups.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V n P, also V P n (not pron)\n\n2. If a process moves along or if something moves it along, it progresses.\nResearch tends to move along at a slow but orderly pace...\nDelay is part of the normal process, but I hope we can move things along.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V n P


Words: move around
Meaning:
move around\n  If you move around or move about, you keep changing your job or keep changing the place where you live. (in BRIT, also use move about)\nI was born in Fort Worth but we moved around a lot and I was reared in east Texas...\nHe moved around the country working in orange groves.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P n


Words: move away
Meaning:
move away\n  If you move away, you go and live in a different town or area of a country.\nHe moved away and broke off relations with the family.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: move down
Meaning:
move down\n  If someone or something moves down, they go to a lower level, grade, or class.\nGold prices moved down.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, also V P n


Words: move in
Meaning:
move in\n1. When you move in somewhere, you begin to live there as your home.\nHer house was in perfect order when she moved in...\nHer husband had moved in with a younger woman...\nWe’d been seeing each other for a year when he suggested we should move in together.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P with n, V P together\n  !=move out\n2. If police, soldiers, or attackers move in, they go towards a place or person in order to deal with or attack them.\nPolice moved in to disperse the crowd...\nForces were moving in on the town of Knin.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P on n\n\n3. If someone moves in on an area of activity which was previously only done by a particular group of people, they start becoming involved with it for the first time.\nThese black models are moving in on what was previously white territory: the lucrative cosmetic contracts.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P on n, also V P


Words: move into
Meaning:
move into\n  If you move into a new house, you start living there.\nI want you to move into my apartment. We’ve a spare room.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n


Words: move off
Meaning:
move off\n  When you move off, you start moving away from a place.\nGil waved his hand and the car moved off.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n  = set off


Words: move on
Meaning:
move on\n1. When you move on somewhere, you leave the place where you have been staying or waiting and go there.\nMr Brooke moved on from Paris to Belgrade...\nWhat’s wrong with his wanting to sell his land and move on?\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P prep/adv, V P\n\n2. If someone such as a policeman moves you on, they order you to stop standing in a particular place and to go somewhere else.\nEventually the police were called to move them on.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P, also V P n (not pron)\n\n3. If you move on, you finish or stop one activity and start doing something different.\nShe ran this shop for ten years before deciding to move on to fresh challenges...\nNow, can we move on and discuss the vital business of the day.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P to n, V P


Words: move out
Meaning:
move out\n  If you move out, you stop living in a particular house or place and go to live somewhere else.\nThe harassment had become too much to tolerate and he decided to move out...\nThey had a huge row and Sally moved out of the house.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P of n\n  !=move in


Words: move over
Meaning:
move over\n1. If you move over to a new system or way of doing something, you change to it.\nThe government is having to introduce some difficult changes, particularly in moving over to a market economy.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P to n, also V P\n  = change\n2. If someone moves over, they leave their job or position in order to let someone else have it.\nThey said Mr Jenkins should make balanced programmes about the Black community or move over and let someone else who can.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n3. If you move over, you change your position in order to make room for someone else.\nMove over and let me drive.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P


Words: move up
Meaning:
move up\n1. If you move up, you change your position, especially in order to be nearer someone or to make room for someone else.\nMove up, John, and let the lady sit down.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P\n\n2. If someone or something moves up, they go to a higher level, grade, or class.\nShare prices moved up...\nChildren learn in mixed ability classes and move up a class each year.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P n\n  = go up


Words: movement
Meaning:
move.ment\n   movement  movements\n1. A movement is a group of people who share the same beliefs, ideas, or aims.\nIt’s part of a broader Hindu nationalist movement that’s gaining strength throughout the country.\n  N-COUNT: usu supp N\n\n2. Movement involves changing position or going from one place to another.\nThere was movement behind the window in the back door...\nA tall, thin man was waving his arms in an effort to direct the movements of a large removal van...\n  N-VAR\n\n3. A movement is a planned change in position that an army makes during a battle or military exercise.\nThere are reports of fresh troop movements across the border.\n  N-VAR\n\n4. Movement is a gradual development or change of an attitude, opinion, or policy.\n...the movement towards democracy in Latin America...\n  N-VAR: with supp, usu N towards/away from n\n\n5. Your movements are everything which you do or plan to do during a period of time.\nI want a full account of your movements the night Mr Gower was killed.\n  N-PLURAL: poss N\n\n6. A movement of a piece of classical music is one of its main sections.\n...the first movement of Beethoven’s 7th symphony.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp


Words: mover
Meaning:
mov.er\n   mover  movers\n1. If you describe a person or animal as a particular kind of mover, you mean that they move at that speed or in that way.\nWe found him a nice horse.a good mover who could gallop.\n  N-COUNT: adj N\n\n  see also prime mover\n2. Movers are people whose job is to move furniture or equipment from one building to another. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use removal men)\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n3. The movers and shakers in a place or area of activity are the people who have most power or influence.\nIt is the movers and shakers of the record industry who will decide which bands make it.\n  PHRASE: usu with supp


Words: movie
Meaning:
movie  movies\n1. A movie is a film. (AM; also BRIT INFORMAL)\nIn the first movie Tony Curtis ever made he played a grocery clerk.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. You can talk about the movies when you are talking about seeing a movie in a movie theater. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use the cinema)\nHe took her to the movies.\n  N-PLURAL: the N


Words: movie star
Meaning:
movie star  movie stars\n  A movie star is a famous actor or actress who appears in films. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use film star)\n  N-COUNT


Words: movie theater
Meaning:
movie thea.ter\n   movie theater  movie theaters\n  A movie theater is a place where people go to watch films for entertainment. (AM; in BRIT, use cinema)\n  N-COUNT


Words: moviegoer
Meaning:
movie.goer\n   moviegoer  moviegoers   also movie-goer\n  A moviegoer is a person who often goes to the cinema. (AM; in BRIT, usually use cinema-goer, film-goer)\n  N-COUNT


Words: moving
Meaning:
mov.ing\n   moving\n1. If something is moving, it makes you feel strongly an emotion such as sadness, pity, or sympathy.\nIt is very moving to see how much strangers can care for each other...\n  ADJ\n  = touching\n=>  mov.ing.ly\nYou write very movingly of your sister Amy’s suicide.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. A moving model or part of a machine moves or is able to move.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. The moving spirit or moving force behind something is the person or thing that caused it to start and to keep going, or that influenced people to take part in it.\nShe alone must have been the moving spirit behind the lawsuit that lost me my position...\n  PHRASE: oft PHR behind/in n


Words: moving picture
Meaning:
mov.ing pic.ture\n   moving picture  moving pictures\n  A moving picture is a film. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT


Words: mow
Meaning:
mow  mows  mowing  mowed  mowed  or mown\n  If you mow an area of grass, you cut it using a machine called a lawn mower.\nHe continued to mow the lawn and do other routine chores.\n  VERB: V n, also V


Words: mow down
Meaning:
mow down\n  If someone is mown down, they are killed violently by a vehicle or gunfire.\nShe was mown down on a pedestrian crossing...\nGunmen mowed down 10 people in one attack.\n  PHRASAL VERB: be V-ed P, V P n (not pron), also V n P


Words: mower
Meaning:
mow.er\n   mower  mowers\n1. A mower is the same as a lawnmower.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A mower is a machine that has sharp blades for cutting something such as corn or wheat.\n  N-COUNT


Words: MP
Meaning:
MP  MPs\n  In Britain, an MP is a person who has been elected to represent the people from a particular area in the House of Commons. MP is an abbreviation for `Member of Parliament’.\nSeveral Conservative MPs have voted against the government.\n  N-COUNT


Words: MP3
Meaning:
MP3\n  MP3 is a kind of technology which enables you to record and play music from the Internet.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: MPEG
Meaning:
MPEG is a standard file format for compressing video images so that they can be stored or sent by e-mail more easily. MPEG is an abbreviation for `Motion Picture Experts Group’. (COMPUTING)\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n


Words: mpg
Meaning:
mpg\n  mpg is written after a number to indicate how many miles a vehicle can travel using one gallon of fuel. mpg is an abbreviation for `miles per gallon’.\nFuel consumption is 38 mpg around town, 55 mpg on the open road.


Words: mph
Meaning:
mph is written after a number to indicate the speed of something such as a vehicle. mph is an abbreviation for `miles per hour’.\nInside these zones, traffic speeds are restricted to 20 mph.


Words: MPV
Meaning:
MPV  MPVs\n  An MPV is a large, tall car whose seats can be moved or removed, for example so that it can carry large loads. MPV is an abbreviation for `multi-purpose vehicle’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Mr
Meaning:
Mr\nin AM, use Mr.\n1. Mr is used before a man’s name when you are speaking or referring to him.\n...Mr Grant.\n...Mr Bob Price.\n...Mr and Mrs Daniels.\n  N-TITLE\n\n2. Mr is sometimes used in front of words such as `President’ and `Chairman’ to address the man who holds the position mentioned.\nMr. President, you’re aware of the system.\n  N-VOC: N n\n\n3.\n  see also Messrs


Words: MRI
Meaning:
MRI\n  MRI is a method by which medical staff can get a picture of soft parts inside a patient’s body, using a powerful magnetic field. MRI is an abbreviation for `magnetic resonance imaging’.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Mrs
Meaning:
Mrs\nin AM, use Mrs.\n  Mrs is used before the name of a married woman when you are speaking or referring to her.\nHello, Mrs Miles.\n...Mrs Anne Pritchard.\n...Mr and Mrs D H Alderson.\n  N-TITLE


Words: MS
Meaning:
MS\n1. MS is a serious disease of the nervous system, which gradually makes a person weaker, and sometimes affects their sight or speech. MS is an abbreviation for `multiple sclerosis’.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. An MS or M.S. is the same as an MSc. (AM)


Words: Ms
Meaning:
Ms\nin AM, use Ms.\n  Ms is used, especially in written English, before a woman’s name when you are speaking to her or referring to her. If you use Ms, you are not specifying if the woman is married or not.\n...Ms Brown.\n...Ms Elizabeth Harman.\n  N-TITLE


Words: MSc
Meaning:
MSc  MScs   also M.Sc.\n  An MSc is a master’s degree in a science subject. MSc is an abbreviation for `Master of Science’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: MSP
Meaning:
MSP  MSPs\n  An MSP is someone who has been elected as a member of the Scottish Parliament. MSP is an abbreviation for `Member of the Scottish Parliament’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Mt
Meaning:
Mt Mts  also Mt.\n  Mt is a written abbreviation for Mount or Mountain.\n...Mt Everest.\n...the Rocky Mts.


Words: much
Meaning:
much\n1. You use much to indicate the great intensity, extent, or degree of something such as an action, feeling, or change. Much is usually used with `so’, `too’, and `very’, and in negative clauses with this meaning.\nShe laughs too much...\nThank you very much...\nMy hairstyle hasn’t changed much since I was five.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n2. If something does not happen much, it does not happen very often.\nHe said that his father never talked much about the war...\nGwen had not seen her Daddy all that much, because mostly he worked on the ships...\nDo you get back East much?\n  ADV: oft with brd-neg, ADV after v\n  = often\n3. You use much in front of `too’ or comparative adjectives and adverbs in order to emphasize that there is a large amount of a particular quality.\nThe skin is much too delicate...\nYou’d be so much happier if you could see yourself the way I see you...\n  ADV: ADV compar, ADV too  emphasis\n  = far\n4. If one thing is much the same as another thing, it is very similar to it.\nThe day ended much as it began...\nSheep’s milk is produced in much the same way as goat’s milk.\n  ADV: ADV as/like cl, ADV like n, ADV n as n, ADV n\n\n5. You use much to indicate that you are referring to a large amount of a substance or thing.\nThey are grown on the hillsides in full sun, without much water...\nThe Home Office acknowledges that much crime goes unreported...\n  DET: DET n-uncount, oft with brd-neg\n\n  Much is also a pronoun.\n...eating too much and drinking too much...\nThere was so much to talk about.\n  PRON\n  !=little\n  Much is also a quantifier.\nMuch of the time we do not notice that we are solving problems...\nShe does much of her work abroad...\n  QUANT: QUANT of def-n-uncount/def-sing-n\n\n6. You use much in expressions such as not much, not very much, and too much when replying to questions about amounts.\n`Can you hear it where you live?’ He shook his head. `Not much.’...\n`Do you care very much about what other people think?’.`Too much.’\n  ADV: ADV as reply\n\n7. If you do not see much of someone, you do not see them very often.\nI don’t see much of Tony nowadays...\n  QUANT: with brd-neg, QUANT of n-proper/pron\n\n8. You use much in the expression how much to ask questions about amounts or degrees, and also in reported clauses and statements to give information about the amount or degree of something.\nHow much money can I afford?...\nSee just how much fat and cholesterol you’re eating...\n  DET: how DET\n\n  Much is also an adverb.\nShe knows how much this upsets me but she persists in doing it...\n  ADV: how ADV, ADV with cl, ADV compar\n\n  Much is also a pronoun.\nHow much do you earn?...\n  PRON: how PRON\n\n9. You use much in the expression as much when you are comparing amounts.\nTheir aim will be to produce as much milk as possible...\n  DET: as DET n, usu as DET n as cl/group\n\n10. You use much as to introduce a fact which makes something else you have just said or will say rather surprising.\nMuch as they hope to go home tomorrow, they’re resigned to staying on until the end of the year.\n  PHRASE\n\n11. You use as much in expressions such as `I thought as much’ and `I guessed as much’ after you have just been told something and you want to say that you already believed or expected it to be true.\nYou’re waiting for a woman.I thought as much.\n  PHRASE: v PHR\n\n12. You use as much as before an amount to suggest that it is surprisingly large.\nThe organisers hope to raise as much as .6m for charity.\n  PHRASE: PHR amount  emphasis\n\n13. You use much less after a statement, often a negative one, to indicate that the statement is more true of the person, thing, or situation that you are going to mention next.\nThey are always short of water to drink, much less to bathe in...\n  PHRASE: PHR cl/group, PHR before v\n\n14. You say nothing much to refer to something that is not very interesting or important.\n`What was stolen?’.`Oh, nothing much.’...\n  PHRASE\n\n(next)


Words: much .1
Meaning:
15. If you describe something as not much of a particular type of thing, you mean that it is small or of poor quality.\nIt hasn’t been much of a holiday...\n  PHRASE: PHR n\n\n16. So much for is used to indicate that you have finished talking about a subject. (SPOKEN)\nWell, so much for the producers. But what of the consumers?\n  PHRASE: PHR n\n\n17. If you say so much for a particular thing, you mean that it has not been successful or helpful. (INFORMAL)\nHe has spent 19 million pounds, lost three cup finals and been relegated. So much for money.\n  PHRASE: PHR n\n\n18. If you say that something is not so much one thing as another, you mean that it is more like the second thing than the first.\nI don’t really think of her as a daughter so much as a very good friend...\n  PHRASE: with brd-neg, PHR group, PHR before v\n\n19. If you say that someone did not do so much as perform a particular action, you are emphasizing that they did not even do that, when you were expecting them to do more.\nI didn’t so much as catch sight of him all day long...\n  PHRASE: with brd-neg, PHR before v  emphasis\n\n20. You use so much so to indicate that your previous statement is true to a very great extent, and therefore it has the result mentioned.\nHe himself believed in freedom, so much so that he would rather die than live without it.\n  PHRASE: PHR that\n\n21. If a situation or action is too much for you, it is so difficult, tiring, or upsetting that you cannot cope with it.\nHis inability to stay at one job for long had finally proved too much for her.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR for n\n\n22. You use very much to emphasize that someone or something has a lot of a particular quality, or that the description you are about to give is particularly accurate.\n...a man very much in charge of himself...\n  PHRASE: oft PHR n  emphasis\n\n23.\na bit much: see bit\nnot up to much: see up


Words: much-
Meaning:
much-\n  Much- combines with past participles to form adjectives which emphasize the intensity of the specified state or action.\nI’m having a much-needed rest.\n...a much-improved version of last season’s model.\n  COMB in ADJ  emphasis


Words: much-maligned
Meaning:
much-maligned\n  If you describe someone or something as much-maligned, you mean that they are often criticized by people, but you think the criticism is unfair or exaggerated because they have good qualities too.\nI’m happy for James. He’s a much-maligned player but has tremendous spirit.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: much-travelled
Meaning:
much-travelled\nin AM, use much-traveled\n  A much-travelled person has travelled a lot in foreign countries.\n  ADJ\n  = well-travelled


Words: muck
Meaning:
muck  mucks  mucking  mucked\n  Muck is dirt or some other unpleasant substance. (INFORMAL)\nThis congealed muck was interfering with the filter.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: muck around
Meaning:
muck around\n1. If you muck around or muck about, you behave in a childish or silly way, often so that you waste your time and fail to achieve anything. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL)\nWe do not want people of his age mucking around risking people’s lives...\nHe’d spent his boyhood summers mucking about in boats...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P prep/adv\n  = mess about\n2. If you muck around with or muck about with something, you alter it, often making it worse than it was. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL)\nThe president’s wife doesn’t muck around with policy or sit in on Cabinet meetings.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P with n\n  = mess around\n3. If you muck someone around or muck them about, you treat them badly, for example by not being honest with them or by continually changing plans which affect them. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL)\nHe does not tolerate anyone who mucks him about.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V n P\n  = mess about


Words: muck in
Meaning:
muck in\n  If someone mucks in, they join in with an activity or help other people with a job and do not consider themselves to be too important to do it. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL)\nCourse residents are expected to muck in and be prepared to share rooms...\nShe mucked in with the chores and did her own washing and ironing...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P with n


Words: muck up
Meaning:
muck up\n  If you muck up or muck something up, you do something very badly so that you fail to achieve what you wanted to. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL)\nI mucked up at the 13th hole and told myself that this was getting stupid...\nScientists should figure out how to keep the natural world from mucking up the affairs of people.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P n (not pron), also V n P\n  = mess up


Words: muck-raking
Meaning:
muck-raking   also muckraking\n  If you accuse someone of muck-raking, you are criticizing them for finding and spreading unpleasant or embarrassing information about someone, especially a public figure.\nThe Prime Minister accused opposition leaders of muck-raking.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: mucous membrane
Meaning:
mu.cous mem.brane\n   mucous membrane  mucous membranes\n  A mucous membrane is skin that produces mucus to prevent itself from becoming dry. It covers delicate parts of the body such as the inside of your nose. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: mucus
Meaning:
mu.cus\n   mucus\n  Mucus is a thick liquid that is produced in some parts of your body, for example the inside of your nose.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: mud
Meaning:
mud\n  Mud is a sticky mixture of earth and water.\nHis uniform was crumpled, untidy, splashed with mud...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: mud-slinging
Meaning:
mud-slinging\n  If you accuse someone of mud-slinging, you are accusing them of making insulting, unfair, and damaging remarks about their opponents.\nVoters are disillusioned with the mud-slinging campaigns run by many candidates in recent years.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: muddle
Meaning:
mud.dle\n   muddle  muddles  muddling  muddled\n1. If people or things are in a muddle, they are in a state of confusion or disorder.\nMy thoughts are all in a muddle...\n...a general muddle of pencils and boxes...\n  N-VAR: oft in/into a N\n  = mess\n2. If you muddle things or people, you get them mixed up, so that you do not know which is which.\nAlready, one or two critics have begun to muddle the two names...\n  VERB: V n\n  = mix up, confuse\n  Muddle up means the same as muddle.\nThe question muddles up three separate issues...\nHe sometimes muddles me up with other patients.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P pl-n (not pron), V n P with n, also V pl-n P\n\n=>  mud.dled up\nI know that I am getting my words muddled up.\n  ADJ


Words: muddle through
Meaning:
muddle through\n  If you muddle through, you manage to do something even though you do not have the proper equipment or do not really know how to do it.\nWe will muddle through and just play it day by day...\nThe BBC may be able to muddle through the next five years like this...\nSomehow or other, we muddled our way through.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P n, V way P


Words: muddled
Meaning:
mud.dled\n   muddled\n  If someone is muddled, they are confused about something.\nI’m afraid I’m a little muddled. I’m not exactly sure where to begin.\n  ADJ


Words: muddy
Meaning:
mud.dy\n   muddy  muddier  muddiest  muddies  muddying  muddied\n1. Something that is muddy contains mud or is covered in mud.\n...a muddy track...\nThe ground was still very muddy.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you muddy something, you cause it to be muddy.\nThe ground still smelled of rain and they muddied their shoes...\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. If someone or something muddies a situation or issue, they cause it to seem less clear and less easy to understand.\nIt’s difficult enough without muddying the issue with religion.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  mud.died\nOverseas the legal issues are more muddied.\n  ADJ\n\n  If someone or something muddies the waters, they cause a situation or issue to seem less clear and less easy to understand.\nThey keep on muddying the waters by raising other political issues.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: mudflats
Meaning:
mud.flats\n   mudflats\n  Mudflats are areas of flat empty land at the coast which are covered by the sea only when the tide is in.\n  N-PLURAL


Words: mudguard
Meaning:
mud.guard\n   mudguard  mudguards\n  The mudguards of a bicycle or other vehicle are curved pieces of metal or plastic above the tyres, which stop mud getting on the rider or vehicle. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use fender, splashguard)\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: mudslide
Meaning:
mud.slide\n   mudslide  mudslides\n  A mudslide is a large amount of mud sliding down a mountain, usually causing damage or destruction.\n  N-COUNT


Words: muesli
Meaning:
mues.li\n   muesli  mueslis\n  Muesli is a breakfast cereal made from chopped nuts, dried fruit, and grains.\n  N-MASS


Words: muezzin
Meaning:
mu.ez.zin\n   muezzin  muezzins\n  A muezzin is an official who calls from the tower of a mosque when it is time for Muslims to pray.\n  N-COUNT


Words: muff
Meaning:
muff  muffs  muffing  muffed\n1. If you muff something, you do it badly or you make a mistake while you are doing it, so that it is not successful. (INFORMAL)\nHe muffed his opening speech.\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. A muff is a piece of fur or thick cloth shaped like a short hollow cylinder. You wear a muff on your hands to keep them warm in cold weather.\n  N-COUNT


Words: muffin
Meaning:
muf.fin\n   muffin  muffins\n1. Muffins are small, round, sweet cakes, usually with fruit or bran inside. They are often eaten with butter for breakfast. (AM)\n...breakfasts of pancakes, blueberry muffins, eggs, and bacon.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Muffins are small, flat, sweet bread rolls that you eat hot with butter. (BRIT; in AM, use English muffins)\n  N-COUNT


Words: muffle
Meaning:
muf.fle\n   muffle  muffles  muffling  muffled\n  If something muffles a sound, it makes it quieter and more difficult to hear.\nBlake held his handkerchief over the mouthpiece to muffle his voice...\nShe heard a muffled cough behind her.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed


Words: muffled
Meaning:
muf.fled\n   muffled\n  If you are muffled, you are wearing a lot of heavy clothes so that very little of your body or face is visible.\n...children muffled in scarves and woolly hats.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ


Words: muffler
Meaning:
muf.fler\n   muffler  mufflers\n1. A muffler is the same as a scarf. (OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A muffler is a device on a car exhaust that makes it quieter. (AM; in BRIT, use silencer)\n  N-COUNT


Words: mug
Meaning:
mug  mugs  mugging  mugged\n1. A mug is a large deep cup with straight sides and a handle, used for hot drinks.\nHe spooned instant coffee into two of the mugs.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  A mug of something is the amount of it contained in a mug.\nHe had been drinking mugs of coffee to keep himself awake.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n2. If someone mugs you, they attack you in order to steal your money.\nI was walking out to my car when this guy tried to mug me...\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  mug.ging      muggings\nBank robberies, burglaries and muggings are reported almost daily in the press...\n  N-VAR\n\n3. If you say that someone is a mug, you mean that they are stupid and easily deceived by other people. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nHe’s a mug as far as women are concerned...\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n\n4. If you say that an activity is a mug’s game, you mean that it is not worth doing because it does not give the person who is doing it any benefit or satisfaction. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nI used to be a very heavy gambler, but not any more. It’s a mug’s game...\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR  disapproval\n\n5. Someone’s mug is their face. (INFORMAL)\nHe managed to get his ugly mug on the telly.\n  N-COUNT: usu poss N


Words: mug shot
Meaning:
mug shot  mug shots\n  A mug shot is a photograph of someone, especially a photograph of a criminal which has been taken by the police. (INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: mugger
Meaning:
mug.ger\n   mugger  muggers\n  A mugger is a person who attacks someone violently in a street in order to steal money from them.\n  N-COUNT


Words: muggy
Meaning:
mug.gy\n   muggy\n  Muggy weather is unpleasantly warm and damp.\nIt was muggy and overcast.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ\n  = humid


Words: mulberry
Meaning:
mul.berry\n   mulberry  mulberries\n  A mulberry or a mulberry tree is a tree which has small purple berries which you can eat.\n  N-VAR\n\n  Mulberries are the fruit of a mulberry tree.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mulch
Meaning:
mulch  mulches  mulching  mulched\n1. A mulch is a layer of something such as old leaves, small pieces of wood or manure which you put on the soil round plants in order to protect them and help them to grow.\n  N-MASS\n\n2. To mulch plants means to put a mulch round them to protect them and help them to grow.\nIn May, mulch the bed with garden compost.\n  VERB: V n with n, also V n


Words: mule
Meaning:
mule  mules\n1. A mule is an animal whose parents are a horse and a donkey.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A mule is a shoe or slipper which is open around the heel.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: mull
Meaning:
mull  mulls  mulling  mulled\n  If you mull something, you think about it for a long time before deciding what to do. (AM)\nLast month, a federal grand jury began mulling evidence in the case...\nDo you know why he was mulling and hesitating?\n  VERB: V n, V


Words: mull over
Meaning:
mull over\n  If you mull something over, you think about it for a long time before deciding what to do.\nMcLaren had been mulling over an idea to make a movie...\nI’ll leave you alone here so you can mull it over.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P\n  = consider


Words: mullah
Meaning:
mul.lah\n   mullah   mullahs\n  A mullah is a Muslim who is a religious teacher or leader.\n  N-COUNT; N-TITLE


Words: mullet
Meaning:
mul.let\n   mullet  mullets  or mullet\n  A mullet is a small sea fish that people cook and eat.\n  N-VAR\n\n  Mullet is this fish eaten as food.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: multi-
Meaning:
multi-\n  Multi- is used to form adjectives indicating that something consists of many things of a particular kind.\n...the introduction of multi-party democracy.\n...a multi-million-dollar outfit.\n  PREFIX


Words: multi-faceted
Meaning:
multi-faceted\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use multifaceted\n  Multi-faceted means having a variety of different and important features or elements.\nWebb is a multi-faceted performer...\nHer job is multi-faceted.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: multi-level marketing
Meaning:
multi-level mar.ket.ing\n\n  Multi-level marketing is a marketing technique which involves people buying a product, then earning a commission by selling it to their friends. The abbreviation MLM is also used.\n...multi-level marketing schemes.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: multi-millionaire
Meaning:
multi-millionaire  multi-millionaires   also multimillionaire\n  A multi-millionaire is a very rich person who has money or property worth several million pounds or dollars.\n  N-COUNT


Words: multi-skilled
Meaning:
Multi-skilled employees have a number of different skills, enabling them to do more than one kind of work.\n...the development of a more adaptable, multi-skilled workforce, capable of moving with the times...\n  ADJ


Words: multi-skilling
Meaning:
Multi-skilling is the practice of training employees to do a number of different tasks.\nHe said restructuring at the station would lead to increased multi-skilling among staff...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: multi-storey
Meaning:
multi-storey   also multistorey; multi-storeyed\nin AM, use multi-story, multistory or multi-storied are also used.\n  A multi-storey building has several floors at different levels above the ground.\n...the Moskovski Department Store, a vast multi-story complex near the city’s center.\n...a multi-storey car park.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: multi-tasking
Meaning:
multi-tasking\n  Multi-tasking is a situation in which a computer or person does more than one thing at the same time.\nThe big advantage of multi-tasking is that all equipment is used most of the time...\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: multicoloured
Meaning:
multi.col.oured\n   multicoloured   also multi-coloured\nin AM, use multicolored or multi-colored\n  A multicoloured object has many different colours.\n...a sea of multicoloured umbrellas.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: multicultural
Meaning:
multi.cul.tur.al\n   multicultural   also multi-cultural\n  Multicultural means consisting of or relating to people of many different nationalities and cultures.\n...children growing up in a multicultural society...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: multiculturalism
Meaning:
multi.cul.tur.al.ism\n   multiculturalism\n  Multiculturalism is a situation in which all the different cultural or racial groups in a society have equal rights and opportunities, and none is ignored or regarded as unimportant.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: multifarious
Meaning:
multi.fari.ous\n   multifarious\n  If you describe things as multifarious, you mean that they are many in number and of many different kinds. (LITERARY)\nSpain is a composite of multifarious traditions and people...\nThe reasons for closure are multifarious.\n  ADJ


Words: multilateral
Meaning:
multi.lat.er.al\n   multilateral\n  Multilateral means involving at least three different groups of people or nations.\nMany want to abandon the multilateral trade talks in Geneva.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: multilingual
Meaning:
multi.lin.gual\n   multilingual   also multi-lingual\n1. Multilingual means involving several different languages.\n...a multilingual country.\n...multilingual dictionaries.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. A multilingual person is able to speak more than two languages very well.\nHe recruited two multilingual engineers.\n  ADJ


Words: multimedia
Meaning:
multi.media\n   multimedia\n1. You use multimedia to refer to computer programs and products which involve sound, pictures, and film, as well as text.\n...the next generation of computers, which will be `multimedia machines’ that allow users to control and manipulate sound, video, text and graphics.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N n\n\n2. In education, multimedia is the use of television and other different media in a lesson, as well as books.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: multinational
Meaning:
multi.na.tion.al\n   multinational  multinationals   also multi-national\n1. A multinational company has branches or owns companies in many different countries.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n  Multinational is also a noun.\n...multinationals such as Ford and IBM.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Multinational armies, organizations, or other groups involve people from several different countries.\nThe US troops would be part of a multinational force.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n3. Multinational countries or regions have a population that is made up of people of several different nationalities.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: multiple
Meaning:
multi.ple\n   multiple  multiples\n1. You use multiple to describe things that consist of many parts, involve many people, or have many uses.\nHe died of multiple injuries...\nThe most common multiple births are twins, two babies born at the same time.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If one number is a multiple of a smaller number, it can be exactly divided by that smaller number.\nTheir numerical system, derived from the Babylonians, was based on multiples of the number six.\n  N-COUNT: N of n\n\n3. A multiple or a multiple store is a shop with a lot of branches in different towns. (BRIT)\nIt made it almost impossible for the smaller retailer to compete against the multiples.\n  N-COUNT


Words: multiple choice
Meaning:
multi.ple choice\n   multiple choice   also multiple-choice\n  In a multiple choice test or question, you have to choose the answer that you think is right from several possible answers that are listed on the question paper.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: multiple sclerosis
Meaning:
multi.ple scle.ro.sis\n   multiple sclerosis\n  Multiple sclerosis is a serious disease of the nervous system, which gradually makes a person weaker, and sometimes affects their sight or speech. The abbreviation MS is also used.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: multiplex
Meaning:
multi.plex\n   multiplex  multiplexes\n  A multiplex is a cinema complex with six or more screens.\n  N-COUNT


Words: multiplication
Meaning:
multi.pli.ca.tion\n   multiplication\n1. Multiplication is the process of calculating the total of one number multiplied by another.\nThere will be simple tests in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. The multiplication of things of a particular kind is the process or fact of them increasing in number or amount.\nIncreasing gravity is known to speed up the multiplication of cells.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n


Words: multiplication sign
Meaning:
multi.pli.ca.tion sign\n   multiplication sign  multiplication signs\n  A multiplication sign is the sign x which is put between two numbers to show that they are being multiplied.\n  N-COUNT


Words: multiplication table
Meaning:
multi.pli.ca.tion ta.ble\n   multiplication table  multiplication tables\n  A multiplication table is a list of the multiplications of numbers between one and twelve. Children often have to learn multiplication tables at school.\n  N-COUNT\n  = table


Words: multiplicity
Meaning:
multi.plic.ity\n   multiplicity\n  A multiplicity of things is a large number or a large variety of them. (FORMAL)\n...a writer who uses a multiplicity of styles.\n  QUANT: QUANT of pl-n\n  = many


Words: multiply
Meaning:
multi.ply\n   multiply  multiplies  multiplying  multiplied\n1. When something multiplies or when you multiply it, it increases greatly in number or amount.\nSuch disputes multiplied in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries...\nHer husband multiplied his demands on her time.\n  VERB: V, V n\n\n2. When animals and insects multiply, they increase in number by giving birth to large numbers of young.\nThese creatures can multiply quickly.\n  VERB: V\n\n3. If you multiply one number by another, you add the first number to itself as many times as is indicated by the second number. For example 2 multiplied by 3 is equal to 6.\nWhat do you get if you multiply six by nine?\n...the remarkable ability to multiply huge numbers correctly without pen or paper.\n  VERB: V n by n, V pl-n


Words: multiracial
Meaning:
multi.ra.cial\n   multiracial   also multi-racial\n  Multiracial means consisting of or involving people of many different nationalities and cultures.\nWe live in a multiracial society.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = multicultural


Words: multitude
Meaning:
multi.tude\n   multitude  multitudes\n1. A multitude of things or people is a very large number of them.\nThere are a multitude of small quiet roads to cycle along...\nAddiction to drugs can bring a multitude of other problems.\n  QUANT: QUANT of pl-n\n\n  If you say that something covers or hides a multitude of sins, you mean that it hides something unattractive or does not reveal the true nature of something.\n`Strong, centralized government’ is a term that can cover a multitude of sins.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v\n\n2. You can refer to a very large number of people as a multitude. (WRITTEN)\n...surrounded by a noisy multitude.\n  N-COUNT\n  = crowd\n3. You can refer to the great majority of people in a particular country or situation as the multitude or the multitudes.\nThe hideous truth was hidden from the multitude...\n  N-COUNT-COLL: the N


Words: mum
Meaning:
mum  mums\n1. Your mum is your mother. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL; in AM, usually use mom)\nHe misses his mum...\nMum and Dad are coming for lunch...\nDon’t worry, Mum...\n  N-FAMILY\n\n2. If you keep mum or stay mum about something, you do not tell anyone about it. (INFORMAL)\nHe is keeping mum about his feelings on the matter.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n  = keep quiet


Words: mumble
Meaning:
mum.ble\n   mumble  mumbles  mumbling  mumbled\n  If you mumble, you speak very quietly and not at all clearly with the result that the words are difficult to understand.\nHer grandmother mumbled in her sleep...\nHe mumbled a few words...\n`Today of all days,’ she mumbled.\n  VERB: V, V n, V with quote\n\n  Mumble is also a noun.\nHe could hear the low mumble of Navarro’s voice.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mumbo jumbo
Meaning:
mum.bo jum.bo\n   mumbo jumbo   also mumbo-jumbo\n  If you describe ideas or words, especially religious or technical ones, as mumbo jumbo, you mean that they are nonsense. (INFORMAL)\nIt’s all full of psychoanalytic mumbo-jumbo.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: mummify
Meaning:
mum.mi.fy\n   mummify  mummifies  mummifying  mummified\n  If a dead body is mummified, it is preserved, for example by rubbing it with special oils and wrapping it in cloth.\nIn America, people are paying up to $150,000 to be mummified after death.\n...the mummified pharaoh.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed, V-ed\n  = embalm


Words: mummy
Meaning:
mum.my\n   mummy  mummies\n1. Some people, especially young children, call their mother mummy. (BRIT INFORMAL; in AM, use mommy)\nI want my mummy...\nMummy says I can play out in the garden.\n  N-FAMILY\n\n2. A mummy is a dead body which was preserved long ago by being rubbed with special oils and wrapped in cloth.\n...an Egyptian mummy.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mumps
Meaning:
mumps\n  Mumps is a disease usually caught by children. It causes a mild fever and painful swelling of the glands in the neck.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: munch
Meaning:
munch  munches  munching  munched\n  If you munch food, you eat it by chewing it slowly, thoroughly, and rather noisily.\nLuke munched the chicken sandwiches...\nAcross the table, his son Benjie munched appreciatively...\nSheep were munching their way through a yellow carpet of leaves.\n  VERB: V n, V, V way through n, also V away at/on n


Words: munchies
Meaning:
mun.chies\n   munchies\n  If someone gets the munchies, they suddenly feel a strong desire to eat a snack or something sweet, especially when they have been taking drugs. (INFORMAL)\n...an attack of the munchies.\n  N-PLURAL: the N


Words: mundane
Meaning:
mun.dane\n   mundane\n  Something that is mundane is very ordinary and not at all interesting or unusual.\nBe willing to do even mundane tasks.\n...the mundane realities of life.\n  ADJ\n  = boring\n  You can refer to mundane things as the mundane.\nIt’s an attitude that turns the mundane into something rather more interesting and exciting.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: municipal
Meaning:
mu.nici.pal\n   municipal\n  Municipal means associated with or belonging to a city or town that has its own local government.\nThe municipal authorities gave the go-ahead for the march.\n...next month’s municipal elections.\n...the municipal library.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: municipality
Meaning:
mu.nici.pal.ity\n   municipality  municipalities\n1. In Britain, a municipality is a city or town which is governed by its own locally-appointed officials. You can also refer to a city’s or town’s local government as a municipality.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In the United States, a municipality is a city or town that is incorporated and can elect its own government, which is also called a municipality.\n  N-COUNT


Words: munificent
Meaning:
mu.nifi.cent\n   munificent\n  A munificent person is very generous. (FORMAL)\n...one of the country’s most munificent artistic benefactors.\n...a munificent donation.\n  ADJ


Words: munitions
Meaning:
mu.ni.tions\n   munitions\n  Munitions are military equipment and supplies, especially bombs, shells, and guns.\n...the shortage of men and munitions.\n...a munitions factory.\n  N-PLURAL


Words: mural
Meaning:
mu.ral\n   mural  murals\n  A mural is a picture painted on a wall.\n...a mural of Tangier bay.\n  N-COUNT


Words: murder
Meaning:
mur.der\n   murder  murders  murdering  murdered\n1. Murder is the deliberate and illegal killing of a person.\nThe three accused, aged between 19 and 20, are charged with attempted murder...\nShe refused to testify, unless the murder charge against her was dropped.\n...brutal murders.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. To murder someone means to commit the crime of killing them deliberately.\n...a thriller about two men who murder a third to see if they can get away with it.\n...the body of a murdered religious and political leader.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed, also V\n\n3. If you say that someone gets away with murder, you are complaining that they can do whatever they like without anyone trying to control them or punish them. (INFORMAL)\nHis charm and the fact that he is so likeable often allows him to get away with murder.\n  PHRASE: V inflects  disapproval


Words: murderer
Meaning:
mur.der.er\n   murderer  murderers\n  A murderer is a person who has murdered someone.\nOne of these men may have been the murderer.\n  N-COUNT


Words: murderess
Meaning:
mur.der.ess\n   murderess  murderesses\n  A murderess is a woman who has murdered someone.\n  N-COUNT\n  = murderer


Words: murderous
Meaning:
mur.der.ous\n   murderous\n1. Someone who is murderous is likely to murder someone and may already have murdered someone.\nThis murderous lunatic could kill them both without a second thought.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. A murderous attack or other action is very violent and intended to result in someone’s death.\nHe made a murderous attack on his wife that evening.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: murderously
Meaning:
mur.der.ous.ly\n   murderously\n  You use murderously to indicate that something is extremely unpleasant or threatening.\nBeauchamp glared at her murderously.\n  ADV: ADV adj, ADV with v


Words: murk
Meaning:
murk\n  The murk is darkness, dark water, or thick mist that is very difficult to see through.\nAll of a sudden a tall old man in a black cloak loomed out of the murk.\n  N-SING: usu the N


Words: murky
Meaning:
murky  murkier  murkiest\n1. A murky place or time of day is dark and rather unpleasant because there is not enough light.\nThe large lamplit room was murky with woodsmoke...\n  ADJ\n\n2. Murky water or fog is so dark and dirty that you cannot see through it.\n...the deep, murky waters of Loch Ness.\n  ADJ\n\n3. If you describe an activity or situation as murky, you suspect that it is dishonest or morally wrong. (BRIT)\nThere has been a murky conspiracy to keep them out of power.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = shady\n4. If you describe something as murky, you mean that the details of it are not clear or that it is difficult to understand.\nThe law here is a little bit murky...\n  ADJ\n  = obscure


Words: murmur
Meaning:
mur.mur\n   murmur  murmurs  murmuring  murmured\n1. If you murmur something, you say it very quietly, so that not many people can hear what you are saying.\nHe turned and murmured something to the professor...\nShe murmured a few words of support...\n`How lovely,’ she murmured...\nMurmuring softly that they must go somewhere to talk, he led her from the garden.\n  VERB: V n to n, V n, V with quote, V that\n\n2. A murmur is something that is said which can hardly be heard.\nThey spoke in low murmurs...\n  N-COUNT: usu adj N\n\n3. A murmur is a continuous low sound, like the noise of a river or of voices far away.\nThe piano music mixes with the murmur of conversation...\nThe clamor of traffic has receded to a distant murmur.\n  N-SING: with supp\n  = hum\n4. A murmur of a particular emotion is a quiet expression of it.\nThe promise of some basic working rights draws murmurs of approval...\n  N-COUNT: with supp\n\n5. A murmur is an abnormal sound which is made by the heart and which shows that there is probably something wrong with it.\nThe doctor said James had now developed a heart murmur.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n\n6. If someone does something without a murmur, they do it without complaining.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v


Words: murmurings
Meaning:
mur.mur.ings\n   murmurings\n  If there are murmurings of, for example, approval or disapproval, people are expressing their approval or disapproval of something in a quiet way.\nFor some time there have been murmurings of discontent over the government policy on inflation...\nAt this point there were murmurings of approval from the experts.\n  N-PLURAL: usu N of n


Words: Murphy’s Law
Meaning:
Murphy’s Law\n  Murphy’s Law is the idea that whatever can go wrong in a situation will go wrong.\n  N-PROPER\n  = Sod’s Law


Words: muscle
Meaning:
mus.cle\n   muscle  muscles  muscling  muscled\n1. A muscle is a piece of tissue inside your body which connects two bones and which you use when you make a movement.\nKeeping your muscles strong and in tone helps you to avoid back problems...\nHe is suffering from a strained thigh muscle...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If you say that someone has muscle, you mean that they have power and influence, which enables them to do difficult things.\nEisenhower used his muscle to persuade Congress to change the law...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = clout\n3. If a group, organization, or country flexes its muscles, it does something to impress or frighten people, in order to show them that it has power and is considering using it.\nThe Fair Trade Commission has of late been flexing its muscles, cracking down on cases of corruption.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n4. If you say that someone did not move a muscle, you mean that they stayed absolutely still.\nHe stood without moving a muscle, unable to believe what his eyes saw so plainly.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, with brd-neg


Words: muscle in
Meaning:
muscle in\n  If someone muscles in on something, they force their way into a situation where they have no right to be and where they are not welcome, in order to gain some advantage for themselves.\nCohen complained that Kravis was muscling in on his deal...\nIt would be surprising were the Mafia not to have muscled in.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P on n, V P


Words: muscle-bound
Meaning:
muscle-bound\n  If you describe someone as muscle-bound, you mean that their muscles are well developed, usually in an unattractive way.\n...a cartoon of a muscle-bound woman standing victorious astride a prone male.\n  ADJ


Words: muscular
Meaning:
mus.cu.lar\n   muscular\n1. Muscular means involving or affecting your muscles.\nAs a general rule, all muscular effort is enhanced by breathing in as the effort is made...\nEarly symptoms include anorexia, muscular weakness and fatigue.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. If a person or their body is muscular, they are very fit and strong, and have firm muscles which are not covered with a lot of fat.\nLike most female athletes, she was lean and muscular.\n  ADJ


Words: muscular dystrophy
Meaning:
mus.cu.lar dys.tro.phy\n   muscular dystrophy\n  Muscular dystrophy is a serious disease in which your muscles gradually weaken.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: musculature
Meaning:
mus.cu.la.ture\n   musculature\n  Musculature is used to refer to all the muscles in your body, or to a system of muscles that you use to perform a particular type of action. (FORMAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft with poss


Words: muse
Meaning:
muse  muses  musing  mused\n1. If you muse on something, you think about it, usually saying or writing what you are thinking at the same time. (WRITTEN)\nMany of the papers muse on the fate of the President...\n`As a whole,’ she muses, `the `organized church’ turns me off’...\nHe once mused that he would have voted Labour in 1964 had he been old enough.\n  VERB: V on/about/over n, V with quote, V that\n\n=>  mus.ing      musings\nHis musings were interrupted by Montagu who came and sat down next to him.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A muse is a person, usually a woman, who gives someone, usually a man, a desire to create art, poetry, or music, and gives them ideas for it.\nOnce she was a nude model and muse to French artist Henri Matisse.\n  N-COUNT


Words: museum
Meaning:
mu.seum\n   museum  museums\n  A museum is a building where a large number of interesting and valuable objects, such as works of art or historical items, are kept, studied, and displayed to the public.\nFor months Malcolm had wanted to visit the Parisian art museums.\n...the American Museum of Natural History.\n  N-COUNT


Words: museum piece
Meaning:
mu.seum piece\n   museum piece  museum pieces\n  If you describe an object or building as a museum piece, you mean that it is old and unusual.\nOne day these are multi-million dollar war machines and the next they are museum pieces.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mush
Meaning:
mush  mushes mushing mushed\n1. Mush is a thick, soft paste.\nThe brown mush in the fridge is some veg soup left over.\n  N-VAR: also a N\n\n2. If you describe something such as a film or book as mush, you mean that it is very sentimental.\nWhenever famous actresses get together to make a `woman’s film’ you can bet on an overload of sentimental mush.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval\n\n3. If you mush something, you make it into a mush.\n...mushed-up potato and cauliflower.\n  VERB: V-ed up, also V n, V-ed\n  = mash


Words: mushroom
Meaning:
mush.room\n   mushroom  mushrooms  mushrooming  mushroomed\n1. Mushrooms are fungi that you can eat.\nThere are many types of wild mushrooms.\n...mushroom omelette.\n  N-VAR\n\n  see also button mushroom\n2. If something such as an industry or a place mushrooms, it grows or comes into existence very quickly.\nThe media training industry has mushroomed over the past decade...\nA sleepy capital of a few hundred thousand people has mushroomed to a crowded city of 2 million.\n  VERB: V, V to/into n


Words: mushroom cloud
Meaning:
mush.room cloud\n   mushroom cloud  mushroom clouds\n  A mushroom cloud is an extremely large cloud caused by a nuclear explosion.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mushy
Meaning:
mushy\n1. Vegetables and fruit that are mushy are soft and have lost most of their shape.\nWhen the fruit is mushy and cooked, remove from the heat.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you describe someone or something as mushy, you mean that they are very sentimental.\nDon’t go getting all mushy and sentimental.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: music
Meaning:
mu.sic\n   music\n1. Music is the pattern of sounds produced by people singing or playing instruments.\n...classical music.\n...the music of George Gershwin.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Music is the art of creating or performing music.\nHe went on to study music, specialising in the clarinet.\n...a music lesson.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. Music is the symbols written on paper which represent musical sounds.\nHe’s never been able to read music.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  see also sheet music\n4. If something that you hear is music to your ears, it makes you feel very happy.\nPopular support.it’s music to the ears of any politician.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR  feelings\n\n5. If you face the music, you put yourself in a position where you will be criticized or punished for something you have done.\nSooner or later, I’m going to have to face the music.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: music box
Meaning:
mu.sic box\n   music box  music boxes\n  A music box is a box that plays a tune when you open the lid.\n  N-COUNT\n  = musical box


Words: music director
Meaning:
mu.sic di.rec.tor\n   music director  music directors\n  The music director of an orchestra or other group of musicians is the person who decides what they will play and where, and usually conducts them as well.\n  N-COUNT\n  = musical director


Words: music hall
Meaning:
mu.sic hall\n   music hall  music halls   also music-hall\n1. Music hall was a popular form of entertainment in the theatre in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. It consisted of a series of performances by comedians, singers, and dancers. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use vaudeville)\n...an old music hall song.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n\n2. A music hall was a theatre that presented popular entertainment. (mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use vaudeville theater)\n  N-COUNT


Words: music stand
Meaning:
mu.sic stand\n   music stand  music stands\n  A music stand is a device that holds pages of music in position while you play a musical instrument.\n  N-COUNT


Words: musical
Meaning:
mu.si.cal\n   musical  musicals\n1. You use musical to indicate that something is connected with playing or studying music.\nWe have a wealth of musical talent in this region...\nStan Getz’s musical career spanned five decades...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  mu.si.cal.ly\nMusically there is a lot to enjoy.\n  ADV: ADV with cl/group, ADV after v\n\n2. A musical is a play or film that uses singing and dancing in the story.\n...London’s smash hit musical Miss Saigon.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. Someone who is musical has a natural ability and interest in music.\nI came from a musical family.\n  ADJ\n\n4. Sounds that are musical are light and pleasant to hear.\nHe had a soft, almost musical voice.\n  ADJ


Words: musical box
Meaning:
mu.si.cal box\n   musical box  musical boxes\n  A musical box is the same as a music box. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: musical chairs
Meaning:
mu.si.cal chairs\n   musical chairs\n1. Musical chairs is a game that children play at parties. They run round a row of chairs while music plays and try to sit down on one when the music stops.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you describe the situation within a particular organization or area of activity as musical chairs, you are critical of the fact that people in that organization or area exchange jobs or positions very often.\nIt was musical chairs. Creative people would switch jobs just to get more money.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: musical comedy
Meaning:
mu.si.cal com.edy\n   musical comedy  musical comedies\n  Musical comedy is a type of play or film that has singing and dancing as part of the story and that is humorous and entertaining, especially one written before the middle of the twentieth century.\n  N-VAR


Words: musical director
Meaning:
mu.si.cal di.rec.tor\n   musical director  musical directors\n  A musical director is the same as a music director.\n  N-COUNT


Words: musical instrument
Meaning:
mu.si.cal in.stru.ment\n   musical instrument  musical instruments\n  A musical instrument is an object such as a piano, guitar, or violin which you play in order to produce music.\nThe drum is one of the oldest musical instruments.\n  N-COUNT\n  = instrument


Words: musician
Meaning:
mu.si.cian\n   musician  musicians\n  A musician is a person who plays a musical instrument as their job or hobby.\n...one of Britain’s best known rock musicians.\n  N-COUNT


Words: musicianship
Meaning:
mu.si.cian.ship\n   musicianship\n  Musicianship is the skill involved in performing music.\nHer musicianship is excellent.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: musket
Meaning:
mus.ket\n   musket  muskets\n  A musket was an early type of gun with a long barrel, which was used before rifles were invented.\n  N-COUNT


Words: musky
Meaning:
musky\n  A musky smell is strong, warm, and sweet.\nShe dabbed a drop of the musky perfume behind each ear.\n  ADJ


Words: Muslim
Meaning:
Mus.lim\n   Muslim  Muslims\n1. A Muslim is someone who believes in Islam and lives according to its rules.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Muslim means relating to Islam or Muslims.\n...Iran and other Muslim countries.\n  ADJ


Words: muslin
Meaning:
mus.lin\n   muslin  muslins\n  Muslin is very thin cotton cloth.\n...white muslin curtains.\n  N-MASS


Words: muso
Meaning:
muso musos\n1. A muso is a musician. (INFORMAL)\n...country muso Shania Twain.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Muso means the same as musical. (INFORMAL)\nBruce Springsteen has re-hired his muso collective, the E Street Band.\n  ADJ


Words: muss
Meaning:
muss  musses  mussing  mussed\n  To muss something, especially someone’s hair, or to muss it up, means to make it untidy. (mainly AM)\nHe reached out and mussed my hair...\nHis clothes were all mussed up.\n  VERB: V n, be V-ed up


Words: mussel
Meaning:
mus.sel\n   mussel  mussels\n  Mussels are a kind of shellfish that you can eat from their shells.\n  N-COUNT


Words: must
Meaning:
must  WEAK   STRONG musts\nThe noun is pronounced   ; Must is a modal verb. It is followed by the base form of a verb.\n1. You use must to indicate that you think it is very important or necessary for something to happen. You use must not or mustn’t to indicate that you think it is very important or necessary for something not to happen.\nWhat you wear should be stylish and clean, and must definitely fit well...\nThe doctor must not allow the patient to be put at risk...\n  MODAL\n\n2. You use must to indicate that it is necessary for something to happen, usually because of a rule or law.\nCandidates must satisfy the general conditions for admission...\nEquipment must be supervised if children are in the house.\n  MODAL\n\n3. You use must to indicate that you are fairly sure that something is the case.\nAt 29 Russell must be one of the youngest ever Wembley referees...\nI’m sure he must feel he has lost a close family friend, because I know I do...\nI must have been a bore.\n  MODAL\n\n4. You use must, or must have with a past participle, to indicate that you believe that something is the case, because of the available evidence.\n`You must be Emma,’ said the visitor...\nMiss Holloway had a weak heart. She must have had a heart attack...\n  MODAL\n\n5. If you say that one thing must have happened in order for something else to happen, you mean that it is necessary for the first thing to have happened before the second thing can happen.\nIn order to take that job, you must have left another job...\n  MODAL\n\n6. You use must to express your intention to do something.\nI must be getting back...\nI must telephone my parents...\nHe told the Prime Minister that he felt he must now leave.\n  MODAL\n\n7. You use must to make suggestions or invitations very forcefully.\nYou must see a doctor, Frederick...\nYou must see the painting Paul has given me as a wedding present...\n  MODAL\n\n8. You use must in remarks and comments where you are expressing sympathy.\nThis must be a very difficult job for you...\n  MODAL\n\n9. You use must in conversation in expressions such as `I must say’ and `I must admit’ in order to emphasize a point that you are making.\nThis came as a surprise, I must say...\nI must admit I like looking feminine...\n  MODAL  emphasis\n\n10. You use must in expressions such as `it must be noted’ and `it must be remembered’ in order to draw the reader’s or listener’s attention to what you are about to say.\nIt must be noted, however, that not all British and American officers carried out orders...\nIt must be stated that this illness is one of the most complex conditions known to man.\n  MODAL\n\n11. You use must in questions to express your anger or irritation about something that someone has done, usually because you do not understand their behaviour.\nWhy must she interrupt?...\nMust you always run when the pressure gets too much?\n  MODAL  feelings\n\n12. You use must in exclamations to express surprise or shock.\n`Go! Please go.’.`You must be joking!’...\nI really must be quite mad!...\n  MODAL  emphasis\n\n13. If you refer to something as a must, you mean that it is absolutely necessary. (INFORMAL)\nThe new 37th issue of National Savings Certificates is a must for any taxpayer...\n  N-COUNT: usu a N in sing\n\n14. You say `if you must’ when you know that you cannot stop someone doing something that you think is wrong or stupid.\nIf you must be in the sunlight, use the strongest filter cream you can get...\n`Could I have a word?’.`Oh dear, if you must.’...\n  PHRASE: usu PHR inf\n\n15. You say `if you must know’ when you tell someone something that you did not want them to know and you want to suggest that you think they were wrong to ask you about it.\n`Why don’t you wear your jogging shorts Mum?’.`Well, my legs are too skinny, if you must know.’\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl


Words: must’ve
Meaning:
must’ve\n  Must’ve is the usual spoken form of `must have’, especially when `have’ is an auxiliary verb.


Words: must-
Meaning:
must-\n  Must- is added to verbs such as `see’, `have’, or `read’ to form adjectives and nouns which describe things that you think people should see, have, or read. For example, a must-have is something which you think people should get, and a must-win game is one which a team needs to win. (JOURNALISM or INFORMAL)\n...a list of must-see movies...\n  COMB in ADJ and N-COUNT


Words: mustang
Meaning:
mus.tang\n   mustang  mustangs\n  A mustang is a small wild horse which lives on the plains of North America.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mustard
Meaning:
mus.tard\n   mustard  mustards\n1. Mustard is a yellow or brown paste usually eaten with meat. It tastes hot and spicy.\n...a pot of mustard...\n  N-MASS\n\n2. Mustard is used to describe things that are brownish yellow in colour.\n...a mustard coloured jumper.\n  COLOUR\n\n3. If someone does not cut the mustard, their work or their performance is not as good as it should be or as good as it is expected to be. (INFORMAL)\n  PHRASE: V inflects, usu with neg


Words: mustard and cress
Meaning:
mus.tard and cress\n   mustard and cress\n  Mustard and cress is very young mustard plants and cress plants grown together and eaten in salad.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: mustard gas
Meaning:
mus.tard gas\n   mustard gas\n  Mustard gas is a gas which burns the skin and was used in war as a weapon.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: mustard powder
Meaning:
mus.tard pow.der\n   mustard powder\n  Mustard powder is a yellow powder. You add hot water to it in order to make mustard.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: muster
Meaning:
mus.ter\n   muster  musters  mustering  mustered\n1. If you muster something such as support, strength, or energy, you gather as much of it as you can in order to do something.\nHe travelled around West Africa trying to muster support for his movement...\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. When soldiers muster or are mustered, they gather together in one place in order to take part in a military action.\nThe men mustered before their clan chiefs...\nThe general had mustered his troops north of the Hindu Kush.\n  VERB: V, V n\n  = gather\n3. If someone or something passes muster, they are good enough for the thing they are needed for.\nI could not pass muster in his language...\nIf it doesn’t pass muster, a radio station could have its license challenged.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: musty
Meaning:
mus.ty\n   musty\n  Something that is musty smells old and damp.\n...that terrible musty smell.\n  ADJ\n  = fusty


Words: mutant
Meaning:
mu.tant\n   mutant  mutants\n  A mutant is an animal or plant that is physically different from others of the same species because of a change in its genes.\n  N-COUNT\n  = mutation


Words: mutate
Meaning:
mu.tate\n   mutate  mutates  mutating  mutated\n1. If an animal or plant mutates, or something mutates it, it develops different characteristics as the result of a change in its genes.\nThe virus mutates in the carrier’s body...\nA newer anti-HIV drug called pyridinone caused HIV to mutate into a form which could not reproduce or infect new cells...\nThe technique has been to mutate the genes by irradiation or chemicals...\n  VERB: V, V into n, V n, also V n into n\n\n=>  mu.ta.tion      mutations\nScientists have found a genetic mutation that appears to be the cause of Huntington’s disease.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If something mutates into something different, it changes into that thing.\nOvernight, the gossip begins to mutate into headlines.\n  VERB: V into n


Words: mute
Meaning:
mute  mutes  muting  muted\n1. Someone who is mute is silent for a particular reason and does not speak.\nHe was mute, distant, and indifferent...\n  ADJ\n\n  Mute is also an adverb.\nHe could watch her standing mute by the phone...\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n=>  mute.ly\nI crouched by him and grasped his hand, mutely offering what comfort I could.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. Someone who is mute is unable to speak. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nMarianna, the duke’s daughter, became mute after a shock.\n  ADJ\n\n3. If someone mutes something such as their feelings or their activities, they reduce the strength or intensity of them.\nThe corruption does not seem to have muted the country’s prolonged economic boom.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  mut.ed\nThe threat contrasted starkly with his administration’s previous muted criticism...\n  ADJ\n\n4. If you mute a noise or sound, you lower its volume or make it less distinct.\nThey begin to mute their voices, not be as assertive...\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  mut.ed\n`Yes,’ he muttered, his voice so muted I hardly heard his reply...\n  ADJ


Words: muted
Meaning:
mut.ed\n   muted\n  Muted colours are soft and gentle, not bright and strong.\nHe likes sombre, muted colours.she likes bright colours...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: mutilate
Meaning:
mu.ti.late\n   mutilate  mutilates  mutilating  mutilated\n1. If a person or animal is mutilated, their body is severely damaged, usually by someone who physically attacks them.\nMore than 30 horses have been mutilated in the last nine months...\nHe tortured and mutilated six young men...\nThe mutilated bodies of seven men have been found beside a railway line.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n, V-ed\n\n=>  mu.ti.la.tion      mutilations\nAmnesty International chronicles cases of torture and mutilation...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If something is mutilated, it is deliberately damaged or spoiled.\nBrecht’s verdict was that his screenplay had been mutilated...\n  VERB: be V-ed, also V n


Words: mutinous
Meaning:
mu.ti.nous\n   mutinous\n  If someone is mutinous, they are strongly dissatisfied with a person in authority and are likely to stop obeying them.\nHis own army, stung by defeats, is mutinous.\n  ADJ


Words: mutiny
Meaning:
mu.ti.ny\n   mutiny  mutinies  mutinying  mutinied\n1. A mutiny is a refusal by people, usually soldiers or sailors, to continue obeying a person in authority.\nA series of coup attempts and mutinies within the armed forces destabilized the regime...\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If a group of people, usually soldiers or sailors, mutiny, they refuse to continue obeying a person in authority.\nUnits stationed around the capital mutinied because they had received no pay for nine months...\nSailors at a naval base had mutinied against their officers.\n  VERB: V, V against n


Words: mutter
Meaning:
mut.ter\n   mutter  mutters  muttering  muttered\n  If you mutter, you speak very quietly so that you cannot easily be heard, often because you are complaining about something.\n`God knows what’s happening in that madman’s mind,’ she muttered...\nShe can hear the old woman muttering about consideration...\nHe sat there shaking his head, muttering to himself...\nShe was staring into the fire muttering.\n  VERB: V with quote, V about n, V to n, V\n\n  Mutter is also a noun.\nThey make no more than a mutter of protest.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  mut.ter.ing      mutterings\nHe heard muttering from the front of the crowd...\n  N-VAR


Words: mutton
Meaning:
mut.ton\n   mutton\n1. Mutton is meat from an adult sheep that is eaten as food.\n...a leg of mutton.\n...mutton stew.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you describe a woman as mutton dressed as lamb, you are criticizing her for trying to look younger than she really is, in a way that you consider unattractive. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR  disapproval


Words: mutual
Meaning:
mu.tu.al\n   mutual\n1. You use mutual to describe a situation, feeling, or action that is experienced, felt, or done by both of two people mentioned.\nThe East and the West can work together for their mutual benefit and progress...\nIt’s plain that he adores his daughter, and the feeling is mutual.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  mu.tu.al.ly\nAttempts to reach a mutually agreed solution had been fruitless...\n  ADV: ADV adj/adv, ADV before v\n\nsee exclusive\n2. You use mutual to describe something such as an interest which two or more people share.\nThey do, however, share a mutual interest in design...\nWe were introduced by a mutual friend.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n3. If a building society or an insurance company has mutual status, it is not owned by shareholders but by its customers, who receive a share of the profits. (BRIT BUSINESS)\nBritain’s third largest building society abandoned its mutual status and became a bank.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: mutual fund
Meaning:
mu.tu.al fund\n   mutual fund  mutual funds\n  A mutual fund is an organization which invests money in many different kinds of business and which offers units for sale to the public as an investment. (AM BUSINESS; in BRIT, use unit trust)\n  N-COUNT


Words: Muzak
Meaning:
Mu.zak\n  also muzak\n1. Muzak is recorded music that is played as background music in shops or restaurants. (TRADEMARK)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you describe music as muzak, you dislike it because you think it is dull or unnecessary.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: muzzle
Meaning:
muz.zle\n   muzzle  muzzles  muzzling  muzzled\n1. The muzzle of an animal such as a dog is its nose and mouth.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A muzzle is an object that is put over a dog’s nose and mouth so that it cannot bite people or make a noise.\n...dogs like pit bulls which have to wear a muzzle.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If you muzzle a dog or other animal, you put a muzzle over its nose and mouth.\nHe was convicted of failing to muzzle a pit bull.\n  VERB: V n\n\n4. If you say that someone is muzzled, you are complaining that they are prevented from expressing their views freely.\nHe complained of being muzzled by the chairman...\nShe was opposed to new laws to muzzle the press.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n  disapproval\n  = gag\n5. The muzzle of a gun is the end where the bullets come out when it is fired.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n


Words: muzzy
Meaning:
muz.zy\n   muzzy\n1. If someone feels muzzy, they are confused and unable to think clearly, usually because they are ill or have drunk too much alcohol. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL)\n  ADJ\n  = groggy\n2. If a photograph or television picture is muzzy, it is unclear. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL)\n  ADJ\n  = fuzzy


Words: MVP
Meaning:
MVP  MVPs\n  Journalists sometimes use MVP to talk about the player in a sports team who has performed best in a particular match or series of matches. MVP is an abbreviation for `most valuable player’. (AM)\nBrondello secured the MVP award by scoring 357 points.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n


Words: my
Meaning:
my\n\n  My is the first person singular possessive determiner.\n\n1. A speaker or writer uses my to indicate that something belongs or relates to himself or herself.\nI invited him back to my flat for a coffee...\nJohn’s my best friend...\n  DET\n\n2. In conversations or in letters, my is used in front of a word like `dear’ or `darling’ to show affection.\nYes, of course, my darling.\n  DET  feelings\n\n3. My is used in phrases such as `My God’ and `My goodness’ to express surprise or shock. (SPOKEN)\nMy God, I’ve never seen you so nervous...\nMy goodness, Tim, you have changed!\n  DET  feelings


Words: myopia
Meaning:
myo.pia\n   myopia\n  Myopia is the inability to see things properly when they are far away, because there is something wrong with your eyes. (FORMAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = short-sightedness


Words: myopic
Meaning:
my.op.ic\n   myopic\n1. If you describe someone as myopic, you are critical of them because they seem unable to realize that their actions might have negative consequences.\nThe Government still has a myopic attitude to spending.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = short-sighted\n2. If someone is myopic, they are unable to see things which are far away from them. (FORMAL)\n  ADJ\n  = short-sighted


Words: myriad
Meaning:
myri.ad\n   myriad\n1. A myriad or myriads of people or things is a very large number or great variety of them.\nThey face a myriad of problems bringing up children...\nThese myriads of fish would be enough to keep any swimmer entranced for hours.\n  QUANT: QUANT of pl-n\n\n2. Myriad means having a large number or great variety.\n...British pop and culture in all its myriad forms.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = many


Words: myself
Meaning:
my.self\n   myself\n\n  Myself is the first person singular reflexive pronoun.\n\n1. A speaker or writer uses myself to refer to himself or herself. Myself is used as the object of a verb or preposition when the subject refers to the same person.\nI asked myself what I would have done in such a situation...\nI looked at myself in the mirror...\n  PRON: v PRON, prep PRON\n\n2. You use myself to emphasize a first person singular subject. In more formal English, myself is sometimes used instead of `me’ as the object of a verb or preposition, for emphasis.\nI myself enjoy cinema, poetry, eating out and long walks...\nI’m fond of cake myself...\n  PRON  emphasis\n\n3. If you say something such as `I did it myself’, you are emphasizing that you did it, rather than anyone else.\n`Where did you get that embroidery?’.`I made it myself.’\n  PRON  emphasis


Words: mysterious
Meaning:
mys.teri.ous\n   mysterious\n1. Someone or something that is mysterious is strange and is not known about or understood.\nHe died in mysterious circumstances...\nA mysterious illness confined him to bed for over a month...\nThe whole thing seems very mysterious...\n  ADJ\n\n=>  mys.teri.ous.ly\nA couple of messages had mysteriously disappeared.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v\n\n2. If someone is mysterious about something, they deliberately do not talk much about it, sometimes because they want to make people more interested in it.\nAs for his job.well, he was very mysterious about it.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ about n\n\n=>  mys.teri.ous.ly\nAsked what she meant, she said mysteriously: `Work it out for yourself’.\n  ADV: ADV after v


Words: mystery
Meaning:
mys.tery\n   mystery  mysteries\n1. A mystery is something that is not understood or known about.\nThe source of the gunshots still remains a mystery.\n...the mysteries of mental breakdown.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you talk about the mystery of someone or something, you are talking about how difficult they are to understand or know about, especially when this gives them a rather strange or magical quality.\nShe’s a lady of mystery...\nIt is an elaborate ceremony, shrouded in mystery.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. A mystery person or thing is one whose identity or nature is not known.\nThe mystery hero immediately alerted police after spotting a bomb.\n...a mystery prize of up to .1,000.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n4. A mystery is a story in which strange things happen that are not explained until the end.\nHis fourth novel is a murder mystery set in London.\n  N-COUNT


Words: mystic
Meaning:
mys.tic\n   mystic  mystics\n1. A mystic is a person who practises or believes in religious mysticism.\n...an Indian mystic known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Mystic means the same as mystical.\n...mystic union with God.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: mystical
Meaning:
mys.ti.cal\n   mystical\n  Something that is mystical involves spiritual powers and influences that most people do not understand.\nThat was clearly a deep mystical experience.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = mystic


Words: mysticism
Meaning:
mys.ti.cism\n   mysticism\n  Mysticism is a religious practice in which people search for truth, knowledge, and closeness to God through meditation and prayer.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: mystify
Meaning:
mys.ti.fy\n   mystify  mystifies  mystifying  mystified\n  If you are mystified by something, you find it impossible to explain or understand.\nThe audience must have been totally mystified by the plot...\nThere was something strange in her attitude which mystified me.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n\n  = baffle\n=>  mys.ti.fy.ing\nI find your attitude a little mystifying, Moira.\n  ADJ\n  = puzzling


Words: mystique
Meaning:
mys.tique\n   mystique\n  If there is a mystique about someone or something, they are thought to be special and people do not know much about them.\nHis book destroyed the mystique of monarchy.\n  N-SING: also N-UNCOUNT


Words: myth
Meaning:
myth  myths\n1. A myth is a well-known story which was made up in the past to explain natural events or to justify religious beliefs or social customs.\nThere is a famous Greek myth in which Icarus flew too near to the Sun.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. If you describe a belief or explanation as a myth, you mean that many people believe it but it is actually untrue.\nContrary to the popular myth, women are not reckless spendthrifts.\n  N-VAR\n  = fallacy


Words: mythic
Meaning:
myth.ic\n   mythic\n1. Someone or something that is mythic exists only in myths and is therefore imaginary. (LITERARY)\n...the mythic figure of King Arthur.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = mythical\n2. If you describe someone or something as mythic, you mean that they have become very famous or important.\n...a team whose reputation has achieved mythic proportions...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: mythical
Meaning:
mythi.cal\n   mythical\n1. Something or someone that is mythical exists only in myths and is therefore imaginary.\n...the Hydra, the mythical beast that had seven or more heads.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If you describe something as mythical, you mean that it is untrue or does not exist.\n...the American West, not the mythical, romanticized West of cowboys and gunslingers, but the real West.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: mythology
Meaning:
my.thol.ogy\n   mythology  mythologies\n1. Mythology is a group of myths, especially all the myths from a particular country, religion, or culture.\nIn Greek mythology, the god Zeus took the form of a swan to seduce Leda...\nThis is well illustrated in the mythologies of many cultures.\n  N-VAR\n\n=>  mytho.logi.cal\n...the mythological beast that was part lion and part goat.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. You can use mythology to refer to the beliefs or opinions that people have about something, when you think that they are false or untrue.\nAltman strips away the pretence and mythology to expose the film industry as a business like any other.\n  N-VAR


Words: N, n
Meaning:
N, n  N’s, n’s\n1. N is the fourteenth letter of the English alphabet.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. N or n is used as an abbreviation for words beginning with N or n, such as `north’, `northern’, or `noun’.


Words: N.A.
Meaning:
N.A.   also n/a\n  N.A. is a written abbreviation for not applicable or not available.\n  CONVENTION


Words: naan
Meaning:
naan  naans   also nan\n  Naan or naan bread is a type of bread that comes in a large, round, flat piece and is usually eaten with Indian food.\n  N-VAR


Words: nab
Meaning:
nab  nabs  nabbing  nabbed\n  If people in authority such as the police nab someone who they think has done something wrong, they catch them or arrest them. (INFORMAL)\nHe killed 12 people before the authorities finally nabbed him...\nSoon he was back in the armed robbery business. Again, he got nabbed.\n  VERB: V n, get V-ed\n  = collar


Words: nadir
Meaning:
na.dir\n   nadir\n1. The nadir of something such as someone’s career or the history of an organization is its worst time. (LITERARY)\n1945 to 1946 was the nadir of Truman’s presidency.\n  N-SING: usu with poss\n  !=zenith\n2. In astronomy, the nadir is the point at which the sun or moon is directly below you, on the other side of the earth. Compare zenith. (TECHNICAL)\n  N-SING: the N


Words: naff
Meaning:
naff  naffer  naffest\n  If you say that something is naff, you mean it is very unfashionable or unsophisticated. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nThe music’s really naff.\n...naff `his and hers’ matching outfits.\n  ADJ


Words: nag
Meaning:
nag  nags  nagging  nagged\n1. If someone nags you, they keep asking you to do something you have not done yet or do not want to do.\nThe more Sarah nagged her, the more stubborn Cissie became...\nMy girlfriend nagged me to cut my hair...\nShe had stopped nagging him about never being home.\n...children nagging their parents into buying things.\n  VERB: V n, V n to-inf, V n about n, V n into -ing, also V  disapproval\n\n  A nag is someone who nags.\nAunt Molly is a nag about regular meals.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  nag.ging\nHer endless nagging drove him away from home.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If something such as a doubt or worry nags at you, or nags you, it keeps worrying you.\nHe could be wrong about her. The feeling nagged at him.\n...the anxiety that had nagged Amy all through lunch...\nSomething was nagging in the back of his mind.\n  VERB: V at n, V n, V\n  = niggle


Words: nagging
Meaning:
nag.ging\n   nagging\n  A nagging pain is not very severe but is difficult to cure.\nHe complained of a nagging pain between his shoulder blades.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  see also nag


Words: nail
Meaning:
nail  nails  nailing  nailed\n1. A nail is a thin piece of metal with one pointed end and one flat end. You hit the flat end with a hammer in order to push the nail into something such as a wall.\nA mirror hung on a nail above the washstand...\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you nail something somewhere, you fix it there using one or more nails.\nFrank put the first plank down and nailed it in place...\nThey nail shut the front door...\n  VERB: V n prep/adv, V n with adj\n\n3. Your nails are the thin hard parts that grow at the ends of your fingers and toes.\nKeep your nails short and your hands clean.\n  N-COUNT: usu poss N in pl\n\n4. To nail someone means to catch them and prove that they have been breaking the law. (INFORMAL)\nThe prosecution still managed to nail him for robberies at the homes of leading industrialists.\n  VERB: V n\n\n5. If you say that someone is as hard as nails, you mean that they are extremely tough and aggressive, either physically or in their attitude towards other people or other situations.\nHe’s a shrewd businessman and hard as nails...\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR\n\n6. If you say that someone has hit the nail on the head, you think they are exactly right about something.\n`I think it would civilize people a bit more if they had decent conditions.’.`I think you’ve hit the nail on the head.’\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n7.\na nail in the coffin: see coffin\nto fight tooth and nail: see tooth


Words: nail bomb
Meaning:
nail bomb  nail bombs\n  A nail bomb is a bomb which contains nails that are intended to cause a lot of damage and injury when the bomb goes off.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nail brush
Meaning:
nail brush  nail brushes   also nailbrush\n  A nail brush is a small brush that you use to clean your nails when washing your hands.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nail down
Meaning:
nail down\n1. If you nail down something unknown or uncertain, you find out exactly what it is.\nIt would be useful if you could nail down the source of this tension.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P\n  = pin down\n2. If you nail down an agreement, you manage to reach a firm agreement with a definite result.\nThe Secretary of State and his Russian counterpart met to try to nail down the elusive accord.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P


Words: nail file
Meaning:
nail file  nail files   also nailfile\n  A nail file is a small strip of rough metal or card that you rub across the ends of your nails to shorten them or shape them.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nail polish
Meaning:
nail pol.ish\n   nail polish  nail polishes\n  Nail polish is a thick liquid that women paint on their nails.\n  N-MASS\n  = nail varnish


Words: nail scissors
Meaning:
nail scis.sors\n   nail scissors   also nail-scissors\n  Nail scissors are small scissors that you use for cutting your nails.\nMishka got some nail scissors and started carefully trimming his fingernails.\n  N-PLURAL: also a pair of N


Words: nail varnish
Meaning:
nail var.nish\n   nail varnish  nail varnishes\n  Nail varnish is the same as nail polish. (BRIT; in AM, use nail polish)\n  N-MASS


Words: nail-biting
Meaning:
nail-biting\n  If you describe something such as a story or a sports match as nail-biting, you mean that it makes you feel very excited or nervous because you do not know how it is going to end.\n...the nail-biting legal thriller, `The Pelican Brief’.\n  ADJ


Words: naive
Meaning:
na.ive\n   naive   also naive\n  If you describe someone as naive, you think they lack experience and so expect things to be easy or people to be honest or kind.\nIt’s naive to think that teachers are always tolerant...\n...naive idealists...\nTheir view was that he had been politically naive.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf, ADJ to-inf\n  = unrealistic\n=>  na.ive.ly\n...naively applying Western solutions to Eastern problems...\nI thought, naively, that this would be a nine-to-five job.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v\n\n=>  na.ive.ty\nI was alarmed by his naivety and ignorance of international affairs.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: naked
Meaning:
na.ked\n   naked\n1. Someone who is naked is not wearing any clothes.\nHer naked body was found wrapped in a sheet in a field...\nThe hot paving stones scorched my naked feet...\nThey stripped me naked...\nHe stood naked in front of me.\n  ADJ: ADJ n, ADJ after v, v-link ADJ\n\n=>  na.ked.ness\nHe had pulled the blanket over his body to hide his nakedness.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft poss N\n\n  see also stark naked\n2. If an animal or part of an animal is naked, it has no fur or feathers on it.\nThe nest contained eight little mice that were naked and blind.\n  ADJ\n\n3. You can describe an object as naked when it does not have its normal covering.\n...a naked bulb dangling in a bare room...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n4. You can use naked to describe unpleasant or violent actions and behaviour which are not disguised or hidden in any way. (JOURNALISM)\nNaked aggression and an attempt to change frontiers by force could not go unchallenged.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = blatant\n5. If you say that something cannot be seen by the naked eye, you mean that it cannot be seen without the help of equipment such as a telescope or microscope.\nThere’s so much going on that you can’t see with the naked eye.\n  PHRASE: usu to/with/by PHR


Words: name
Meaning:
name  names  naming  named\n1. The name of a person, place, or thing is the word or group of words that is used to identify them.\n`What’s his name?’.`Peter.’...\nI don’t even know if Sullivan’s his real name...\nThey changed the name of the street.\n  N-COUNT: usu with poss\n\n2. When you name someone or something, you give them a name, usually at the beginning of their life.\nMy mother insisted on naming me Horace.\n...a man named John T. Benson...\n  VERB: V n n, V-ed\n\n3. If you name someone or something after another person or thing, you give them the same name as that person or thing.\nWhy have you not named any of your sons after yourself?\n  VERB: V n after n, also V n for n\n\n4. If you name someone, you identify them by stating their name.\nIt’s nearly thirty years since a journalist was jailed for refusing to name a source...\nOne of the victims of the weekend’s snowstorm has been named as twenty-year-old John Barr.\n  VERB: V n, V n as n\n\n5. If you name something such as a price, time, or place, you say what you want it to be.\nCall Marty, tell him to name his price.\n  VERB: V n\n  = state\n6. If you name the person for a particular job, you say who you want to have the job.\nThe England manager will be naming a new captain, to replace the injured David Beckham...\nWhen the chairman of Campbell’s retired, McGovern was named as his successor...\nEarly in 1941 he was named commander of the Afrika Korps.\n  VERB: V n, be V-ed as n, be V-ed n, also V n as n, V n n\n\n7. You can refer to the reputation of a person or thing as their name.\nHe had a name for good judgement...\nShe’s never had any drug problems or done anything to give jazz a bad name.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n  = reputation\n8. You can refer to someone as, for example, a famous name or a great name when they are well-known. (JOURNALISM)\n...some of the most famous names in modelling and show business.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft adj N\n  = star\n9.\n  see also assumed name, big name, brand name, Christian name, code name, first name, given name, maiden name, middle name, pet name\n10. If something is in someone’s name, it officially belongs to them or is reserved for them.\nThe house is in my husband’s name...\nA double room had been reserved for him in the name of Muller.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v\n\n11. If someone does something in the name of a group of people, they do it as the representative of that group.\nIn the United States the majority governs in the name of the people...\n  PHRASE: PHR n, usu PHR after v\n\n12. If you do something in the name of an ideal or an abstract thing, you do it in order to preserve or promote that thing.\n...one of those rare occasions in history when a political leader risked his own power in the name of the greater public good...\n  PHRASE: PHR n/-ing, usu PHR after v\n\n13. People sometimes use expressions such as `in the name of heaven’ or `in the name of humanity’ to add emphasis to a question or request.\nWhat in the name of heaven’s going on?...\nIn the name of humanity I ask the government to reappraise this important issue.\n  PHRASE: PHR n, PHR with cl  emphasis\n\n14. When you mention someone or something by name, or address someone by name, you use their name.\nHe greets customers by name and enquires about their health.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v\n\n15. You can use by name or by the name of when you are saying what someone is called. (FORMAL)\n...a young Australian, Harry Busteed by name...\nThis guy, Jack Smith, does he go by the name of Jackal?\n  PHRASE\n\n16. If someone calls you names, they insult you by saying unpleasant things to you or about you.\nAt my last school they called me names because I was so slow...\nThey had called her rude names.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n17. If you say that something is the name of the game, you mean that it is the most important aspect of a situation. (INFORMAL)\nThe name of the game is survival.\n  PHRASE\n\n18. If you make a name for yourself or make your name as something, you become well-known for that thing.\n(next)


Words: name .1
Meaning:
She was beginning to make a name for herself as a portrait photographer...\nHe made his name with several collections of short stories.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR as n\n\n19. If you name names, you identify the people who have done something, often something wrong.\nNobody was prepared to risk prosecution by actually naming names.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n20. If something such as a newspaper or an official body names and shames people who have performed badly or who have done something wrong, it identifies those people by name.\nThe government will also name and shame the worst performing airlines.\n  PHRASE: Vs inflect\n\n21. You say you name it, usually after or before a list, to indicate that you are talking about a very wide range of things.\nI also enjoy windsurfing, tennis, racquetball, swimming, you name it.\n  PHRASE


Words: name-drop
Meaning:
name-drop  name-drops  name-dropping  name-dropped\n  If you say that someone name-drops, you disapprove of them referring to famous people they have met in order to impress people.\nThe assistant carried on talking to his mate, name-dropping all the famous riders he knew...\nI must stop saying everyone famous is a good friend. It sounds as if I’m name-dropping.\n  VERB: V n, V  disapproval\n\n=>  name-dropping\nOne can do a lot of name-dropping with names of the school’s parents. President Nixon sent his daughters there.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: namecheck
Meaning:
name.check\n   namecheck namechecks namechecking namechecked  also name-check\n  If someone gets a namecheck in something such as an article or interview, their name is mentioned in it.\nShe has had many credits and name-checks in American Vogue.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  Namecheck is also a verb.\nSeveral bands have namechecked Lee Hazelwood in interviews.\n  VERB: V n


Words: nameless
Meaning:
name.less\n   nameless\n1. You describe people or things as nameless when you do not know their name or when they do not have a name.\nThey can have their cases rejected, without reasons being given, by nameless officials.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. If you say that someone or something will remain nameless, you mean that you will not mention their name, often because you do not want to embarrass them.\nA local friend who shall be nameless warned me that I was in for trouble soon.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ\n  = anonymous


Words: namely
Meaning:
name.ly\n   namely\n  You use namely to introduce detailed information about the subject you are discussing, or a particular aspect of it.\nOne group of people seems to be forgotten, namely pensioners...\nThey were hardly aware of the challenge facing them, namely, to re-establish prosperity.\n  ADV: ADV n, ADV cl


Words: nameplate
Meaning:
name.plate\n   nameplate  nameplates   also name-plate\n  A nameplate is a sign on a door, wall, or desk which shows the name of the person or organization that occupies a particular place.\n  N-COUNT


Words: namesake
Meaning:
name.sake\n   namesake  namesakes\n  Someone’s or something’s namesake has the same name as they do. (WRITTEN)\nHe is putting together a four-man team, including his son and namesake Tony 0’Reilly Jnr...\nNotre-Dame Cathedral in Senlis is less famous than its namesake in Paris.\n  N-COUNT: usu poss N


Words: nan
Meaning:
nan  nans\n1. Some people refer to their grandmother as their nan. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nI was brought up by my nan.\n  N-COUNT; N-VOC\n  = gran\n2.\n  see also naan


Words: nandrolone
Meaning:
nan.dro.lone\n\n  Nandrolone is type of drug that can improve performance in sports and is used illegally by some sportspeople.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nanny
Meaning:
nan.ny\n   nanny  nannies\n  A nanny is a woman who is paid by parents to look after their child or children.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nanny state
Meaning:
nan.ny state\n   nanny state\n  If you refer to the government as the nanny state, you disapprove of it because you think it tries to protect its citizens too much and makes them rely on the state too much. (mainly BRIT)\nThe tussle to free the individual from the nanny state is still far from won.\n  N-SING: usu the N  disapproval


Words: nannying
Meaning:
nan.ny.ing\n   nannying\n1. Nannying is the job of being a nanny. (mainly BRIT)\n...low-paid jobs such as nannying.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you refer to activities such as helping and advising people as nannying, you disapprove of these activities because you think that they are protecting people too much. (mainly BRIT)\n...governmental nannying and interference in markets.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: nanotechnology
Meaning:
nano.tech.nol.ogy\n   nanotechnology\n  Nanotechnology is the science of making or working with things that are so small that they can only be seen using a powerful microscope.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nap
Meaning:
nap  naps  napping  napped\n1. If you have a nap, you have a short sleep, usually during the day.\nUse your lunch hour to have a nap in your chair...\nI might take a little nap.\n  N-COUNT\n  = snooze, doze\n2. If you nap, you sleep for a short period of time, usually during the day.\nAn elderly person may nap during the day and then sleep only five hours a night.\n  VERB: V\n  = doze\n3. The nap of a carpet or of a cloth such as velvet is the top layer of short threads, which usually lie smoothly in one direction.\n  N-SING\n\n4. If someone is caught napping, something happens when they are not prepared for it, although they should have been. (INFORMAL)\nThe security services were clearly caught napping.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: napalm
Meaning:
na.palm\n   napalm  napalms  napalming  napalmed\n1. Napalm is a substance containing petrol which is used to make bombs that burn people, buildings, and plants.\nThe government has consistently denied using napalm.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If people napalm other people or places, they attack and burn them using napalm.\nWhy napalm a village now?\n  VERB: V n


Words: nape
Meaning:
nape  napes\n  The nape of your neck is the back of it.\n...the way that his hair grew at the nape of his neck.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing, usu the N of n


Words: napkin
Meaning:
nap.kin\n   napkin  napkins\n  A napkin is a square of cloth or paper that you use when you are eating to protect your clothes, or to wipe your mouth or hands.\nShe was taking tiny bites of a hot dog and daintily wiping her lips with a napkin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: napkin ring
Meaning:
nap.kin ring\n   napkin ring  napkin rings\n  A napkin ring is a ring-shaped object which is used to hold a rolled-up napkin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nappy
Meaning:
nap.py\n   nappy  nappies\n  A nappy is a piece of soft thick cloth or paper which is fastened round a baby’s bottom in order to soak up its urine and faeces. (BRIT; in AM, use diaper)\n  N-COUNT


Words: nappy rash
Meaning:
nap.py rash\n   nappy rash\n  If a baby has nappy rash, the skin under its nappy is red and sore. (BRIT; in AM, use diaper rash)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: narcissism
Meaning:
nar.cis.sism\n   narcissism\n  Narcissism is the habit of always thinking about yourself and admiring yourself. (FORMAL)\nThose who suffer from narcissism become self-absorbed or chronic show-offs.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: narcissistic
Meaning:
nar.cis.sis.tic\n   narcissistic\n  If you describe someone as narcissistic, you disapprove of them because they think about themselves a lot and admire themselves too much. (FORMAL)\nHe was insufferable at times.self-centred and narcissistic.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: narcissus
Meaning:
nar.cis.sus\n   narcissus  narcissi  or narcissus\n  Narcissi are plants which have yellow or white flowers with cone-shaped centres that appear in the spring.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: narco-
Meaning:
Narco- is added to words to form new words that relate to illegal narcotics.\n...efforts to curb illicit and illegal narco-trafficking.\n  PREFIX


Words: narcolepsy
Meaning:
nar.co.lep.sy\n   narcolepsy\n  Narcolepsy is a rare medical condition. It causes people who suffer from it to fall into a deep sleep at any time without any warning.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: narcotic
Meaning:
nar.cot.ic\n   narcotic  narcotics\n1. Narcotics are drugs such as opium or heroin which make you sleepy and stop you feeling pain. You can also use narcotics, especially in American English, to mean any kind of illegal drug.\nHe was indicted for dealing in narcotics...\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If something, especially a drug, has a narcotic effect, it makes the person who uses it feel sleepy.\n...hormones that have a narcotic effect on the immune system.\n  ADJ


Words: narked
Meaning:
narked\n  Someone who is narked is annoyed about something. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nHe’s probably narked because he didn’t see the ad himself.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ\n  = annoyed


Words: narrate
Meaning:
nar.rate\n   narrate  narrates  narrating  narrated\n1. If you narrate a story, you tell it from your own point of view. (FORMAL)\nThe book is narrated by Richard Papen, a Californian boy.\n  VERB: V n\n\n=>  nar.ra.tion\nIts story-within-a-story method of narration is confusing.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  nar.ra.tor      narrators\nJules, the story’s narrator, is an actress in her late thirties.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. The person who narrates a film or programme speaks the words which accompany the pictures, but does not appear in it.\nShe also narrated a documentary about the Kirov Ballet School.\n  VERB: V n, also V\n\n=>  nar.ra.tion\nAs the crew gets back from lunch, we can put your narration on it right away.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  nar.ra.tor      narrators\n...the narrator of the documentary.\n  N-COUNT


Words: narrative
Meaning:
nar.ra.tive\n   narrative  narratives\n1. A narrative is a story or an account of a series of events.\n...a fast-moving narrative...\nSloan began his narrative with the day of the murder.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Narrative is the description of a series of events, usually in a novel.\nNeither author was very strong on narrative.\n...Nye’s simple narrative style.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: narrow
Meaning:
nar.row\n   narrow  narrower  narrowest  narrows  narrowing  narrowed\n1. Something that is narrow measures a very small distance from one side to the other, especially compared to its length or height.\n...through the town’s narrow streets...\nShe had long, narrow feet.\n...the narrow strip of land joining the peninsula to the rest of the island.\n  ADJ\n  !=wide\n=>  nar.row.ness\n...the narrowness of the river mouth.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n\n\n2. If something narrows, it becomes less wide.\nThe wide track narrows before crossing another stream.\n  VERB: V\n\n3. If your eyes narrow or if you narrow your eyes, you almost close them, for example because you are angry or because you are trying to concentrate on something. (WRITTEN)\nCoggins’ eyes narrowed angrily. `You think I’d tell you?’...\nHe paused and narrowed his eyes in concentration.\n  VERB: V, V n\n  !=widen\n4. If you describe someone’s ideas, attitudes, or beliefs as narrow, you disapprove of them because they are restricted in some way, and often ignore the more important aspects of an argument or situation.\n...a narrow and outdated view of family life...\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = limited  !=broad\n=>  nar.row.ly\nThey’re making judgments based on a narrowly focused vision of the world.\n  ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed/adj\n\n=>  nar.row.ness\n...the narrowness of their mental and spiritual outlook.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n\n\n5. If something narrows or if you narrow it, its extent or range becomes smaller.\nMost recent opinion polls suggest that the gap between the two main parties has narrowed...\nSenate negotiators further narrowed their differences over the level of federal spending for anti-drug programs.\n  VERB: V, V n\n  !=widen\n=>  nar.row.ing\n...a narrowing of the gap between rich members and poor.\n  N-SING\n\n6. If you have a narrow victory, you succeed in winning but only by a small amount.\nDelegates have voted by a narrow majority in favour of considering electoral reform.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  nar.row.ly\nShe narrowly failed to win enough votes...\n  ADV\n\n=>  nar.row.ness\nThe narrowness of the government’s victory reflected deep division within the Party.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n\n\n7. If you have a narrow escape, something unpleasant nearly happens to you.\nTwo police officers had a narrow escape when separatists attacked their vehicles.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n=>  nar.row.ly\nFive firemen narrowly escaped death when a staircase collapsed beneath their feet.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n8.\non the straight and narrow: see straight


Words: narrow boat
Meaning:
nar.row boat\n   narrow boat  narrow boats   also narrowboat\n  A narrow boat is a long, low boat used on canals. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT\n  = barge


Words: narrow down
Meaning:
narrow down\n  If you narrow down a range of things, you reduce the number of things included in it.\nWhat’s happened is that the new results narrow down the possibilities...\nI’ve managed to narrow the list down to twenty-three.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P to n, also V n P


Words: narrow-minded
Meaning:
narrow-minded\n  If you describe someone as narrow-minded, you are criticizing them because they are unwilling to consider new ideas or other people’s opinions.\n...a narrow-minded bigot.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  !=broad-minded\n=>  narrow-mindedness\nIt is unbelievable that as a result of this narrow-mindedness a group of people should suffer.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: narrowly
Meaning:
nar.row.ly\n   narrowly\n  If you look at someone narrowly, you look at them in a concentrated way, often because you think they are not giving you full information about something.\nHe grimaced and looked narrowly at his colleague.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n  = closely\n  see also narrow


Words: NASA
Meaning:
NASA\n  NASA is the American government organization concerned with spacecraft and space travel. NASA is an abbreviation for `National Aeronautics and Space Administration’.\n  N-PROPER


Words: nasal
Meaning:
na.sal\n   nasal\n1. Nasal is used to describe things relating to the nose and the functions it performs.\n...inflamed nasal passages.\n...nasal decongestant sprays.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. If someone’s voice is nasal, it sounds as if air is passing through their nose as well as their mouth while they are speaking.\nShe talked in a deep nasal monotone.\n  ADJ


Words: nascent
Meaning:
nas.cent\n   nascent\n  Nascent things or processes are just beginning, and are expected to become stronger or to grow bigger. (FORMAL)\n...Kenya’s nascent democracy.\n...the still nascent science of psychology.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = budding


Words: nasturtium
Meaning:
na.stur.tium\n   nasturtium  nasturtiums\n  Nasturtiums are low plants with large round leaves and orange, red, and yellow flowers.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nasty
Meaning:
nas.ty\n   nasty  nastier  nastiest\n1. Something that is nasty is very unpleasant to see, experience, or feel.\n...an extremely nasty murder...\nThis divorce could turn nasty.\n  ADJ\n  = horrible\n=>  nas.ti.ness\n...the nastiness of war.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you describe a person or their behaviour as nasty, you mean that they behave in an unkind and unpleasant way.\nWhat nasty little snobs you all are...\nThe guards looked really nasty...\nMummy is so nasty to me when Daddy isn’t here.\n  ADJ\n  = horrid  !=nice\n=>  nas.ti.ly\nShe took the money and eyed me nastily...\nNikki laughed nastily.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n=>  nas.ti.ness\nAs the years went by his nastiness began to annoy his readers.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. If you describe something as nasty, you mean it is unattractive, undesirable, or in bad taste.\n...Emily’s nasty little house in Balham...\nThat damned Farrel made some nasty jokes here about Mr. Lane.\n  ADJ\n  = horrid  !=nice\n4. A nasty problem or situation is very worrying and difficult to deal with.\nA spokesman said this firm action had defused a very nasty situation.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n5. If you describe an injury or a disease as nasty, you mean that it is serious or looks unpleasant.\nLili had a nasty chest infection.\n  ADJ\n\n6.\n  see also video nasty


Words: natch
Meaning:
natch\n  Natch is used to indicate that a particular fact or event is what you would expect and not at all surprising. (mainly JOURNALISM INFORMAL)\nIna is a bad girl so, natch, ends up in prison.\n  ADV: ADV with cl/group\n  = naturally


Words: nation
Meaning:
na.tion\n   nation  nations\n1. A nation is an individual country considered together with its social and political structures.\nSuch policies would require unprecedented cooperation between nations...\nThe Arab nations agreed to meet in Baghdad.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. The nation is sometimes used to refer to all the people who live in a particular country. (JOURNALISM)\nIt was a story that touched the nation’s heart.\n  N-SING


Words: nation-building
Meaning:
Journalists sometimes use nation-building to refer to government policies that are designed to create a strong sense of national identity. (JOURNALISM)\n...calling for reconciliation and nation building after the bitter election campaign...\nThis revolutionary expansion required energetic nation-building policies.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n


Words: nation-state
Meaning:
nation-state  nation-states   also nation state\n  A nation-state is an independent state which consists of people from one particular national group.\nAlbania is a small nation state of around 3 million people.\n  N-COUNT


Words: national
Meaning:
na.tion.al\n   national  nationals\n1. National means relating to the whole of a country or nation rather than to part of it or to other nations.\nRuling parties have lost ground in national and local elections.\n...major national and international issues.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  na.tion.al.ly\n...a nationally televised speech...\nDuncan Campbell is nationally known for his investigative work.\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj\n\n2. National means typical of the people or customs of a particular country or nation.\n...the national characteristics and history of the country...\nBaseball is the national pastime.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. You can refer to someone who is legally a citizen of a country as a national of that country.\n...a Sri-Lankan-born British national.\n  N-COUNT: usu adj N\n  = citizen


Words: national anthem
Meaning:
na.tion.al an.them\n   national anthem  national anthems\n  A national anthem is a nation’s official song which is played or sung on public occasions.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: National Curriculum
Meaning:
Na.tion.al Cur.ricu.lum\n   National Curriculum\n  The National Curriculum is the course of study that most school pupils in England and Wales are meant to follow between the ages of 5 and 16.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: national government
Meaning:
na.tion.al gov.ern.ment\n   national government  national governments\n  A national government is a government with members from more than one political party, especially one that is formed during a crisis. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: National Guard
Meaning:
Na.tion.al Guard\n   National Guard  National Guards\n  In the United States, the National Guard is a military force within an individual state, which can become part of the national army if there is a war or emergency.\n...the leader of the Arkansas National Guard.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N


Words: National Guardsman
Meaning:
Na.tion.al Guards.man\n   National Guardsman  National Guardsmen\n  A National Guardsman is a member of the National Guard in the United States.\n  N-COUNT


Words: National Health Service
Meaning:
Na.tion.al Health Ser.vice\n   National Health Service\n  In Britain, the National Health Service is the state system for providing medical care. It is paid for by taxes.\nAn increasing number of these treatments are now available on the National Health Service.\n  N-PROPER: the N\n  = NHS


Words: national insurance
Meaning:
na.tion.al in.sur.ance\n   national insurance\n  In Britain, national insurance is the state system of paying money to people who are ill, unemployed, or retired. It is financed by money that the government collects from people who work, or from their employers. (BUSINESS)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: national park
Meaning:
na.tion.al park\n   national park  national parks\n  A national park is a large area of land which is protected by the government because of its natural beauty, plants, or animals, and which the public can usually visit.\n...the Masai Mara game reserve and Amboseli national park.\n  N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES: oft in names after n


Words: national service
Meaning:
na.tion.al ser.vice\n   national service\n  National service is service in the armed forces, which young people in certain countries have to do by law. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use selective service)\nBanks spent his national service in the Royal Navy.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = military service


Words: nationalism
Meaning:
na.tion.al.ism\n   nationalism\n1. Nationalism is the desire for political independence of people who feel they are historically or culturally a separate group within a country.\n...the rising tide of Slovak nationalism.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft supp N\n\n2. You can refer to a person’s great love for their nation as nationalism. It is often associated with the belief that a particular nation is better than any other nation, and in this case is often used showing disapproval.\nThis kind of fierce nationalism is a powerful and potentially volatile force.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft supp N


Words: nationalist
Meaning:
na.tion.al.ist\n   nationalist  nationalists\n1. Nationalist means connected with the desire of a group of people within a country for political independence.\nThe crisis has set off a wave of nationalist feelings in Quebec.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  A nationalist is someone with nationalist views.\n...demands by Slovak nationalists for an independent state.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Nationalist means connected with a person’s great love for their nation. It is often associated with the belief that their nation is better than any other nation, and in this case is often used showing disapproval.\nPolitical life has been infected by growing nationalist sentiment.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  A nationalist is someone with nationalist views.\nSome nationalists would like to depict the British monarchy as a purely English institution.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nationalistic
Meaning:
na.tion.al.is.tic\n   nationalistic\n  If you describe someone as nationalistic, you mean they are very proud of their nation. They also often believe that their nation is better than any other nation, and in this case it is often used showing disapproval.\n...the nationalistic pride of the Catalan people.\n  ADJ


Words: nationality
Meaning:
na.tion.al.ity\n   nationality  nationalities\n1. If you have the nationality of a particular country, you were born there or have the legal right to be a citizen.\nThe crew are of different nationalities and have no common language.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. You can refer to people who have the same racial origins as a nationality, especially when they do not have their own independent country.\n...the many nationalities that comprise Ethiopia.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nationalize
Meaning:
na.tion.al.ize\n   nationalize  nationalizes  nationalizing  nationalized\nin BRIT, also use nationalise\n  If a government nationalizes a private company or industry, that company or industry becomes owned by the state and controlled by the government. (BUSINESS)\nIn 1987, Garcia introduced legislation to nationalize Peru’s banking and financial systems...\n  VERB: V n\n  !=privatize\n=>  na.tion.ali.za.tion      nationalizations\n...the campaign for the nationalization of the coal mines...\nThe steel workers were relatively indifferent to the issue of nationalization.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl\n  !=privatization


Words: nationhood
Meaning:
na.tion.hood\n   nationhood\n  A country’s nationhood is its status as a nation.\nTo them, the monarchy is the special symbol of nationhood.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nationwide
Meaning:
nation.wide\n   nationwide\n  Nationwide activities or situations happen or exist in all parts of a country.\nThe rising number of car crimes is a nationwide problem.\n...the strike by teachers which is nationwide.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = national\n  Nationwide is also an adverb.\nThe figures show unemployment falling nationwide last month.\n  ADV\n  = nationally


Words: native
Meaning:
na.tive\n   native  natives\n1. Your native country or area is the country or area where you were born and brought up.\nIt was his first visit to his native country since 1948...\nMother Teresa visited her native Albania.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n2. A native of a particular country or region is someone who was born in that country or region.\nDr Aubin is a native of St Blaise.\n  N-COUNT: N of n\n\n  Native is also an adjective.\nJoshua Halpern is a native Northern Californian.\n...men and women native to countries such as Japan.\n  ADJ: ADJ n, v-link ADJ to n\n\n3. Some European people use native to refer to a person living in a non-Western country who belongs to the race or tribe that the majority of people there belong to. This use could cause offence.\nThey used force to banish the natives from the more fertile land.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  Native is also an adjective.\nNative people were allowed to retain some sense of their traditional culture and religion.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = indigenous\n4. Your native language or tongue is the first language that you learned to speak when you were a child.\nShe spoke not only her native language, Swedish, but also English and French...\nFrench is not my native tongue.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n5. Plants or animals that are native to a particular region live or grow there naturally and were not brought there.\n...a project to create a 50 acre forest of native Caledonian pines...\nMany of the plants are native to Brazil.\n  ADJ: ADJ n, v-link ADJ to n\n  = indigenous\n  Native is also a noun.\nThe coconut palm is a native of Malaysia.\n  N-COUNT: N of n\n\n6. A native ability or quality is one that you possess naturally without having to learn it.\nWe have our native inborn talent, yet we hardly use it.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = innate


Words: Native American
Meaning:
Na.tive Ameri.can\n   Native American  Native Americans\n  Native Americans are people from any of the many groups who were already living in North America before Europeans arrived.\nThe eagle is the animal most sacred to the Native Americans.\n  N-COUNT\n  = American Indian\n  Native American is also an adjective.\n...a gathering of Native American elders.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: native speaker
Meaning:
na.tive speak.er\n   native speaker  native speakers\n  A native speaker of a language is someone who speaks that language as their first language rather than having learned it as a foreign language.\nOur programme ensures daily opportunities to practice your study language with native speakers.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Nativity
Meaning:
Na.tiv.ity\n   Nativity\n  The Nativity is the birth of Jesus, which is celebrated by Christians at Christmas.\nThey admired the tableau of the Nativity.\n...the Nativity story.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: nativity play
Meaning:
na.tiv.ity play\n   nativity play  nativity plays\n  A nativity play is a play about the birth of Jesus, usually one performed by children at Christmas time.\n  N-COUNT


Words: NATO
Meaning:
NATO\n  NATO is an international organization which consists of the USA, Canada, Britain, and other European countries, all of whom have agreed to support one another if they are attacked. NATO is an abbreviation for `North Atlantic Treaty Organization’.\nNATO says it will keep a reduced number of modern nuclear weapons to guarantee peace.\n  N-PROPER


Words: natter
Meaning:
nat.ter\n   natter  natters  nattering  nattered\n  When people natter, they talk casually for a long time about unimportant things. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL)\nIf something dramatic has happened during the day, we’ll sit and natter about it...\nSusan and the girl were still nattering away in German...\nAhead of you is a day of nattering with fellow farmers at the local market...\nYou natter all day long at the hospital...\nHis mother would natter to anyone.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V, pl-n V away/on, V with n, NON-RECIP: V, V to n\n  = chat\n  Natter is also a noun.\nWhat’s the topic of conversation when a group of new mums get together for a natter?\n  N-SING: a N\n  = chinwag, chat


Words: natty
Meaning:
nat.ty\n   natty  nattier  nattiest\n1. If you describe clothes, especially men’s clothes, as natty, you mean that they are smart and neat. (INFORMAL)\n...a natty pin stripe suit...\nCliff was a natty dresser.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  approval\n\n2. If you describe something as natty, you think it is smart and cleverly designed. (INFORMAL)\n...natty little houses.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  approval\n  = nifty


Words: natural
Meaning:
natu.ral\n   natural  naturals\n1. If you say that it is natural for someone to act in a particular way or for something to happen in that way, you mean that it is reasonable in the circumstances.\nIt is only natural for youngsters to crave the excitement of driving a fast car...\nA period of depression can be a perfectly natural response to certain aspects of life.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf/that\n  = normal  !=unnatural, unusual\n2. Natural behaviour is shared by all people or all animals of a particular type and has not been learned.\n...the insect’s natural instinct to feed...\nAnger is the natural reaction we experience when we feel threatened or frustrated.\n  ADJ\n\n3. Someone with a natural ability or skill was born with that ability and did not have to learn it.\nShe has a natural ability to understand the motives of others...\nHe had a natural flair for business.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = instinctive\n4. If you say that someone is a natural, you mean that they do something very well and very easily.\nHe’s a natural with any kind of engine...\nShe proved to be a natural on camera.\n  N-COUNT: usu a N in sing\n\n5. If someone’s behaviour is natural, they appear to be relaxed and are not trying to hide anything.\nBethan’s sister was as friendly and natural as the rest of the family...\n  ADJ\n  !=forced\n=>  natu.ral.ly\nFor pictures of people behaving naturally, not posing for the camera, it is essential to shoot unnoticed...\nShe is magnificent at making you feel you can talk quite naturally to her.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n=>  natu.ral.ness\nThe critics praised the reality of the scenery and the naturalness of the acting.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n6. Natural things exist or occur in nature and are not made or caused by people.\nIt has called the typhoon the worst natural disaster in South Korea in many years...\nThe gigantic natural harbour of Poole is a haven for boats.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=artificial, man-made\n=>  natu.ral.ly\nNitrates are chemicals that occur naturally in water and the soil...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj\n\n7. If someone dies of or from natural causes, they die because they are ill or old rather than because of an accident or violence.\nAccording to the Home Office, your brother died of natural causes...\n  PHRASE: usu prep PHR


Words: natural childbirth
Meaning:
natu.ral child.birth\n   natural childbirth\n  If a woman gives birth by natural childbirth, she is not given any drugs to relieve her pain or to send her to sleep.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: natural gas
Meaning:
natu.ral gas\n   natural gas\n  Natural gas is gas which is found underground or under the sea. It is collected and stored, and piped into people’s homes to be used for cooking and heating.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: natural history
Meaning:
natu.ral his.to.ry\n   natural history\n  Natural history is the study of animals and plants and other living things.\nSchools regularly bring children to the beach for natural history lessons.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N n


Words: natural resources
Meaning:
natu.ral re.sources\n   natural resources\n  Natural resources are all the land, forests, energy sources and minerals existing naturally in a place that can be used by people.\nAngola was a country rich in natural resources...\n  N-PLURAL


Words: natural selection
Meaning:
natu.ral se.lec.tion\n   natural selection\n  Natural selection is a process by which species of animals and plants that are best adapted to their environment survive and reproduce, while those that are less well adapted die out.\nNatural selection ensures only the fittest survive to pass their genes on to the next generation.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: natural wastage
Meaning:
natu.ral wast.age\n   natural wastage\n  Natural wastage is the process of employees leaving their jobs because they want to retire or move to other jobs, rather than because their employer makes them leave. (mainly BRIT BUSINESS; in AM, usually use attrition)\nThe company hopes the job cuts will be made through natural wastage and voluntary redundancy.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: naturalism
Meaning:
natu.ral.ism\n   naturalism\n  Naturalism is a theory in art and literature which states that people and things should be shown in a realistic way.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: naturalist
Meaning:
natu.ral.ist\n   naturalist  naturalists\n  A naturalist is a person who studies plants, animals, insects, and other living things.\n  N-COUNT


Words: naturalistic
Meaning:
natu.ral.is.tic\n   naturalistic\n1. Naturalistic art or writing tries to show people and things in a realistic way.\nThese drawings are among his most naturalistic.\n  ADJ\n\n2. Naturalistic means resembling something that exists or occurs in nature.\nFurther research is needed under rather more naturalistic conditions.\n  ADJ


Words: naturalize
Meaning:
natu.ral.ize\n   naturalize  naturalizes  naturalizing  naturalized\nin BRIT, also use naturalise\n1. To naturalize a species of plant means to start it growing in an area where it is not usually found. If a plant naturalizes in an area where it was not found before, it starts to grow there naturally.\nA friend sent me a root from Mexico, and I hope to naturalize it...\nThe plant naturalises well in grass.\n  VERB: V n, V\n\n2. If the government of a country naturalizes someone, they allow a person who was not born in that country to become a citizen of it.\nNo one expects the Baltic states to naturalise young Russian soldiers, but army pensioners can be given citizenship.\n  VERB: V n\n\n  see also naturalized\n=>  natu.rali.za.tion\nThey swore their allegiance to the USA and received their naturalization papers.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: naturalized
Meaning:
natu.ral.ized\n   naturalized\nin BRIT, also use naturalised\n  A naturalized citizen of a particular country is someone who has legally become a citizen of that country, although they were not born there.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: naturally
Meaning:
natu.ral.ly\n   naturally\n1. You use naturally to indicate that you think something is very obvious and not at all surprising in the circumstances.\nWhen things go wrong, all of us naturally feel disappointed and frustrated...\nNaturally these comings and goings excited some curiosity...\nHe had been stunned and, naturally, deeply upset...\n  ADV: ADV before v, ADV with cl, ADV adj\n\n2. If one thing develops naturally from another, it develops as a normal consequence or result of it.\nA study of yoga leads naturally to meditation.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n  = logically\n3. You can use naturally to talk about a characteristic of someone’s personality when it is the way that they normally act.\nHe has a lively sense of humour and appears naturally confident.\n  ADV: ADV adj\n\n4. If someone is naturally good at something, they learn it easily and quickly and do it very well.\nSome individuals are naturally good communicators.\n  ADV: ADV adj\n\n5. If something comes naturally to you, you find it easy to do and quickly become good at it.\nWith football, it was just something that came naturally to me.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR to n


Words: nature
Meaning:
na.ture\n   nature  natures\n1. Nature is all the animals, plants, and other things in the world that are not made by people, and all the events and processes that are not caused by people.\n...grasses that grow wild in nature.\n...the ecological balance of nature.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  see also Mother Nature\n2. The nature of something is its basic quality or character.\nMr Sharp would not comment on the nature of the issues being investigated.\n...the ambitious nature of the programme...\nThe rise of a major power is both economic and military in nature.\n  N-SING: with supp, oft n N, also by/in N\n\n3. Someone’s nature is their character, which they show by the way they behave.\nJeya feels that her ambitious nature made her unsuitable for an arranged marriage...\nShe trusted people. That was her nature...\nHe was by nature affectionate.\n  N-SING: with poss, also by N\n\n  see also human nature\n4. If you want to get back to nature, you want to return to a simpler way of living.\nShe was very anxious to get away from cities and back to nature.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v\n\n5. If you say that something has a particular characteristic by its nature or by its very nature, you mean that things of that type always have that characteristic.\nPeacekeeping, by its nature, makes pre-planning difficult...\nOne could argue that smoking, by its very nature, is addictive.\n  PHRASE: N inflects, PHR with cl\n\n6. Some people talk about a call of nature when referring politely to the need to go to the toilet.\nI’m afraid I have to answer a call of nature.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v  politeness\n\n7. If you say that something is in the nature of things, you mean that you would expect it to happen in the circumstances mentioned.\nMany have already died, and in the nature of things many more will die.\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl\n\n8. If you say that one thing is in the nature of another, you mean that it is like the other thing.\nIt was in the nature of a debate rather than an argument.\n  PHRASE: PHR n, usu v-link PHR\n\n9. If a way of behaving is second nature to you, you do it almost without thinking because it is easy for you or obvious to you.\nPlanning ahead had always come as second nature to her...\nIt’s not easy at first, but it soon becomes second nature.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR to n


Words: nature study
Meaning:
na.ture study\n   nature study\n  Nature study is the study of animals and plants by looking at them directly, for example when it is taught to young children.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nature trail
Meaning:
na.ture trail\n   nature trail  nature trails\n  A nature trail is a route through an area of countryside which has signs drawing attention to interesting animals, plants, or rocks.\n  N-COUNT


Words: naturism
Meaning:
na.tur.ism\n   naturism\n  Naturism is the same as nudism. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  na.tur.ist      naturists\n...a naturist beach.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n


Words: naughty
Meaning:
naugh.ty\n   naughty  naughtier  naughtiest\n1. If you say that a child is naughty, you mean that they behave badly or do not do what they are told.\nGirls, you’re being very naughty...\nYou naughty boy, you gave me such a fright.\n  ADJ\n  = bad  !=good\n2. You can describe books, pictures, or words, as naughty when they are slightly rude or related to sex.\nYou know what little boys are like with naughty words.\n...saucy TV shows, crammed full of naughty innuendo.\n  ADJ


Words: nausea
Meaning:
nau.sea\n   nausea\n  Nausea is the condition of feeling sick and the feeling that you are going to vomit.\nI was overcome with a feeling of nausea.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nauseate
Meaning:
nau.seate\n   nauseate  nauseates  nauseating  nauseated\n  If something nauseates you, it makes you feel as if you are going to vomit.\nThe smell of frying nauseated her...\nShe could not eat anything without feeling nauseated.\n  VERB: V n, V-ed


Words: nauseating
Meaning:
nau.seat.ing\n   nauseating\n  If you describe someone’s attitude or their behaviour as nauseating, you mean that you find it extremely unpleasant and feel disgusted by it.\nThe judge described the offences as nauseating and unspeakable...\nFor them to attack the Liberals for racism is nauseating hypocrisy.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = sickening


Words: nauseous
Meaning:
nau.seous\n   nauseous\n  If you feel nauseous, you feel as if you want to vomit.\nIf the patient is poorly nourished, the drugs make them feel nauseous...\nA nauseous wave of pain broke over her.\n  ADJ


Words: nautical
Meaning:
nau.ti.cal\n   nautical\n  Nautical means relating to ships and sailing.\n...a nautical chart of the region you sail.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: nautical mile
Meaning:
nau.ti.cal mile\n   nautical mile  nautical miles\n  A nautical mile is a unit of measurement used at sea. It is equal to 1852 metres.\n  N-COUNT


Words: naval
Meaning:
na.val\n   naval\n  Naval means belonging to, relating to, or involving a country’s navy.\nHe was the senior serving naval officer.\n...the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: nave
Meaning:
nave  naves\n  The nave of a church is the long central part where people gather to worship.\n  N-COUNT


Words: navel
Meaning:
na.vel\n   navel  navels\n  Your navel is the small hollow just below your waist at the front of your body.\n  N-COUNT


Words: navel-gazing
Meaning:
navel-gazing\n  If you refer to an activity as navel-gazing, you are critical of it because people are thinking about something for a long time but take no action on it.\nShe dismisses the reform process as an exercise in collective navel gazing.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: navigable
Meaning:
navi.gable\n   navigable\n  A navigable river is wide and deep enough for a boat to travel along safely. (FORMAL)\n...the navigable portion of the Nile.\n  ADJ


Words: navigate
Meaning:
navi.gate\n   navigate  navigates  navigating  navigated\n1. When someone navigates a ship or an aircraft somewhere, they decide which course to follow and steer it there. You can also say that a ship or an aircraft navigates somewhere.\nCaptain Cook safely navigated his ship without accident for 100 voyages...\nThe purpose of the visit was to navigate into an ice-filled fiord.\n...the new navigation system which will enable aircraft to navigate with total pinpoint accuracy.\n  VERB: V n, V prep/adv, V\n\n=>  navi.ga.tion      navigations\nThe expedition was wrecked by bad planning and poor navigation.\n...the boat’s navigation system.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. When a ship or boat navigates an area of water, it sails on or across it.\n...a lock system to allow sea-going craft to navigate the upper reaches of the river...\nSuch boats can navigate on the Nile.\n  VERB: V n, V prep\n  = sail\n3. When someone in a car navigates, they decide what roads the car should be driven along in order to get somewhere.\nWhen travelling on fast roads at night it is impossible to drive and navigate at the same time.\n...the relief at successfully navigating across the Golden Gate Bridge to arrive here...\nThey had just navigated their way through Maidstone on their way to the coast.\n  VERB: V, V prep/adv, V way prep, also V n\n\n4. When fish, animals, or insects navigate somewhere, they find the right direction to go and travel there.\nIn tests, the bees navigate back home after being placed in a field a mile away.\n  VERB: V adv/prep, also V\n\n5. If you navigate an obstacle, you move carefully in order to avoid hitting the obstacle or hurting yourself.\nHe was not able to walk without a cane and could only navigate steps backwards...\nIn the corridors he let her navigate her own way round the trolleys and other obstacles...\nIf guests wished to use the sofa, they had first to navigate around chairs in the middle of the room.\n  VERB: V n, V way prep, V prep/adv\n  = negotiate


Words: navigation
Meaning:
navi.ga.tion\n   navigation\n  You can refer to the movement of ships as navigation.\nPack ice around Iceland was becoming a threat to navigation.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n  see also navigate


Words: navigational
Meaning:
navi.ga.tion.al\n   navigational\n  Navigational means relating to the act of navigating a ship or an aircraft.\nThe crash was a direct result of inadequate navigational aids.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: navigator
Meaning:
navi.ga.tor\n   navigator  navigators\n  The navigator on an aircraft or ship is the person whose job is to work out the direction in which the aircraft or ship should be travelling.\nHe became an RAF navigator during the war.\n  N-COUNT


Words: navvy
Meaning:
nav.vy\n   navvy  navvies\n  A navvy is a person who is employed to do hard physical work, for example building roads or canals. (BRIT OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT


Words: navy
Meaning:
navy  navies\n1. A country’s navy consists of the people it employs to fight at sea, and the ships they use.\nHer own son was also in the Navy.\n...a United States navy ship.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N\n\n2. Something that is navy or navy-blue is very dark blue.\nI mostly wore black or navy trousers.\n...a navy-blue blazer.\n  COLOUR


Words: nay
Meaning:
nay\n1. You use nay in front of a stronger word or phrase which you feel is more correct than the one you have just used and helps to emphasize the point you are making. (FORMAL)\nLong essays, nay, whole books have been written on this.\n  ADV: ADV with cl/group  emphasis\n  = indeed\n2. Nay is sometimes used to mean `no’ when talking about people voting against something or refusing to give consent for something.\nThe House of Commons can merely say yea or nay to the executive judgment.\n  CONVENTION\n\n3. Nay is an old-fashioned, literary, or dialect word for `no’.\n  CONVENTION  formulae


Words: Nazi
Meaning:
Nazi  Nazis\n1. The Nazis were members of the right-wing political party, led by Adolf Hitler, which held power in Germany from 1933 to 1945.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. You use Nazi to say that something relates to the Nazis.\n...the rise of the Nazi Party.\n...the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands.\n  ADJ


Words: Nazism
Meaning:
Na.zism\n   Nazism\n  Nazism was the political ideas and activities of the German Nazi Party.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: NB
Meaning:
NB\n  You write NB to draw someone’s attention to what you are about to say or write.\nNB The opinions stated in this essay do not necessarily represent those of the Church of God Missionary Society.


Words: NCO
Meaning:
NCO  NCOs\n  An NCO is a soldier who has a fairly low rank such as sergeant or corporal. NCO is an abbreviation for `non-commissioned officer’.\nFood for the ordinary Soviet troops and NCOs was very poor.\n  N-COUNT


Words: neanderthal
Meaning:
ne.an.der.thal\n   neanderthal   neanderthals\n1. Neanderthal people lived in Europe between 35,000 and 70,000 years ago.\nNeanderthal man was able to kill woolly mammoths and bears.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  You can refer to people from the Neanderthal period as Neanderthals.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n2. If you describe people’s, especially men’s, ideas or ways of behaving as Neanderthal, you disapprove of them because they are very old-fashioned and uncivilized.\nLet us deal with the question of his notoriously Neanderthal attitude to women.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  disapproval\n\n3. If you call a man a neanderthal, you disapprove of him because you think he behaves in a very uncivilized way.\n...drunken neanderthals.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: near
Meaning:
near  nearer  nearest  nears  nearing  neared\n1. If something is near a place, thing, or person, it is a short distance from them.\nDon’t come near me...\nHer children went back every year to stay in a farmhouse near the cottage...\nHe drew his chair nearer the fire...\nSome of the houses nearest the bridge were on fire.\n  PREP\n\n  Near is also an adverb.\nHe crouched as near to the door as he could...\nShe took a step nearer to the barrier...\nAs we drew near, I saw that the boot lid was up.\n  ADV: ADV after v, be ADV, oft ADV to n\n\n  Near is also an adjective.\nHe collapsed into the nearest chair...\nWhere’s the nearest telephone?...\nThe nearer of the two barges was perhaps a mile away.\n  ADJ: ADJ n, the ADJ of n\n\n=>  near.ness\nHe was suddenly aware of his nearness.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with poss\n\n2. If someone or something is near to a particular state, they have almost reached it.\nAfter the war, The House of Hardie came near to bankruptcy...\nThe repairs to the Hafner machine were near to completion...\nApart from anything else, he comes near to contradicting himself.\n  PREP-PHRASE: PREP n/-ing\n  = close\n  Near means the same as near to.\nHe was near tears...\nWe are no nearer agreement now than in the past.\n  PREP\n\n3. If something is similar to something else, you can say that it is near to it.\n...a sickening sensation that was near to nausea.\n  PREP-PHRASE\n\n  Near means the same as near to.\nOften her feelings were nearer hatred than love.\n  PREP\n\n4. You describe the thing most similar to something as the nearest thing to it when there is no example of the thing itself.\nIt would appear that the legal profession is the nearest thing to a recession-proof industry...\n  ADJ: the ADJ n to n, the ADJ to n\n\n5. If a time or event draws near, it will happen soon. (WRITTEN)\nThe time for my departure from Japan was drawing nearer every day.\n  ADV: ADV after v, be ADV\n\n6. If something happens near a particular time, it happens just before or just after that time.\nPerformance is lowest between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m, and reaches a peak near midday...\nI’ll tell you nearer the day.\n  PREP\n\n7. You use near to say that something is a little more or less than an amount or number stated.\n...to increase manufacturing from about 2.5 million cars a year to nearer 4.75 million...\n  PREP\n\n8. You can say that someone will not go near a person or thing when you are emphasizing that they refuse to see them or go there.\nHe will absolutely not go near a hospital...\nI’m so annoyed with her that I haven’t been near her for a week.\n  PREP: with brd-neg  emphasis\n\n9. The near one of two things is the one that is closer.\n...a mighty beech tree on the near side of the little clearing...\nJane put one foot in the near stirrup and turned to look at the stranger.\n  ADJ: det ADJ n\n  !=far\n10. You use near to indicate that something is almost the thing mentioned.\nShe was believed to have died in near poverty on the French Riviera.\n...the 48-year-old who was brought in to rescue the bank from near collapse.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  Near is also an adverb.\n...his near fatal accident two years ago...\n  ADV: ADV adj\n\n11. In a contest, your nearest rival or challenger is the person or team that is most likely to defeat you.\nThat victory put the Ukrainians beyond the reach of their nearest challengers, Dynamo Moscow.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n12. When you near a place, you get quite near to it. (LITERARY)\nAs he neared the stable, he slowed the horse and patted it on the neck...\n  VERB: no passive, V n\n\n13. When someone or something nears a particular stage or point, they will soon reach that stage or point.\nHis age was hard to guess.he must have been nearing fifty...\nThe project is taking a long time but is now nearing completion.\n  VERB: no passive, V n, V n\n  = approach\n14. You say that an important time or event nears when it is going to occur quite soon. (LITERARY)\nAs half time neared, Hardyman almost scored twice...\n  VERB: V\n  = approach\n(next)


Words: near .1
Meaning:
15. People sometimes refer to their close relatives and friends as their nearest and dearest.\n...that English convention of not showing your feelings, even to your nearest and dearest.\n  PHRASE\n  = kith and kin\n16. You use near and far to indicate that you are referring to a very large area or distance.\nPeople would gather from near and far...\n  PHRASE\n\n17. If you say that something will happen in the near future, you mean that it will happen quite soon.\nThe controversy regarding vitamin C is unlikely to be resolved in the near future.\n  PHRASE\n\n18. You use nowhere near and not anywhere near to emphasize that something is not the case.\nThey are nowhere near good enough...\nIt was nowhere near as painful as David had expected...\n  PHRASE: usu PHR adj, PHR n  emphasis


Words: near miss
Meaning:
near miss  near misses   also near-miss\n1. You can say that there is a near miss when something is nearly hit by another thing, for example by a vehicle or a bomb.\nDetails have been given of a near miss between two airliners over southern England earlier this week...\nWe’ve had a few near misses in the raids, as I expect you’ve noticed.\n  N-COUNT\n  = narrow escape\n2. A near miss is an attempt to do something which fails by a very small amount.\n...Milan’s successful defence of the European Cup and near-miss in the Italian championship last season.\n  N-COUNT


Words: near-death experience
Meaning:
near-death ex.peri.ence\n   near-death experience  near-death experiences\n  A near-death experience is a strange experience that some people who have nearly died say they had when they were unconscious.\n  N-COUNT


Words: near-sighted
Meaning:
near-sighted   also nearsighted\n  Someone who is near-sighted cannot see distant things clearly. (AM; also BRIT OLD-FASHIONED)\nThe girl squinted at the photograph. She seemed to be nearsighted.\n  ADJ\n  = short-sighted  !=long-sighted


Words: nearby
Meaning:
near.by\n   nearby   also near by, near-by\n  If something is nearby, it is only a short distance away.\nHe might easily have been seen by someone who lived nearby...\nThere is less expensive accommodation nearby...\nThere were one or two suspicious looks from nearby.\n  ADV: ADV after v, n ADV, from ADV\n\n  Nearby is also an adjective.\nAt a nearby table a man was complaining in a loud voice...\n...the nearby village of Crowthorne.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=distant


Words: nearly
Meaning:
near.ly\n   nearly\n1. Nearly is used to indicate that something is not quite the case, or not completely the case.\nGoldsworth stared at me in silence for nearly twenty seconds...\nHunter knew nearly all of this already...\nSeveral times Thorne nearly fell...\nI nearly had a heart attack when she told me...\nThe beach was nearly empty...\nThey nearly always ate outside.\n  ADV: ADV group, ADV before v\n  = almost, practically\n2. Nearly is used to indicate that something will soon be the case.\nIt was already nearly eight o’clock...\nI was nearly asleep...\nThe voyage is nearly over...\nYou’re nearly there...\nI’ve nearly finished the words for your song.\n  ADV: ADV group, ADV before v\n  = almost\n3. You use not nearly to emphasize that something is not the case.\nFather’s flat in Paris wasn’t nearly as grand as this...\nMinerals in general are not nearly so well absorbed as other nutrients...\nBritish car workers did not earn nearly enough money to buy the products they were turning out.\n  PHRASE: PHR adj/adv, PHR n  emphasis\n  = nowhere near


Words: nearly new
Meaning:
near.ly new\n   nearly new\n  Nearly new items are items for sale that have belonged to another person but have not been used much and are still in very good condition. A nearly new shop sells nearly new items.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: nearside
Meaning:
near.side\n   nearside\n1. The nearside wheels, lights, or doors of a vehicle are those nearest the edge of the road when the vehicle is being driven on the correct side of the road. In Britain, the nearside is on the left. (BRIT)\nThe nearside front tyre had been slashed.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=offside\n2. The nearside of a vehicle is the side that is nearest the edge of the road when the vehicle is being driven on the correct side of the road. (BRIT)\nIt hit the kerb on the nearside and seemed to ricochet across the road on two wheels.\n  N-SING: the N\n  !=offside


Words: neat
Meaning:
neat  neater  neatest\n1. A neat place, thing, or person is tidy and smart, and has everything in the correct place.\nShe undressed and put her wet clothes in a neat pile in the corner.\n...a girl in a neat grey flannel suit...\nEverything was neat and tidy and gleamingly clean.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  neat.ly\nHe folded his paper neatly and sipped his coffee...\nAt the door was a neatly dressed, dignified man.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n  = tidily\n=>  neat.ness\nThe grounds were a perfect balance between neatness and natural wildness.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = tidiness\n2. Someone who is neat keeps their home or possessions tidy, with everything in the correct place.\n`That’s not like Alf,’ he said, `leaving papers muddled like that. He’s always so neat.’\n  ADJ\n  = tidy  !=untidy\n=>  neat.ly\nHe had maybe a thousand tapes, all neatly labelled and catalogued.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n  = tidily\n=>  neat.ness\n...a paragon of neatness, efficiency and reliability.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = tidiness\n3. A neat object, part of the body, or shape is quite small and has a smooth outline.\n...a faded woman with neat features.\n...neat handwriting.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  neat.ly\nShe was a small woman, slender and neatly made.\n  ADV: ADV -ed\n\n4. A neat movement or action is done accurately and skilfully, with no unnecessary movements.\nA neat move between Black and Keane left Nigel Clough in the clear, but his shot skimmed wide of the far post.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=clumsy\n=>  neat.ly\nHe watched her peel and dissect a pear neatly, no mess, no sticky fingers.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n  !=clumsily\n5. A neat way of organizing, achieving, explaining, or expressing something is clever and convenient.\nIt had been such a neat, clever plan...\nNeat solutions are not easily found to these issues...\n  ADJ\n  = nice\n=>  neat.ly\nReal people do not fit neatly into these categories...\n  ADV: ADV with v\n  = nicely\n=>  neat.ness\nHe knew full well he had been outflanked, and he appreciated the neatness of it.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n6. If you say that something is neat , you mean that it is very good. (AM INFORMAL)\n`Oh, those new apartments are really neat,’ the girl babbled on...\nIt’ll be neat to have a father and son playing on the same team...\n  ADJ  approval\n  = great, cool\n7. When someone drinks strong alcohol neat, they do not add a weaker liquid such as water to it. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use straight)\nHe poured himself a brandy and swallowed it neat...\nHe took a mouthful of neat whisky, and coughed.\n  ADJ: v n ADJ, ADJ n


Words: nebula
Meaning:
nebu.la\n   nebula  nebulae\n  A nebula is a cloud of dust and gas in space. New stars are produced from nebulae.\n  N-COUNT: oft in names


Words: nebulous
Meaning:
nebu.lous\n   nebulous\n  If you describe something as nebulous, you mean that it is vague and not clearly defined or not easy to describe.\nThe notions we children were able to form of the great world beyond were exceedingly nebulous...\nMusic is such a nebulous thing.\n  ADJ\n  = vague


Words: necessarily
Meaning:
nec.es.sari.ly\n   necessarily\n1. If you say that something is not necessarily the case, you mean that it may not be the case or is not always the case.\nAnger is not necessarily the most useful or acceptable reaction to such events...\nA higher fee does not necessarily mean a better course.\n  ADV: with neg, ADV group, ADV before v  vagueness\n\n  If you reply `Not necessarily’, you mean that what has just been said or suggested may not be true.\n`He was lying, of course.’.`Not necessarily.’\n  CONVENTION\n\n2. If you say that something necessarily happens or is the case, you mean that it has to happen or be the case and cannot be any different.\nThe most desirable properties necessarily command astonishingly high prices...\nTourism is an industry that has a necessarily close connection with governments.\n  ADV: ADV before v, ADV group\n  = inevitably


Words: necessary
Meaning:
nec.es.sary\n   necessary\n1. Something that is necessary is needed in order for something else to happen.\nI kept the engine running because it might be necessary to leave fast...\nWe will do whatever is necessary to stop them...\nIs that really necessary?...\nMake the necessary arrangements.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf\n  !=unnecessary\n2. A necessary consequence or connection must happen or exist, because of the nature of the things or events involved.\nWastage was no doubt a necessary consequence of war...\nScientific work is differentiated from art by its necessary connection with the idea of progress.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. If you say that something will happen if necessary, when necessary, or where necessary, you mean that it will happen if it is necessary, when it is necessary, or where it is necessary.\nIf necessary, the airship can stay up there for days to keep out of danger...\nThe army needs men who are willing to fight, when necessary...\nAll the rigging had been examined, and renewed where necessary.\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl


Words: necessitate
Meaning:
ne.ces.si.tate\n   necessitate  necessitates  necessitating  necessitated\n  If something necessitates an event, action, or situation, it makes it necessary. (FORMAL)\nA prolonged drought had necessitated the introduction of water rationing...\n  VERB: V n/-ing\n  = require


Words: necessity
Meaning:
ne.ces.sity\n   necessity  necessities\n1. The necessity of something is the fact that it must happen or exist.\nThere is agreement on the necessity of reforms...\nMost women, like men, work from economic necessity...\nSome people have to lead stressful lifestyles out of necessity.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp\n\n  If you say that something is of necessity the case, you mean that it is the case because nothing else is possible or practical in the circumstances.\nNegotiations between the enemies are of necessity indirect.\n  PHRASE: usu PHR before v, PHR n/adj/adv\n\n2. A necessity is something that you must have in order to live properly or do something.\nWater is a basic necessity of life.\n...food, fuel and other daily necessities.\n  N-COUNT\n  = essential  !=luxury\n3. A situation or action that is a necessity is necessary and cannot be avoided.\nThe President pleaded that strong rule from the centre was a regrettable, but temporary necessity.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: neck
Meaning:
neck  necks  necking  necked\n1. Your neck is the part of your body which joins your head to the rest of your body.\nShe threw her arms round his neck and hugged him warmly...\nHe was short and stocky, and had a thick neck.\n  N-COUNT: usu poss N\n\n2. The neck of an article of clothing such as a shirt, dress, or sweater is the part which surrounds your neck.\n...the low, ruffled neck of her blouse...\nHe wore a blue shirt open at the neck.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n\n3. The neck of something such as a bottle or a guitar is the long narrow part at one end of it.\nCatherine gripped the broken neck of the bottle.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N of n\n\n4. If two people are necking, they are kissing each other in a sexual way. (INFORMAL)\nThey sat talking and necking in the car for another ten minutes...\nI found myself behind a curtain, necking with my best friend’s wife.\n  V-RECIP: usu cont, pl-n V, V with n, also V n (non-recip)\n  = snog\n5. If you say that someone is breathing down your neck, you mean that they are watching you very closely and checking everything you do.\nMost farmers have bank managers breathing down their necks.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect\n\n6. In a competition, especially an election, if two or more competitors are neck and neck, they are level with each other and have an equal chance of winning.\nThe latest polls indicate that the two main parties are neck and neck...\nThe party is running neck-and-neck with Labour.\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR, oft PHR with n\n\n7. If you say that someone is risking their neck, you mean they are doing something very dangerous, often in order to achieve something.\nI won’t have him risking his neck on that motorcycle.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect\n\n8. If you stick your neck out, you bravely say or do something that might be criticized or might turn out to be wrong. (INFORMAL)\nDuring my political life I’ve earned myself a reputation as someone who’ll stick his neck out, a bit of a rebel.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect\n\n9. If you say that someone is in some sort of trouble or criminal activity up to their neck, you mean that they are deeply involved in it. (INFORMAL)\nHe is probably up to his neck in debt.\n  PHRASE: N inflects\n\n10. Someone or something that is from your neck of the woods is from the same part of the country as you are. (INFORMAL)\nIt’s so good to see you. What brings you to this neck of the woods?\n  PHRASE: usu in PHR\n\n11.\nto have a millstone round your neck: see millstone\nthe scruff of your neck: see scruff


Words: neckerchief
Meaning:
neck.er.chief\n   neckerchief   neckerchiefs\n  A neckerchief is a piece of cloth which is folded to form a triangle and worn round your neck.\n  N-COUNT


Words: necklace
Meaning:
neck.lace\n   necklace  necklaces\n  A necklace is a piece of jewellery such as a chain or a string of beads which someone, usually a woman, wears round their neck.\n...a diamond necklace and matching earrings.\n  N-COUNT


Words: neckline
Meaning:
neck.line\n   neckline  necklines\n  The neckline of a dress, blouse, or other piece of clothing is the edge that goes around your neck, especially the front part of it.\n...a dress with pale pink roses around the neckline.\n  N-COUNT: oft supp N\n  = neck


Words: necktie
Meaning:
neck.tie\n   necktie  neckties\n  A necktie is a narrow piece of cloth that someone, usually a man, puts under his shirt collar and ties so that the ends hang down in front.\n  N-COUNT\n  = tie


Words: necromancy
Meaning:
nec.ro.man.cy\n   necromancy\n  Necromancy is magic that some people believe brings a dead person back to this world so that you can talk to them. (FORMAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: necrophilia
Meaning:
nec.ro.philia\n   necrophilia\n  Necrophilia is the act of having sexual intercourse with a dead body, or the desire to do this.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: necropolis
Meaning:
ne.cropo.lis\n   necropolis  necropolises\n  A necropolis is a place where dead people are buried. (FORMAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: necrosis
Meaning:
ne.cro.sis\n   necrosis\n  Necrosis is the death of part of someone’s body, for example because it is not getting enough blood. (MEDICAL)\n...liver necrosis.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu supp N


Words: nectar
Meaning:
nec.tar\n   nectar  nectars\n  Nectar is a sweet liquid produced by flowers, which bees and other insects collect.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl


Words: nectarine
Meaning:
nec.tar.ine\n   nectarine  nectarines\n  A nectarine is a round, juicy fruit which is similar to a peach but has a smooth skin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nee
Meaning:
nee   also nee\n  You use nee after a married woman’s name and before you mention the surname she had before she got married. (FORMAL)\n...Lady Helen Taylor (nee Windsor).\n\n  = born


Words: need
Meaning:
need  needs  needing  needed\nNeed sometimes behaves like an ordinary verb, for example `She needs to know’ and `She doesn’t need to know’ and sometimes like a modal, for example `She need know’, `She needn’t know’, or, in more formal English, `She need not know.’\n1. If you need something, or need to do something, you cannot successfully achieve what you want or live properly without it.\nHe desperately needed money...\nI need to make a phone call...\nI need you to do something for me...\nI need you here, Wally...\nI need you sane and sober.\n  VERB: no cont, V n, V to-inf, V n to-inf, V n adv/prep, V n adj\n\n  Need is also a noun.\nCharles has never felt the need to compete with anyone.\n...the child who never had his need for attention and importance satisfied.\n...the special nutritional needs of the elderly.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N to-inf, N for n\n\n2. If an object or place needs something doing to it, that action should be done to improve the object or place. If a task needs doing, it should be done to improve a particular situation.\nThe building needs quite a few repairs.\n...a garden that needs tidying...\nThe taste of vitamins is not too nice so the flavour sometimes needs to be disguised.\n  VERB: no cont, V n/-ing, V n/-ing, V to-inf\n\n3. If there is a need for something, that thing would improve a situation or something cannot happen without it.\nMr Forrest believes there is a need for other similar schools throughout Britain...\n`I think we should see a specialist.’.`I don’t think there’s any need for that.’...\nThere’s no need for you to stay.\n  N-SING: usu with supp, oft N for n, N to-inf\n\n4. If you say that someone needn’t do something, you are telling them not to do it, or advising or suggesting that they should not do it.\nLook, you needn’t shout...\nShe need not know I’m here.\n  MODAL: with neg\n\n  Need is also a verb.\nCome along, Mother, we don’t need to take up any more of Mr Kemp’s time.\n  VERB: no cont, with neg, V to-inf\n\n5. If you tell someone that they needn’t do something, or that something needn’t happen, you are telling them that that thing is not necessary, in order to make them feel better.\nYou needn’t worry...\nBuying budget-priced furniture needn’t mean compromising on quality or style...\nLoneliness can be horrible, but it need not remain that way...\n  MODAL: with brd-neg\n\n  Need is also a verb.\nHe replied, with a reassuring smile, `Oh, you don’t need to worry about them.’...\nYou don’t need to be a millionaire to consider having a bank account in Switzerland.\n  VERB: no cont, with neg, V to-inf, V to-inf\n\n6. You use needn’t when you are giving someone permission not to do something.\nYou needn’t come again, if you don’t want to...\n  MODAL: with neg\n\n  Need is also a verb.\nYou don’t need to wait for me...\n  VERB: no cont, V to-inf\n\n7. If something need not be true, it is not necessarily true or not always true. (FORMAL)\nWhat is right for us need not be right for others...\nFreedom need not mean independence.\n  MODAL: with neg\n\n8. If someone needn’t have done something, it was not necessary or useful for them to do it, although they did it.\nI was a little nervous when I announced my engagement to Grace, but I needn’t have worried...\nWe spent a hell of a lot of money that we needn’t have spent.\n  MODAL: with neg\n\n  If someone didn’t need to do something, they needn’t have done it.\nYou didn’t need to give me any more money you know, but thank you.\n  VERB: no cont, with neg, V to-inf\n\n9. You use need in expressions such as I need hardly say and I needn’t add to emphasize that the person you are talking to already knows what you are going to say.\nI needn’t add that if you fail to do as I ask, you will suffer the consequences.\n  MODAL: oft with brd-neg  emphasis\n\n  Need is also a verb.\nI hardly need to say that I have never lost contact with him.\n  VERB: no cont, V to-inf\n\n(next)


Words: need .1
Meaning:
10. You can use need in expressions such as `Need I say more’ and `Need I go on’ when you want to avoid stating an obvious consequence of something you have just said.\nMid-fifties, short black hair, grey moustache, distinctive Russian accent. Need I go on?\n  MODAL\n\n11. People in need do not have enough of essential things such as money, food, or good health.\nThe education authorities have to provide for children in need...\nRemember that when both of you were in need, I was the one who loaned you money.\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR\n\n12. If you are in need of something, you need it or ought to have it.\nI was all right but in need of rest...\nHe was badly in need of a shave...\nThe house was in need of modernisation when they bought it.\n  PHRASE: PHR n\n\n13. If you say that you will do something, especially an extreme action, if need be, you mean that you will do if it is necessary. In British English, you can also say if needs be.\nThey will now seek permission to take their case to the House of Lords, and, if need be, to the European Court of Human Rights.\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl\n\n14. You can tell someone that there’s no need for them to do something as a way of telling them not to do it or of telling them to stop doing it, for example because it is unnecessary. (SPOKEN)\nThere’s no need to call a doctor...\n`I’m going to come with you.’.`Now look, Sue, there’s no need.’\n  PHRASE: oft PHR to-inf, PHR for n\n\n15. You can say `Who needs something?’ as a way of emphasizing that you think that this thing is unnecessary or not useful. (INFORMAL)\nWith apologies to my old history teacher, who needs history lessons?...\nCigarettes, who needs them?\n  PHRASE: PHR n


Words: needful
Meaning:
need.ful\n   needful\n  Needful means necessary. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nThe section of society most needful of such guidance is the young male.\n...stoppages for needful rest and recreation.\n  ADJ


Words: needle
Meaning:
nee.dle\n   needle  needles  needling  needled\n1. A needle is a small, very thin piece of polished metal which is used for sewing. It has a sharp point at one end and a hole in the other for a thread to go through.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Knitting needles are thin sticks that are used for knitting. They are usually made of plastic or metal and have a point at one end.\n  N-COUNT: usu supp N\n\n3. A needle is a thin hollow metal rod with a sharp point, which is part of a medical instrument called a syringe. It is used to put a drug into someone’s body, or to take blood out.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. A needle is a thin metal rod with a point which is put into a patient’s body during acupuncture.\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. On an instrument which measures something such as speed or weight, the needle is the long strip of metal or plastic on the dial that moves backwards and forwards, showing the measurement.\nShe kept looking at the dial on the boiler. The needle had reached 250 degrees.\n  N-COUNT\n\n6. The needles of a fir or pine tree are its thin, hard, pointed leaves.\nThe carpet of pine needles was soft underfoot.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n\n7. If someone needles you, they annoy you continually, especially by criticizing you.\nBlake could see he had needled Jerrold, which might be unwise.\n  VERB: V n\n\n8.\nlike looking for a needle in a haystack: see haystack\n  see also pins and needles


Words: needle exchange
Meaning:
nee.dle ex.change\n   needle exchange  needle exchanges   also needle-exchange\n  A needle exchange is a place where drug addicts are able to obtain new syringes in exchange for used ones.\n...needle exchange schemes.\n  N-COUNT


Words: needless
Meaning:
need.less\n   needless\n1. Something that is needless is completely unnecessary.\nBut his death was so needless...\n`I have never knowingly exposed any patient to needless risks,’ he said.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  need.less.ly\nHalf a million women die needlessly each year during childbirth...\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj\n\n2. You use needless to say when you want to emphasize that what you are about to say is obvious and to be expected in the circumstances.\nOur budgie got out of its cage while our cat was in the room. Needless to say, the cat moved quicker than me and caught it.\n  PHRASE: PHR with cl  emphasis\n  = of course


Words: needlework
Meaning:
needle.work\n   needlework\n1. Needlework is sewing or stitching that is done by hand.\nShe did beautiful needlework and she embroidered table napkins.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Needlework is the activity of sewing or stitching.\n...watching my mother and grandmothers doing needlework.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = sewing


Words: needy
Meaning:
needy  needier  neediest\n  Needy people do not have enough food, medicine, or clothing, or adequate houses.\n...a multinational force aimed at ensuring that food and medicine get to needy Somalis.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n  The needy are people who are needy.\nThere will be efforts to get larger amounts of food to the needy.\n  N-PLURAL: the N


Words: nefarious
Meaning:
ne.fari.ous\n   nefarious\n  If you describe an activity as nefarious, you mean that it is wicked and immoral. (LITERARY)\nWhy make a whole village prisoner if it was not to some nefarious purpose?\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: negate
Meaning:
ne.gate\n   negate  negates  negating  negated\n1. If one thing negates another, it causes that other thing to lose the effect or value that it had. (FORMAL)\nThese weaknesses negated his otherwise progressive attitude towards the staff.\n  VERB: V n\n  !=confirm\n2. If someone negates something, they say that it does not exist. (FORMAL)\nHe warned that to negate the results of elections would only make things worse.\n  VERB: V n\n  !=affirm


Words: negation
Meaning:
ne.ga.tion\n   negation\n1. The negation of something is its complete opposite or something which destroys it or makes it lose its effect. (FORMAL)\nUnintelligible legislation is the negation of the rule of law and of parliamentary democracy.\n  N-SING: N of n\n\n2. Negation is disagreement, refusal, or denial. (FORMAL)\nIrena shook her head, but in bewilderment, not negation.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  !=affirmation


Words: negative
Meaning:
nega.tive\n   negative  negatives\n1. A fact, situation, or experience that is negative is unpleasant, depressing, or harmful.\nThe news from overseas is overwhelmingly negative...\nAll this had an extremely negative effect on the criminal justice system.\n  ADJ\n  !=positive\n=>  nega.tive.ly\nThis will negatively affect the result over the first half of the year.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. If someone is negative or has a negative attitude, they consider only the bad aspects of a situation, rather than the good ones.\nWhen asked for your views about your current job, on no account must you be negative about it...\nWhy does the media present such a negative view of this splendid city?\n  ADJ\n  !=positive\n=>  nega.tive.ly\nA few weeks later he said that maybe he viewed all his relationships rather negatively.\n  ADV: usu ADV after v\n\n=>  nega.tiv.ity\nI loathe negativity. I can’t stand people who moan.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. A negative reply or decision indicates the answer `no’.\nDr Velayati gave a vague but negative response...\nUpon a negative decision, the applicant loses the protection offered by Belgian law...\n  ADJ\n  !=affirmative\n=>  nega.tive.ly\n60 percent of the sample answered negatively...\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n4. A negative is a word, expression, or gesture that means `no’ or `not’.\nIn the past we have heard only negatives when it came to following a healthy diet.\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. In grammar, a negative clause contains a word such as `not’, `never’, or `no-one’.\n  ADJ\n\n6. If a medical test or scientific test is negative, it shows no evidence of the medical condition or substance that you are looking for.\nSo far 57 have taken the test and all have been negative.\n...negative test results.\n  ADJ\n  !=positive\n7.\nHIV negative: see HIV\n8. In photography, a negative is an image that shows dark areas as light and light areas as dark. Negatives are made from a camera film, and are used to print photographs.\n  N-COUNT\n\n9. A negative charge or current has the same electrical charge as an electron.\nStimulate the site of greatest pain with a small negative current.\n  ADJ\n  !=positive\n=>  nega.tive.ly\nAs these electrons are negatively charged they will attempt to repel each other.\n  ADV: ADV -ed\n\n10. A negative number, quantity, or measurement is less than zero.\nThe weakest students can end up with a negative score.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = minus\n11. If an answer is in the negative, it is `no’ or means `no’.\nSeventy-nine voted in the affirmative, and none in the negative.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v


Words: negative equity
Meaning:
nega.tive equi.ty\n   negative equity\n  If someone who has borrowed money to buy a house or flat has negative equity, the amount of money they owe is greater than the present value of their home. (BRIT BUSINESS)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: neglect
Meaning:
ne.glect\n   neglect  neglects  neglecting  neglected\n1. If you neglect someone or something, you fail to look after them properly.\nThe woman denied that she had neglected her child...\nFeed plants and they grow, neglect them and they suffer.\n...an ancient and neglected church.\n  VERB: V n, V n, V-ed\n\n  Neglect is also a noun.\nThe town’s old quayside is collapsing after years of neglect...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If you neglect someone or something, you fail to give them the amount of attention that they deserve.\nHe’d given too much to his career, worked long hours, neglected her...\nIf you are not careful, children tend to neglect their homework.\n  VERB: V n, V n\n\n=>  ne.glect.ed\nThe fact that she is not coming today makes her grandmother feel lonely and neglected.\n... a neglected aspect of London’s forgotten history...\nThe journal she had begun lay neglected on her bedside table.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, ADJ n, ADJ after v\n  = forgotten\n3. If you neglect to do something that you ought to do or neglect your duty, you fail to do it.\nWe often neglect to make proper use of our bodies...\nThey never neglect their duties.\n  VERB: V to-inf, V n


Words: neglectful
Meaning:
ne.glect.ful\n   neglectful\n1. If you describe someone as neglectful, you think they fail to do everything they should do to look after someone or something properly.\n...neglectful parents.\n  ADJ\n  = negligent\n2. If someone is neglectful of something, they do not give it the attention or consideration that it should be given.\nHave I been neglectful of my friend, taking him for granted?\n  ADJ: oft v-link ADJ of n


Words: negligee
Meaning:
neg.li.gee\n   negligee  negligees   also negligee\n  A negligee is a very thin garment which a woman wears over her nightclothes.\n...a pink satin negligee.\n  N-COUNT


Words: negligence
Meaning:
neg.li.gence\n   negligence\n  If someone is guilty of negligence, they have failed to do something which they ought to do. (FORMAL)\nThe soldiers were ordered to appear before a disciplinary council on charges of negligence.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: negligent
Meaning:
neg.li.gent\n   negligent\n  If someone in a position of responsibility is negligent, they do not do something which they ought to do.\nThe jury determined that the airline was negligent in training and supervising the crew...\nThe Council had acted in a negligent manner.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  neg.li.gent.ly\nA manufacturer negligently made and marketed a car with defective brakes.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: negligible
Meaning:
neg.li.gible\n   negligible\n  An amount or effect that is negligible is so small that it is not worth considering or worrying about.\nThe pay that the soldiers received was negligible...\nSenior managers are convinced that the strike will have a negligible impact.\n  ADJ\n  = minimal  !=significant


Words: negotiable
Meaning:
ne.go.tiable\n   negotiable\n1. Something that is negotiable can be changed or agreed when people discuss it.\nHe warned that his economic programme for the country was not negotiable...\nThe Manor is for sale at a negotiable price.\n  ADJ\n  !=fixed\n2. Contracts or assets that are negotiable can be transferred to another person in exchange for money.\nThe bonds may no longer be negotiable.\n...negotiable bearer bonds.\n  ADJ


Words: negotiate
Meaning:
ne.go.ti.ate\n   negotiate  negotiates  negotiating  negotiated\n1. If people negotiate with each other or negotiate an agreement, they talk about a problem or a situation such as a business arrangement in order to solve the problem or complete the arrangement.\nIt is not clear whether the president is willing to negotiate with the democrats...\nWhen you have two adversaries negotiating, you need to be on neutral territory...\nThe local government and the army negotiated a truce...\nWestern governments have this week urged him to negotiate and avoid force...\nThe South African president has negotiated an end to white-minority rule...\nHis publishing house had just begun negotiating for her next books...\nThere were reports that three companies were negotiating to market the drug.\n  V-RECIP: V with n, pl-n V, pl-n V n, NON-RECIP: V, V n, V for n, V to-inf, also V n with n\n\n2. If you negotiate an area of land, a place, or an obstacle, you successfully travel across it or around it.\nFrank Mariano negotiates the desert terrain in his battered pickup...\nI negotiated my way out of the airport and joined the flow of cars.\n  VERB: V n, V way prep/adv\n  = navigate


Words: negotiating table
Meaning:
ne.go.ti.at.ing ta.ble\n   negotiating table\n  If you say that people are at the negotiating table, you mean that they are having discussions in order to settle a dispute or reach an agreement.\n`We want to settle all matters at the negotiating table,’ he said...\n  N-SING: usu the N


Words: negotiation
Meaning:
ne.go.tia.tion\n   negotiation  negotiations\n  Negotiations are formal discussions between people who have different aims or intentions, especially in business or politics, during which they try to reach an agreement.\nWe have had meaningful negotiations and I believe we are very close to a deal...\nAfter 10 years of negotiation, the Senate ratified the strategic arms reduction treaty.\n  N-VAR


Words: negotiator
Meaning:
ne.go.tia.tor\n   negotiator  negotiators\n  Negotiators are people who take part in political or financial negotiations.\n...the rebels’ chief negotiator at the peace talks...\nThe two American negotiators are calling for substantial cuts in external subsidies.\n  N-COUNT


Words: Negro
Meaning:
Ne.gro\n   Negro  Negroes\n  A Negro is someone with dark skin who comes from Africa or whose ancestors came from Africa. (OFFENSIVE, OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT


Words: neigh
Meaning:
neigh  neighs  neighing  neighed\n  When a horse neighs, it makes a loud sound with its mouth.\nThe mare neighed once more, turned and disappeared amongst the trees.\n  VERB: V\n  = whinny\n  Neigh is also a noun.\nThe horse gave a loud neigh.\n  N-COUNT\n  = whinny


Words: neighbour
Meaning:
neigh.bour\n   neighbour  neighbours\nin AM, use neighbor\n1. Your neighbour is someone who lives near you.\nI got chatting with my neighbour in the garden.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n\n2. You can refer to the person who is standing or sitting next to you as your neighbour.\nThe woman prodded her neighbour and whispered urgently in his ear.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n\n3. You can refer to something which stands next to something else of the same kind as its neighbour.\nEach house was packed close behind its neighbour.\n  N-COUNT: usu poss N


Words: neighbourhood
Meaning:
neigh.bour.hood\n   neighbourhood  neighbourhoods\nin AM, use neighborhood\n1. A neighbourhood is one of the parts of a town where people live.\nIt seemed like a good neighbourhood to raise my children.\n  N-COUNT\n  = area\n2. The neighbourhood of a place or person is the area or the people around them.\nHe was born and grew up in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn...\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. In the neighbourhood of a number means approximately that number.\nHe’s won in the neighbourhood of four million dollars...\n  PREP-PHRASE: PREP amount\n  = roughly, about\n4. A place in the neighbourhood of another place is near it.\n...the loss of woodlands in the neighbourhood of large towns.\n  PHRASE: PHR n


Words: neighbouring
Meaning:
neigh.bour.ing\n   neighbouring\nin AM, use neighboring\n  Neighbouring places or things are near other things of the same kind.\nRwanda is to hold talks with leaders of neighbouring countries next week.\n...the hotel’s boutique and neighboring shops.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: neighbourly
Meaning:
neigh.bour.ly\n   neighbourly\nin AM, use neighborly\n  If the people who live near you are neighbourly, they are friendly and helpful. If you live in a neighbourly place, it has a friendly atmosphere.\nThe noise would have provoked alarm and neighbourly concern...\nThe older people had stopped being neighbourly to each other.\n  ADJ


Words: neither
Meaning:
nei.ther\n   neither\n1. You use neither in front of the first of two or more words or expressions when you are linking two or more things which are not true or do not happen. The other thing is introduced by `nor’.\nProfessor Hisamatsu spoke neither English nor German...\nThe play is neither as funny nor as disturbing as Tabori thinks it is.\n  CONJ\n\n2. You use neither to refer to each of two things or people, when you are making a negative statement that includes both of them.\nAt first, neither man could speak.\n  DET\n\n  Neither is also a quantifier.\nNeither of us felt like going out.\n  QUANT-NEG\n\n  Neither is also a pronoun.\nThey both smiled; neither seemed likely to be aware of my absence for long.\n  PRON\n\n3. If you say that one person or thing does not do something and neither does another, what you say is true of all the people or things that you are mentioning.\nI never learned to swim and neither did they...\nBritain does not agree and neither do Denmark, Portugal and Ireland.\n  CONJ\n  = nor\n4. You use neither after a negative statement to emphasize that you are introducing another negative statement. (FORMAL)\nI can’t ever recall Dad hugging me. Neither did I sit on his knee.\n  CONJ\n  = nor\n5. If you say that something is neither here nor there, you mean that it does not matter because it is not a relevant point.\n`I’d never heard of her before I came here.’.`That is neither here nor there.’\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR


Words: nemesis
Meaning:
nem.esis\n   nemesis\n  The nemesis of a person or thing is a situation, event, or person which causes them to be seriously harmed, especially as a punishment.\nYet the imminent crisis in its balance of payments may be the President’s nemesis.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft with poss


Words: neo-
Meaning:
neo-\n  Neo- is used with nouns to form adjectives and nouns that refer to modern versions of styles and political groups that existed in the past.\n...10ft high neo-Victorian gates...\nThe neo-Socialists were a small right wing group.\n  PREFIX


Words: neo-Nazi
Meaning:
neo-Nazi  neo-Nazis\n  Neo-Nazis are people who admire Adolf Hitler and the beliefs of the right-wing party which he led in Germany from 1933 to 1945.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n


Words: neoclassical
Meaning:
neo.clas.si.cal\n   neoclassical   also neo-classical\n  Neoclassical architecture or art is from the late 18th century and uses designs from Roman and Greek architecture and art.\nThe building was erected between 1798 and 1802 in the neoclassical style of the time.\n  ADJ


Words: Neolithic
Meaning:
Neo.lith.ic\n  also neolithic\n  Neolithic is used to describe things relating to the period when people had started farming but still used stone for making weapons and tools.\n...neolithic culture.\n...the monument was Stone Age or Neolithic.\n  ADJ


Words: neologism
Meaning:
ne.olo.gism\n   neologism  neologisms\n  A neologism is a new word or expression in a language, or a new meaning for an existing word or expression. (TECHNICAL)\nThe newspaper used the neologism `dinks’, Double Income No Kids.\n  N-COUNT


Words: neon
Meaning:
neon\n1. Neon lights or signs are made from glass tubes filled with neon gas which produce a bright electric light.\nIn the city squares the neon lights flashed in turn.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = fluorescent\n2. Neon is a gas which occurs in very small amounts in the atmosphere.\n...inert gases like neon and argon.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: neonatal
Meaning:
neo.na.tal\n   neonatal\n  Neonatal means relating to the first few days of life of a new born baby.\n...the neonatal intensive care unit.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: neophyte
Meaning:
neo.phyte\n   neophyte  neophytes\n  A neophyte is someone who is new to a particular activity. (FORMAL)\n...the self-proclaimed political neophyte Ross Perot.\n  N-COUNT\n  = novice


Words: nephew
Meaning:
neph.ew\n   nephew  nephews\n  Someone’s nephew is the son of their sister or brother.\nI am planning a 25th birthday party for my nephew.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N


Words: nepotism
Meaning:
nepo.tism\n   nepotism\n  Nepotism is the unfair use of power in order to get jobs or other benefits for your family or friends.\nMany will regard his appointment as the kind of nepotism British banking ought to avoid.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval


Words: nerd
Meaning:
nerd  nerds\n  If you say that someone is a nerd, you mean that they are stupid or ridiculous, especially because they wear unfashionable clothes or show too much interest in computers or science. (INFORMAL, OFFENSIVE)\nMark claimed he was made to look a nerd.\n...the notion that users of the Internet are all sad computer nerds.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: nerdy
Meaning:
nerdy  nerdier  nerdiest\n  If you describe someone as nerdy, you think that they are a nerd or look like a nerd. (INFORMAL)\n...nerdy types who never exercise.\n...the Prince’s nerdy hairstyle.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: nerve
Meaning:
nerve  nerves\n1. Nerves are long thin fibres that transmit messages between your brain and other parts of your body.\n...spinal nerves.\n...in cases where the nerve fibres are severed.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you refer to someone’s nerves, you mean their ability to cope with problems such as stress, worry, and danger.\nJill’s nerves are stretched to breaking point...\nI can be very patient, and then I can burst if my nerves are worn out.\n  N-PLURAL: usu poss N\n\n3. You can refer to someone’s feelings of anxiety or tension as nerves.\nI just played badly. It wasn’t nerves.\n  N-PLURAL\n  = nervousness\n4. Nerve is the courage that you need in order to do something difficult or dangerous.\nThe brandy made him choke, but it restored his nerve...\nHe never got up enough nerve to meet me.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = courage\n5. If someone or something gets on your nerves, they annoy or irritate you. (INFORMAL)\nLately he’s not done a bloody thing and it’s getting on my nerves.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n6. If you say that someone has a nerve or has the nerve to do something, you are criticizing them for doing something which you feel they had no right to do. (INFORMAL)\nThey’ve got a nerve, complaining about our behaviour...\nHe had the nerve to ask me to prove who I was.\n  PHRASE: V inflects  disapproval\n\n7. If you hold your nerve or keep your nerve, you remain calm and determined in a difficult situation.\nHe held his nerve to beat Andre Agassi in a five-set thriller on Court One...\nWe need to keep our nerve now.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n  = keep your cool\n8. If you lose your nerve, you suddenly panic and become too afraid to do something that you were about to do.\nThe bomber had lost his nerve and fled.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n9. If you say that you have touched a nerve or touched a raw nerve, you mean that you have accidentally upset someone by talking about something that they feel strongly about or are very sensitive about.\nAlistair saw Henry shrink, as if the words had touched a nerve...\nThe mere mention of John had touched a very raw nerve indeed.\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: nerve agent
Meaning:
nerve agent  nerve agents\n  A nerve agent is a chemical weapon that affects people’s nervous systems.\n  N-MASS


Words: nerve centre
Meaning:
nerve cen.tre\n   nerve centre  nerve centres\nin AM, use nerve center\n  The nerve centre of an organization is the place from where its activities are controlled and where its leaders meet.\nMy office is the nerve centre of the operation.\n  N-COUNT: usu with poss


Words: nerve ending
Meaning:
nerve end.ing\n   nerve ending  nerve endings\n  Your nerve endings are the millions of points on the surface of your body and inside it which send messages to your brain when you feel sensations such as heat, cold, and pain.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: nerve-racking
Meaning:
nerve-racking   also nerve-wracking\n  A nerve-racking situation or experience makes you feel very tense and worried.\nThe women and children spent a nerve-racking day outside waiting while fighting continued around them...\nIt was more nerve-wracking than taking a World Cup penalty.\n  ADJ


Words: nervous
Meaning:
nerv.ous\n   nervous\n1. If someone is nervous, they are frightened or worried about something that is happening or might happen, and show this in their behaviour.\nThe party has become deeply nervous about its prospects of winning the next election...\nShe described Mr Hutchinson as nervous and jumpy after his wife’s disappearance.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ about/of n\n  = anxious\n=>  nerv.ous.ly\nBrunhilde stood up nervously as the men came into the room...\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n=>  nerv.ous.ness\nI smiled warmly so he wouldn’t see my nervousness.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A nervous person is very tense and easily upset.\nShe was apparently a very nervous woman, and that affected her career.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n3. A nervous illness or condition is one that affects your emotions and your mental state.\nThe number of nervous disorders was rising in the region...\nHe developed nervous problems after people began repeatedly correcting him.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: nervous breakdown
Meaning:
nerv.ous break.down\n   nervous breakdown  nervous breakdowns\n  If someone has a nervous breakdown, they become extremely depressed and cannot cope with their normal life.\nHis wife would not be able to cope and might suffer a nervous breakdown.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nervous system
Meaning:
nerv.ous sys.tem\n   nervous system  nervous systems\n  Your nervous system consists of all the nerves in your body together with your brain and spinal cord.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nervous wreck
Meaning:
nerv.ous wreck\n   nervous wreck  nervous wrecks\n  If you say that someone is a nervous wreck, you mean that they are extremely nervous or worried about something.\nShe was a nervous wreck, crying when anyone asked her about her experience.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nervy
Meaning:
nervy\n1. If someone is nervy, their behaviour shows that they are very tense or anxious, or they are the type of person who is easily upset. (mainly BRIT)\nAlan was irritable, and very evidently in a nervy state.\n  ADJ\n  = jumpy\n2. If you say that someone is nervy, you mean that their behaviour is bold or daring. (AM)\nJohn liked him because he was a nervy guy and would go out and shoot anybody who John wanted him to shoot.\n  ADJ


Words: nest
Meaning:
nest  nests  nesting  nested\n1. A bird’s nest is the home that it makes to lay its eggs in.\nI can see an eagle’s nest on the rocks.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n\n2. When a bird nests somewhere, it builds a nest and settles there to lay its eggs.\nSome species may nest in close proximity to each other.\n...nesting sites.\n  VERB: V, V-ing\n\n3. A nest is a home that a group of insects or other creatures make in order to live in and give birth to their young in.\nSome solitary bees make their nests in burrows in the soil.\n...a rat’s nest.\n  N-COUNT: usu poss N\n\n4.\n  see also crow’s nest, love nest\n5. When children fly the nest, they leave their parents’ home to live on their own.\nWhen their children had flown the nest, he and his wife moved to a thatched cottage in Dorset.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n  = leave home\n6.\na hornet’s nest: see hornet


Words: nest egg
Meaning:
nest egg  nest eggs   also nest-egg\n  A nest egg is a sum of money that you are saving for a particular purpose. (INFORMAL)\nThey have a little nest egg tucked away somewhere for a rainy day.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: nestle
Meaning:
nes.tle\n   nestle  nestles  nestling  nestled\n1. If you nestle or are nestled somewhere, you move into a comfortable position, usually by pressing against someone or against something soft.\nJohn took one child into the crook of each arm and let them nestle against him...\nJade nestled her first child in her arms.\n  VERB: V prep, V n prep\n  = snuggle\n2. If something such as a building nestles somewhere or if it is nestled somewhere, it is in that place and seems safe or sheltered.\nNearby, nestling in the hills, was the children’s home...\nShe nestled the eggs safely in the straw in Jim’s basket.\n  VERB: V prep, V n prep


Words: nestling
Meaning:
nest.ling\n   nestling  nestlings\n  A nestling is a young bird that has not yet learned to fly.\n  N-COUNT\n  = fledgling


Words: net
Meaning:
NOUN AND VERB USES\n   net  nets  netting  netted\n1. Net is a kind of cloth that you can see through. It is made of very fine threads woven together so that there are small equal spaces between them.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A net is a piece of netting which is used as a protective covering for something, for example to protect vegetables from birds.\nI threw aside my mosquito net and jumped out of bed.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. A net is a piece of netting which is used for catching fish, insects, or animals.\nSeveral fishermen sat on wooden barrels, tending their nets.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. The Net is the same as the Internet.\n  N-SING: the N\n\n5. If you net a fish or other animal, you catch it in a net.\nI’m quite happy to net a fish and then let it go...\n  VERB: V n\n  = land\n6. In games such as tennis, the net is the piece of netting across the centre of the court which the ball has to go over.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N in sing\n\n7. The net on a football or hockey field is the framework with netting over it which is attached to the back of the goal.\nHe let the ball slip through his grasp and into the net.\n  N-COUNT: usu the N in sing\n  = goal\n8. In basketball, the net is the netting which hangs from the metal hoop. You score goals by throwing the ball through the hoop and netting.\n  N-COUNT\n\n9. If you net something, you manage to get it, especially by using skill.\nThey took to the water intent on netting the .250,000 reward offered for conclusive proof of the monster’s existence.\n  VERB: V n\n\n10. If you net a particular amount of money, you gain it as profit after all expenses have been paid.\nLast year he netted a cool 3 million pounds by selling his holdings...\n  VERB: V n\n  = make\n11.\n  see also netting, safety net\n12. If you cast your net wider, you look for or consider a greater variety of things.\nThe security forces are casting their net wider.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect\n\n13. If criminals slip through the net, they avoid being caught by the system or trap that was meant to catch them.\nOfficials fear some of the thugs identified by British police may have slipped through the net.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n14. You use slip through the net or fall through the net to describe a situation where people are not properly cared for by the system that is intended to help them.\nThe existence of more than one agency with power to intervene can lead to children falling through the net.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\nADJECTIVE AND ADVERB USES\n   net\nin BRIT, also use nett\n1. A net amount is one which remains when everything that should be subtracted from it has been subtracted.\n...a rise in sales and net profit...\nAt the year end, net assets were .18 million...\nWhat you actually receive is net of deductions for the airfare and administration.\n  ADJ: ADJ n, v-link ADJ of n\n  !=gross\n  Net is also an adverb.\nBalances of .5,000 and above will earn 11 per cent gross, 8.25 per cent net...\nAll bank and building society interest is paid net.\n  ADV: amount ADV, ADV after v\n\n2. The net weight of something is its weight without its container or the material that has been used to wrap it.\n...350 mg net weight.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. A net result is a final result after all the details have been considered or included.\nWe have a net gain of nearly 50 seats, the biggest for any party in Scotland...\nWe will be a net exporter of motor cars in just a few years’ time.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = overall


Words: net curtain
Meaning:
net cur.tain\n   net curtain  net curtains\n  Net curtains are curtains made of thin cloth that people hang across their windows to stop people outside seeing into their houses in the daytime. (BRIT; in AM, use sheers)\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: netball
Meaning:
net.ball\n   netball\n  In Britain and some other countries, netball is a game played by two teams of seven players, usually women. Each team tries to score goals by throwing a ball through a net on the top of a pole at each end of the court.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nethead
Meaning:
net.head\n   nethead  netheads\n  If you call someone a nethead, you mean that they spend a lot of time using the Internet. (INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: nether
Meaning:
neth.er\n   nether\n  Nether means the lower part of a thing or place. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nHe was escorted back to the nether regions of Main Street.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: netherworld
Meaning:
nether.world\n   netherworld   also nether world\n  If you refer to a place as a netherworld, you mean that it is dangerous and full of poor people and criminals.\nWaits sang about the boozy netherworld of urban America.\n  N-SING: usu with supp


Words: netiquette
Meaning:
neti.quette\n   netiquette\n  Netiquette is the set of rules and customs that it is considered polite to follow when you are communicating by means of e-mail or the Internet.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: netsurfing
Meaning:
net.surf.ing\n   netsurfing\n  Netsurfing is the activity of looking at different sites on the Internet, especially when you are not looking for anything in particular. (COMPUTING)\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  net.surfer      netsurfers\nSeen from a netsurfer’s screen, there are plenty of stores to `visit’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: netting
Meaning:
net.ting\n   netting\n  Netting is a kind of material made of pieces of thread or metal wires. These are woven together so that there are equal spaces between them.\n...mosquito netting.\n...wire netting.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft supp N


Words: nettle
Meaning:
net.tle\n   nettle  nettles  nettling  nettled\n1. Nettles are wild plants which have leaves covered with fine hairs that sting you when you touch them.\nThe nettles stung their legs.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you are nettled by something, you are annoyed or offended by it.\nHe was nettled by her manner...\nIt was the suggestion that he might alter course to win an election that really nettled him.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n


Words: network
Meaning:
net.work\n   network  networks  networking  networked\n1. A network of lines, roads, veins, or other long thin things is a large number of them which cross each other or meet at many points.\n...Strasbourg, with its rambling network of medieval streets...\nThe uterus is supplied with a rich network of blood vessels and nerves.\n  N-COUNT: usu N of n\n\n2. A network of people or institutions is a large number of them that have a connection with each other and work together as a system.\nDistribution of the food is going ahead using a network of local church people and other volunteers...\nHe is keen to point out the benefits which the family network can provide.\n  N-COUNT: usu supp N, N of n\n\n  see also old-boy network\n3. A particular network is a system of things which are connected and which operate together. For example, a computer network consists of a number of computers that are part of the same system.\n...a computer network with 154 terminals...\nHuge sections of the rail network are out of action.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N\n\n  see also neural network\n4. A radio or television network is a company or group of companies that broadcasts radio or television programmes throughout an area.\nAn American network says it has obtained the recordings.\n  N-COUNT: usu supp N\n\n5. When a television or radio programme is networked, it is broadcast at the same time by several different television companies.\nLumsdon would like to see his programme sold and networked...\nHe had once had his own networked chat show.\n  VERB: usu passive, be V-ed, V-ed\n\n6. If you network, you try to meet new people who might be useful to you in your job. (BUSINESS)\nIn business, it is important to network with as many people as possible on a face to face basis.\n  VERB: V with n, also V


Words: network card
Meaning:
net.work card\n   network card network cards  or network interface card\n  A network card or a network interface card is a card that connects a computer to a network. (COMPUTING)\n  N-COUNT


Words: networking
Meaning:
net.work.ing\n   networking\n1. Networking is the process of trying to meet new people who might be useful to you in your job, often through social activities. (BUSINESS)\nIf executives fail to exploit the opportunities of networking they risk being left behind.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. You can refer to the things associated with a computer system or the process of establishing such a system as networking.\nManagers have learned to grapple with networking, artificial intelligence, computer-aided engineering and manufacturing.\n...computer and networking equipment.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: neural
Meaning:
neu.ral\n   neural\n  Neural means relating to a nerve or to the nervous system. (MEDICAL)\n...neural pathways in the brain.\n  ADJ


Words: neural network
Meaning:
neu.ral net.work\n   neural network  neural networks\n  In computing, a neural network is a program or system which is modelled on the human brain and is designed to imitate the brain’s method of functioning, particularly the process of learning.\n  N-COUNT


Words: neuralgia
Meaning:
neu.ral.gia\n   neuralgia\n  Neuralgia is very severe pain along the whole length of a nerve caused when the nerve is damaged or not working properly. (MEDICAL)\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: neuro-
Meaning:
neuro-\n  Neuro- is used to form words that refer or relate to a nerve or the nervous system.\n...Karl Pribram, the well-known neuro-scientist.\n...disorders of the neuromuscular system.\n  PREFIX


Words: neurological
Meaning:
neu.ro.logi.cal\n   neurological\n  Neurological means related to the nervous system. (MEDICAL)\n...neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = nervous


Words: neurology
Meaning:
neu.rol.ogy\n   neurology\n  Neurology is the study of the structure, function, and diseases of the nervous system. (MEDICAL)\nHe trained in neurology at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  neu.rolo.gist      neurologists\n...Dr Simon Shorvon, consultant neurologist of the Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy.\n  N-COUNT


Words: neuron
Meaning:
neu.ron\n   neuron  neurons   also neurone\n  A neuron is a cell which is part of the nervous system. Neurons send messages to and from the brain. (TECHNICAL)\nInformation is transferred along each neuron by means of an electrical impulse.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  see also motor neurone disease


Words: neurosis
Meaning:
neu.ro.sis\n   neurosis  neuroses\n  Neurosis is a mental condition which causes people to have unreasonable fears and worries over a long period of time.\nHe was anxious to the point of neurosis...\nShe got a neurosis about chemicals and imagined them everywhere doing her harm.\n  N-VAR


Words: neurotic
Meaning:
neu.rot.ic\n   neurotic  neurotics\n  If you say that someone is neurotic, you mean that they are always frightened or worried about things that you consider unimportant.\nHe was almost neurotic about being followed...\n  ADJ  disapproval\n\n  A neurotic is someone who is neurotic.\nThese patients are not neurotics.\n  N-COUNT


Words: neuter
Meaning:
neu.ter\n   neuter  neuters  neutering  neutered\n1. When an animal is neutered, its reproductive organs are removed so that it cannot create babies.\nWe ask the public to have their dogs neutered and keep them under close supervision.\n  VERB: usu passive, have n V-ed\n\n2. To neuter an organization, group, or person means to make them powerless and ineffective. (mainly BRIT JOURNALISM)\n...the Government’s `hidden agenda’ to neuter local authorities...\nTheir air force had been neutered before the work began.\n  VERB: V n, be V-ed\n\n3. In some languages, a neuter noun, pronoun, or adjective has a different form from a masculine or feminine one, or behaves in a different way.\n  ADJ


Words: neutral
Meaning:
neu.tral\n   neutral  neutrals\n1. If a person or country adopts a neutral position or remains neutral, they do not support anyone in a disagreement, war, or contest.\nLet’s meet on neutral territory...\nThose who had decided to remain neutral in the struggle now found themselves required to take sides.\n  ADJ\n\n  A neutral is someone who is neutral.\nIt was a good game to watch for the neutrals.\n  N-COUNT\n\n=>  neu.tral.ity\n...a reputation for political neutrality and impartiality.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. If someone speaks in a neutral voice or if the expression on their face is neutral, they do not show what they are thinking or feeling.\nIsabel put her magazine down and said in a neutral voice, `You’re very late, darling.’...\nHe told her about the death, describing the events in as neutral a manner as he could.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  neu.tral.ity\nI noticed, behind the neutrality of his gaze, a deep weariness.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. If you say that something is neutral, you mean that it does not have any effect on other things because it lacks any significant qualities of its own, or it is an equal balance of two or more different qualities, amounts, or ideas.\nThree in every five interviewed felt that the Budget was neutral and they would be no better off...\n  ADJ\n\n4. Neutral is the position between the gears of a vehicle such as a car, in which the gears are not connected to the engine.\nGraham put the van in neutral and jumped out into the road.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft into/in N\n\n5. In an electrical device or system, the neutral wire is one of the three wires needed to complete the circuit so that the current can flow. The other two wires are called the earth wire and the live or positive wire.\n  ADJ\n\n6. Neutral is used to describe things that have a pale colour such as cream or grey, or that have no colour at all.\nAt the horizon the land mass becomes a continuous pale neutral grey...\n  COLOUR\n\n7. In chemistry, neutral is used to describe things that are neither acid nor alkaline.\nPure water is neutral with a pH of 7.\n  ADJ


Words: neutralize
Meaning:
neu.tral.ize\n   neutralize  neutralizes  neutralizing  neutralized\nin BRIT, also use neutralise\n1. To neutralize something means to prevent it from having any effect or from working properly.\nThe US is trying to neutralize the resolution in the UN Security Council...\nThe intruder smashed a window to get in and then neutralized the alarm system.\n  VERB: V n, V n\n\n=>  neu.trali.za.tion\n...the sale or neutralization of the suspected nuclear site.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n\n\n2. When a chemical substance neutralizes an acid, it makes it less acid.\nAntacids are alkaline and they relieve pain by neutralizing acid in the contents of the stomach.\n  VERB: V n


Words: neutron
Meaning:
neu.tron\n   neutron  neutrons\n  A neutron is an atomic particle that has no electrical charge.\nEach atomic cluster is made up of neutrons and protons.\n  N-COUNT


Words: neutron bomb
Meaning:
neu.tron bomb\n   neutron bomb  neutron bombs\n  A neutron bomb is a nuclear weapon that is designed to kill people and animals without a large explosion and without destroying buildings or causing serious radioactive pollution.\n  N-COUNT


Words: neutron star
Meaning:
neu.tron star\n   neutron star  neutron stars\n  A neutron star is a star that has collapsed under the weight of its own gravity.\n  N-COUNT


Words: never
Meaning:
nev.er\n   never\n1. Never means at no time in the past or at no time in the future.\nI have never lost the weight I put on in my teens...\nNever had he been so free of worry...\nThat was a mistake. We’ll never do it again...\nNever say that. Never, do you hear?...\nHe was never really healthy...\nThis is never to happen again.\n  ADV: ADV before v, ADV group/to-inf\n\n2. Never means `not in any circumstances at all’.\nI would never do anything to hurt him...\nEven if you are desperate to get married, never let it show...\nDivorce is never easy for children...\nThe golden rule is never to clean a valuable coin.\n  ADV: ADV before v, ADV group/to-inf\n\n3. Never ever is an emphatic way of saying `never’.\nI never, ever sit around thinking, `What shall I do next?’...\nHe’s vowed never ever to talk about anything personal in public, ever again.\n  PHRASE: PHR before v, be PHR group  emphasis\n\n4. Never is used to refer to the past and means `not’.\nHe never achieved anything...\nHe waited until all the luggage was cleared, but Paula’s never appeared...\nI never knew the lad...\nI’d never have dreamt of doing such a thing.\n  ADV\n\n5. You say `never!’ to indicate how surprised or shocked you are by something that someone has just said. (SPOKEN)\n  EXCLAM  feelings\n\n6. You say `Well, I never’ to indicate that you are very surprised about something that you have just seen or found out. (OLD-FASHIONED, SPOKEN)\n`What were you up to there?’.`I was head of the information department.’.`Well I never!’\n  EXCLAM  feelings\n\n7. If you say that something will never do or would never do, you are saying, often humorously, that you think it is not appropriate or not suitable in some way.\nIt would never do to have Henry there in her apartment...\nI don’t think it is an example of bad writing myself, otherwise I’d be agreeing with Leavis, and that would never do.\n  PHRASE: oft it PHR to-inf\n\n8.\nnever mind: see mind


Words: never-ending
Meaning:
never-ending\n  If you describe something bad or unpleasant as never-ending, you are emphasizing that it seems to last a very long time.\n...a never-ending series of scandals...\n  ADJ  emphasis\n  = interminable


Words: never-never land
Meaning:
never-never land\n  Never-never land is an imaginary place where everything is perfect and no-one has any problems. (INFORMAL)\nWe became suspended in some stately never-never land of pleasure, luxury and idleness.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also a N


Words: nevertheless
Meaning:
never.the.less\n   nevertheless\n  You use nevertheless when saying something that contrasts with what has just been said. (FORMAL)\nMost marriages fail after between five and nine years. Nevertheless, people continue to get married.\n  ADV: ADV with cl\n  = nonetheless


Words: new
Meaning:
new  newer  newest\n1. Something that is new has been recently created, built, or invented or is in the process of being created, built, or invented.\nThey’ve just opened a new hotel in the Stoke area...\nThe new invention ensures the beer keeps a full, frothy head.\n...the introduction of new drugs to suppress the immune system...\nTheir epic fight is the subject of a new film...\nThese ideas are nothing new in America.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  new.ness\nThe board acknowledges problems which arise from the newness of the approach.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Something that is new has not been used or owned by anyone.\nThat afternoon she went out and bought a new dress...\nThere are many boats, new and used, for sale...\nThey cost nine pounds new, three pounds secondhand.\n  ADJ\n\n3. You use new to describe something which has replaced another thing, for example because you no longer have the old one, or it no longer exists, or it is no longer useful.\nUnder the new rules, some factories will cut emissions by as much as 90 percent...\nI had been in my new job only a few days...\nI had to find somewhere new to live...\nRachel has a new boyfriend...\nThey told me I needed a new battery.\n  ADJ\n\n4. New is used to describe something that has only recently been discovered or noticed.\nThe new planet is about ten times the size of the earth.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n5. A new day or year is the beginning of the next day or year.\nThe start of a new year is a good time to reflect on the many achievements of the past...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n6. New is used to describe someone or something that has recently acquired a particular status or position.\n...the usual exhaustion of a new mother...\nThe Association gives a free handbook to all new members.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n7. If you are new to a situation or place, or if the situation or place is new to you, you have not previously seen it or had any experience of it.\nShe wasn’t new to the company...\nHis name was new to me then and it stayed in my mind...\nI’m new here and all I did was follow orders.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ to n\n\n8. New potatoes, carrots, or peas are produced early in the season for such vegetables and are usually small with a sweet flavour.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n9.\nas good as new: see good\nto turn over a new leaf: see leaf\na new lease of life: see lease\npastures new: see pasture\n  see also brand-new


Words: New Age
Meaning:
New Age\n  New Age is used to describe spiritual or non-scientific activities such as meditation, astrology, and alternative medicine, or people who are connected with such activities.\nShe was involved in many New Age activities such as yoga and healing.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: New Age traveller
Meaning:
New Age trav.el.ler\n   New Age traveller  New Age travellers\n  New Age travellers are people who live in tents and vehicles and travel from place to place, and who reject many of the values of modern society. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: new blood
Meaning:
new blood\n  If people talk about bringing new blood into an organization or sports team, they are referring to new people who are likely to improve the organization or team.\nThat’s what we need, some new blood in the team.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: new broom
Meaning:
new broom  new brooms\n  Someone who has just started a new job and who is expected to make a lot of changes can be referred to as a new broom. (JOURNALISM)\nThe company seemed set to make a fresh start under a new broom.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: new face
Meaning:
new face  new faces\n  Someone who is new in a particular public role can be referred to as a new face. (JOURNALISM)\nAll together there are six new faces in the cabinet.\n  N-COUNT


Words: new man
Meaning:
new man  new men\n  A new man is a man who has modern ideas about the relations between men and women, and believes that men should share the work of looking after the home and caring for the children. (mainly BRIT)\nSarah says I only change nappies when we have visitors. It is easy to be a new man in public; in private it’s hard work.\n  N-COUNT


Words: new moon
Meaning:
new moon  new moons\n  A new moon is the moon when it first appears as a thin curved shape at the start of its four-week cycle. The new moon is also the time of the month when the moon appears in this way.\n...the pale crescent of a new moon...\nThe new moon was the occasion of festivals of rejoicing in Egypt.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: New Testament
Meaning:
New Tes.ta.ment\n   New Testament\n  The New Testament is the part of the Bible that deals with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and with Christianity in the early Church.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: new town
Meaning:
new town  new towns\n  A new town is a town that has been planned and built as a single project, including houses, shops, and factories, rather than one that has developed gradually. (mainly BRIT)\n...Basildon New Town.\n  N-COUNT: oft in names


Words: new wave
Meaning:
new wave  new waves\n  In the arts or in politics, a new wave is a group or movement that deliberately introduces new or unconventional ideas instead of using traditional ones.\n...the new wave of satirical comedy...\n...New Wave music.\n  N-COUNT


Words: New World
Meaning:
New World\n  The New World is used to refer to the continents of North and South America.\n...the massive growth in imports of good wines from the New World and Australasia.\n  N-PROPER: the N


Words: New Year
Meaning:
New Year\n1. New Year or the New Year is the time when people celebrate the start of a year.\nHappy New Year, everyone...\nThe restaurant was closed over the New Year...\nHe returned home each year to celebrate Christmas and New Year with his family.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also the N\n\n2. The New Year is the first few weeks of a year.\nIsabel was expecting their baby in the New Year...\nThe oil shortages could lead the government to raise prices before the New Year.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: New Year’s Day
Meaning:
New Year’s Day\n  New Year’s Day is the first day of the year. In Western countries this is the 1st of January.\nOn New Year’s Day in 1974, I started keeping a journal.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: New Year’s Eve
Meaning:
New Year’s Eve\n  New Year’s Eve is the last day of the year, the day before New Year’s Day.\nOn New Year’s Eve I usually give a party, which is always chaotic.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: New Year’s resolution
Meaning:
New Year’s reso.lu.tion\n   New Year’s resolution  New Year’s resolutions   also New Year resolution\n  If you make a New Year’s resolution, you make a decision at the beginning of a year to start doing something or to stop doing something.\nShe made a New Year’s resolution to get fit.\n  N-COUNT


Words: New Zealander
Meaning:
New Zea.land.er\n   New Zealander  New Zealanders\n  A New Zealander is a citizen of New Zealand, or a person of New Zealand origin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: new-
Meaning:
new-\n  New- combines with the past participle of some verbs to form adjectives which indicate that an action has been done or completed very recently.\nHe loved the smell of new-mown grass...\nGerald treasures his new-won independence.\n  COMB in ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: new-fangled
Meaning:
new-fangled   also newfangled\n  If someone describes a new idea or a new piece of equipment as new-fangled, they mean that it is too complicated or is unnecessary. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nMr Goss does not believe in any of this `new-fangled nonsense’ about lean meat.\n...a newfangled tax structure.\n  ADJ: ADJ n  disapproval


Words: new-found
Meaning:
new-found   also newfound\n  A new-found quality or ability is one that you have got recently.\nJuliana was brimming over with new-found confidence...\nThe fall of the Ceausescu government brought newfound freedom to millions in Romania.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: newbie
Meaning:
new.bie\n   newbie newbies\n  A newbie is someone who is new to an activity, especially in computing or on the Internet.\nAll newbies are offered an individually tailored training and development programme.\n  N-COUNT


Words: newborn
Meaning:
new.born\n   newborn  newborns   also new-born, new born\n  A newborn baby or animal is one that has just been born.\nThis equipment has saved the lives of a number of new born children.\n...new born lambs.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n  The newborn are babies or animals who are newborn.\nMild jaundice in the newborn is common and often clears without treatment.\n  N-PLURAL: the N


Words: newcomer
Meaning:
new.comer\n   newcomer  newcomers\n  A newcomer is a person who has recently arrived in a place, joined an organization, or started a new activity.\nHe must be a newcomer to town and he obviously didn’t understand our local customs...\nThe candidates are both relative newcomers to politics.\n  N-COUNT


Words: newly
Meaning:
new.ly\n   newly\n  Newly is used before a past participle or an adjective to indicate that a particular action is very recent, or that a particular state of affairs has very recently begun to exist.\nShe was young at the time, and newly married.\n...the newly independent countries of Africa and Asia.\n  ADV: ADV -ed/adj\n  = recently


Words: newlywed
Meaning:
newly.wed\n   newlywed  newlyweds   also newly-wed\n  Newlyweds are a man and woman who have very recently got married to each other.\nLavalais raised his glass to propose a toast to the newlyweds.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: news
Meaning:
news\n1. News is information about a recently changed situation or a recent event.\nWe waited and waited for news of him...\nThey still haven’t had any news about when they’ll be able to go home...\nI wish I had better news for you...\nHe’s thrilled to bits at the news.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N prep\n\n2. News is information that is published in newspapers and broadcast on radio and television about recent events in the country or world or in a particular area of activity.\nForeign News is on Page 16...\nWe’ll also have the latest sports news...\nThe announcement was made at a news conference...\nThose are some of the top stories in the news.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also the N\n\n3. The news is a television or radio broadcast which consists of information about recent events in the country or the world.\nI heard all about the bombs on the news.\n...the six o’clock news.\n  N-SING: the N\n\n4. If you say that someone or something is news, you mean that they are considered to be interesting and important at the moment, and that people want to hear about them on the radio and television and in newspapers. (INFORMAL)\nA murder was big news...\nIf you are a celebrity, you are headline news.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu supp N\n\n5. If you say that something is bad news, you mean that it will cause you trouble or problems. If you say that something is good news, you mean that it will be useful or helpful to you.\nThe drop in travel is bad news for the airline industry...\nThis new attitude is good news to AIDS activists.\n  PHRASE: usu v-link PHR, usu PHR for/to n\n\n6. If you say that something is news to you, you mean that you did not previously know what you have just been told, especially when you are surprised or annoyed about it.\nI’d certainly tell you if I knew anything, but I don’t. What you’re saying is news to me.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n


Words: news agency
Meaning:
news agen.cy\n   news agency  news agencies\n  A news agency is an organization that gathers news stories from a particular country or from all over the world and supplies them to journalists.\nA correspondent for Reuters news agency says he saw a number of demonstrators being beaten.\n  N-COUNT


Words: news conference
Meaning:
news con.fer.ence\n   news conference  news conferences\n  A news conference is a meeting held by a famous or important person in which they answer journalists’ questions.\n  N-COUNT\n  = press conference


Words: news release
Meaning:
news re.lease\n   news release  news releases\n  A news release is a written statement about a matter of public interest which is given to the press by an organization concerned with the matter. (mainly AM; in BRIT, use press release)\nIn a news release, the company said it had experienced severe financial problems.\n  N-COUNT


Words: news-sheet
Meaning:
news-sheet  news-sheets\n  A news-sheet is a small newspaper that is usually printed and distributed in small quantities by a local political or social organization.\n  N-COUNT


Words: newsagent
Meaning:
news.agent\n   newsagent  newsagents\n1. A newsagent or a newsagent’s is a shop that sells newspapers and magazines, and things such as cigarettes and sweets. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT: oft the N\n\n2. A newsagent is a shopkeeper who sells newspapers and magazines, and things such as cigarettes and sweets. (BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: newscast
Meaning:
news.cast\n   newscast  newscasts\n  A newscast is a news programme that is broadcast on the radio or on television. (mainly AM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: newscaster
Meaning:
news.caster\n   newscaster  newscasters\n  A newscaster is a person who reads the news on the radio or on television.\n  N-COUNT\n  = newsreader


Words: newsflash
Meaning:
news.flash\n   newsflash  newsflashes   also news flash\n  A newsflash is an important item of news that television or radio companies broadcast as soon as they receive it, often interrupting other programmes to do so.\nWe interrupt our programmes for a newsflash.\n  N-COUNT


Words: newsgroup
Meaning:
news.group\n   newsgroup  newsgroups\n  A newsgroup is an Internet site where people can put information and opinions about a particular subject so they can be read by everyone who looks at the site.\n  N-COUNT


Words: newsletter
Meaning:
news.letter\n   newsletter  newsletters   also news letter\n  A newsletter is one or more printed sheets of paper containing information about an organization that is sent regularly to its members.\nThe organization now has around 18,000 members who receive a quarterly newsletter.\n  N-COUNT\n  = bulletin


Words: newsman
Meaning:
news.man\n   newsman  newsmen\n  A newsman is a journalist for a newspaper or for a television or radio news programme. (JOURNALISM)\n  N-COUNT


Words: newspaper
Meaning:
news.paper\n   newspaper  newspapers\n1. A newspaper is a publication consisting of a number of large sheets of folded paper, on which news, advertisements, and other information is printed.\nHe was carrying a newspaper...\nThey read their daughter’s allegations in the newspaper.\n...a Sunday newspaper feature about AIDS in America.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A newspaper is an organization that produces a newspaper.\nIt is Britain’s fastest growing national daily newspaper...\nAlexander Lazarus is a food critic for the newspaper.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. Newspaper consists of pieces of old newspapers, especially when they are being used for another purpose such as wrapping things up.\nHe found two pots, each wrapped in newspaper.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: newspaperman
Meaning:
news.paper.man\n   newspaperman  newspapermen\n  A newspaperman is a journalist, especially a man, who works for a newspaper. (JOURNALISM)\n  N-COUNT\n  = newsman


Words: newsprint
Meaning:
news.print\n   newsprint\n1. Newsprint is the cheap, fairly rough paper on which newspapers are printed.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. Newsprint is the text that is printed in newspapers.\n...the acres of newsprint devoted to celebrities’ personal lives.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n3. Newsprint is the ink which is used to print newspapers and magazines.\nThey get their hands covered in newsprint.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: newsreader
Meaning:
news.read.er\n   newsreader  newsreaders\n  A newsreader is a person who reads the news on the radio or on television. (BRIT; in AM, use newscaster)\n  N-COUNT


Words: newsreel
Meaning:
news.reel\n   newsreel  newsreels\n  A newsreel is a short film of national or international news events. In the past newsreels were made for showing in cinemas.\n  N-COUNT: oft N n


Words: newsroom
Meaning:
news.room\n   newsroom  newsrooms\n  A newsroom is an office in a newspaper, radio, or television organization where news reports are prepared before they are printed or broadcast.\n  N-COUNT


Words: newsstand
Meaning:
news.stand\n   newsstand  newsstands   also news-stand\n  A newsstand is a stall in the street or a public place, which sells newspapers and magazines.\nEight new national newspapers have appeared on the newsstands since 1981.\n  N-COUNT


Words: newsworthy
Meaning:
news.worthy\n   newsworthy\n  An event, fact, or person that is newsworthy, is considered to be interesting enough to be reported in newspapers or on the radio or television.\nThe number of deaths makes the story newsworthy...\n  ADJ


Words: newt
Meaning:
newt  newts\n  A newt is a small creature that has four legs and a long tail and can live on land and in water.\n  N-COUNT


Words: next
Meaning:
next\n1. The next period of time, event, person, or thing is the one that comes immediately after the present one or after the previous one.\nI got up early the next morning.\n...the next available flight...\nWho will be the next prime minister?...\nI want my next child born at home...\nMany senior citizens have very few visitors from one week to the next...\n  ORD\n\n2. You use next in expressions such as next Friday, next day and next year to refer, for example, to the first Friday, day, or year that comes after the present or previous one.\nLet’s plan a big night next week...\nHe retires next January...\nNext day the EU summit strengthened their ultimatum.\n  DET\n\n  Next is also an adjective.\nI shall be 26 years old on Friday next.\n  ADJ: n ADJ\n\n  Next is also a pronoun.\nHe predicted that the region’s economy would grow by about six per cent both this year and next.\n  PRON\n\n3. The next place or person is the one that is nearest to you or that is the first one that you come to.\nGrace sighed so heavily that Trish could hear it in the next room...\nThe man in the next chair was asleep...\nStop at the next corner. I’m getting out.\n  ADJ: det ADJ\n\n4. The thing that happens next is the thing that happens immediately after something else.\nNext, close your eyes then screw them up tight...\nI don’t know what to do next...\nThe news is next.\n  ADV: ADV with cl, ADV after v, be ADV\n\n5. When you next do something, you do it for the first time since you last did it.\nI next saw him at his house in Berkshire...\nWhen we next met, he was much more jovial.\n  ADV: ADV before v\n\n6. You use next to say that something has more of a particular quality than all other things except one. For example, the thing that is next best is the one that is the best except for one other thing.\nThe one thing he didn’t have was a son. I think he’s felt that a grandson is the next best thing...\nAt least three times more daffodils are grown than in Holland, the next largest grower.\n  ADV: ADV adj-superl\n  = second\n7. You use after next in expressions such as the week after next to refer to a period of time after the next one. For example, when it is May, the month after next is July.\n...the party’s annual conference, to be held in Bournemouth the week after next.\n  PHRASE: n PHR\n\n8. If you say that you do something or experience something as much as the next person, you mean that you are no different from anyone else in the respect mentioned.\nI’m as ambitious as the next man. I’d like to manage at the very highest level.\n  PHRASE: as group PHR  emphasis\n\n9. If one thing is next to another thing, it is at the other side of it.\nShe sat down next to him on the sofa.\n...at the southern end of the Gaza Strip next to the Egyptian border...\nThe car was parked in the small weedy lot next to the hotel.\n  PREP-PHRASE\n  = beside\n10. You use next to in order to give the most important aspect of something when comparing it with another aspect.\nHer children were the number two priority in her life next to her career...\n  PREP-PHRASE\n  = after\n11. You use next to before a negative, or a word that suggests something negative, to mean almost, but not completely.\nJohnson still knew next to nothing about tobacco...\nMost pre-prepared weight loss products are next to useless.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR, PHR nothing/adj\n  = virtually


Words: next door
Meaning:
next door\n\n  The adjective is also spelled next-door.\n\n1. If a room or building is next door, it is the next one to the right or left.\nI went next door to the bathroom...\nShe was next door at the time.\n...the old lady who lived next door...\nThe flat next door was empty.\n  ADV: ADV after v, be ADV, n ADV\n\n  Next door is also an adjective.\nShe wandered back into the next door room...\nThe wires trailed through other parts of the HQ into a next door building.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  If a room or building is next door to another one, it is the next one to the left or right.\nThe kitchen is right next door to the dining room.\n  PREP-PHRASE\n\n2. The people next door are the people who live in the house or flat to the right or left of yours.\nThe neighbors thought the family next door had moved.\n  ADV: n ADV\n\n  Next door is also an adjective.\nOur next door neighbour knocked on the door to say that our car had been stolen.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. If you refer to someone as the boy next door or the girl next door, you mean that they are pleasant and respectable but rather dull.\nShe was the girl-next-door type.\n  PHRASE


Words: next door’s
Meaning:
next door’s\n  You can use next door’s to indicate that something belongs to the person or people who live in the house to the right or left of your own.\n...next door’s dog.\n  DET


Words: next of kin
Meaning:
next of kin\n  Next of kin is sometimes used to refer to the person who is your closest relative, especially in official or legal documents. (FORMAL)\nWe have notified the next of kin.\n  N-UNCOUNT-COLL


Words: nexus
Meaning:
nex.us\n   nexus  nexus\n  A nexus is a connection or series of connections within a particular situation or system. (FORMAL)\n...the nexus between the dominant class and the State.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp


Words: NGO
Meaning:
NGO  NGOs\n  An NGO is an organization which is not run by the government. NGO is an abbreviation for `non-governmental organization’.\n  N-COUNT


Words: NHS
Meaning:
NHS\n  NHS is an abbreviation for National Health Service.\nThis vaccine is not normally provided free under the NHS...\n...NHS patients.\n  N-SING: the N, N n


Words: niacin
Meaning:
nia.cin\n   niacin\n  Niacin is a vitamin that occurs in milk, liver, yeast, and some other foods.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nib
Meaning:
nib  nibs\n  A nib is a pointed piece of metal at the end of some pens, which controls the flow of ink as you write.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nibble
Meaning:
nib.ble\n   nibble  nibbles  nibbling  nibbled\n1. If you nibble food, you eat it by biting very small pieces of it, for example because you are not very hungry.\nHe started to nibble his biscuit...\nShe nibbled at the corner of a piece of dry toast.\n  VERB: V n, V at/on n, also V\n\n  Nibble is also a noun.\nWe each took a nibble.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you nibble something, you bite it very gently.\nJohn found he was kissing and nibbling her ear...\nDaniel Winter nibbled on his pen.\n  VERB: V n, V on/at n\n\n3. When an animal nibbles something, it takes small bites of it quickly and repeatedly.\nA herd of goats was nibbling the turf around the base of the tower...\nThe birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork.\n  VERB: V n, V at/on n, also V\n\n  Nibble away means the same as nibble.\nThe rabbits nibbled away on the herbaceous plants.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P on/at n\n\n4. If one thing nibbles at another, it gradually affects, harms, or destroys it.\n...how best to compete with the overseas nations nibbling at our traditional markets...\n  VERB: V at n\n\n  Nibble away means the same as nibble.\nSeveral manufacturers are also nibbling away at Ford’s traditional customer base.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P at n\n\n5. Nibbles are small snacks such as biscuits, crisps, and nuts that are often offered to you at parties. (mainly BRIT)\n...crisps, nuts, and other nibbles.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: nicad
Meaning:
ni.cad\n  also ni-cad\n  A nicad battery is a battery made from a combination of nickel and cadmium.\n  ADJ


Words: nice
Meaning:
nice  nicer  nicest\n1. If you say that something is nice, you mean that you find it attractive, pleasant, or enjoyable.\nI think silk ties can be quite nice...\nIt’s nice to be here together again...\nWe had a nice meal with a bottle of champagne.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf\n\n=>  nice.ly\nHe’s just written a book, nicely illustrated and not too technical...\n  ADV: ADV after v, ADV -ed/adj\n\n2. If you say that it is nice of someone to say or do something, you are saying that they are being kind and thoughtful. This is often used as a way of thanking someone.\nIt’s awfully nice of you to come all this way to see me...\n`How are your boys?’.`How nice of you to ask.’...\n  ADJ: it v-link ADJ of n to-inf, v-link ADJ of n\n  = kind\n3. If you say that someone is nice, you mean that you like them because they are friendly and pleasant.\nHe was a nice fellow, very quiet and courteous.\n  ADJ\n  !=unpleasant\n=>  nice.ness\nMr Pearce was rather bowled over by his niceness, his concern and his ordinariness.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4. If you are nice to people, you are friendly, pleasant, or polite towards them.\nShe met Mr and Mrs Ricciardi, who were very nice to her.\n  ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ to n\n\n=>  nice.ly\nHe treated you very nicely and acted like a decent guy.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n5. When the weather is nice, it is warm and pleasant.\nHe nodded to us and said, `Nice weather we’re having.’\n  ADJ\n\n6. You can use nice to emphasize a particular quality that you like.\nWith a nice dark colour, the wine is medium to full bodied...\nAdd the oats to thicken the mixture and stir until it is nice and creamy...\n  ADJ: ADJ adj n, v-link ADJ and adj, ADJ and adv after v  emphasis\n\n7. A nice point or distinction is very clear, precise, and based on good reasoning. (FORMAL)\nThose are nice academic arguments, but what about the immediate future?\n  ADJ\n\n=>  nice.ly\nI think this puts the problem very nicely.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n8. You can use nice when you are greeting people. For example, you can say `Nice to meet you’, `Nice to have met you’, or `Nice to see you’.\nGood morning. Nice to meet you and thanks for being with us this weekend...\n`It’s so nice to see you,’ said Charles.\n  ADJ: it v-link ADJ to-inf  formulae\n\n9.\n  see also nicely


Words: nice-looking
Meaning:
nice-looking\n  Someone who is nice-looking is physically attractive.\nI saw this nice-looking man in a gray suit...\nWe got on very well and she was very nice-looking.\n  ADJ\n  = good-looking


Words: nicely
Meaning:
nice.ly\n   nicely\n1. If something is happening or working nicely, it is happening or working in a satisfactory way or in the way that you want it to.\nShe has a bit of private money, so they manage quite nicely...\nThe crowds had been soaked and were now nicely drying out.\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n  see also nice\n2. If someone or something is doing nicely, they are being successful.\n...another hotel owner who is doing very nicely.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, usu cont\n\n3. If you say that something will do nicely, you mean that it is good enough for the situation.\nA shirt and jersey and an ordinary pair of trousers will do nicely, thank you...\n  PHRASE: V inflects


Words: nicety
Meaning:
ni.cety\n   nicety  niceties\n  The niceties of a situation are its details, especially with regard to good manners or the appropriate behaviour for that situation.\nBy the end of term, girls will have learnt the niceties of dinner party conversation...\nHe wasted no time with social niceties.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, oft the N of n, adj N


Words: niche
Meaning:
niche  niches\n1. A niche in the market is a specific area of marketing which has its own particular requirements, customers, and products. (BUSINESS)\nI think we have found a niche in the toy market...\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n2. Niche marketing is the practice of dividing the market into specialized areas for which particular products are made. A niche market is one of these specialized areas. (BUSINESS)\nMany media experts see such all-news channels as part of a general move towards niche marketing...\nThe Japanese are able to supply niche markets because of their flexible production methods.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. A niche is a hollow area in a wall which has been made to hold a statue, or a natural hollow part in a hill or cliff.\nAbove him, in a niche on the wall, sat a tiny veiled Ganesh, the elephant god...\nThere was a niche in the rock where the path ended.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. Your niche is the job or activity which is exactly suitable for you.\nSimon Lane quickly found his niche as a busy freelance model maker.\n  N-COUNT: usu poss N


Words: nick
Meaning:
nick  nicks  nicking  nicked\n1. If someone nicks something, they steal it. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nHe smashed a window to get in and nicked a load of silver cups...\n  VERB: V n\n  = pinch\n2. If the police nick someone, they arrest them. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nThe police nicked me for carrying an offensive weapon...\nKeep quiet or we’ll all get nicked.\n  VERB: V n, get/be V-ed\n\n3. If you nick something or nick yourself, you accidentally make a small cut in the surface of the object or your skin.\nWhen I pulled out of the space, I nicked the rear bumper of the car in front of me...\nHe dropped a bottle in the kitchen and nicked himself on broken glass.\n  VERB: V n, V pron-refl\n\n4. A nick is a small cut made in the surface of something, usually in someone’s skin.\nThe barbed wire had left only the tiniest nick just below my right eye.\n  N-COUNT\n\n5. If you are nicked by someone, they cheat you, for example by charging you too much money. (AM INFORMAL)\nCollege students already are being nicked, but probably don’t realize it.\n  VERB: be V-ed\n  = rip off\n6. Nick is used in expressions such as `in good nick’ or `in bad nick’ to describe the physical condition of someone or something. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nHis ribs were damaged, but other than that he’s in good nick...\nTom’s house is actually in better nick than mine.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR\n\n7. If you say that something happens in the nick of time, you are emphasizing that it happens at the last possible moment.\nSeems we got here just in the nick of time...\n  PHRASE: usu PHR after v  emphasis\n  = just in time


Words: nickel
Meaning:
nick.el\n   nickel  nickels\n1. Nickel is a silver-coloured metal that is used in making steel.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. In the United States and Canada, a nickel is a coin worth five cents.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nickname
Meaning:
nick.name\n   nickname  nicknames  nicknaming  nicknamed\n1. A nickname is an informal name for someone or something.\nRed got his nickname for his red hair.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you nickname someone or something, you give them an informal name.\nWhen he got older I nicknamed him Little Alf...\nWhich newspaper was once nicknamed The Thunderer?\n  VERB: V n n, be V-ed n


Words: nicotine
Meaning:
nico.tine\n   nicotine\n  Nicotine is the substance in tobacco that people can become addicted to.\nNicotine marks stained his chin and fingers.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: niece
Meaning:
niece  nieces\n  Someone’s niece is the daughter of their sister or brother.\n...his niece from America, the daughter of his eldest sister.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N


Words: nifty
Meaning:
nif.ty\n   nifty  niftier  niftiest\n  If you describe something as nifty, you think it is neat and pleasing or cleverly done. (INFORMAL)\nBridgeport was a pretty nifty place...\nIt was a nifty arrangement, a perfect partnership.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  approval


Words: Nigerian
Meaning:
Ni.gerian\n   Nigerian  Nigerians\n1. Nigerian means belonging or relating to Nigeria, its people, or its culture.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A Nigerian is a Nigerian citizen, or a person of Nigerian origin.\n  N-COUNT


Words: niggardly
Meaning:
nig.gard.ly\n   niggardly\n  If you describe someone as niggardly, you are criticizing them because they do not give or provide much of something.\nOfficials say the EU, which is supposed to provide most of the food needs, is being particularly niggardly.\n...a niggardly supply of hot water.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  !=generous


Words: nigger
Meaning:
nig.ger\n   nigger  niggers\n  Nigger is an extremely offensive word for a black person. (VERY OFFENSIVE)\n  N-COUNT


Words: niggle
Meaning:
nig.gle\n   niggle  niggles  niggling  niggled\n1. If something niggles you, it causes you to worry slightly over a long period of time. (mainly BRIT)\nI realise now that the things which used to niggle and annoy me just don’t really matter...\nIt’s been niggling at my mind ever since I met Neville in Nice...\nThe puzzle niggled away in Arnold’s mind.\n  VERB: V n, V at n, V away, also V\n\n  Niggle is also a noun.\nSo why is there a little niggle at the back of my mind?\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If someone niggles you, they annoy you by continually criticizing you for what you think are small or unimportant things. (mainly BRIT)\nI don’t react anymore when opponents try to niggle me...\nYou tend to niggle at your partner, and get hurt when he doesn’t hug you.\n  VERB: V n, V at n, also V, V n that\n\n  Niggle is also a noun.\nThe life we have built together is more important than any minor niggle either of us might have.\n  N-COUNT


Words: niggling
Meaning:
nig.gling\n   niggling\n  A niggling injury or worry is small but bothers you over a long period of time.\nBoth players have been suffering from niggling injuries.\n...a niggling worry that the cheap car is also the one that will cause endless trouble.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: nigh
Meaning:
nigh\n1. If an event is nigh, it will happen very soon. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nThe end of the world may be nigh, but do we really care?...\n  ADV: be ADV\n\n  see also well-nigh\n2. Nigh on an amount, number, or age means almost that amount, number, or age. (OLD-FASHIONED)\nI had to pay nigh on forty pounds for it.\n  PHRASE: PHR amount\n  = nearly


Words: night
Meaning:
night  nights\n1. The night is the part of each day when the sun has set and it is dark outside, especially the time when people are sleeping.\nHe didn’t sleep a wink all night...\nThe fighting began in the late afternoon and continued all night...\nOur reporter spent the night crossing the border from Austria into Slovenia...\nFinally night fell.\n  N-VAR\n\n2. The night is the period of time between the end of the afternoon and the time that you go to bed, especially the time when you relax before going to bed.\nSo whose party was it last night?...\nDemiris took Catherine to dinner the following night.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. A particular night is a particular evening when a special event takes place, such as a show or a play.\nThe first night crowd packed the building.\n...election night.\n  N-COUNT: supp N\n\n4. If it is a particular time at night, it is during the time when it is dark and is before midnight.\nIt’s eleven o’clock at night in Moscow...\nHe works obsessively from 7.15 am to 9 or 10 at night.\n  PHRASE: num PHR\n\n5. If something happens at night, it happens regularly during the evening or night.\nHe was going to college at night, in order to become an accountant...\nThe veranda was equipped with heavy wooden rain doors that were kept closed at night.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v\n\n6. If something happens day and night or night and day, it happens all the time without stopping.\nDozens of doctors and nurses have been working day and night for weeks...\nHe was at my door night and day, demanding my attention.\n  PHRASE: usu PHR after v\n\n7. If you have an early night, you go to bed early. If you have a late night, you go to bed late.\nI’ve had a hell of a day, and all I want is an early night...\nIn spite of the travelling and the late night, she did not feel tired.\n  PHRASE: N inflects\n\n8.\nmorning, noon and night: see morning


Words: night light
Meaning:
night light  night lights\n  A night light is a light that is not bright and is kept on during the night, especially in a child’s room.\n  N-COUNT


Words: night owl
Meaning:
night owl  night owls\n  A night owl is someone who regularly stays up late at night, or who prefers to work at night. (INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT


Words: night porter
Meaning:
night por.ter\n   night porter  night porters\n  A night porter is a person whose job is to be on duty at the main reception desk of a hotel throughout the night. (mainly BRIT)\n  N-COUNT


Words: night school
Meaning:
night school  night schools\n  Someone who goes to night school does an educational course in the evenings.\nPeople can go out to work in the daylight hours and then come to night school in the evening.\n  N-VAR\n  = evening classes


Words: night stand
Meaning:
night stand  night stands\n  A night stand is a small table or cupboard that you have next to your bed. (AM; in BRIT, use bedside table)\n  N-COUNT


Words: night vision
Meaning:
night vi.sion\n   night vision\n  Night vision equipment enables people, for example soldiers or pilots, to see better at night.\n...night vision goggles.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N n


Words: night-time
Meaning:
night-time   also night time\n  Night-time is the period of time between when it gets dark and when the sun rises.\nThey wanted someone responsible to look after the place at night-time...\nA twelve hour night time curfew is in force.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n  = night  !=daytime


Words: nightcap
Meaning:
night.cap\n   nightcap  nightcaps\n  A nightcap is a drink that you have just before you go to bed, usually an alcoholic drink.\nPerhaps you would join me for a nightcap?\n  N-COUNT


Words: nightclub
Meaning:
night.club\n   nightclub  nightclubs   also night club\n  A nightclub is a place where people go late in the evening to drink and dance.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nightclubbing
Meaning:
night.club.bing\n   nightclubbing\n  Nightclubbing is the activity of going to nightclubs.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nightdress
Meaning:
night.dress\n   nightdress  nightdresses\n  A nightdress is a sort of loose dress that a woman or girl wears in bed. (BRIT; in AM, use nightgown)\n  N-COUNT


Words: nightfall
Meaning:
night.fall\n   nightfall\n  Nightfall is the time of day when it starts to get dark.\nI need to get to Lyon by nightfall...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = dusk


Words: nightingale
Meaning:
night.in.gale\n   nightingale  nightingales\n  A nightingale is a small brown bird. The male, which can be heard at night, sings beautifully.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nightlife
Meaning:
night.life\n   nightlife   also night-life\n  Nightlife is all the entertainment and social activities that are available at night in towns and cities, such as nightclubs and theatres.\n...Hamburg’s energetic nightlife...\nThere are free buses around the resort and plenty of nightlife.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nightly
Meaning:
night.ly\n   nightly\n  A nightly event happens every night.\nI’m sure we watched the nightly news, and then we turned on the movie...\nFor months at a time, air raids were a nightly occurrence.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  Nightly is also an adverb.\nShe appears nightly on the television news...\n  ADV: usu ADV after v


Words: nightmare
Meaning:
night.mare\n   nightmare  nightmares\n1. A nightmare is a very frightening dream.\nAll the victims still suffered nightmares...\nJane did not eat cheese because it gives her nightmares.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you refer to a situation as a nightmare, you mean that it is very frightening and unpleasant.\nThe years in prison were a nightmare.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If you refer to a situation as a nightmare, you are saying in a very emphatic way that it is irritating because it causes you a lot of trouble.\nTaking my son Peter to a restaurant was a nightmare...\nIn practice a graduate tax is an administrative nightmare.\n  N-COUNT  emphasis


Words: nightmare scenario
Meaning:
night.mare sce.nario\n   nightmare scenario  nightmare scenarios\n  If you describe a situation or event as a nightmare scenario, you mean that it is the worst possible thing that could happen.\nDiscovering your child takes drugs is a nightmare scenario for most parents.\n  N-COUNT: usu sing


Words: nightmarish
Meaning:
night.mar.ish\n   nightmarish\n  If you describe something as nightmarish, you mean that it is extremely frightening and unpleasant.\nShe described a nightmarish scene of dead bodies lying in the streets.\n  ADJ


Words: nightshirt
Meaning:
night.shirt\n   nightshirt  nightshirts\n  A nightshirt is a long, loose shirt worn in bed.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nightspot
Meaning:
night.spot\n   nightspot  nightspots\n  A nightspot is a nightclub. (INFORMAL)\n...Harlem’s most famous nightspot, the Cotton Club.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nightstick
Meaning:
night.stick\n   nightstick  nightsticks\n  A nightstick is a short thick club that is carried by policemen in the United States. (AM; in BRIT, use truncheon)\n  N-COUNT


Words: nightwatchman
Meaning:
night.watch.man\n   nightwatchman  nightwatchmen   also night watchman\n  A nightwatchman is a person whose job is to guard buildings at night.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nihilism
Meaning:
ni.hil.ism\n   nihilism\n  Nihilism is a belief which rejects all political and religious authority and current ideas in favour of the individual.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  ni.hil.ist      nihilists\nWhy wasn’t Weber a nihilist?\n  N-COUNT


Words: nihilistic
Meaning:
ni.hil.is.tic\n   nihilistic\n  If you describe someone as nihilistic, you mean they do not trust political and religious authority and place their faith in the individual.\nShe exhibited none of the narcissistic and nihilistic tendencies of her peers.\n  ADJ


Words: nil
Meaning:
nil\n1. Nil means the same as zero. It is usually used to say what the score is in sports such as rugby or football. (BRIT)\nThey beat Argentina one-nil in the final.\n  NUM\n\n2. If you say that something is nil, you mean that it does not exist at all.\nTheir legal rights are virtually nil...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = non-existent


Words: nimble
Meaning:
nim.ble\n   nimble  nimbler  nimblest\n1. Someone who is nimble is able to move their fingers, hands, or legs quickly and easily.\nEverything had been stitched by Molly’s nimble fingers...\nVal, who was light and nimble on her feet, learnt to dance the tango.\n  ADJ\n\n=>  nim.bly\nSabrina jumped nimbly out of the van...\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. If you say that someone has a nimble mind, you mean they are clever and can think very quickly.\nA nimble mind backed by a degree in economics gave him a firm grasp of financial matters...\n  ADJ


Words: nimbus
Meaning:
nim.bus\n   nimbus\n  A nimbus is a large grey cloud that brings rain or snow. (TECHNICAL)\n...layers of cold nimbus clouds.\n  N-SING: usu N n


Words: nimby
Meaning:
nim.by\n   nimby   also Nimby, NIMBY\n  If you say that someone has a nimby attitude, you are criticizing them because they do not want something such as a new road, housing estate, or prison built near to where they live. Nimby is an abbreviation for `not in my backyard’. (INFORMAL)\n...the usual nimby protests from local residents.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  disapproval


Words: nine
Meaning:
nine  nines\n  Nine is the number 9.\nWe still sighted nine yachts.\n...nine hundred pounds.\n  NUM\n\nnine times out of ten: see time


Words: ninepins
Meaning:
nine.pins\n   ninepins\n  If you say that people or things are going down like ninepins, you mean that large numbers of them are suddenly becoming ill, collapsing, or doing very badly. (mainly BRIT)\nThere was a time when Liverpool players never seemed to get injured, but now they are going down like ninepins.\n  PHRASE: PHR after v


Words: nineteen
Meaning:
nine.teen\n   nineteen  nineteens\n  Nineteen is the number 19.\nThey have nineteen days to make up their minds.\n  NUM


Words: nineteenth
Meaning:
nine.teenth\n   nineteenth\n  The nineteenth item in a series is the one that you count as number nineteen.\n...my nineteenth birthday.\n...the nineteenth century.\n  ORD


Words: ninetieth
Meaning:
nine.ti.eth\n   ninetieth\n  The ninetieth item in a series is the one that you count as number ninety.\nHe celebrates his ninetieth birthday on Friday.\n  ORD


Words: ninety
Meaning:
nine.ty\n   ninety  nineties\n1. Ninety is the number 90.\nIt was decided she had to stay another ninety days.\n  NUM\n\n2. When you talk about the nineties, you are referring to numbers between 90 and 99. For example, if you are in your nineties, you are aged between 90 and 99. If the temperature is in the nineties, the temperature is between 90 and 99 degrees.\nBy this time she was in her nineties and needed help more and more frequently.\n  N-PLURAL\n\n3. The nineties is the decade between 1990 and 1999.\nThese trends only got worse as we moved into the nineties.\n  N-PLURAL: the N


Words: ninny
Meaning:
nin.ny\n   ninny  ninnies\n  If you refer to someone as a ninny, you think that they are foolish or silly. (INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED)\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: ninth
Meaning:
ninth  ninths\n1. The ninth item in a series is the one that you count as number nine.\n...January the ninth.\n...students in the ninth grade.\n...ninth century illustrated manuscripts.\n  ORD\n\n2. A ninth is one of nine equal parts of something.\nIn Brussels the dollar rose by a ninth of a cent...\n  FRACTION


Words: nip
Meaning:
nip  nips  nipping  nipped\n1. If you nip somewhere, usually somewhere nearby, you go there quickly or for a short time. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nShould I nip out and get some groceries?...\n  VERB: no passive, V adv/prep\n  = pop\n2. If an animal or person nips you, they bite you lightly or squeeze a piece of your skin between their finger and thumb.\nI have known cases where dogs have nipped babies...\n  VERB: V n\n\n  Nip is also a noun.\nSome ants can give you a nasty nip.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. A nip is a small amount of a strong alcoholic drink.\nShe had a habit of taking an occasional nip from a flask of cognac.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4.\nto nip something in the bud: see bud


Words: nipper
Meaning:
nip.per\n   nipper  nippers\n  A nipper is a child. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nI’m not ever going to forget what you’ve done for the nippers.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nipple
Meaning:
nip.ple\n   nipple  nipples\n1. The nipples on someone’s body are the two small pieces of slightly hard flesh on their chest. Babies suck milk from their mothers’ breasts through their mothers’ nipples.\nSore nipples can inhibit the milk supply.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A nipple is a piece of rubber or plastic which is fitted to the top of a baby’s bottle.\n...a white plastic bottle with a rubber nipple.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nippy
Meaning:
nip.py\n   nippy\n1. If the weather is nippy, it is rather cold. (INFORMAL)\nIt could get suddenly nippy in the evenings.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n  = chilly\n2. If you describe something or someone as nippy, you mean that they can move very quickly over short distances. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nThis nippy new car has fold down rear seats...\n  ADJ


Words: nirvana
Meaning:
nir.va.na\n   nirvana\n1. In the Hindu and Buddhist religions, Nirvana is the highest spiritual state that can possibly be achieved.\nEntering the realm of Nirvana is only possible for those who have become pure.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. People sometimes refer to a state of complete happiness and peace as nirvana.\nMany businessmen think that a world where relative prices never varied would be nirvana.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = paradise


Words: Nissen hut
Meaning:
Nissen hut  Nissen huts\n  A Nissen hut is a military hut made of metal. The walls and roof form the shape of a semi-circle. (BRIT; in AM, use Quonset hut)\n  N-COUNT


Words: nit
Meaning:
nit  nits\n1. Nits are the eggs of insects called lice which live in people’s hair.\n  N-PLURAL\n\n2. If you refer to someone as a nit, you think they are stupid or silly. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nI’d rather leave the business than work with such a nit.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = nitwit, twit


Words: nitpicking
Meaning:
nit.pick.ing\n   nitpicking   also nit-picking\n  If you refer to someone’s opinion as nitpicking, you disapprove of the fact that it concentrates on small and unimportant details, especially to try and find fault with something.\nA lot of nit-picking was going on about irrelevant things...\nI can get down to nitpicking detail, I am pretty fussy about certain things.\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval\n  = quibbling


Words: nitrate
Meaning:
ni.trate\n   nitrate  nitrates\n  Nitrate is a chemical compound that includes nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrates are used as fertilizers in agriculture.\nHigh levels of nitrate occur in Eastern England because of the heavy use of fertilizers.\n  N-MASS


Words: nitric
Meaning:
ni.tric\n   nitric\n  Nitric means relating to or containing nitrogen.\n...nitric oxide.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: nitric acid
Meaning:
ni.tric acid\n   nitric acid\n  Nitric acid is a strong colourless acid containing nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nitro-
Meaning:
nitro-\n  Nitro- combines with nouns to form other nouns referring to things which contain nitrogen and oxygen.\n...highly corrosive substances such as nitro-phosphates.\n  COMB in N


Words: nitrogen
Meaning:
ni.tro.gen\n   nitrogen\n  Nitrogen is a colourless element that has no smell and is usually found as a gas. It forms about 78% of the earth’s atmosphere, and is found in all living things.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nitroglycerin
Meaning:
ni.tro.glyc.er.in\n   nitroglycerin   also nitroglycerine\n  Nitroglycerin is a liquid that is used to make explosives and also in some medicines.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nitrous
Meaning:
ni.trous\n   nitrous\n  Nitrous means coming from, relating to, or containing nitrogen.\n...nitrous oxides.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: nitty-gritty
Meaning:
nitty-gritty   also nitty gritty\n  If people get down to the nitty-gritty of a matter, situation, or activity, they discuss the most important, basic parts of it or facts about it. (INFORMAL)\n...the nitty gritty of everyday politics.\n  N-SING: usu the N


Words: nitwit
Meaning:
nit.wit\n   nitwit  nitwits\n  If you refer to someone as a nitwit, you think they are stupid or silly. (INFORMAL)\nYou great nitwit!\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = nit, twit


Words: no
Meaning:
no  noes  or no’s\n1. You use no to give a negative response to a question.\n`Any problems?’.`No, I’m O.K.’...\n`Haven’t you got your driver’s licence?’.`No.’\n  CONVENTION\n  !=yes\n2. You use no to say that something that someone has just said is not true.\n`We thought you’d emigrated.’.`No, no.’...\n`You’re getting worse than me.’.`No I’m not.’\n  CONVENTION\n  !=yes\n3. You use no to refuse an offer or a request, or to refuse permission.\n`Here, have mine.’.`No, this is fine.’...\n`Can you just get the message through to Pete for me?’.`No, no I can’t.’...\nAfter all, the worst the boss can do is say no if you ask him.\n  CONVENTION\n\n4. You use no to indicate that you do not want someone to do something.\nNo. I forbid it. You cannot...\nShe put up a hand to stop him. `No. It’s not right. We mustn’t.’\n  EXCLAM\n\n5. You use no to acknowledge a negative statement or to show that you accept and understand it.\n`We’re not on the main campus.’.`No.’...\n`It’s not one of my favourite forms of music.’.`No.’\n  CONVENTION\n  = right\n6. You use no before correcting what you have just said.\nI was twenty-two.no, twenty-one.\n  CONVENTION\n\n7. You use no to express shock or disappointment at something you have just been told.\n`John phoned to say that his computer wasn’t working.’.`Oh God no.’\n  EXCLAM  feelings\n\n8. You use no to mean not any or not one person or thing.\nHe had no intention of paying the cash...\nNo job has more influence on the future of the world...\nNo letters survive from this early period.\n  DET\n\n9. You use no to emphasize that someone or something is not the type of thing mentioned.\nHe is no singer...\nI make it no secret that our worst consultants earn nothing...\n  DET: DET n-sing  emphasis\n\n10. You can use no to make the negative form of a comparative.\nIt is to start broadcasting no later than the end of next year...\nYesterday no fewer than thirty climbers reached the summit...\n  ADV: ADV compar\n  = not\n11. You use no in front of an adjective and noun to make the noun group mean its opposite.\nSometimes a bit of selfishness, if it leads to greater self-knowledge, is no bad thing...\nToday’s elections are of no great importance in themselves.\n  DET: DET adj n\n\n12. No is used in notices or instructions to say that a particular activity or thing is forbidden.\nThe captain turned out the `no smoking’ signs...\n...a notice saying `No Dogs’.\n  DET\n\n13. A no is a person who has answered `no’ to a question or who has voted against something. No is also used to refer to their answer or vote.\nAccording to the latest opinion polls, the noes have 50 percent, the yeses 35 percent...\n  N-COUNT\n  !=yes\n14. If you say there is no doing a particular thing, you mean that it is very difficult or impossible to do that thing.\nThere is no going back to the life she had...\n  PHRASE: PHR -ing  emphasis\n\n15.\nnot to take no for an answer: see answer\nno doubt: see doubt\nno less than: see less\nno longer: see long\nin no way: see way\nthere’s no way: see way\nno way: see way


Words: no claims
Meaning:
no claims   also no-claims\n  A no claims discount or bonus is a reduction in the money that you have to pay for an insurance policy, which you get when you have not made any claims in the previous year.\nMotorists could lose their no-claims discount, even if they are not at fault in an accident.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: no one
Meaning:
no one   also no-one\n  No one means not a single person, or not a single member of a particular group or set.\nEveryone wants to be a hero, but no one wants to die...\nNo one can open mail except the person to whom it has been addressed.\n  PRON: usu PRON v\n  = nobody


Words: no-account
Meaning:
no-account\n  A no-account person or thing is one that you consider worthless. (AM INFORMAL)\n...a mongrelized, no-account place.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  disapproval


Words: no-ball
Meaning:
no-ball  no-balls\n  In cricket, a no-ball is a ball that is bowled in a way that is not allowed by the rules. It results in an extra run being given to the side that is batting.\n  N-COUNT


Words: no-brainer
Meaning:
no-brainer  no-brainers\n1. If you describe a question or decision as a no-brainer, you mean that it is a very easy one to answer or make. (AM INFORMAL)\nIf it’s illegal for someone under 21 to drive, it should be illegal for them to drink and drive. That’s a no-brainer.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you describe a person or action as a no-brainer, you mean that they are stupid. (AM INFORMAL)\n  N-COUNT  disapproval


Words: no-confidence
Meaning:
no-confidence\n1. If members of an organization pass a vote or motion of no-confidence in someone, they take a vote which shows that they no longer support that person or their ideas.\nA call for a vote of no-confidence in the president was rejected...\n...a no-confidence motion.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu n of N, N n\n  !=confidence\n2. You can refer to something people say or do as a vote of no-confidence when it shows that they no longer support a particular person or organization.\nMany police officers view this action as a vote of no-confidence in their service.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu n of N\n  !=confidence


Words: no-fly zone
Meaning:
no-fly zone  no-fly zones\n  A no-fly zone is an area of sky where military and other aircraft are not allowed to fly, especially because of a war.\n  N-COUNT


Words: no-go area
Meaning:
no-go area  no-go areas\n1. If you refer to a place as a no-go area, you mean that it has a reputation for violence and crime which makes people frightened to go there. (mainly BRIT)\n...a subway system whose reputation for violence and lawlessness makes it a no-go area for many natives of the city.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A no-go area is a place which is controlled by a group of people who use force to prevent other people from entering it. (mainly BRIT)\nThe area of the President’s residence is a no-go area after six p.m...\n  N-COUNT


Words: no-man’s land
Meaning:
no-man’s land\n1. No-man’s land is an area of land that is not owned or controlled by anyone, for example the area of land between two opposing armies.\nIn Tobruk, leading a patrol in no-man’s land, he was blown up by a mortar bomb.\n...the no-man’s land between the Jordanian and Iraqi frontier posts.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also a N\n\n2. If you refer to a situation as a no-man’s land between different things, you mean that it seems unclear because it does not fit into any of the categories.\nThe play is set in the dangerous no-man’s land between youth and adolescence...\n  N-SING


Words: no-no
Meaning:
no-no\n  If you say that something is a no-no, you think it is undesirable or unacceptable. (INFORMAL)\nWe all know that cheating on our taxes is a no-no.\n  N-SING: a N


Words: no-nonsense
Meaning:
no-nonsense\n1. If you describe someone as a no-nonsense person, you approve of the fact that they are efficient, direct, and quite tough.\nShe saw herself as a direct, no-nonsense modern woman.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  approval\n\n2. If you describe something as a no-nonsense thing, you approve of the fact that it is plain and does not have unnecessary parts.\nYou’ll need no-nonsense boots for the jungle.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n  approval\n  !=fancy


Words: no-score draw
Meaning:
no-score draw  no-score draws\n  A no-score draw is the result of a football match in which neither team scores any goals.\n  N-COUNT


Words: no-win
Meaning:
If you are in a no-win situation, any action you take will fail to benefit you in any way.\nIt was a no-win situation. Either she pretended she hated Ned and felt awful or admitted she loved him and felt even worse!\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: No.
Meaning:
No. Nos\n  No. is a written abbreviation for number.\nThat year he was named the nation’s No. 1 college football star...\nColumbia Law Review, vol. no. 698 p1317.


Words: nob
Meaning:
nob  nobs\n  If you refer to a group of people as the nobs, you mean they are rich or come from a much higher social class than you do. (BRIT INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED)\n...the nobs who live in the Big House...\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: nobble
Meaning:
nob.ble\n   nobble  nobbles  nobbling  nobbled\n1. If someone nobbles an important group of people such as a committee, they offer them money or threaten them in order to make them do something. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nThe trial was stopped before Christmas after allegations of attempts to nobble the jury...\n  VERB: V n\n\n2. If someone nobbles a racehorse, they deliberately harm it, often using drugs, in order to prevent it from winning a race. (BRIT INFORMAL)\n...the drug used to nobble two horses at Doncaster.\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. If someone nobbles your plans or chances of succeeding, they prevent you from achieving what you want. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nHis opportunity to re-establish himself had been nobbled by the manager’s tactics.\n  VERB: V n


Words: Nobel Prize
Meaning:
Nobel Prize  Nobel Prizes\n  A Nobel Prize is one of a set of prizes that are awarded each year to people who have done important work in science, literature, or economics, or for world peace.\n...the Nobel Prize for literature.\n  N-COUNT: oft N for n


Words: nobility
Meaning:
no.bil.ity\n   nobility\n1. The nobility of a society are all the people who have titles and belong to a high social class.\nThey married into the nobility and entered the highest ranks of state administration...\n  N-SING-COLL: the N\n  = aristocracy\n2. A person’s nobility is their noble character and behaviour. (FORMAL)\n...his nobility of character, and his devotion to his country.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp


Words: noble
Meaning:
no.ble\n   noble  nobles  nobler  noblest\n1. If you say that someone is a noble person, you admire and respect them because they are unselfish and morally good.\nHe was an upright and noble man who was always willing to help in any way he could...\nI wanted so much to believe he was pure and noble.\n  ADJ  approval\n\n=>  no.bly\nEric’s sister had nobly volunteered to help with the gardening...\n  ADV: ADV with v\n\n2. If you say that something is a noble idea, goal, or action, you admire it because it is based on high moral principles.\nHe had implicit faith in the noble intentions of the Emperor...\nWe’ll always justify our actions with noble sounding theories...\n  ADJ  approval\n\n3. If you describe something as noble, you think that its appearance or quality is very impressive, making it superior to other things of its type.\n...the great parks with their noble trees.\n  ADJ\n  = fine\n4. Noble means belonging to a high social class and having a title.\nAlthough he was of noble birth he lived as a poor man.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = aristocratic


Words: nobleman
Meaning:
noble.man\n   nobleman  noblemen\n  In former times, a nobleman was a man who was a member of the nobility.\nIt had once been the home of a wealthy nobleman.\n  N-COUNT\n  = aristocrat


Words: noblesse oblige
Meaning:
no.blesse oblige\n   noblesse oblige\n  Noblesse oblige is the idea that people with advantages, for example those of a high social class, should help and do things for other people. (FORMAL)\nThey did so without hope of further profit and out of a sense of noblesse oblige.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: noblewoman
Meaning:
noble.woman\n   noblewoman  noblewomen\n  In former times, a noblewoman was a woman who was a member of the nobility.\n  N-COUNT\n  = aristocrat


Words: nobody
Meaning:
no.body\n   nobody  nobodies\n1. Nobody means not a single person, or not a single member of a particular group or set.\nThey were shut away in a little room where nobody could overhear...\nNobody realizes how bad things are...\nNobody else in the neighbourhood can help.\n  PRON: usu PRON v\n  = no one\n2. If someone says that a person is a nobody, they are saying in an unkind way that the person is not at all important.\nA man in my position has nothing to fear from a nobody like you.\n  N-COUNT: usu a N in sing  disapproval


Words: nocturnal
Meaning:
noc.tur.nal\n   nocturnal\n1. Nocturnal means occurring at night.\n...long nocturnal walks.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. Nocturnal creatures are active mainly at night.\nWhen there is a full moon, this nocturnal rodent is careful to stay in its burrow.\n  ADJ


Words: nocturne
Meaning:
noc.turne\n   nocturne  nocturnes\n  A nocturne is a short gentle piece of music, often one written to be played on the piano.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp


Words: nod
Meaning:
nod  nods  nodding  nodded\n1. If you nod, you move your head downwards and upwards to show that you are answering `yes’ to a question, or to show agreement, understanding, or approval.\n`Are you okay?’ I asked. She nodded and smiled...\nJacques tasted one and nodded his approval...\n`Oh, yes,’ she nodded. `I understand you very well.’\n  VERB: no passive, V, V n, V with quote\n\n  Nod is also a noun.\nShe gave a nod and said, `I see’...\nHe gave Sabrina a quick nod of acknowledgement.\n  N-COUNT: usu a N\n\n2. If you nod in a particular direction, you bend your head once in that direction in order to indicate something or to give someone a signal.\n`Does it work?’ he asked, nodding at the piano...\nHe lifted the end of the canoe, nodding to me to take up mine.\n  VERB: no passive, V prep, V to n to-inf\n\n3. If you nod, you bend your head once, as a way of saying hello or goodbye.\nAll the girls nodded and said `Hi’...\nTom nodded a greeting but didn’t say anything...\nBoth of them smiled and nodded at friends...\nThey nodded goodnight to the security man.\n  VERB: no passive, V, V n, V at/to n, V n to n\n\n4. In football, if a player nods the ball in a particular direction, they hit the ball there with their head. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nTaylor leapt up to nod the ball home...\n  VERB: V n adv/prep\n  = head


Words: nod off
Meaning:
nod off\n  If you nod off, you fall asleep, especially when you had not intended to. (INFORMAL)\nThe judge appeared to nod off yesterday while a witness was being cross-examined...\nHe was nodding off to sleep in an armchair.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P to n\n  = doze off


Words: node
Meaning:
node  nodes\n  A node is a point, especially in the form of lump or swelling, where one thing joins another.\nCut them off cleanly through the stem just below the node.\n...nerve nodes.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nodule
Meaning:
nod.ule\n   nodule  nodules\n1. A nodule is a small round lump that can appear on your body and is a sign of an illness. (MEDICAL)\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A nodule is a small round lump which is found on the roots of certain plants.\n  N-COUNT: oft n N


Words: Noel
Meaning:
Noel\n  Noel is sometimes printed on Christmas cards and Christmas wrapping paper to mean `Christmas’.\n  N-PROPER


Words: noise
Meaning:
noise  noises\n1. Noise is a loud or unpleasant sound.\nThere was too much noise in the room and he needed peace...\nThe noise of bombs and guns was incessant...\nThe baby was filled with alarm at the darkness and the noise.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. A noise is a sound that someone or something makes.\nSir Gerald made a small noise in his throat.\n...birdsong and other animal noises...\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. If someone makes noises of a particular kind about something, they say things that indicate their attitude to it in a rather indirect or vague way.\nThe President took care to make encouraging noises about the future...\nHis mother had also started making noises about it being time for him to leave home.\n  N-PLURAL: usu with supp\n\n4. If you say that someone makes the right noises or makes all the right noises, you think that they are showing concern or enthusiasm about something because they feel they ought to rather than because they really want to.\nHe was making all the right noises about multi-party democracy and human rights.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n5.\n  see also big noise


Words: noiseless
Meaning:
noise.less\n   noiseless\n  Something or someone that is noiseless does not make any sound.\nThe snow was light and noiseless as it floated down.\n  ADJ\n  = silent  !=noisy\n=>  noise.less.ly\nI shut the door noiselessly behind me.\n  ADV: ADV with v


Words: noisome
Meaning:
noi.some\n   noisome\n  If you describe something or someone as noisome, you mean that you find them extremely unpleasant. (LITERARY)\nNoisome vapours arise from the mud left in the docks...\nHis noisome reputation for corruption had already begun to spread.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = noxious


Words: noisy
Meaning:
noisy  noisier  noisiest\n1. A noisy person or thing makes a lot of loud or unpleasant noise.\n...my noisy old typewriter...\nHis daughter was very active and noisy in the mornings.\n  ADJ\n  !=quiet\n=>  noisi.ly\nThe students on the grass bank cheered noisily...\nShe sat by the window, noisily gulping her morning coffee.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj\n\n2. A noisy place is full of a lot of loud or unpleasant noise.\nIt’s a noisy place with film clips showing constantly on one of the cafe’s giant screens...\nThe baggage hall was crowded and noisy...\n  ADJ\n  !=quiet, peaceful\n3. If you describe someone as noisy, you are critical of them for trying to attract attention to their views by frequently and forcefully discussing them.\n...the noisy and unpopular fringe groups that are attempting to change the culture of their society.\n  ADJ  disapproval\n  = strident


Words: nom de guerre
Meaning:
nom de guerre  noms de guerre\n  A nom de guerre is a false name which is sometimes used by people who belong to an unofficial military organization. (FORMAL)\n...a Serb militia leader who goes by the nom de guerre Arkan.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nom de plume
Meaning:
nom de plume  noms de plume\n  An author’s nom de plume is a name that he or she uses instead of their real name. (FORMAL)\nShe writes under the nom de plume of Alison Cooper.\n  N-COUNT\n  = pen name, pseudonym


Words: nomad
Meaning:
no.mad\n   nomad  nomads\n  A nomad is a member of a group of people who travel from place to place rather than living in one place all the time.\n...a country of nomads who raise cattle and camels.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nomadic
Meaning:
no.mad.ic\n   nomadic\n1. Nomadic people travel from place to place rather than living in one place all the time.\n...the great nomadic tribes of the Western Sahara.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If someone has a nomadic way of life, they travel from place to place and do not have a settled home.\nThe daughter of a railway engineer, she at first had a somewhat nomadic childhood.\n  ADJ


Words: nomenclature
Meaning:
no.men.cla.ture\n   nomenclature  nomenclatures\n  The nomenclature of a particular set of things is the system of naming those things. (FORMAL)\n...mistakes arising from ignorance of the nomenclature of woody plants.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl, usu supp N


Words: nomenklatura
Meaning:
no.men.kla.tu.ra\n   nomenklatura\n  In former communist countries, the nomenklatura were the people the communist party approved of and appointed to positions of authority.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: nominal
Meaning:
nomi.nal\n   nominal\n1. You use nominal to indicate that someone or something is supposed to have a particular identity or status, but in reality does not have it.\nAs he was still not allowed to run a company, his wife became its nominal head...\nI was brought up a nominal Christian.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n=>  nomi.nal.ly\nThe Sultan was still nominally the Chief of Staff.\n  ADV: ADV with cl/group, ADV before v\n  = technically\n2. A nominal price or sum of money is very small in comparison with the real cost or value of the thing that is being bought or sold.\nAll the ferries carry bicycles free or for a nominal charge.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n3. In economics, the nominal value, rate, or level of something is the one expressed in terms of current prices or figures, without taking into account general changes in prices that take place over time.\nInflation would be lower and so nominal rates would be rather more attractive in real terms...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=real


Words: nominal group
Meaning:
nomi.nal group\n   nominal group  nominal groups\n  A nominal group is the same as a noun group.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nominate
Meaning:
nomi.nate\n   nominate  nominates  nominating  nominated\n1. If someone is nominated for a job or position, their name is formally suggested as a candidate for it.\nUnder party rules each candidate has to be nominated by 55 Labour MPs...\nThe public will be able to nominate candidates for awards such as the MBE.\n...a presidential decree nominating him as sports ambassador.\n  VERB: be V-ed, V n for n, V n as n, also V n, V n to-inf\n  = propose\n2. If you nominate someone to a job or position, you formally choose them to hold that job or position.\nVoters will choose fifty of the seventy five deputies. The Emir will nominate the rest...\nThe EU would nominate two members to the committee...\nHe was nominated by the African National Congress as one of its team at the Groote Sehuur talks...\nIt is legally possible for an elderly person to nominate someone to act for them, should they become incapable of looking after themselves.\n  VERB: V n, V n to n, be V-ed as n, V n to-inf, also V n as n, V n n\n  = appoint\n3. If someone or something such as an actor or a film is nominated for an award, someone formally suggests that they should be given that award.\nPractically every movie he made was nominated for an Oscar.\n...a campaign to nominate the twice World Champion as Sports Personality of the Year.\n  VERB: be V-ed for n, V n as n, also V n for n\n  = put forward


Words: nomination
Meaning:
nomi.na.tion\n   nomination  nominations\n1. A nomination is an official suggestion of someone as a candidate in an election or for a job.\n...his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.\n...a list of nominations for senior lectureships.\n  N-COUNT: oft N for n\n\n2. A nomination for an award is an official suggestion that someone or something should be given that award.\nThey say he’s certain to get a nomination for best supporting actor...\nAlan Parker’s film `The Commitments’ has six nominations.\n  N-COUNT: usu N for n\n\n3. The nomination of someone to a particular job or position is their appointment to that job or position.\nThey opposed the nomination of a junior officer to the position of Inspector General of Police...\n  N-VAR: usu with supp


Words: nominative
Meaning:
nomi.na.tive\n   nominative\n  In the grammar of some languages, the nominative or the nominative case is the case used for a noun when it is the subject of a verb. Compare accusative.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: nominee
Meaning:
nomi.nee\n   nominee  nominees\n  A nominee is someone who is nominated for a job, position, or award.\nI was delighted to be a nominee and to receive such a prestigious award in recognition of our company’s achievements.\n  N-COUNT: oft N for n


Words: non sequitur
Meaning:
non se.qui.tur\n   non sequitur  non sequiturs\n  A non sequitur is a statement, remark, or conclusion that does not follow naturally or logically from what has just been said. (FORMAL)\nHad she missed something important, or was this just a non sequitur?\n  N-VAR


Words: non-
Meaning:
non-\n1. Non- is used in front of adjectives and nouns to form adjectives that describe something as not having a particular quality or feature.\n...non-nuclear weapons...\n...non-verbal communication.\n  PREFIX\n\n2. Non- is used in front of nouns to form nouns which refer to situations where a particular action has not or will not take place.\nHe was disqualified from the council for non-attendance...\nBoth countries agreed that normal relations would be based on non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.\n  PREFIX\n\n3. Non- is used in front of nouns to form nouns which refer to people who do not belong to a particular group or category.\nChildren of smokers are more likely to start smoking than are children of non-smokers.\n  PREFIX


Words: non-aggression
Meaning:
non-aggression\nin AM, also use nonaggression\n  If a country adopts a policy of non-aggression, it declares that it will not attack or try to harm a particular country in any way.\nA non-aggression pact will be signed between the two countries.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp


Words: non-alcoholic
Meaning:
non-alcoholic\nin AM, also use nonalcoholic\n  A non-alcoholic drink does not contain alcohol.\n...bottles of non-alcoholic beer.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=alcoholic


Words: non-aligned
Meaning:
non-aligned\nin AM, also use nonaligned\n  Non-aligned countries did not support or were in no way linked to groups of countries headed by the United States or the former Soviet Union.\n...a meeting of foreign ministers from non-aligned countries.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: non-alignment
Meaning:
non-alignment\nin AM, also use nonalignment\n  Non-alignment is the state or policy of being non-aligned.\nThe Afro-Asian nations had approved the basic general principles of non-alignment.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: non-combatant
Meaning:
non-combatant  non-combatants\nin AM, usually use noncombatant\n1. Non-combatant troops are members of the armed forces whose duties do not include fighting.\nThe General does not like non-combatant personnel near a scene of action.\n  N-COUNT: usu N n\n  !=combatant\n2. In a war, non-combatants are people who are not members of the armed forces.\nThe Red Cross has arranged two local ceasefires, allowing non-combatants to receive medical help.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n  = civilian  !=combatant


Words: non-commissioned
Meaning:
non-commissioned\nin AM, use noncommissioned\n  A non-commissioned officer in the armed forces is someone with a rank such as corporal or sergeant who used to have a lower rank, rather than an officer of higher rank who has been given a commission.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: non-custodial
Meaning:
non-custodial\n1. If someone who has been found guilty of a crime or offence is given a non-custodial sentence, their punishment does not involve going to prison. (FORMAL)\n...non-custodial punishments for minor criminals.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=custodial\n2. The non-custodial parent in a couple who are separated or divorced is the parent who does not live with the children.\nMore than half the children of divorce did not see the non-custodial parent on a regular basis.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: non-essential
Meaning:
non-essential  non-essentials\nin AM, also use nonessential\n1. Non-essential means not absolutely necessary.\nThe crisis has led to the closure of a number of non-essential government services.\n...non-essential goods.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=essential\n2. Non-essentials are things that are not absolutely necessary.\nIn a recession, consumers could be expected to cut down on non-essentials like toys.\n  N-PLURAL\n  !=necessities


Words: non-event
Meaning:
non-event  non-events\nin AM, also use nonevent\n  If you say that something was a non-event, you mean that it was disappointing or dull, especially when this was not what you had expected.\nUnfortunately, the entire evening was a total non-event.\n  N-COUNT\n  = anticlimax


Words: non-executive
Meaning:
non-executive  non-executives\n1. Someone who has a non-executive position in a company or organization gives advice but is not responsible for making decisions or ensuring that decisions are carried out. (BUSINESS)\n...non-executive directors...\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  !=executive\n2. A non-executive is someone who has a non-executive position in a company or organization. (BUSINESS)\n  N-COUNT


Words: non-existence
Meaning:
non-existence\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use nonexistence\n  Non-existence is the fact of not existing.\nI was left with puzzlement as to the existence or non-existence of God...\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  !=existence


Words: non-existent
Meaning:
non-existent\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use nonexistent\n  If you say that something is non-existent, you mean that it does not exist when you feel that it should.\nHygiene was non-existent: no running water, no bathroom...\n  ADJ


Words: non-fat
Meaning:
non-fat\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use nonfat\n  Non-fat foods have very low amounts of fat in them.\n...plain non-fat yogurt...\n  ADJ\n  = fat-free


Words: non-fiction
Meaning:
non-fiction   also nonfiction\n  Non-fiction is writing that gives information or describes real events, rather than telling a story.\nThe series will include both fiction and non-fiction...\nLewis is the author of thirteen novels and ten non-fiction books.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N n\n  !=fiction


Words: non-finite
Meaning:
non-finite\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use nonfinite\n  A non-finite clause is a clause which is based on an infinitive or a participle and has no tense. Compare finite.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: non-governmental organization
Meaning:
non-governmental or.gani.za.tion\n   non-governmental organization  non-governmental organizations\n  A non-governmental organization is the same as an NGO.\n  N-COUNT


Words: non-human
Meaning:
non-human   also nonhuman\n  Non-human means not human or not produced by humans.\nHostility towards outsiders is characteristic of both human and non-human animals.\n  ADJ\n  !=human


Words: non-intervention
Meaning:
non-intervention\nin AM, also use nonintervention\n  Non-intervention is the practice or policy of not becoming involved in a dispute or disagreement between other people and of not helping either side.\nGenerally, I think the policy of non-intervention is the correct one.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  !=intervention


Words: non-linear
Meaning:
non-linear   also nonlinear\n  If you describe something as non-linear, you mean that it does not progress or develop smoothly from one stage to the next in a logical way. Instead, it makes sudden changes, or seems to develop in different directions at the same time.\n...a non-linear narrative structure.\n  ADJ\n  !=linear


Words: non-member
Meaning:
non-member  non-members\nin AM, also use nonmember\n  Non-members of a club or organization are people who are not members of it.\nThe scheme is also open to non-members...\nSpain imposed levies on farm imports from non-member states.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl\n  !=member


Words: non-nuclear
Meaning:
non-nuclear\nin AM, also use nonnuclear\n  Non-nuclear means not using or involving nuclear weapons or nuclear power.\nThe agreement is the first postwar treaty to reduce non-nuclear weapons in Europe.\n  ADJ\n  !=nuclear


Words: non-partisan
Meaning:
non-partisan\nin AM, use nonpartisan\n  A person or group that is non-partisan does not support or help a particular political party or group.\n...a non-partisan organization that does economic research for business and labor groups.\n...the president’s Thanksgiving Day call for a non-partisan approach to the problem.\n  ADJ\n  = neutral


Words: non-payment
Meaning:
non-payment\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use nonpayment\n  Non-payment is a failure to pay a sum of money that you owe.\nShe has received an eviction order from the council for non-payment of rent.\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n\n  !=payment


Words: non-profit
Meaning:
non-profit   also nonprofit\n  A non-profit organization is one which is not run with the aim of making a profit. (BUSINESS)\nHer center is typical of many across the country.a non-profit organization that cares for about 50 children.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: non-profit-making
Meaning:
non-profit-making   also nonprofit-making\n  A non-profit-making organization or charity is not run with the intention of making a profit. (mainly BRIT BUSINESS)\n...the Film Theatre Foundation, a non-profit-making company which raises money for the arts.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: non-proliferation
Meaning:
non-proliferation   also nonproliferation\n  Non-proliferation is the limiting of the production and spread of something such as nuclear or chemical weapons.\n...the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...\n  N-UNCOUNT: usu N n


Words: non-resident
Meaning:
non-resident  non-residents\nin AM, also use nonresident\n  A non-resident person is someone who is visiting a particular place but who does not live or stay there permanently.\nThe paper said that 100,000 non-resident workers would have to be sent back to their home villages.\n  ADJ\n  !=resident\n  A non-resident is someone who is non-resident.\nBoth hotels have gardens and restaurants open to non-residents.\n  N-COUNT\n  !=resident


Words: non-smoker
Meaning:
non-smoker  non-smokers   also nonsmoker\n  A non-smoker is someone who does not smoke.\nNobody will be allowed to smoke in an office if there are non-smokers present.\n  N-COUNT\n  !=smoker


Words: non-smoking
Meaning:
non-smoking   also nonsmoking\n1. A non-smoking area in a public place is an area in which people are not allowed to smoke.\nMore and more restaurants are providing non-smoking areas.\n  ADJ\n  !=smoking\n2. A non-smoking person is a person who does not smoke.\nThe fertility of women who smoke is half that of non-smoking women.\n  ADJ


Words: non-specific
Meaning:
non-specific   also nonspecific\n1. Non-specific medical conditions or symptoms have more than one possible cause.\n...non-specific headaches.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n\n2. Something that is non-specific is general rather than precise or exact.\nI intend to use these terms in a deliberately non-specific and all-embracing way.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: non-standard
Meaning:
non-standard\nin AM usually use, and in BRIT sometimes use nonstandard\n  Non-standard things are different from the usual version or type of that thing.\nThe shop is completely out of non-standard sizes.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=standard


Words: non-starter
Meaning:
non-starter  non-starters   also nonstarter\n  If you describe a plan or idea as a non-starter, you mean that it has no chance of success. (INFORMAL)\nThe United States is certain to reject the proposal as a non-starter...\n  N-COUNT


Words: non-stick
Meaning:
non-stick   also nonstick\n  Non-stick saucepans, frying pans, or baking tins have a special coating on the inside which prevents food from sticking to them.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: non-stop
Meaning:
non-stop   also nonstop\n  Something that is non-stop continues without any pauses or interruptions.\nMany US cities now have non-stop flights to Aspen.\n...80 minutes of non-stop music...\nThe training was non-stop and continued for three days.\n  ADJ\n\n  Non-stop is also an adverb.\nAmy and her group had driven non-stop through Spain...\nThe snow fell non-stop for 24 hours.\n  ADV: ADV after v


Words: non-union
Meaning:
non-union\nin AM, use nonunion\n  Non-union workers do not belong to a trade union or labor union. A non-union company or organization does not employ workers who belong to a trade union or labor union. (BUSINESS)\nThe company originally intended to reopen the factory with non-union workers...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: non-verbal
Meaning:
non-verbal   also nonverbal\n  Non-verbal communication consists of things such as the expression on your face, your arm movements, or your tone of voice, which show how you feel about something without using words.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  !=verbal


Words: non-violent
Meaning:
non-violent\nin AM and sometimes in BRIT, use nonviolent\n1. Non-violent methods of bringing about change do not involve hurting people or causing damage.\nKing was a worldwide symbol of non-violent protest against racial injustice...\nI would only belong to an environmental movement if it was explicitly non-violent.\n  ADJ\n  !=violent\n=>  non-violence\nHis commitment to non-violence led to a Nobel peace prize in 1989.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n2. You can refer to someone or something such as a crime as non-violent when that person or thing does not hurt or injure people.\n...non-violent offenders...\n  ADJ\n  !=violent


Words: non-white
Meaning:
non-white  non-whites\nin AM, also use nonwhite\n  A non-white person is a member of a race of people who are not of European origin.\nNon-white people are effectively excluded from certain jobs...\n60 percent of the population is non-white.\n  ADJ\n  !=white\n  Non-white is also a noun.\nNot one non-white has ever been selected to play for the team.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nonchalant
Meaning:
non.cha.lant\n   nonchalant\n  If you describe someone as nonchalant, you mean that they appear not to worry or care about things and that they seem very calm.\nClark’s mother is nonchalant about her role in her son’s latest work...\nIt merely underlines our rather more nonchalant attitude to life.\n  ADJ\n  = casual\n=>  non.cha.lance\nAffecting nonchalance, I handed her two hundred dollar bills.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n=>  non.cha.lant.ly\n`Does Will intend to return with us?’ Joanna asked as nonchalantly as she could.\n  ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj\n  = casually


Words: noncommittal
Meaning:
non.com.mit.tal\n   noncommittal   also non-committal\n  You can describe someone as noncommittal when they deliberately do not express their opinion or intentions clearly.\nMr Hall is non-committal about the number of jobs that the development corporation has created...\nSylvia’s face was noncommittal...\n...a very bland non-committal answer.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n\n=>  non.com.mit.tal.ly\n`I like some of his novels better than others,’ I said noncommittally.\n  ADV: ADV after v


Words: nonconformist
Meaning:
non.con.form.ist\n   nonconformist  nonconformists   also non-conformist\n1. If you say that someone’s way of life or opinions are nonconformist, you mean that they are different from those of most people.\nTheir views are non-conformist and their political opinions are extreme...\n...a nonconformist lifestyle.\n  ADJ\n  = unconventional  !=conventional\n  A nonconformist is someone who is nonconformist.\nVictoria stood out as a dazzling non-conformist.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. In Britain, nonconformist churches are Protestant churches which are not part of the Church of England.\nHis father was a Nonconformist minister.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n  A nonconformist is a member of a nonconformist church.\nAlthough he seems to be an old-fashioned non-conformist, he is in fact a very devout Catholic.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nonconformity
Meaning:
non.con.form.ity\n   nonconformity   also non-conformity\n  Nonconformity is behaviour or thinking which is different from that of most people.\nYou’re deliberately unconventional. Even your choice of clothes is a statement of your non-conformity...\nLovelock’s principled nonconformity can be traced to his childhood.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nondescript
Meaning:
non.de.script\n   nondescript\n  If you describe something or someone as nondescript, you mean that their appearance is rather dull, and not at all interesting or attractive.\nEuropa House is one of those hundreds of nondescript buildings along the Bath Road.\n...a nondescript woman of uncertain age...\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: none
Meaning:
none\n1. None of something means not even a small amount of it. None of a group of people or things means not even one of them.\nShe did none of the maintenance on the vehicle itself...\nNone of us knew how to treat her.\n  QUANT: QUANT of def-n\n\n  None is also a pronoun.\nI turned to bookshops and libraries seeking information and found none...\nNo one could imagine a great woman painter. None had existed yet...\nOnly two cars produced by Austin-Morris could reach 100 mph and none could pass the 10-second acceleration test.\n  PRON\n\n2. If you say that someone will have none of something, or is having none of something, you mean that they refuse to accept it. (INFORMAL)\nHe knew his own mind and was having none of their attempts to keep him at home.\n  PHRASE: be inflects, PHR n\n\n3. You use none too in front of an adjective or adverb in order to emphasize that the quality mentioned is not present. (FORMAL)\nHe was none too thrilled to hear from me at that hour...\nHer hand grasped my shoulder, none too gently.\n  PHRASE: PHR adj/adv  emphasis\n\n4. You use none the to say that someone or something does not have any more of a particular quality than they did before.\nYou could end up committed to yet another savings scheme and none the wiser about managing your finances...\nHe became convinced that his illness was purely imaginary: that made it none the better.\n  PHRASE: PHR compar\n  = no\n5.\nnone of your business: see business\nnone other than: see other\nsecond to none: see second


Words: nonentity
Meaning:
non.en.tity\n   nonentity  nonentities\n  If you refer to someone as a nonentity, you mean that they are not special or important in any way.\nAmidst the current bunch of nonentities, he is a towering figure...\nShe was written off then as a political nonentity.\n  N-COUNT  disapproval\n  = nobody


Words: nonetheless
Meaning:
none.the.less\n   nonetheless\n  Nonetheless means the same as nevertheless. (FORMAL)\nThere was still a long way to go. Nonetheless, some progress had been made...\nHis face is serious but nonetheless very friendly.\n  ADV: ADV with cl\n  = nevertheless


Words: nonplussed
Meaning:
non.plussed\n   nonplussed\n  If you are nonplussed, you feel confused and unsure how to react.\nShe expected him to ask for a scotch and was rather nonplussed when he asked her to mix him a martini and lemonade.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ\n  = at a loss


Words: nonsense
Meaning:
non.sense\n   nonsense\n1. If you say that something spoken or written is nonsense, you mean that you consider it to be untrue or silly.\nMost orthodox doctors however dismiss this as complete nonsense.\n...all that poetic nonsense about love...\n`I’m putting on weight.’.`Nonsense my dear.’\n  N-UNCOUNT  disapproval\n  = rubbish\n2. You can use nonsense to refer to something that you think is foolish or that you disapprove of.\nSurely it is an economic nonsense to deplete the world of natural resources...\nI think there is a limit to how much of this nonsense people are going to put up with.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also a N, usu supp N  disapproval\n\n3. You can refer to spoken or written words that do not mean anything because they do not make sense as nonsense.\n...a children’s nonsense poem by Charles E Carryl.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n\n4.\n  see also no-nonsense\n5. To make a nonsense of something or to make nonsense of it means to make it seem ridiculous or pointless.\nThe fighting made a nonsense of peace pledges made in London last week...\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n


Words: nonsensical
Meaning:
non.sen.si.cal\n   nonsensical\n  If you say that something is nonsensical, you think it is stupid, ridiculous, or untrue.\nIt seemed to me that Sir Robert’s arguments were nonsensical...\nThere were no nonsensical promises about reviving the economy.\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ  disapproval\n  = absurd


Words: noodle
Meaning:
noo.dle\n   noodle  noodles\n  Noodles are long, thin, curly strips of pasta. They are used especially in Chinese and Italian cooking.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl


Words: nook
Meaning:
nook  nooks\n  A nook is a small and sheltered place.\nWe found a seat in a little nook, and had some lunch.\n  N-COUNT\n\n  If you talk about every nook and cranny of a place or situation, you mean every part or every aspect of it.\nBoxes are stacked in every nook and cranny at the factory.\n...Cole’s vast knowledge of the nooks and crannies of British politics.\n  PHRASE: Ns inflect  emphasis\n  = corner


Words: nookie
Meaning:
nookie   also nooky\n  You can refer to sexual intercourse as nookie. Some people consider this word offensive. (INFORMAL)\n...the fearful Hollywood sin of pre-marital nookie.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: noon
Meaning:
noon\n1. Noon is twelve o’clock in the middle of the day.\nThe long day of meetings started at noon...\nOur branches are open from 9am to 5pm during the week and until 12 noon on Saturdays.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft prep N\n  = midday\n  see also high noon\n2. Noon means happening or appearing in the middle part of the day.\nThe noon sun was fierce...\nHe expected the transfer to go through by today’s noon deadline.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = midday\n3.\nmorning, noon, and night: see morning


Words: noonday
Meaning:
noon.day\n   noonday\n  Noonday means happening or appearing in the middle part of the day.\nIt was hot, nearly 90 degrees in the noonday sun.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = midday


Words: noose
Meaning:
noose  nooses\n  A noose is a circular loop at the end of a piece of rope or wire. A noose is tied with a knot that allows it to be tightened, and it is usually used to trap animals or hang people.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nope
Meaning:
nope\n  Nope is sometimes used instead of `no’ as a negative response. (INFORMAL, SPOKEN)\n`Is she supposed to work today?’.`Nope, tomorrow.’\n  CONVENTION


Words: nor
Meaning:
nor\n1. You use nor after `neither’ in order to introduce the second alternative or the last of a number of alternatives in a negative statement.\nNeither Mr Rose nor Mr Woodhead was available for comment yesterday...\nI can give you neither an opinion nor any advice...\nThey can neither read nor write, nor can they comprehend such concepts.\n  CONJ\n\n2. You use nor after a negative statement in order to indicate that the negative statement also applies to you or to someone or something else.\n`None of us has any idea how long we’re going to be here.’.`Nor do I.’...\n`If my husband has no future,’ she said, `then nor do my children.’...\nHe doesn’t want to live in the country when he grows up, nor does he want to live in the city.\n  CONJ\n  = neither\n3. You use nor after a negative statement in order to introduce another negative statement which adds information to the previous one.\nCooking up a quick dish doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavour. Nor does fast food have to be junk food.\n  CONJ\n  = neither


Words: Nordic
Meaning:
Nor.dic\n   Nordic\n  Nordic means relating to the Scandinavian countries of northern Europe.\nThe Nordic countries have been quick to assert their interest in the development of the Baltic States.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: norm
Meaning:
norm  norms\n1. Norms are ways of behaving that are considered normal in a particular society.\n...the commonly accepted norms of democracy.\n...a social norm that says drunkenness is inappropriate behaviour.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, usu with supp\n\n2. If you say that a situation is the norm, you mean that it is usual and expected.\nFamilies of six or seven are the norm in Borough Park...\nThe changes will lead to more flexible leases, and leases nearer to 15 years than the present norm of 25 years.\n  N-SING: the N, oft N for/of/in n\n\n3. A norm is an official standard or level that organizations are expected to reach.\n...an agency which would establish European norms and co-ordinate national policies to halt pollution.\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp


Words: normal
Meaning:
nor.mal\n   normal\n1. Something that is normal is usual and ordinary, and is what people expect.\nHe has occasional injections to maintain his good health but otherwise he lives a normal life...\nThe two countries resumed normal diplomatic relations...\nSome of the shops were closed but that’s quite normal for a Thursday afternoon...\nLife in Israel will continue as normal.\n  ADJ\n\n2. A normal person has no serious physical or mental health problems.\nStatistics indicate that depressed patients are more likely to become ill than are normal people...\nWill the baby be normal?\n  ADJ\n  = healthy


Words: normalcy
Meaning:
nor.mal.cy\n   normalcy\n  Normalcy is a situation in which everything is normal.\nUnderneath this image of normalcy, addiction threatened to rip this family apart.\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = normality


Words: normality
Meaning:
nor.mal.ity\n   normality\n  Normality is a situation in which everything is normal.\nA semblance of normality has returned with people going to work and shops re-opening.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n


Words: normalize
Meaning:
nor.mal.ize\n   normalize  normalizes  normalizing  normalized\nin BRIT, also use normalise\n1. When you normalize a situation or when it normalizes, it becomes normal.\nMeditation tends to lower or normalize blood pressure...\nThere may be some deep-seated emotional reason which has to be dealt with before your eating habits normalize.\n  VERB: V n, V\n\n2. If people, groups, or governments normalize relations, or when relations normalize, they become normal or return to normal.\nThe two governments were close to normalizing relations...\nThe United States says they are not prepared to join in normalizing ties with their former enemy...\nIf relations between Hanoi and Washington begin to normalise, anything is possible.\n  V-RECIP: pl-n V n, V n with n, V\n\n=>  nor.mali.za.tion\nThe two sides would like to see the normalisation of diplomatic relations.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: normally
Meaning:
nor.mal.ly\n   normally\n1. If you say that something normally happens or that you normally do a particular thing, you mean that it is what usually happens or what you usually do.\nAll airports in the country are working normally today...\nSocial progress is normally a matter of struggles and conflicts...\nNormally, the transportation system in Paris carries 950,000 passengers a day.\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV with cl/group\n\n2. If you do something normally, you do it in the usual or conventional way.\nShe would apparently eat normally and then make herself sick.\n...failure of the blood to clot normally.\n  ADV: ADV after v


Words: Norman
Meaning:
Nor.man\n   Norman  Normans\n1. The Normans were the people who came from northern France and took control of England in 1066, or their descendants.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Norman is used to refer to the period of history in Britain from 1066 until around 1300, and in particular to the style of architecture of that period.\nIn Norman England, the greyhound was a symbol of nobility.\n...a Norman castle.\n  ADJ


Words: normative
Meaning:
nor.ma.tive\n   normative\n  Normative means creating or stating particular rules of behaviour. (FORMAL)\nNormative sexual behaviour in our society remains heterosexual.\n...a normative model of teaching.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: Norse
Meaning:
Norse\n1. Norse means belonging or relating to Scandinavian countries in medieval times.\nIn Norse mythology the moon is personified as male.\n  ADJ\n\n2. Norse is the language that was spoken in Scandinavian countries in medieval times.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: Norseman
Meaning:
Norse.man\n   Norseman  Norsemen\n  The Norsemen were people who lived in Scandinavian countries in medieval times.\n  N-COUNT


Words: north
Meaning:
north   also North\n1. The north is the direction which is on your left when you are looking towards the direction where the sun rises.\nIn the north the ground becomes very cold as the winter snow and ice covers the ground...\nBirds usually migrate from north to south.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also the N\n\n2. The north of a place, country, or region is the part which is in the north.\nThe scheme mostly benefits people in the North and Midlands.\n...a tiny house in a village in the north of France.\n  N-SING: usu the N, oft N of n\n\n3. If you go north, you travel towards the north.\nAnita drove north up Pacific Highway.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n4. Something that is north of a place is positioned to the north of it.\n...a little village a few miles north of Portsmouth.\n  ADV: usu ADV of n\n\n5. The north edge, corner, or part of a place or country is the part which is towards the north.\n...the north side of the mountain...\nThey were coming in to land on the north coast of Crete.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n6. `North’ is used in the names of some countries, states, and regions in the north of a larger area.\nThere were demonstrations this weekend in cities throughout North America, Asia and Europe.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n7. A north wind is a wind that blows from the north.\n...a bitterly cold north wind.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n\n8. The North is used to refer to the richer, more developed countries of the world.\nMalaysia has emerged as the toughest critic of the North’s environmental attitudes.\n  N-SING: the N


Words: North Pole
Meaning:
North Pole\n  The North Pole is the place on the surface of the earth which is farthest towards the north.\n  N-PROPER: usu the N


Words: north-east
Meaning:
north-east   also northeast\n1. The north-east is the direction which is halfway between north and east.\nThe land to the north-east fell away into meadows.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also the N\n\n2. The north-east of a place, country, or region is the part which is in the north-east.\nThe north-east, with 60 million people, is the most densely populated part of the United States...\nThey’re all from Newcastle in the North East of England.\n  N-SING: the N, oft N of n\n\n3. If you go north-east, you travel towards the north-east.\nThe streets were jammed with slow moving traffic, army convoys moving north-east.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n4. Something that is north-east of a place is positioned to the north-east of it.\nThis latest attack was at Careysburg, twenty miles north-east of the capital, Monrovia.\n  ADV: ADV of n\n\n5. The north-east edge, corner, or part of a place is the part which is towards the north-east.\n...Waltham Abbey on the north-east outskirts of London.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = north-eastern\n6. A north-east wind is a wind that blows from the north-east.\nBy 9.15 a bitter north-east wind was blowing.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: north-easterly
Meaning:
north-easterly   also northeasterly\n  A north-easterly point, area, or direction is to the north-east or towards the north-east.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: north-eastern
Meaning:
north-eastern   also north eastern\n  North-eastern means in or from the north-east of a region or country.\n...the north-eastern coast of the United States.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: north-west
Meaning:
north-west   also northwest\n1. The north-west is the direction which is halfway between north and west.\n...Ushant, five miles out to the north-west.\n  N-UNCOUNT: also the N\n\n2. The north-west of a place, country, or region is the part which is towards the north-west.\nLabour took its pre-election campaign to the North-West.\n...the extreme north-west of South America.\n  N-SING: the N, oft N of n\n\n3. If you go north-west, you travel towards the north-west.\nTake the narrow lane going north-west parallel with the railway line.\n  ADV: ADV after v\n\n4. Something that is north-west of a place is positioned to the north-west of it.\nThis was situated to the north-west of the town, a short walk from the railway station.\n  ADV: ADV of n\n\n5. The north-west part of a place, country, or region is the part which is towards the north-west.\n...the north-west coast of the United States.\n...Sydney’s north-west suburbs.\n  ADJ: ADJ n\n  = north-western\n6. A north-west wind is a wind that blows from the north-west.\nA brisk north-west wind swept across the region.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: north-westerly
Meaning:
north-westerly   also northwesterly\n  A north-westerly point, area, or direction is to the north-west or towards the north-west.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: north-western
Meaning:
north-western   also north western\n  North-western means in or from the north-west of a region or country.\nHe was from north-western Russia.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: northbound
Meaning:
north.bound\n   northbound\n  Northbound roads or vehicles lead or are travelling towards the north.\nA 25 mile traffic jam clogged the northbound carriageway of the M6...\nTraffic was already very congested by six thirty this morning, particularly on the M1 northbound.\n  ADJ: ADJ n, n ADJ


Words: northerly
Meaning:
nor.ther.ly\n   northerly\n1. A northerly point, area, or direction is to the north or towards the north.\nUnst is the most northerly island in the British Isles...\nI wanted to go a more northerly route across Montana.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n\n  = northern\n2. A northerly wind is a wind that blows from the north.\n  ADJ


Words: northern
Meaning:
north.ern\n   northern   also Northern\n  Northern means in or from the north of a region, state, or country.\nPrices at three-star hotels fell furthest in several northern cities.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: northerner
Meaning:
north.ern.er\n   northerner  northerners\n  A northerner is a person who was born in or who lives in the north of a place or country.\nI like the openness and directness of northerners.\n  N-COUNT


Words: northernmost
Meaning:
north.ern.most\n   northernmost\n  The northernmost part of an area or the northernmost place is the one that is farthest towards the north.\n...the northernmost tip of the British Isles...\nThe Chablis vineyard is the northernmost in Burgundy.\n  ADJ: usu ADJ n


Words: northward
Meaning:
north.ward\n   northward   also northwards\n  Northward or northwards means towards the north.\nTropical storm Marco is pushing northward up Florida’s coast.\n...the flow of immigrants northward.\n  ADV: usu ADV after v, also n ADV\n\n  Northward is also an adjective.\nThe northward journey from Jalalabad was no more than 120 miles.\n  ADJ: ADJ n


Words: Norwegian
Meaning:
Nor.we.gian\n   Norwegian  Norwegians\n1. Norwegian means belonging or relating to Norway, or to its people, language, or culture.\n  ADJ\n\n  A Norwegian is a person who comes from Norway.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. Norwegian is the language spoken by people who live in Norway.\n  N-UNCOUNT


Words: nose
Meaning:
nose  noses  nosing  nosed\n1. Your nose is the part of your face which sticks out above your mouth. You use it for smelling and breathing.\nShe wiped her nose with a tissue...\nShe’s got funny eyes and a big nose.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n\n2. The nose of a vehicle such as a car or aeroplane is the front part of it.\nSue parked off the main street, with the van’s nose pointing away from the street.\n  N-COUNT: oft poss N\n\n3. You can refer to your sense of smell as your nose.\nThe river that runs through Middlesbrough became ugly on the eye and hard on the nose.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. If a vehicle noses in a certain direction or if you nose it there, you move it slowly and carefully in that direction.\nHe could not see the driver as the car nosed forward...\nBen drove past them, nosing his car into the garage.\n  VERB: V adv/prep, V n prep/adv\n\n5.\n  see also hard-nosed, toffee-nosed\n6. If you keep your nose clean, you behave well and stay out of trouble. (INFORMAL)\nIf you kept your nose clean, you had a job for life.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect\n\n7. If you follow your nose to get to a place, you go straight ahead or follow the most obvious route.\nJust follow your nose and in about five minutes you’re at the old railway.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect\n\n8. If you follow your nose, you do something in a particular way because you feel it should be done like that, rather than because you are following any plan or rules.\nYou won’t have to think, just follow your nose.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect\n\n9. If you say that someone has a nose for something, you mean that they have a natural ability to find it or recognize it.\nHe had a nose for trouble and a brilliant tactical mind...\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n\n\n10. If you say that someone or something gets up your nose, you mean that they annoy you. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nHe’s just getting up my nose so much at the moment.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect\n\n11. If you say that someone looks down their nose at something or someone, you mean that they believe they are superior to that person or thing and treat them with disrespect.\nThey rather looked down their noses at anyone who couldn’t speak French.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect, usu PHR at n  disapproval\n\n12. If you say that you paid through the nose for something, you are emphasizing that you had to pay what you consider too high a price for it. (INFORMAL)\nWe don’t like paying through the nose for our wine when eating out.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR for n  emphasis\n\n13. If someone pokes their nose into something or sticks their nose into something, they try to interfere with it even though it does not concern them. (INFORMAL)\nWe don’t like strangers who poke their noses into our affairs...\nWhy did you have to stick your nose in?\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect, PHR n  disapproval\n  = meddle\n14. To rub someone’s nose in something that they do not want to think about, such as a failing or a mistake they have made, means to remind them repeatedly about it. (INFORMAL)\nHis enemies will attempt to rub his nose in past policy statements.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect, PHR n\n\n15. If you say that someone is cutting off their nose to spite their face, you mean they do something that they think will hurt someone, without realizing or caring that it will hurt themselves as well.\nThere is evidence that the industry’s greed means that it is cutting off its nose to spite its face.\n  PHRASE: V inflects  disapproval\n\n16. If vehicles are nose to tail, the front of one vehicle is close behind the back of another. (mainly BRIT; in AM, use bumper-to-bumper)\n...a line of about twenty fast-moving trucks driving nose to tail.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v\n\n17. If you thumb your nose at someone, you behave in a way that shows that you do not care what they think.\nHe has always thumbed his nose at the media.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect, usu PHR at n\n\n18. If you turn up your nose at something, you reject it because you think that it is not good enough for you.\n(next)


Words: nose .1
Meaning:
I’m not in a financial position to turn up my nose at several hundred thousand pounds.\n  PHRASE: V and N inflect, usu PHR at n\n\n19. If you do something under someone’s nose, you do it right in front of them, without trying to hide it from them.\nOkay so have an affair, but not right under my nose.\n  PHRASE: N inflects\n\n20.\nto put someone’s nose out of joint: see joint


Words: nose job
Meaning:
nose job  nose jobs\n  A nose job is a surgical operation that some people have to improve the shape of their nose. (INFORMAL)\nI’ve never had plastic surgery, though people always think I’ve had a nose job.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nosebleed
Meaning:
nose.bleed\n   nosebleed  nosebleeds   also nose bleed\n  If someone has a nosebleed, blood comes out from inside their nose.\nWhenever I have a cold I get a nosebleed.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nosedive
Meaning:
nose.dive\n   nosedive  nosedives  nosediving  nosedived   also nose-dive\n1. If prices, profits, or exchange rates nosedive, they suddenly fall by a large amount. (JOURNALISM)\nThe value of other shares nosedived by .2.6 billion.\n  VERB: V\n  = plummet\n  Nosedive is also a noun.\nThe bank yesterday revealed a 30 per cent nosedive in profits.\n  N-SING\n\n2. If something such as someone’s reputation or career nosedives, it suddenly gets much worse. (JOURNALISM)\nSince the US invasion the president’s reputation has nosedived.\n  VERB: V\n\n  Nosedive is also a noun.\nHe told the tribunal his career had `taken a nosedive’ since his dismissal last year.\n  N-SING


Words: nosh
Meaning:
nosh  noshes  noshing  noshed\n1. Food can be referred to as nosh. (BRIT INFORMAL)\nFancy some nosh?\n  N-UNCOUNT\n  = grub\n2. A nosh is a snack or light meal. (AM INFORMAL)\n  N-SING\n\n3. If you nosh, you eat. (INFORMAL)\nShe sprinkled pepper on my grub, watching me nosh.\n...a big-bellied bird noshing some heather.\n  VERB: V, V n


Words: nostalgia
Meaning:
nos.tal.gia\n   nostalgia\n  Nostalgia is an affectionate feeling you have for the past, especially for a particularly happy time.\nHe might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth...\nHe discerned in the novel an air of Sixties nostalgia.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft N for n


Words: nostalgic
Meaning:
nos.tal.gic\n   nostalgic\n1. Nostalgic things cause you to think affectionately about the past.\nAlthough we still depict nostalgic snow scenes on Christmas cards, winters are now very much warmer...\nSomehow the place even smelt wonderfully nostalgic.\n  ADJ\n\n2. If you feel nostalgic, you think affectionately about experiences you had in the past.\nMany people were nostalgic for the good old days...\n  ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ for/about n\n\n=>  nos.tal.gi.cal.ly\nPeople look back nostalgically on the war period, simply because everyone pulled together.\n  ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj


Words: nostril
Meaning:
nos.tril\n   nostril  nostrils\n  Your nostrils are the two openings at the end of your nose.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nostrum
Meaning:
nos.trum\n   nostrum  nostrums\n1. You can refer to ideas or theories about how something should be done as nostrums, especially when you think they are old-fashioned or wrong in some way. (FORMAL)\n...yesterday’s failed socialist nostrums.\n  N-COUNT: usu pl, oft N of n\n\n2. If you refer to a medicine as a nostrum, you mean that it is not effective or has not been tested in a proper scientific way.\n...pills, tablets, and other nostrums claiming to be magic potions.\n  N-COUNT


Words: nosy
Meaning:
nosy  nosier  nosiest   also nosey\n  If you describe someone as nosy, you mean that they are interested in things which do not concern them. (INFORMAL)\nHe was having to whisper in order to avoid being overheard by their nosy neighbours...\nI agree that the press is often too nosy about a candidate’s personal history.\n  ADJ  disapproval


Words: not
Meaning:
not\nNot is often shortened to n’t in spoken English, and added to the auxiliary or modal verb. For example, `did not’ is often shortened to `didn’t’.\n1. You use not with verbs to form negative statements.\nThe sanctions are not working the way they were intended...\nI was not in Britain at the time...\nThere are many things you won’t understand here...\nI don’t trust my father anymore.\n  NEG\n\n2. You use not to form questions to which you expect the answer `yes’.\nHaven’t they got enough problems there already?...\nDidn’t I see you at the party last week?...\nDidn’t you just love the Waltons?\n  NEG\n\n3. You use not, usually in the form n’t, in questions which imply that someone should have done something, or to express surprise that something is not the case.\nWhy didn’t you do it months ago?...\nHasn’t anyone ever kissed you before?...\nShouldn’t you have gone further?...\n  NEG\n\n4. You use not, usually in the form n’t, in question tags after a positive statement.\n`It’s a nice piece of jewellery though, isn’t it?’...\nI’ve been a great husband, haven’t I?...\n  NEG\n\n5. You use not, usually in the form n’t, in polite suggestions.\nActually we do have a position in mind. Why don’t you fill out our application?...\nCouldn’t they send it by train?\n  NEG  politeness\n\n6. You use not to represent the negative of a word, group, or clause that has just been used.\n`Have you found Paula?’.`I’m afraid not, Kate.’...\nAt first I really didn’t care whether he came or not.\n  NEG\n\n7. You can use not in front of `all’ or `every’ when you want to say something that applies only to some members of the group that you are talking about.\nNot all the money, to put it mildly, has been used wisely...\nNot every applicant had a degree.\n  NEG\n\n8. If something is not always the case, you mean that sometimes it is the case and sometimes it is not.\nShe couldn’t always afford a babysitter...\nThe life of an FBI agent wasn’t always as glamorous as people thought.\n  NEG\n\n9. You can use not or not even in front of `a’ or `one’ to emphasize that there is none at all of what is being mentioned.\nThe houses are beautiful, but there’s no shop, not even a pub to go into...\nI sent report after report. But not one word was published...\n  NEG  emphasis\n\n10. You can use not in front of a word referring to a distance, length of time, or other amount to say that the actual distance, time, or amount is less than the one mentioned.\nThe tug crossed our stern not fifty yards away...\nThey were here not five minutes ago!\n  NEG: NEG amount\n\n11. You use not when you are contrasting something that is true with something that is untrue. You use this especially to indicate that people might think that the untrue statement is true.\nHe has his place in the Asian team not because he is white but because he is good...\nTraining is an investment not a cost...\n  NEG\n\n12. You use not in expressions such as `not only’, `not just’, and `not simply’ to emphasize that something is true, but it is not the whole truth.\nThese movies were not only making money; they were also perceived to be original...\nThere is always a `black market’ not just in Britain but in Europe as a whole...\n  NEG  emphasis\n\n13. You use not that to introduce a negative clause that contradicts something that the previous statement implies.\nHis death took me a year to get over; not that you’re ever really over it...\n  PHRASE\n\n14. Not at all is an emphatic way of saying `No’ or of agreeing that the answer to a question is `No’.\n`Sorry. I sound like Abby, don’t I?’.`No. Not at all.’...\n`You don’t think that you’ve betrayed your country.’.`No I don’t. No, not at all.’\n  CONVENTION  emphasis\n\n15. Not at all is a polite way of acknowledging a person’s thanks.\n`Thank you very much for speaking with us.’.`Not at all.’\n  CONVENTION  formulae\n\n16.\nnot half: see half\nif not: see if\nnot least: see least\nnot to mention: see mention\nnothing if not: see nothing\nmore often than not: see often


Words: notable
Meaning:
no.table\n   notable\n  Someone or something that is notable is important or interesting.\nThe proposed new structure is notable not only for its height, but for its shape...\nWith a few notable exceptions, doctors are a pretty sensible lot.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ for n


Words: notably
Meaning:
no.tably\n   notably\n1. You use notably to specify an important or typical example of something that you are talking about.\nThe divorce would be granted when more important problems, notably the fate of the children, had been decided...\nIt was a question of making sure certain needs were addressed, notably in the pensions area.\n  ADV: ADV group/cl\n  = particularly\n2. You can use notably to emphasize a particular quality that someone or something has.\nOld established friends are notably absent, so it’s a good opportunity to make new contacts...\n  ADV: ADV adj/adv  emphasis


Words: notary
Meaning:
no.ta.ry\n   notary  notaries\n  A notary or a notary public is a person, usually a lawyer, who has legal authority to witness the signing of documents in order to make them legally valid.\n  N-COUNT


Words: notation
Meaning:
no.ta.tion\n   notation  notations\n  A system of notation is a set of written symbols that are used to represent something such as music or mathematics.\nMusical notation was conceived for the C major scale and each line and space represents a note in this scale.\n...some other abstract notation system like a computer language.\n  N-VAR: usu supp N


Words: notch
Meaning:
notch  notches  notching  notched\n1. You can refer to a level on a scale of measurement or achievement as a notch. (JOURNALISM)\nAverage earnings in the economy moved up another notch in August...\nIn this country the good players are pulled down a notch or two...\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. If you notch a success, especially in a sporting contest, you achieve it. (JOURNALISM)\nThe President is keen to notch a political triumph that would foster freer world trade and faster economic growth.\n  VERB: V n\n\n3. A notch is a small V-shaped or circular cut in the surface or edge of something.\nThey cut notches in the handle of their pistol for each man they shot.\n  N-COUNT\n  = nick\n4.\n  see also top-notch


Words: notch up
Meaning:
notch up\n  If you notch up something such as a score or total, you achieve it. (JOURNALISM)\nHe had notched up more than 25 victories worldwide...\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron)


Words: note
Meaning:
note  notes  noting  noted\n1. A note is a short letter.\nStevens wrote him a note asking him to come to his apartment...\nI’ll have to leave a note for Karen.\n  N-COUNT\n  = message\n2. A note is something that you write down to remind yourself of something.\nI knew that if I didn’t make a note I would lose the thought so I asked to borrow a pen or pencil...\nTake notes during the consultation as the final written report is very concise.\n  N-COUNT\n\n3. In a book or article, a note is a short piece of additional information.\nSee Note 16 on page p. 223.\n  N-COUNT\n\n4. A note is a short document that has to be signed by someone and that gives official information about something.\nSince Mr Bennett was going to need some time off work, he asked for a sick note...\nI’ve got half a ton of gravel in the lorry but he won’t sign my delivery note.\n  N-COUNT: with supp\n\n5. You can refer to a banknote as a note. (BRIT; in AM, use bill)\nThey exchange travellers cheques at a different rate from notes.\n...a five pound note.\n  N-COUNT\n\n6. In music, a note is the sound of a particular pitch, or a written symbol representing this sound.\nShe has a deep voice and doesn’t even try for the high notes...\n  N-COUNT: usu with supp\n\n7. You can use note to refer to a particular quality in someone’s voice that shows how they are feeling.\nThere is an unmistakable note of nostalgia in his voice when he looks back on the early years of the family business...\nIt was not difficult for him to catch the note of bitterness in my voice.\n  N-SING: with supp, usu N of n\n  = tone\n8. You can use note to refer to a particular feeling, impression, or atmosphere.\nYesterday’s testimony began on a note of passionate but civilized disagreement...\nSomehow he tells these stories without a note of horror...\nThe furniture strikes a traditional note which is appropriate to its Edwardian setting.\n  N-SING: with supp\n\n9. If you note a fact, you become aware of it.\nThe White House has noted his promise to support any attack that was designed to enforce the UN resolutions...\nSuddenly, I noted that the rain had stopped...\nHaig noted how he `looked pinched and rather tired’.\n  VERB: V n, V that, V wh\n\n10. If you tell someone to note something, you are drawing their attention to it.\nNote the statue to Sallustio Bandini, a prominent Sienese...\nPlease note that there are a limited number of tickets.\n  VERB: V n, V that\n\n11. If you note something, you mention it in order to draw people’s attention to it.\nThe report notes that export and import volumes picked up in leading economies...\nThe yearbook also noted a sharp drop in reported cases of sexually transmitted disease.\n  VERB: V that, V n\n  = observe\n12. When you note something, you write it down as a record of what has happened.\n`He has had his tonsils out and has been ill, too,’ she noted in her diary...\nOne policeman was clearly visible noting the number plates of passing cars...\nA guard came and took our names and noted where each of us was sitting.\n  VERB: V with quote, V n, V wh, also V that\n\n13.\n  see also noted, promissory note, sleeve note\n14. If you compare notes with someone on a particular subject, you talk to them and find out whether their opinion, information, or experience is the same as yours.\nThe women were busily comparing notes on the queen’s outfit...\n  PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR on n, PHR with n\n  = discuss\n15. Someone or something that is of note is important, worth mentioning, or well-known.\n...politicians of note...\nHe has published nothing of note in the last ten years.\n  PHRASE: n PHR\n\n16. If someone or something strikes a particular note or sounds a particular note, they create a particular feeling, impression, or atmosphere.\nBefore his first round of discussions, Mr Baker sounded an optimistic note...\nPlants growing out of cracks in paving strike the right note up a cottage-garden path.\n  PHRASE: V inflects\n\n(next)


Words: note .1
Meaning:
17. If you take note of something, you pay attention to it because you think that it is important or significant.\nTake note of the weather conditions...\nThey took note that she showed no surprise at the news of the murder.\n  PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR of n, PHR that\n\n18.\nto make a mental note: see mental


Words: note down
Meaning:
note down\n  If you note down something, you write it down quickly, so that you have a record of it.\nShe had noted down the names and she told me the story simply and factually...\nIf you find a name that’s on the list I’ve given you, note it down...\nPlease note down what I’m about to say.\n  PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P, V P wh


Words: notebook
Meaning:
note.book\n   notebook  notebooks\n1. A notebook is a small book for writing notes in.\nHe brought out a notebook and pen from his pocket.\n...her reporter’s notebook.\n  N-COUNT\n\n2. A notebook computer is a small personal computer.\n...a range of notebook computers which allows all your important information to travel safely with you.\n  N-COUNT: usu N n


Words: noted
Meaning:
not.ed\n   noted\n  To be noted for something you do or have means to be well-known and admired for it.\n...a television programme noted for its attacks on organised crime...\nLawyers are not noted for rushing into change.\n  ADJ: oft ADJ for n/-ing\n  = renowned


Words: notepad
Meaning:
note.pad\n   notepad  notepads\n  A notepad is a pad of paper that you use for writing notes or letters on.\n  N-COUNT


Words: notepaper
Meaning:
note.paper\n   notepaper\n  Notepaper is paper that you use for writing letters on.\nHe had written letters on official notepaper to promote a relative’s company.\n  N-UNCOUNT: oft supp N


Words: noteworthy
Meaning:
note.worthy\n   noteworthy\n  A fact or event that is noteworthy is interesting, remarkable, or significant in some way. (FORMAL)\nIt is noteworthy that the programme has been shifted from its original August slot to July...\nI found nothing particularly noteworthy to report...\nThe most noteworthy feature of the list is that there are no women on it.\n  ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ that\n  = notable


Words: nothing
Meaning:
noth.ing\n   nothing  nothings\n1. Nothing means not a single thing, or not a single part of something.\nI’ve done nothing much since coffee time...\nMr Pearson said he knew nothing of his wife’s daytime habits...\nHe was dressed in jeans and nothing else...\nThere is nothing wrong with the car.\n  PRON\n\n2. You use nothing to indicate that something or someone is not important or significant.\nBecause he had always had money it meant nothing to him...\nWhile the increase in homicides is alarming, it is nothing compared to what is to come in the rest of the decade...\nShe kept bursting into tears over nothing at work...\nDo our years together mean nothing?\n  PRON\n\n  Nothing is also a noun.\nIt is the picture itself that is the problem; so small, so dull. It’s a nothing, really...\n  N-COUNT: usu sing\n\n3. If you say that something cost nothing or is worth nothing, you are indicating that it cost or is worth a surprisingly small amount of money.\nThe furniture was threadbare; he’d obviously picked it up for nothing...\nHomes in this corner of Mantua that once went for $350,000 are now worth nothing.\n  PRON\n\n4. You use nothing before an adjective or `to’-infinitive to say that something or someone does not have the quality indicated.\nAround the lake the countryside generally is nothing special...\nThere was nothing remarkable about him...\nAll kids her age do silly things; it’s nothing to worry about.\n  PRON: PRON adj, PRON to-inf\n\n5. You can use nothing before `so’ and an adjective or adverb, or before a comparative, to emphasize how strong or great a particular quality is.\nYoungsters learn nothing so fast as how to beat the system...\nI consider nothing more important in my life than songwriting...\nThere’s nothing better than a good cup of hot coffee.\n  PRON: PRON so adj/adv, PRON compar  emphasis\n\n6. You can use all or nothing to say that either something must be done fully and completely or else it cannot be done at all.\nEither he went through with this thing or he did not; it was all or nothing.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR\n\n7. If you say that something is better than nothing, you mean that it is not what is required, but that it is better to have that thing than to have nothing at all.\nAfter all, 15 minutes of exercise is better than nothing.\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR\n\n8. You use nothing but in front of a noun, an infinitive without `to’, or an `-ing’ form to mean `only’.\nAll that money brought nothing but sadness and misery and tragedy...\nIt did nothing but make us ridiculous...\nThey care for nothing but fighting.\n  PHRASE: PHR n/inf/-ing\n\n9. If you say that there is nothing for it but to take a particular action, you mean that it is the only possible course of action that you can take, even though it might be unpleasant. (BRIT)\nMuch depends on which individual ingredients you choose. There is nothing for it but to taste and to experiment for yourself...\n  PHRASE: V inflects, PHR but to-inf, PHR but n\n\n10. You use nothing if not in front of an adjective to indicate that someone or something clearly has a lot of the particular quality mentioned.\nProfessor Fish has been nothing if not professional...\n  PHRASE: v-link PHR adj  emphasis\n\n11. People sometimes say `It’s nothing’ as a polite response after someone has thanked them for something they have done.\n`Thank you for the wonderful dinner.’.`It’s nothing,’ Sarah said...\n`I’ll be on my way. I can’t thank you enough, Alan.’.`It was nothing, but take care.’\n  CONVENTION  formulae\n  = don’t mention it\n12. If you say about a story or report that there is nothing in it or nothing to it, you mean that it is untrue.\nIt’s all rubbish and superstition, and there’s nothing in it.\n  PHRASE: there v-link PHR\n\n13. If you say about an activity that there is nothing to it or nothing in it, you mean that it is extremely easy.\nThis device has a gripper that electrically twists off the jar top. Nothing to it...\nIf you’ve shied away from making pancakes in the past, don’t be put off.there’s really nothing in it!\n(next


