Collins COBUILD English Dictionary.txt
Collins COBUILD English DictionaryA, a A, a A, a
A, a A's, a's
1 [N-VAR]
A is the first letter of the English alphabet.
2 [N-VAR]
In music, A is the sixth note in the scale of C major.
3 [N-VAR]
If you get an A as a mark for a piece of work or in an exam, your work is
extremely good.
4 A or a is used as an abbreviation for words beginning with a, such as
`acceleration', `ampčre', or `answer'.
5 [PHRASE]
PHR after v
People talk about getting from A to B when they are referring generally to
journeys they need to make, without saying where the journeys will take them.
Cars are for getting people from A to B in maximum safety.
a *** a a
a WEAK STRONG
1 [DET]
DET sing-n
You use a or an when you are referring to someone or something for the first
time or when people may not know which particular person or thing you are
talking about.
A waiter entered with a tray...
He started eating an apple...
Today you've got a new teacher taking you...
I manage a hotel.
2 [DET]
DET sing-n
You use a or an when you are referring to any person or thing of a particular

The interview took place on a Friday afternoon...
8 [DET]
DET sing-n
You use a or an when you are saying what someone is or what job they have.
I explained that I was an artist...
He was now a teacher and a respectable member of the community.
9 [DET]
DET n-proper
You use a or an in front of the names of artists to refer to one individual
painting or sculpture created by them.
Most people have very little difficulty in seeing why a Van Gogh is a
work of genius.
10 [DET]
DET sing-n
You use a or an instead of the number `one', especially with words of
measurement such as `hundred', `hour', and `metre', and with fractions such as
`half', `quarter', and `third'.
...more than a thousand acres of land.
...a quarter of an hour...
11 [DET]
num DET sing-n
You use a or an in expressions such as eight hours a day to express a rate or
ratio.
Prices start at Ł13.95 a metre for printed cotton...
The helicopter can zip along at about 150 kilometres an hour.
a- a- a-
a-
[PREFIX]
A- is added to the beginning of some adjectives in order to form adjectives
that describe someone or something that does not have the feature or quality

abalone abalone abalone
aba·lo·ne abalones
[N-VAR]
Abalone is a shellfish that you can eat and that has a shiny substance called
mother-of-pearl inside its shell.
abandon * abandon abandon
aban·don abandons abandoning abandoned
1 [VERB]
V n, V-ed
If you abandon a place, thing, or person, you leave the place, thing, or
person permanently or for a long time, especially when you should not do so.
He claimed that his parents had abandoned him...
The road is strewn with abandoned vehicles.
2 [VERB]
V n
If you abandon an activity or piece of work, you stop doing it before it is
finished.
The authorities have abandoned any attempt to distribute food...
= give up Ě continue
give up continue
3 [VERB]
V n
If you abandon an idea or way of thinking, you stop having that idea or
thinking in that way.
Logic had prevailed and he had abandoned the idea.
= give up
give up
4 [N-UNCOUNT] disapproval
usu with N
If you say that someone does something with abandon, you mean that they behave

the idea or of stopping thinking in that way.
abashed abashed abashed
abashed
[ADJ]
usu v-link ADJ
If you are abashed, you feel embarrassed and ashamed. (WRITTEN)
He looked abashed, uncomfortable.
abate abate abate
abate abates abating abated
[VERB]
V
If something bad or undesirable abates, it becomes much less strong or severe.
(FORMAL)
The storms had abated by the time they rounded Cape Horn.
abatement abatement abatement
abate·ment
[N-UNCOUNT]
also a N
Abatement means a reduction in the strength or power of something or the
reduction of it. (FORMAL)
...the abatement of carbon dioxide emissions.
...noise abatement.
abattoir abattoir abattoir
ab·at·toir abattoirs
[N-COUNT]
An abattoir is a place where animals are killed in order to provide meat.
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(BRIT; in AM, use slaughterhouse)
= slaughterhouse

ABC ABC ABC
ABC ABCs
1 [N-SING]
N of n
The ABC of a subject or activity is the parts of it that you have to learn
first because they are the most important and basic.
...the ABC of Marxism.
2 [N-COUNT]
poss N
Children who have learned their ABC or their ABCs have learned to recognize,
write, or say the alphabet. (INFORMAL)
abdicate abdicate abdicate
ab·di·cate abdicates abdicating abdicated
1 [VERB]
V, also V n
If a king or queen abdicates, he or she gives up being king or queen.
The last French king was Louis Philippe, who abdicated in 1848.
&xSym1; abdication ab·di·ca·tion [N-UNCOUNT]
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usu with poss
...the most serious royal crisis since the abdication of Edward VIII.
2 [VERB] disapproval
V n
If you say that someone has abdicated responsibility for something, you
disapprove of them because they have refused to accept responsibility for it
any longer. (FORMAL)
Many parents simply abdicate all responsibility for their children.
&xSym1; abdication ab·di·ca·tion [N-UNCOUNT]
N of n

&xSym1; abduction abductions ab·duc·tion [N-VAR]
...the abduction of four youths.
&xSym1; abductor abductors ab·duc·tor [N-COUNT]
She co-operated with her abductor.
aberrant aberrant aberrant
ab·er·rant
[ADJ]
usu ADJ n
Aberrant means unusual and not socially acceptable. (FORMAL)
Ian's rages and aberrant behavior worsened.
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aberration aberration aberration
ab·er·ra·tion aberrations
[N-VAR]
An aberration is an incident or way of behaving that is not typical. (FORMAL)
It became very clear that the incident was not just an aberration, it was
not just a single incident.
abet abet abet
abet abets abetting abetted
[VERB]
V n
If one person abets another, they help or encourage them to do something
criminal or wrong. Abet is often used in the legal expression `aid and abet'.
(LEGAL FORMAL)
His wife was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for aiding and
abetting him...
abeyance abeyance abeyance
abey·ance
[PHRASE]

abide abides abiding abided
[PHRASE]
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with brd-neg
If you can't abide someone or something, you dislike them very much.
I can't abide people who can't make up their minds...
see also abiding, law-abiding
= can't stand
can't stand
abide by abide by abide by
abide by
[PHRASAL VERB]
V P n
If you abide by a law, agreement, or decision, you do what it says you should
do.
They have got to abide by the rules.
= observe
observe
abiding abiding abiding
abid·ing
[ADJ]
ADJ n
An abiding feeling, memory, or interest is one that you have for a very long
time.
He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft...
= lasting Ě short-lived
lasting short-lived
ability ** ability ability
abil·ity abilities

usu ADJ n
You use abject to emphasize that a situation or quality is extremely bad.
Both of them died in abject poverty...
This scheme was an abject failure.
= total
total
&xSym1; abjectly ab·ject·ly [ADV]
Both have failed abjectly.
abjure abjure abjure
ab·jure abjures abjuring abjured
[VERB]
V n
If you abjure something such as a belief or way of life, you state publicly
that you will give it up or that you reject it. (FORMAL)
...a formal statement abjuring military action.
ablaze ablaze ablaze
ablaze
1 [ADJ]
v n ADJ, v-link ADJ
Something that is ablaze is burning very fiercely.
Shops, houses, and vehicles were set ablaze.
2 [ADJ]
v-link ADJ, usu ADJ with n
If a place is ablaze with lights or colours, it is very bright because of
them.
The chamber was ablaze with light...
able *** able able
able abler ablest
1 [PHRASE]
If you are able to do something, you have skills or qualities which make it

[ADJ]
An able-bodied person is physically strong and healthy, rather than weak or
disabled.
The gym can be used by both able-bodied and disabled people.
Ě disabled
disabled
[N-PLURAL]
the N
The able-bodied are people who are able-bodied.
ablutions ablutions ablutions
ab·lu·tions
[N-PLURAL]
oft poss N
Someone's ablutions are all the activities that are involved in washing
himself or herself. (FORMAL or HUMOROUS)
ably ably ably
ably
[ADV]
ADV with v
Ably means skilfully and successfully.
He was ably assisted by a number of other members.
abnormal abnormal abnormal
ab·nor·mal
[ADJ]
Someone or something that is abnormal is unusual, especially in a way that is
worrying. (FORMAL)
...abnormal heart rhythms and high anxiety levels.
...a child with an abnormal fear of strangers.
&xSym1; abnormally ab·nor·mal·ly [ADV]
usu ADV adj/adv, also ADV with v

oft of PHR
If someone has no fixed abode, they are homeless. (LEGAL)
30 per cent of psychiatric hospital beds are occupied by people of no
fixed abode.
abolish abolish abolish
abol·ish abolishes abolishing abolished
[VERB]
V n
If someone in authority abolishes a system or practice, they formally put an
end to it.
The following year Parliament voted to abolish the death penalty for
murder...
abolition abolition abolition
abo·li·tion
[N-UNCOUNT]
also a N, usu with supp, oft N of n
The abolition of something such as a system or practice is its formal ending.
...the abolition of slavery in Brazil and the Caribbean.
abolitionist abolitionist abolitionist
abo·li·tion·ist abolitionists
[N-COUNT]
oft N n
An abolitionist is someone who campaigns for the abolition of a particular
system or practice.
As long as most people are happy to have the monarchy, the abolitionist
position is an arrogant fantasy.
A-bomb A-bomb A-bomb
A-bomb A-bombs
[N-COUNT]
An A-bomb is an atomic bomb.

ADJ n
The aboriginal people or animals of a place are ones that have been there from
the earliest known times or that were there before people or animals from
other countries arrived.
= native, indigenous
native indigenous
Aborigine Aborigine Aborigine
Abo·rigi·ne Aborigines
[N-COUNT]
usu pl
Aborigines are members of the tribes that were living in Australia when
Europeans arrived there.
abort abort abort
abort aborts aborting aborted
1 [VERB]
V n, V-ed
If an unborn baby is aborted, the pregnancy is ended deliberately and the baby
is not born alive. (FORMAL)
Her lover walked out on her after she had aborted their child.
...tissue from aborted fetuses.
2 [VERB]
V n
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If someone aborts a process, plan, or activity, they stop it before it has
been completed.
The decision was made to abort the mission...
abortion * abortion abortion
abor·tion abortions
[N-VAR]

She knew a lot about food...
He never complains about his wife.
2 [PREP]
When you mention the things that an activity or institution is about, you are
saying what it involves or what its aims are.
Leadership is about the ability to implement change.
3 [PREP]
You use about after some adjectives to indicate the person or thing that a
feeling or state of mind relates to.
`I'm sorry about Patrick,' she said...
I feel so guilty and angry about the whole issue.
4 [PREP]
If you do something about a problem, you take action in order to solve it.
Rachel was going to do something about Jacob...
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5 [PREP]
When you say that there is a particular quality about someone or something,
you mean that they have this quality.
I think there's something a little peculiar about the results of your
test.
6 [ADV]
ADV num
About is used in front of a number to show that the number is not exact.
In my local health centre there's about forty parking spaces...
The rate of inflation is running at about 2.7 percent.
= approximately, around Ě precisely
approximately around precisely
7 [ADV]
ADV after v

usu PHR after v, also v-link PHR
If someone is out and about, they are going out and doing things, especially
after they have been unable to for a while.
Despite considerable pain she has been getting out and about almost as
normal...
13 [PHRASE]
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usu PHR after v, also v-link PHR
If someone is out and about, they are going to a lot of different places,
often as part of their job.
They often saw me out and about.
about-face about-face about-face
about-face about-faces
[N-COUNT]
An about-face is a complete change of attitude or opinion.
Few observers believe the president will do an about-face and start
spending more.
= U-turn, volte-face
U-turn volte-face
about-turn about-turn about-turn
about-turn about-turns
[N-COUNT]
An about-turn is the same as an about-face. (BRIT; in AM, use about-face)
above ** above above
above
1 [PREP]
If one thing is above another one, it is directly over it or higher than it.
He lifted his hands above his head...
Apartment 46 was a quiet apartment, unlike the one above it...

The temperature crept up to just above 40 degrees...
Victoria Falls has had above average levels of rainfall this year...
Government spending is planned to rise 3 per cent above inflation.
Ě below
below
[ADV]
amount and ADV
Above is also an adverb.
Banks have been charging 25 percent and above for unsecured loans.
4 [PREP]
If you hear one sound above another, it is louder or clearer than the second
one.
Then there was a woman's voice, rising shrilly above the barking.
= over
over
5 [PREP]
If someone is above you, they are in a higher social position than you or in a
position of authority over you.
I married above myself -- rich county people...
Ě below
below
[ADV]
from ADV
Above is also an adverb.
The policemen admitted beating the student, but said they were acting on
orders from above.
6 [PREP] disapproval
If you say that someone thinks they are above something, you mean that they
act as if they are too good or important for it.
I'm not above doing my own cleaning.

abrade abrade abrade
abrade abrades abrading abraded
[VERB]
be V-ed
To abrade something means to scrape or wear down its surface by rubbing it.
(FORMAL)
My skin was abraded and very tender.
abrasion abrasion abrasion
abra·sion abrasions
[N-COUNT]
An abrasion is an area on a person's body where the skin has been scraped.
(FORMAL)
He had severe abrasions to his right cheek.
= graze, cut
graze cut
abrasive abrasive abrasive
abra·sive
1 [ADJ]
Someone who has an abrasive manner is unkind and rude.
His abrasive manner has won him an unenviable notoriety...
2 [ADJ]
An abrasive substance is rough and can be used to clean hard surfaces.
...a new all-purpose, non-abrasive cleaner.
abreast abreast abreast
abreast
1 [ADV]
ADV after v, num ADV
If people or things walk or move abreast, they are next to each other, side by
side, and facing in the same direction.
The steep pavement was too narrow for them to walk abreast.

[VERB]
V n
If someone in a position of authority abrogates something such as a law,
agreement, or practice, they put an end to it. (FORMAL)
The next prime minister could abrogate the treaty.
= revoke
revoke
abrupt abrupt abrupt
ab·rupt
1 [ADJ]
An abrupt change or action is very sudden, often in a way which is unpleasant.
Rosie's idyllic world came to an abrupt end when her parents' marriage
broke up...
&xSym1; abruptly ab·rupt·ly [ADV]
ADV with v
He stopped abruptly and looked my way.
= suddenly
suddenly
2 [ADJ]
Someone who is abrupt speaks in a rather rude, unfriendly way.
He was abrupt to the point of rudeness...
Cross was a little taken aback by her abrupt manner.
= brusque
brusque
&xSym1; abruptly ab·rupt·ly [ADV]
`Good night, then,' she said abruptly.
abs abs abs
abs
[N-PLURAL]
Abs are the same as abdominals. (INFORMAL)

absence * absence absence
ab·sence absences
1 [N-VAR]
with supp
Someone's absence from a place is the fact that they are not there.
...a bundle of letters which had arrived for me in my absence...
Eleanor would later blame her mother-in-law for her husband's frequent
absences.
Ě presence
presence
2 [N-SING]
with supp
The absence of something from a place is the fact that it is not there or does
not exist.
The presence or absence of clouds can have an important impact on heat
transfer...
In the absence of a will the courts decide who the guardian is.
= lack Ě presence
lack presence
3
conspicuous by one's absence: see conspicuous
see also leave of absence
absent absent absent
ab·sent
1 [ADJ]
usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ from n
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If someone or something is absent from a place or situation where they should
be or where they usually are, they are not there.

3 [ADJ]
ADJ n
In elections in the United States, if you vote by absentee ballot or if you
are an absentee voter, you vote in advance because you will be away. (AM)
absenteeism absenteeism absenteeism
ab·sen·tee·ism
[N-UNCOUNT]
Absenteeism is the fact or habit of frequently being away from work or school,
usually without a good reason.
Ě attendance
attendance
absentia absentia absentia
ab·sen·tia
[PHRASE]
PHR after v
If something is done to you in absentia, it is done to you when you are not
present. (FORMAL)
He was tried in absentia and sentenced to seven years in prison.
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absent-minded absent-minded absent-minded
absent-minded
[ADJ]
Someone who is absent-minded forgets things or does not pay attention to what
they are doing, often because they are thinking about something else.
In his later life he became even more absent-minded.
= forgetful
forgetful
&xSym1; absent-mindedly absent-mindedly [ADV]
ADV with v

5 [ADJ]
ADJ n
An amount that is expressed in absolute terms is expressed as a fixed amount
rather than referring to variable factors such as what you earn or the effects
of inflation.
In absolute terms British wages remain low by European standards.
Ě real
real
6 [ADJ]
usu ADJ n
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Absolute rules and principles are believed to be true, right, or relevant in
all situations.
There are no absolute rules.
Ě relative
relative
7 [N-COUNT]
An absolute is a rule or principle that is believed to be true, right, or
relevant in all situations.
see also decree absolute
absolutely ** absolutely absolutely
ab·so·lute·ly
1 [ADV] emphasis
usu ADV adj/adv, also ADV with v
Absolutely means totally and completely.
Jill is absolutely right...
I absolutely refuse to get married...
There is absolutely no difference!
2 [ADV] emphasis

...royal absolutism.
2 [N-UNCOUNT] disapproval
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You can refer to someone's beliefs as absolutism if they think that their
beliefs are true, right, or relevant in all situations, especially if you
think they are wrong to behave in this way.
&xSym1; absolutist ab·so·lut·ist [ADJ]
This absolutist belief is replaced by an appreciation that rules can
vary.
absolve absolve absolve
ab·solve absolves absolving absolved
[VERB]
V n of/from n, V n
If a report or investigation absolves someone from blame or responsibility, it
formally states that he or she is not guilty or is not to blame.
A police investigation yesterday absolved the police of all blame in the
incident.
...the inquiry which absolved the soldiers.
= excuse
excuse
absorb absorb absorb
ab·sorb absorbs absorbing absorbed
1 [VERB]
V n, be V-ed into n
If something absorbs a liquid, gas, or other substance, it soaks it up or
takes it in.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and moisture from the soil...
Refined sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly.
= soak up

= consume
consume
7 [VERB]
V n
If you absorb information, you learn and understand it.
Too often he only absorbs half the information in the manual...
= digest, assimilate
digest assimilate
8 [VERB]
V n
If something absorbs you, it interests you a great deal and takes up all your
attention and energy.
...a second career which absorbed her more completely than her acting
ever had.
see also absorbed, absorbing
absorbed absorbed absorbed
ab·sorbed
[ADJ]
v-link ADJ, usu ADJ in/by n
If you are absorbed in something or someone, you are very interested in them
and they take up all your attention and energy.
They were completely absorbed in each other...
= engrossed
engrossed
absorbent absorbent absorbent
ab·sor·bent
[ADJ]
Absorbent material soaks up liquid easily.
The towels are highly absorbent.
absorber absorber absorber

V
If you abstain during a vote, you do not use your vote.
Three Conservative MPs abstained in the vote.
abstemious abstemious abstemious
ab·ste·mi·ous
[ADJ]
Someone who is abstemious avoids doing too much of something enjoyable such as
eating or drinking. (FORMAL)
abstention abstention abstention
ab·sten·tion abstentions
[N-VAR]
Abstention is a formal act of not voting either for or against a proposal.
...a vote of sixteen in favor, three against, and one abstention...
abstinence abstinence abstinence
ab·sti·nence
[N-UNCOUNT]
Abstinence is the practice of abstaining from something such as alcoholic
drink or sex, often for health or religious reasons.
...six months of abstinence.
...total abstinence from alcohol.
= abstention
abstention
abstract abstract abstract
ab·stract abstracts
1 [ADJ]
An abstract idea or way of thinking is based on general ideas rather than on
real things and events.
...abstract principles such as justice...
It's not a question of some abstract concept.
= theoretical