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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
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brutal
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bru·tal /ˈbruːtl̩/ adj[more ~; most ~]
1 : extremely cruel or harsh • a brutal military dictatorship • a brutal attack/murder/assault • brutal winter weather • Sailors sometimes faced brutal punishments like whipping. • a brutal struggle for survival in the wilderness 2 : very direct and accurate in a way that is harsh or unpleasant • The writer describes the dangers of drugs with brutal honesty. • The movie is a brutal depiction of the war. 3 informal : very bad or unpleasant • The traffic was brutal on the way to work. • I had a brutal headache this morning. - bru·tal·ly adv • He was brutally murdered. • He was brutally honest/frank in his criticism of my work. |
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accident
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ac·ci·dent /ˈæksədənt/ noun, pl -dents[count]
1 : a sudden event (such as a crash) that is not planned or intended and that causes damage or injury • We got in a car accident. = We had a car accident. • a traffic accident • a fatal accident • a motorcycle accident • He was injured in an accident at work. • The accident happened when her car slid on a patch of ice. • Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the accident. • “I'm sorry that I broke the bowl.” “That's OK. It was just an accident.” = “That's OK. Accidents will happen.” ✦An accident waiting to happen is a person or thing that is dangerous or unsafe. • My brother is the clumsiest person I know. He's just an accident waiting to happen. 2 : an event that is not planned or intended : an event that occurs by chance • Their meeting was an accident. • It is just an accident that they arrived when they did. • She says that her pregnancy was an accident. • His wealth is a mere accident of birth. [=he is wealthy only because he was born into a wealthy family] • He says that no one is to blame for his illness. It was just an accident of nature. [=something that happened naturally] • It is no accident that the assistant he hired is so good-looking. [=he deliberately chose a good-looking person to be his assistant] by accident: in a way that is not planned or intended • They met by accident. [=by chance] • She says that she became pregnant by accident. [=unintentionally] • Scientists discovered the vaccine almost/quite/entirely by accident. • Did it happen by accident [=accidentally] or by design? |
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sock
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1sock /ˈsɑːk/ noun, pl socks[count] : a piece of clothing that is worn on your foot and that covers your ankle and sometimes the lower part of your leg
• a white cotton sock - usually plural • a pair of socks • wool/ankle/athletic socks - see color picture - see also bobby socks, tube sock knock/blow your socks offinformal : to affect or impress you in a very strong and favorable way • This song will knock your socks off. [=you will enjoy this song very much] put a sock in itinformal - used to tell someone to stop talking • I wish someone would tell him to put a sock in it. - compare 2sock |
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resign
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re·sign /rɪˈzaɪn/ verb -signs; -signed; -sign·ing: to give up (a job or position) in a formal or official way
[+ obj] • The senator was forced to resign his position. [no obj] • The newspaper's editor resigned after the scandal. • He resigned from his job as principal of the school. resign yourself: to make yourself accept something that is bad or that cannot be changed - usually + to • We resigned ourselves to the fact that we were going to lose the game. • You don't have to resign yourself to doing a job that you don't enjoy. - see also resigned to at resigned |
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thigh
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thigh /ˈɵaɪ/ noun, pl thighs[count]
1 : the part of your leg that is above the knee - see picture at human 2 : the side part of the leg of a bird • boneless chicken thighs |
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decimal
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1dec·i·mal /ˈdɛsəməl/ adjmathematics : based on the number 10
• the decimal system • a number with three decimal places [=a number with three digits that follow the decimal point; a number like 1.234 or .567] • In the number 8.901, the 9 is in the first decimal place. |
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opposite
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1op·po·site /ˈɑːpəzət/ adj
1 : located at the other end, side, or corner of something : located across from something • The two boys lived on opposite sides of the street. • the opposite bank of the river • Fold the bottom right corner of the paper over to the opposite corner. • She switched her ring to the opposite hand. [=she took her ring off the finger of one hand and put it on a finger of the other hand] • The text refers to an illustration on the opposite page. [=on the page that faces it] 2 : completely different • The two scientists had the same information but reached opposite conclusions. • They represent opposite sides of the issue. • They ran in opposite directions. • Some herbs help you sleep while others have the opposite effect. [=other herbs keep you awake] • Her music is at the opposite end of the spectrum/continuum from the music her mother made. • Once serving only small portions at high prices, the restaurant has gone to the opposite extreme under the new owners. [=the restaurant now serves large amounts of food for low prices] the opposite side of the coin - see 1coin |
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blame
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1blame /ˈbleɪm/ verb blames; blamed; blam·ing[+ obj] : to say or think that a person or thing is responsible for something bad that has happened
• Don't blame me. You are responsible for your own problems. • Don't blame me for your problems. = Don't blame your problems on me. • The company blames the poor economy for its financial losses. = The company blames its financial losses on the poor economy. • My father always blames everything on me. • I blame the poor harvest on the weather. blame the messenger - see messenger have yourself to blame ✦If you have only yourself to blame or have no one to blame but yourself, then something is your fault and nobody else's. • She has only herself to blame for her money problems. not blame ✦If you say that you wouldn't/don't/can't blame someone or can hardly blame someone, you think that person has a good reason for doing something. • After the way he treated you, I wouldn't blame you [=I would completely understand] if you never spoke to him again. • You can hardly blame her for being angry. to blame: responsible for something bad : deserving to be blamed for something. • Who's to blame for these problems? • He says he's not to blame for the delays. [=he did not cause the delays] • Poor communication is at least partly to blame. [=at fault] |
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reverse
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1re·verse /rɪˈvɚs/ verb -vers·es; -versed; -vers·ing
1 [+ obj] : to change (something) to an opposite state or condition • Our roles as caregiver and patient have been reversed. [=switched] • The runners reversed their direction on the track. • The Supreme Court reversed [=overturned] the decision. • The college is trying to reverse the decline in applicants. [=the college is trying to get more people to apply] • Had our situations been reversed [=if I had been in the situation that you were in], I would have done things differently. 2 [+ obj] : to cause (something, such as a process) to stop or return to an earlier state • We cannot reverse [=undo] the damage that is already done. • The medicine may reverse the course of this disease. [=the medicine may stop this disease from getting worse] • There is no way to reverse the aging process. • The operation cannot be reversed. [=undone] • Can anything reverse the trend toward higher prices? 3 [+ obj] a : to change the order or position of (two things or a series) • Reverse the “i” and “e” in “recieve” to spell “receive” correctly. • My mother and I reversed our roles. Now I'm taking care of her. • We're going to reverse our usual order and start with Z. b : to switch the positions of the top and bottom or the front and back of (something) • You need to reverse the paper [=to turn the paper around] in the printer so that the letterhead is up. • Reverse that painting [=turn that painting over] so that I can see the back. 4 chiefly Brit : to drive (a vehicle) backward [+ obj] • Reverse [=(US) back, back up] the car into/out of the parking space. [no obj] • Reverse [=(US) back, back up] into/out of the parking space. • The car reversed. [=(US) backed up] reverse the charges or reverse the chargeBrit : to arrange to have the cost of a phone call paid by the person who is called • He telephoned and reversed the charges. [=(US) he called collect] reverse yourselfUS formal : to change your decision or opinion about something • The mayor has reversed himself on the issue of raising taxes. |
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controversial
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con·tro·ver·sial /ˌkɑːntrəˈvɚʃəl/ adj[more ~; most ~] : relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument : likely to produce controversy
• Abortion is a highly controversial subject/issue/topic. • a decision that remains controversial • He is a controversial author/director/figure. - con·tro·ver·sial·ly adv |
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inspire
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in·spire /ɪnˈspajɚ/ verb -spires; -spired; -spir·ing[+ obj]
1 : to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create • He inspired generations of future scientists. • Her courage has inspired us. - often followed by to + verb • She has inspired us to live better lives. • Her early childhood inspired her to write her first novel. 2 : to cause (something) to happen or be created • His discoveries inspired a whole new line of scientific research. • Her first novel was inspired by her early childhood. 3 : to cause someone to have (a feeling or emotion) • The news inspired hope that the war might end soon. • His unusual management style does not inspire confidence. [=it makes people worry about his ability to manage properly] |
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parody
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1par·o·dy /ˈperədi/ noun, pl -dies
1 : a piece of writing, music, etc., that imitates the style of someone or something else in an amusing way [count] • a political parody • He has a talent for writing parodies. - often + of • The book was written as a parody of Henry James's style. • a parody of a soap opera [noncount] • a writer with a talent for parody 2 [count] disapproving : a bad or unfair example of something - often + of • The trial was a parody of justice. [=the trial was very unfair] |
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assassinate
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as·sas·si·nate /əˈsæsəˌneɪt/ verb -nates; -nat·ed; -nat·ing[+ obj] : to kill (someone, such as a famous or important person) usually for political reasons
• They discovered a secret plot/plan to assassinate the governor. • President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. - as·sas·si·na·tion /əˌsæsəˈneɪʃən/ noun, pl -tions [count] • an attempted assassination of the President [noncount] • a leader whose life was tragically cut short by assassination |
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capture
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1cap·ture /ˈkæpʧɚ/ verb -tures; -tured; -tur·ing[+ obj]
1 a : to take and hold (someone) as a prisoner especially by using force • They were captured by enemy soldiers. b : to catch (an animal) • using traps to capture mice 2 a : to get control of (a place) especially by using force • The city was captured by the Romans. b : to win or get (something) through effort • She captured 60 percent of the vote in the last election. • The company plans on capturing a larger segment of the market. 3 : to get and hold (someone's attention, interest, etc.) • The show has captured the attention/interest of teenagers. • The story captured our imaginations. [=the story was very interesting and exciting] 4 : to describe or show (someone or something) in a very accurate way by using writing, painting, film, etc. • The story captures the essence of the holiday. • The biography captured her perfectly. • The beauty of the landscape was captured perfectly by the artist. 5 a : to record (something) in a picture, film, etc. • The robbery was captured (on film) by the security cameras. b : to get and put (information) into a form that can be read or used by a computer • The system is used to capture data relating to the buying habits of young people. • a digital camera that captures 1.2 million pixels 6 : to take (something, such as a chess piece) by following the rules of a game • In the game of chess, the goal is to capture your opponent's king. capture lightning in a bottle - see 1lightning |
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collateral
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1col·lat·er·al /kəˈlætərəl/ noun[noncount] : something that you promise to give someone if you cannot pay back a loan
• She put up her house as collateral for the loan. [=she agreed that she would give up her house if she did not repay the loan] |
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suspect
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1sus·pect /səˈspɛkt/ verb -pects; -pect·ed; -pect·ing[+ obj]
1 a : to think that (someone) is possibly guilty of a crime or of doing something wrong • He's suspected in four burglaries. - often + of • The police suspect him of murder. • No one suspects you of cheating. b : to think that (something) is possibly the cause of something bad - usually + of • The pesticide is suspected of causing cancer. c : to think that (a crime) has possibly been committed • The police do not suspect murder in this case. • The fire chief suspects arson. 2 : to think that (something, especially something bad) possibly exists, is true, will happen, etc. • We suspected a trap. • I suspect it will rain. • Call the doctor immediately if you suspect you've been infected. • The latest research confirms what scientists have long suspected. • I suspect she's not who she says she is. • “We haven't done our homework.” “I suspected as much.” 3 : to have feelings of doubt about (something) : to be suspicious about (something) • I suspected his motives in giving me the money. • I have reason to suspect her sincerity when she makes promises like that. - suspected /səˈspɛktəd/ adj always used before a noun • a suspected arsonist • The pesticide is a suspected carcinogen. • a suspected case of smallpox |
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tolerance
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tol·er·ance /ˈtɑːlərəns/ noun
1 : willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own [noncount] • religious tolerance [singular] • a tolerance for/of other lifestyles - see also zero tolerance 2 : the ability to accept, experience, or survive something harmful or unpleasant [count] • The plants have a high/low tolerance for/of heat. [noncount] • I don't have much tolerance for cold weather. [=I dislike cold weather; cold weather makes me uncomfortable] • I have no tolerance for such behavior. [=I cannot accept/tolerate such behavior] 3 medical : your body's ability to become adjusted to something (such as a drug) so that its effects are experienced less strongly [count] • Some patients gradually develop a tolerance for the drug and need to be given a larger dose. [noncount] • Some patients develop greater tolerance for the drug's effects. |
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significant
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sig·nif·i·cant /sɪgˈnɪfɪkənt/ adj[more ~; most ~]
1 : large enough to be noticed or have an effect • A significant number of customers complained about the service. • He won a significant amount of money. • There is a significant difference in prices between the two stores. • The study found a statistically significant decrease in symptoms in patients who had taken the drug. • His influence on me was significant. = He had a significant influence on me. 2 : very important • a significant event in the history of our nation • Fish is a significant part of their diet. • It is significant that she never mentioned him. - opposite insignificant 3 : having a special or hidden meaning • He gave us a significant wink/look. • a significant [=suggestive] glance |
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tempo
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tem·po /ˈtɛmpoʊ/ noun
1 pl tem·pos also tem·pi /ˈtɛmpi/ : the speed at which a musical piece is played or sung [count] • The song has a slow/fast/upbeat tempo. [noncount] • The composition has many changes of tempo. - compare rhythm; see also up-tempo 2 pl tempos : the speed at which something moves or happens : pace [count] • We walked at a fast tempo. • The tempo of the game slowed down. [noncount] • The dance starts out fast and then switches tempo. |
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drawback
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draw‧back
/ˈdrɔːbæk $ ˈdrɒː-/noun [C] a disadvantage of a situation, plan, product etc It’s a great city – the only drawback is the weather. drawback of/to (doing) something The main drawback to these products is that they tend to be too salty. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Fifth Edition (LDOCE5) © Pearson Education Limited 2009 |
