D Flashcards
dam
dam [dæm] noun countable [dams] a wall built across a river which stops the river’s flow and collects the water, especially to make a reservoir (= an artificial lake) which provides water for an area • The Aswan High Dam is on the River Nile in Egypt. Compare dyke Thesaurus+: ↑Ditches, dams and tunnels verb transitive [-mm-] to build a dam across a river in order to store the water
damp
damp [dæmp] adjective [damper dampest] < > slightly wet, especially in a way that is not pleasant or comfortable • The grass is still damp. • This shirt still feels a bit damp. • It was a damp, misty morning. Thesaurus+: ↑Wet weather and wetness • The room was damp and smelly so we opened all the windows and gave it a good airing. • Put those damp clothes in the tumble dryer. • The hotel walls were covered in damp patches. • The house was dusty, damp and unwelcoming. • Left in the garage where it was damp, the wooden frame had warped. Derived: dampness
dangle
dangle [ˈdæŋ.gl ̩] verb [dangles dangling dangled] 1. intransitive or transitive to hang loosely, or to hold something so that it hangs loosely • Loose electric wires were dangling from the wall. • He dangled the puppet in front of the children. Thesaurus+: ↑Hanging and suspending 2. transitive to offer someone something that they want in order to persuade them to do something • I’ve tried dangling all sorts of offers before him/in front of him to get him to work harder at school, but nothing works.
dare
BE BRAVE/RUDE 1. < > intransitive not continuous to be brave enough to do something difficult or dangerous, or to be rude or silly enough to do something that you have no right to do • I was going to ask if his dog was any better, but I didn’t dare in case it had died. • + (to) infinitive Everyone in the office complains that he smells awful, but nobody dares (to) mention it to him. • Do you dare (to) tell him the news? • + infinitive without to I wouldn’t dare have a party in my flat in case the neighbours complained. • Dare you tell him the news? • I daren’t/don’t dare think how much it’s going to cost. • I’d never dare (to) talk to my mother the way Ben talks to his. • + to infinitive He was under attack for daring to criticize the Prime Minister. See also daresay Thesaurus+: ↑Taking risks ↑Gambling and bookmaking • She fixed the child with a stare of such disapproval he did not dare move. • I didn’t dare say anything for fear of offending him. • I wouldn’t dare say anything against him to his mother! • I dare not let the children out of my sight in this park. • He’s a bit possessive about his CDs - I wouldn’t dare ask to borrow them. ASK 2. transitive to ask someone to do something which involves risk • Wear the low-cut blouse with your pink shorts - go on, I dare you! • + to infinitive I dare you to ask him to dance. Thesaurus+: ↑Making appeals and requests Idioms: How dare she! ▪ don’t you dare noun countable something you do because someone dares you to • He jumped in the river at twelve o’clock last night UK as/for/ US on a dare.
daring
daring [ˈdeə.rɪŋ] [ˈder.ɪŋ] adjective brave and taking risks • a daring escape • This is a daring new film (= one willing to risk criticism) by one of our most original modern directors. • She was wearing a rather daring (= sexually exciting) skirt that only just covered her bottom.
darken
darken [ˈdɑː.k ə n] [ˈdɑːr-] verb intransitive [darkens darkening darkened] to become dark • The sky darkened as thick smoke billowed from the blazing oil well.
dash
MOVE QUICKLY 1. < > intransitive to go somewhere quickly • I’ve been dashing around all day. • I must dash - I’ve got to be home by seven. Thesaurus+: ↑Moving quickly • We dashed for the train, but it was already pulling away from the platform. • Sit down for a minute - you’ve been dashing around all day. • I’m sorry, but I’ve got to dash or I’ll be late collecting the children from school. • Bob came in the door and dashed straight upstairs without even saying hello. • A cat suddenly dashed across the road in front of us. HIT 2. intransitive or transitive usually + prep to hit with great force, especially causing damage • The tidal wave dashed the ship against the rocks. • Waves dashed against the cliffs. Thesaurus+: ↑Hitting against objects accidentally and colliding Idiom: dash somebody’s hopes PhrasalVerb: dash something off
dazzle
dazzle [ˈdæz.l ̩] verb [dazzles dazzling dazzled] 1. transitive If light dazzles you, it makes you unable to see for a short time • I was dazzled by the sunlight. Thesaurus+: ↑Emitting and casting light 2. transitive usually passive If you are dazzled by someone or something, you think they are extremely good and exciting • I was dazzled by his charm and good looks.
deaf
deaf [def] adjective [deafer deafest] 1. < > unable to hear, either completely or partly • He’s been totally/partially deaf since birth. Thesaurus+: ↑Neglecting and ignoring ↑Not paying attention ↑Treating as unimportant ↑Handicap and the disabled 2. disapproving unwilling to listen • The local council has remained deaf to all the objections to its proposals. Thesaurus+: ↑Neglecting and ignoring ↑Not paying attention ↑Treating as unimportant • Her father’s going deaf. • She’s deaf in her left ear. • She is deaf, but refuses to let her disability prevent her from doing what she wants to do. • “Didn’t you realise she was deaf?” “Of course I did.” • He’s been deaf and dumb since birth.
decent
decent [ˈdiː.s ə nt] adjective 1. < > socially acceptable or good • Everyone should be entitled to a decent wage/standard of living. • I thought he was a decent sort of person. • It was very decent (= kind) of you to help. • It made quite a decent-sized (= large) hole. • After the recent scandal, the priest is expected to do the decent thing and resign from his position. Thesaurus+: ↑Suitable and acceptable ↑Quite good, or not very good 2. informal dressed or wearing clothes • Are you decent yet? • You can come in now, I’m decent. Thesaurus+: ↑Wearing clothes • All I need is a roof over my head and a decent meal. • He seemed like a decent sort of a fellow. • The law obliges companies to pay decent wages to their employees. • I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in years. • The makers of the film will want to see a decent return on their investment.
deception
deception [dɪˈsep.ʃ ə n] noun countable or uncountable [deceptions] < > when people hide the truth, especially to get an advantage • He was found guilty of obtaining money by deception. Thesaurus+: ↑Lies, lying and hypocrisy ↑Dishonest people • He said that the government was guilty of deception by exaggerating the figures. • He was arrested on charges of attempted deception when he tried to use a stolen credit card. • Police uncovered a shocking story of lies, deception and blackmail. • It wasn’t really magic - just some kind of clever visual deception. • Her husband was a practised liar, capable of extraordinary deception.
deduce
deduce [dɪˈdjuːs] [-ˈduːs] verb transitive [deduces deducing deduced] to reach an answer or a decision by thinking carefully about the known facts • We cannot deduce very much from these figures. • + that The police have deduced that he must have left his apartment yesterday evening.
deduct
deduct [dɪˈdʌkt] verb transitive [deducts deducting deducted] to take away an amount or part from a total • The player had points deducted (from his score) for arguing with the referee.
deed
deed [diːd] noun countable [deeds] ACTION 1. an intentional act, especially a very bad or very good one • It seems to me that a lot of evil deeds are done in the name of religion. • She’s always helping people and doing other good deeds. Thesaurus+: ↑Acting and acts ↑Dealing with things or people DOCUMENT 2. legal a legal document which is an official record of an agreement or official proof of ownership of land or of a building
deem
deem [diːm] formal verb transitive not continuous [deems deeming deemed] < > to consider or judge something in a particular way • + object + noun or adjective The area has now been deemed safe. • + noun or adjective We will provide help whenever you deem it appropriate. • + object + to infinitive Anyone not paying the registration fee by 31 March will be deemed to have withdrawn from the scheme. Thesaurus+: ↑Guessing, supposing and suspecting • The story was deemed too controversial and so they spiked it. • She is currently deemed to be the best British athlete. • This survey is deemed to be a reliable barometer of public opinion. • Safflower oil is low in the sort of fats that are deemed to be bad for people’s health. • It is deemed bad manners in some cultures to speak with your mouth full of food.
deer
deer [dɪə r ] [dɪr] [plural deer] noun countable a quite large animal with four legs which eats grass and leaves. The male has antler s (= wide horns like branches) . The female is called a hind or a doe and the male a stag or buck
defer
defer [dɪˈfɜː r ] [-ˈfɝː] [-rr-] verb transitive [deferring deferred defers] to delay something until a later time; to postpone • My bank has agreed to defer the repayments on my loan while I’m still a student. • + -ing verb Can we defer making a decision until next week
defiance
defiance [dɪˈfaɪ.ən t s] noun uncountable when you refuse to obey someone or something • The demonstration is a pointless act/gesture of defiance against the government. • In defiance of the ceasefire, rebel troops are again firing on the capital.
deflect
deflect [dɪˈflekt] verb intransitive or transitive [deflects deflecting deflected] to (cause to) change direction • The crowd cheered as the goalkeeper deflected the shot. • He deflected the ball away from the goal. • The Prime Minister deflected mounting criticism today by announcing tax cuts. • The ball deflected off my hockey stick, straight into the goal.
defy
defy [dɪˈfaɪ] verb transitive [defies defying defied] 1. < > to refuse to obey a person, decision, law, situation, etc. • children openly defying their teachers • A few workers have defied the majority decision and gone into work despite the strike. • The fact that aircraft don’t fall out of the sky always seems to me to defy (= act against) the law of gravity. • A forest fire raging in the south of France is defying (= is not changed by) all attempts to control it. Thesaurus+: ↑Refusing and rejecting ↑Opposing and against 2. defy belief/description/explanation to be extreme or very strange and therefore impossible to believe, describe or explain • The chaos at the airport defies description. Thesaurus+: ↑Preventing and impeding ↑Limiting and restricting 3. defy sb to do sth to tell someone to do something that you think will be impossible • I defy you to prove your accusations. • I defy you to tell where I’ve painted over the scratch on my car. Thesaurus+: ↑Giving orders and commands • The mess in Bart’s room defies description! • His remarkable recovery defied all medical augury. • In 1970 he defied the three-line whip against EC membership. • They defied convention by giving up their jobs and becoming self-sufficient. • Tom Cruise has performed his own stunts for Mission Impossible 2, defying warnings from professionals.
deliberate
deliberate adjective [dɪˈlɪb. ə r.ət] [-ɚ-] 1. < > (often of something bad) intentional or planned • a deliberate attack/insult/lie • We made a deliberate decision to live apart for a while. Thesaurus+: ↑Planning, expecting and arranging ↑Plotting and trapping 2. describes a movement, action or thought which is done carefully without hurrying • From her slow, deliberate speech I guessed she must be drunk. Thesaurus+: ↑Planning, expecting and arranging ↑Plotting and trapping • Some women make a deliberate choice to rear a child alone. • Can you pick out the three deliberate mistakes in this paragraph? • I don’t think his name was left off the list by accident - I think it was deliberate. • This was a deliberate attempt to wreck the peace talks. • I didn’t take a deliberate decision to lose weight. It just happened. verb intransitive or transitive [dɪˈlɪb.ə.reɪt] formal to think or talk seriously and carefully about something • The jury took five days to deliberate on the case. • The committee has deliberated the question at great length. • + question word He’s deliberating whether or not to accept the new job that he’s been offered.
demise
- death Thesaurus+: ↑Death and dying 2. the end of something that was previously considered to be powerful, such as a business, industry or system • The demise of the company was sudden and unexpected.
demolish
demolish [dɪmɒ̱lɪʃ] demolishes, demolishing, demolished 1) To demolish something such as a building means to destroy it completely. [V ] A storm moved directly over the island, demolishing buildings and flooding streets… [V ] The building is now being demolished to make way for a motorway. 2) If you demolish someone’s ideas or arguments, you prove that they are completely wrong or unreasonable. [V ] Our intention was quite the opposite - to demolish rumours that have surrounded him since he took office… [V ] The myth that Japan is not open to concerns from outside has, I think, been demolished at a stroke. 3) If a person or team demolishes their opponents, they defeat them by a great amount. [JOURNALISM] [V ] Millwall demolished Notts County 6-0 on Saturday. Syn: annihilate
denote
denote [dɪˈnəʊt] [-ˈnoʊt] verb transitive [denotes denoting denoted] to represent something • The colour red is used to denote passion or danger.
depict
depict [dɪˈpɪkt] verb transitive [depicts depicting depicted] < > to represent or show something in a picture or story • Her paintings depict the lives of ordinary people in the last century. • In the book, he depicts his father as a tyrant. • + -ing verb People were shocked by the advertisement which depicted a woman beating her husband. Thesaurus+: ↑Representation in art and in general • In the film, he is able to depict the sense of otherness and alienation that many teenagers feel. • The rock drawings depict a variety of stylized human, bird and mythological figures and patterns. • Cupid is usually depicted as a winged boy with a bow and arrow. • John Bull is traditionally depicted as a short fat man wearing a waistcoat with the British flag on it. • In the film she’s depicted as a very cold and calculating character.
depot
depot [ˈdep.əʊ] [ˈdiː.poʊ] noun countable [depots] 1. a building where supplies or vehicles, especially buses, are kept • an arms/weapons depot • a fuel/storage depot • a bus depot Thesaurus+: ↑Train and bus stations and taxi ranks 2. US a bus station or train station
deprivation
deprivation [ˌdep.rɪˈveɪ.ʃ ə n] noun countable or uncountable [deprivations] when you do not have things or conditions that are usually considered necessary for a pleasant life • They used sleep deprivation as a form of torture. • There is awful deprivation in the shanty towns. • There were food shortages and other deprivations during the Civil War.
deprive
deprive [dɪˈpraɪv] verb transitive [deprives depriving deprived] < > to take something, especially something necessary or pleasant, away from someone • He claimed that he had been deprived of his freedom/rights. • You can’t function properly when you’re deprived of sleep. Thesaurus+: ↑Taking things away from someone or somewhere ↑Removing and getting rid of things • Some parents deprive themselves of many pleasures so that their children can have the best of everything. • He complained that his captors had deprived him of his basic human rights. • If you deprive a child of affection, they can become very withdrawn. • He pulled me from the table and hurried me into the car, depriving me of my lunch! • I’ve been deprived of your company for too long - come and see me soon.
descend
descend [dɪˈsend] verb [descends descending descended] POSITION 1. < > intransitive or transitive formal to go or come down • The path descended steeply into the valley. • Jane descended the stairs. Thesaurus+: ↑Moving downwards ↑Falling and dropping 2. intransitive literary If darkness or night descends, it becomes dark and day changes to night. Thesaurus+: ↑Enclosing, surrounding and immersing • She descended the sweeping staircase into the crowd of photographers and journalists. • A signpost points to a short path descending amongst trees to a footbridge over the river. • Ahead were clear signs of a path, descending into a valley. • The main staircase descended into a large, panelled entrance hall. • The audience applauded wildly as the curtain descended on the stage. NEGATIVE MOOD 3. intransitive literary If a negative or bad feeling descends, it is felt everywhere in a place or by everyone at the same time • A feeling of despair descended (on us) as we realized that we were lost. Thesaurus+: ↑Enclosing, surrounding and immersing 4. intransitive literary If a condition, usually a negative condition, descends, it quickly develops in every part of a place • Silence descended on the room/over the countryside. Thesaurus+: ↑Enclosing, surrounding and immersing PhrasalVerbs: descend from something ▪ descend into something ▪ descend on somebody ▪ descend to something
despair
despair [dɪˈspeə r ] [-ˈsper] noun uncountable 1. < > the feeling that there is no hope and that you can do nothing to improve a difficult or worrying situation • a mood/sense of despair • They’re in (the depths of) despair over/about the money they’ve lost. • To her teacher’s despair, Nicole never does the work that she’s told to do. • Their fourth year without rain drove many farmers to (= caused them to feel) despair. Thesaurus+: ↑Sadness and regret 2. be the despair of sb to cause someone such difficulties that they do not know how to deal with you • He’s the despair of his parents because he shows no interest in getting a job. Thesaurus+: ↑Complicated and difficult to do ↑Difficult to understand • A feeling of despair descended on us as we realized that we were completely lost. • He was plunged into despair when his wife left him. • In despair, the theatre director searched everywhere for a new lead actor. • Over a bottle of wine, we shared our despair over the state of our marriages. • He sank into deep despair when he lost his job. verb intransitive to feel despair about something or someone • Don’t despair! We’ll find a way out! • I despair at/over the policies of this government. • They began to despair of ever being rescued.
