E Flashcards
eager
eager [ˈiː.gə r ] [-gɚ] adjective < > wanting very much to do or have something, especially something interesting or enjoyable • the children’s eager faces • + to infinitive She sounded very eager to meet you. • They crowded round the spokesperson, eager for any news. Thesaurus+: ↑Ready and willing ↑Unwilling and reluctant ↑Excited, interested and enthusiastic • I’m eager to see her after all this time. • Sam was eager to get home and play with his new toy. • Everyone crowded round, eager and excited. • I’m eager to see the results. • He was always a good boy, very friendly and eager to please.
earnest
earnest [ˈɜː.nɪst] [ˈɝː-] adjective 1. serious or determined, especially too serious and unable to find your own actions funny • He was a very earnest young man.
ease
ease [iːz] verb [eases easing eased] MAKE LESS 1. < > intransitive or transitive to make or become less severe, difficult, unpleasant, painful, etc • To ease the problem of overcrowding, new prisons will be built. • These pills should ease the pain. • After the arrival of the United Nations soldiers, tension in the area began to ease. Thesaurus+: ↑Making things better ↑Becoming better ↑Becoming and making less strong • New measures have been introduced to ease traffic congestion in the city. • After World War Two, lots of prefabs were put up to ease the housing crisis. • A decisive win would certainly help to ease the pressure on the team’s captain. • This latest incident will do nothing to ease tensions between the two countries. • The new laws are intended to ease the burden of social welfare costs. MOVE 2. transitive + adverb or preposition to move or to make something move slowly and carefully in a particular direction or into a particular position • She eased the key into the lock, anxious not to wake anyone. • I eased myself out of the chair. Thesaurus+: ↑Slow and moving slowly Idiom: ease your mind PhrasalVerbs: ease somebody out ▪ ease up noun uncountable 1. < > when you experience no difficulty, effort, pain, etc • She won the 400m race with ease. • The doors are extra-wide for ease of access (= so that people can get in without difficulty) . Thesaurus+: ↑Easiness and simplicity 2. at (your) ease relaxed • He felt completely at ease. • She soon put/set me at ease (= made me relaxed) . Thesaurus+: ↑Calm and relaxed 3. at ease (also standing at ease) If someone, especially a soldier, is at ease, they are standing with their feet apart and their hands behind their back. Thesaurus+: ↑Military training and ceremonies ↑Sitting and standing • She performed the task with her accustomed ease. • After three months of training she was running ten miles with ease. • They reached their targets with ease. • She won the gold with ease. • Nuclear rockets can destroy airfields with ease.
elbow
elbow [ˈel.bəʊ] [-boʊ] noun countable [elbows] < > the part in the middle of the arm where it bends, or the part of a piece of clothing which covers this area • Her arm was bandaged from the elbow to the fingers. • The sleeve of his shirt was torn at the elbow.
elder
elder [ˈel.də r ] [-dɚ] noun countable [elders] 1. an older person, especially one with a respected position in society • You should listen to the advice of your elders. • They consulted the village elders. • formal She is my elder by three years (= three years older than me) . Thesaurus+: ↑The elderly ↑Old or old-fashioned ↑Describing people who are old 2. an official of a religious group • a church elder
elicit
elicit [ɪˈlɪs.ɪt] formal verb transitive [elicits eliciting elicited] to get or produce something, especially information or a reaction • Have you managed to elicit a response from them yet? • The questionnaire was intended to elicit information on eating habits. • They were able to elicit the support of the public.
eligible
eligible [ˈel.ɪ.dʒə.bl ̩] adjective 1. < > having the necessary qualities or satisfying the necessary conditions • Are you eligible for early retirement/maternity leave? • You might be eligible for a grant. • Only people over 18 are eligible to vote. Thesaurus+: ↑Suitable and acceptable ↑Quite good, or not very good 2. < > describes someone who is not married and is thought to be a suitable future marriage partner, especially because they are rich and attractive • I can think of several eligible bachelors of my acquaintance. Thesaurus+: ↑Marriage, cohabitation and other relationships • She hopes to be eligible for parole in 3 years. • Is he eligible for a pension? • A model prisoner, he became eligible for release after serving half his sentence. • Is she eligible to enter the competition? • Kernaghan is eligible to play for Eire.
elusive
elusive [ɪˈluː.sɪv] adjective difficult to describe, find, achieve or remember • The answers to these questions remain as elusive as ever. • Success, however, remained elusive for her. • elusive memories
embarrass
embarrass [ɪmˈbær.əs] [-ˈber-] verb transitive [embarrasses embarrassing embarrassed] < > to cause someone to feel nervous, worried or uncomfortable • You’re embarrassing him with your compliments! • I didn’t want to embarrass her in front of her friends. Thesaurus+: ↑Embarrassing • Look, you’ve embarrassed him - he’s gone bright red! • To be honest, it embarrassed me to receive such an effusive welcome. • My mum always embarrasses me by arriving in some ridiculous outfit. • Why did you make an announcement in front of everyone? Did you have to embarrass us like that? • Stop talking about his little problem - can’t you see you’re embarrassing him?
embody
embody [ɪmˈbɒd.i] [-ˈbɑː.di] formal verb transitive [embodies embodying embodied] 1. to represent a quality or an idea exactly • She embodied good sportsmanship on the playing field. Thesaurus+: ↑Typifying, illustrating and exemplifying ↑Meaning and significance 2. to include as part of something • Kennett embodied in one man an unusual range of science, music and religion. Thesaurus+: ↑Including and containing ↑Comprising and consisting of
embrace
ACCEPT 1. < > transitive formal to accept something enthusiastically • This was an opportunity that he would embrace. Thesaurus+: ↑Accepting and agreeing ↑Accepting and agreeing reluctantly ↑Approving and approval • We are always eager to embrace the latest technology. • Corporate America quickly embraced the Web as a new vehicle for advertising. • This was in the days before she embraced religion. • After meeting Claude Monet in 1887 he embraced and promoted the Impressionist style. • Dole has long embraced the concept. HOLD 2. intransitive or transitive literary to hold someone tightly with both arms to express love, liking or sympathy, or when greeting or leaving someone • She saw them embrace on the station platform. • He leant over to embrace the child. Thesaurus+: ↑Showing affection ↑Touching and feeling INCLUDE 3. transitive formal to include something, often as one of a number of things • Linguistics embraces a diverse range of subjects such as phonetics and stylistics.
emerge
emerge [ɪˈmɜːdʒ] [-ˈmɝːdʒ] verb intransitive [emerges emerging emerged] APPEAR 1. < > to appear by coming out of something or out from behind something • She emerged from the sea, blue with cold. Thesaurus+: ↑Appearing and disappearing 2. < > to come to the end of a difficult period or experience • The Prince emerged unscathed from the scandal. Thesaurus+: ↑Experiencing and suffering • The winged adult mosquitoes emerge from the pupae. • A figure emerged from the gloom of the corridor. • She emerged triumphant from the court after all the charges against her were dropped because of a lack of evidence. • Cabinet members were tight-lipped and unsmiling as they emerged from Downing Street. • She emerged from the bedroom, a vision in cream silk. BECOME KNOWN 3. < > to become known, especially as a result of examining something or asking questions about it • The facts behind the scandal are sure to emerge eventually. • + that It has emerged that secret talks had been going on between the two companies before the takeover was announced. • She’s the most exciting British singer to emerge on the pop scene for a decade. Thesaurus+: ↑Revealing secrets and becoming known • The basic facts of the story are starting to emerge though the details are still fuzzy. • Fresh evidence has emerged that casts doubts on the men’s conviction. • A pattern is beginning to emerge from our analysis of the accident data. • Later in the day a few details started to emerge. • It emerged that she had lied to her employers.
eminent
eminent [ˈem.ɪ.nənt] adjective famous, respected or important • an eminent historian
encompass
encompass [ɪnˈkʌm.pəs] formal verb transitive [encompasses encompassing encompassed] to include, especially different types of things • The festival is to encompass everything from music, theatre and ballet to literature, cinema and the visual arts.
encounter
encounter [ɪnˈkaʊn.tə r ] [-t ̬ɚ] noun countable [encounters] 1. a meeting, especially one that happens by chance • I had a rather alarming encounter with a wild pig. • This meeting will be the first encounter between the party leaders since the election. Thesaurus+: ↑Meeting people ↑Official meetings 2. an occasion when people have sex, usually with someone they have not met before Thesaurus+: ↑Sexual intercourse 3. an occasion when two teams play against each other • In their last encounter with Italy, England won 3-2. Thesaurus+: ↑Competitions, and parts of competitions • She has written a memoir of her encounters with W.H. Auden over the years. • I had a bruising encounter with my ex-husband last week. • I had a strange encounter with a French man on my way to work. • She reported an interesting encounter with an ex-soldier. • It was one of a number of amusing encounters last week.
