H Flashcards
hail
hail [heɪl] noun 1. < > uncountable small hard balls of ice which fall from the sky like rain Thesaurus+: ↑Snow and ice ↑Cold 2. a hail of sth a lot of similar things or remarks, thrown or shouted at someone at the same time • a hail of bullets • The Prime Minister was greeted with a hail of insults as she arrived at the students’ union. Thesaurus+: ↑Masses and large amounts of things • There will be widespread showers of rain, hail and sleet. • Hail and snow are causing treacherous driving conditions, and motorists are warned to drive slowly. verb CALL 1. transitive slightly formal to call someone in order to attract their attention • Shall we hail a taxi? • I tried to hail her from across the room. Thesaurus+: ↑Shouting and screaming ICE 2. intransitive If it hails, small hard balls of ice fall from the sky like rain. Thesaurus+: ↑Snow and ice ↑Cold Idiom: within hailing distance of somewhere PhrasalVerbs: hail from somewhere ▪ hail somebody as something
halt
halt [hɒlt] [hɑːlt] verb intransitive or transitive [halts halting halted] < > to (cause to) stop moving or doing something or happening • “Halt!” called the guard. “You can’t go any further without a permit.” • Production has halted at all of the company’s factories because of the pay dispute. • Security forces halted the demonstrators by blocking the road. Thesaurus+: ↑Causing something to end ↑Coming to an end • The government has had to take measures to halt the population explosion. • The government must take measures, he said, to halt the country’s slide into recession. • The ever-increasing demand for private cars could be halted by more investment in public transport. • Filming was halted after the lead actor became ill. • Building at the site was halted after human remains were unearthed earlier this month. noun only singular 1. when something stops moving or happening • the recent halt in production • Severe flooding has brought trains to a halt (= prevented them from moving) on several lines in Scotland. • The bus came to a halt (= stopped) just in time to avoid hitting the wall. • If traffic increases beyond a certain level, the city grinds to a halt (= stops completely) . • The car screeched to a halt (= suddenly and noisily stopped) just as the lights turned red. Thesaurus+: ↑Staying and remaining ↑Waiting 2. call a halt to sth to prevent something from continuing • How many more people will have to die before they call a halt to the fighting?
hamper
hamper [ˈhæm.pə r ] [-pɚ] verb transitive [hampers hampering hampered] to prevent someone doing something easily • Fierce storms have been hampering rescue efforts and there is now little chance of finding more survivors. Thesaurus+: ↑Preventing and impeding ↑Limiting and restricting noun countable 1. a large rectangular container with a lid • a picnic hamper Thesaurus+: ↑General and miscellaneous containers 2. UK a box containing food and drink, usually given as a present, for example at Christmas Thesaurus+: ↑General and miscellaneous containers ↑Objects and decorations connected with celebrations 3. US old-fashioned a container used for carrying dirty clothes and bed sheets and for storing them while they are waiting to be washed
handlebars
handlebars [ˈhæn.dl ̩.bɑːz] [-bɑːrz] plural noun [handlebarses] a bar with curved ends forming handles which turns the front wheel of a bicycle or
handout
handout [ˈhænd.aʊt] noun countable [handouts] INFORMATION 1. < > a document given to students or reporter s which contains information about a particular subject • On page two of your handout you will find a list of the books that I have referred to during the lecture. Thesaurus+: ↑Summaries and summarising ↑Accounts and stories ↑Information and messages • I’ve listed some useful reading material on the handout. • At the beginning of term, we got handouts to read about all the different clubs and activities. PRESENT 2. often disapproving something such as food, clothing or money that is given free to someone who has a great need for it • I’m not interested in government handouts - all I want is a job. Thesaurus+: ↑Gifts in the form of money ↑Presents and gifts ↑Generous and charitable ↑Charity organizations
handsome
handsome [ˈhæn.səm] adjective ATTRACTIVE 1. < > describes a man who is physically attractive in a traditional, male way • She’s dreaming she’ll be whisked off her feet by a tall, dark handsome stranger. Thesaurus+: ↑Attractive ↑Sexual attraction ↑Smart and elegant 2. describes a woman who is attractive but in a strong way • a handsome woman in her fifties Thesaurus+: ↑Attractive ↑Sexual attraction ↑Smart and elegant • He was tall, dark and handsome. • In the film’s last five minutes, our handsome hero manages to dispatch another five villains. • He was clever, handsome and exceedingly rich. • He was so handsome - I couldn’t take my eyes off him. • He was a real nerd in high school - I can’t believe he’s so handsome now. LARGE AMOUNT 3. before noun large in amount • They made a handsome profit on their house. Thesaurus+: ↑Plenty and abundant ↑Large amounts of money ↑Small amounts of money Derived: handsomely
harass
harass [ˈhær.əs] verb transitive [harasses harassing harassed] to continue to annoy or upset someone over a period of time • Stop harassing me! Thesaurus+: ↑Causing feelings of anger and displeasure ↑Causing anxiety and worry ↑Making people sad, shocked and upset
harbour
harbour UK , US harbor [ˈhɑː.bə r ] [ˈhɑːr.bɚ] noun countable or uncountable [harbours] < > an area of water next to the coast, often protected from the sea by a thick wall, where ships and boats can shelter • Our hotel room overlooked a pretty little fishing harbour. Compare dock Thesaurus+: ↑Ports and docks • He has a house down by the harbour. • The Central harbour area will be closed to all marine traffic from 3.45 pm to 4.30 pm. • The harbour walls need urgent reinforcement. • It was a pretty town with a picturesque harbour and well-preserved buildings. • In the harbour, the boats bobbed gently up and down on the water. verb transitive HAVE IN MIND 1. to think about or feel something, usually over a long period • He’s been harbouring a grudge against her ever since his promotion was refused. • There are those who harbour suspicions about his motives. • Powell remains non-committal about any political ambitions he may harbour. Thesaurus+: ↑Thinking and contemplating HIDE 2. to protect someone or something bad, especially by hiding them when the police are looking for them • to harbour a criminal Thesaurus+: ↑Hiding and disguising ↑Defending and protecting ↑Backing, supporting and
harden
harden [ˈhɑː.d ə n] [ˈhɑːr-] verb intransitive or transitive [hardens hardening hardened] SOLID 1. to become or make hard • The mixture hardens as it cools. • It is thought that high cholesterol levels in the blood can harden the arteries (= make them thicker and stiffer, causing disease) . Thesaurus+: ↑Hard and firm SEVERE 2. to become more severe, determined or unpleasant • Living rough in the desert hardened the recruits a lot (= made them stronger) . • As the war progressed, attitudes on both sides hardened (= became more severe and determined) . Thesaurus+: ↑Becoming and making stronger Idiom: harden your heart Derived: hardening
hardship
hardship [ˈhɑːd.ʃɪp] [ˈhɑːrd-] noun countable or uncountable [hardships] (something which causes) difficult or unpleasant conditions of life, or an example of this • economic hardship
harm
harm [hɑːm] [hɑːrm] noun uncountable < > physical or other injury or damage • Both deny conspiring to cause actual bodily harm. • A mistake like that will do his credibility a lot of harm. • Missing a meal once in a while never did anyone any harm. • You could always ask Jim if they need any more staff in his office - (there’s) no harm in asking (= no one will be annoyed and you might benefit) . • She meant no harm (= did not intend to offend) , she was joking. • She was frightened by the experience but she came to no harm (= was not hurt) . Thesaurus+: ↑Damaging and spoiling ↑Destroying and demolishing ↑Injuring and injuries
harsh
harsh [hɑːʃ] [hɑːrʃ] adjective [harsher harshest] UNKIND 1. < > unpleasant, unkind, cruel or unnecessarily severe • harsh criticism • The children had had a harsh upbringing. • We thought the punishment was rather harsh for such a minor offence. • “There is no alternative, “ she said in a harsh voice. • He said some harsh words (= spoke unkindly) about his brother. Thesaurus+: ↑Unkind, cruel and unfeeling ↑Violent or aggressive ↑Treating people or animals badly ↑Insults and abuse ↑Severe • The harsh light revealed every crevice and wrinkle in his face. • In a harsh economic climate, raises for teachers have become a lightning rod for criticism. • The book confronts the harsh social and political realities of the world today. • The prison sentence seemed rather harsh, considering the triviality of the offence. • The people rebelled against the harsh new government. TOO STRONG 2. < > too strong, bright, loud, etc • harsh chemicals/lighting Thesaurus+: ↑The qualities of colour Derived: harshly ▪ harshness
haste
haste [heɪst] noun uncountable disapproving (too much) speed • Unfortunately the report was prepared in haste and contained several inaccuracies. • + to infinitive In her haste to get up from the table, she knocked over a cup. • His father had just died and he didn’t want to marry with indecent haste.
hatch
hatch [hætʃ] verb [hatches hatching hatched] EGG 1. intransitive or transitive to (cause an egg to) break in order to allow a young animal to come out Thesaurus+: ↑Animal (non-human) behaviour PLAN 2. transitive to make a plan, especially a secret plan • It was in August of 1978 that the Bolton brothers hatched their plot to kill their parents. Thesaurus+: ↑Plotting and trapping ↑Cheating and tricking ↑Planning, expecting and arranging noun countable (also hatchway) an opening through a wall, floor, etc., or the cover for it • an escape hatch • a serving hatch Thesaurus+: ↑Parts of aeroplanes ↑Holes, hollows and dips Idiom: Down the hatch!
hatred
hatred [ˈheɪ.trɪd] noun uncountable < > an extremely strong feeling of dislike • What is very clear in these letters is Clark’s passionate hatred of his father. • The motive for this shocking attack seems to be racial hatred. Thesaurus+: ↑Feelings of dislike and hatred • He’s been accused of stirring up racial hatred in the region. • Seeing the damage made hatred flame within her. • She gave me a look of intense hatred. • The fighting between the different social groups has become a terrifying spiral of death and hatred. • His relationship with his mother left him with a psychotic hatred of women.
haul
haul [hɔːl] [hɑːl] verb transitive [hauls hauling hauled] < > to pull something heavy slowly and with difficulty • They hauled the boat out of the water. • She hauled herself up into the tree. Thesaurus+: ↑Pulling • He hauled himself over the wall, grunting with the effort. • A freight train can haul thousands of tonnes of goods. • The fishermen were hauling the nets in at the back of the boat. • It took three men to haul the roller across the pitch. • We had to haul the wardrobe up three flights of stairs. Idiom: haul ass PhrasalVerb: haul somebody up noun countable AMOUNT 1. a usually large amount of something that has been stolen or is illegal • a haul of arms/drugs Thesaurus+: ↑Masses and large amounts of things FISH 2. the amount of fish caught • Fishermen have been complaining of poor hauls all year. Thesaurus+: ↑General words for size and amount PERIOD OF TIME 3. a journey, often a difficult one, or a period of effort • From there it was a long haul/only a short haul (= long and difficult/short and easy journey) back to our camp. • It was a long haul (= It took a long time and was difficult) , but the alterations to the house are finished at last. Thesaurus+: ↑Journeys 4. long-haul flight/short-haul flight a long/short journey by air
haunt
haunt [hɔːnt] [hɑːnt] verb transitive [haunts haunting haunted] REPEATEDLY TROUBLE 1. < > to cause repeated suffering or anxiety • Fighting in Vietnam was an experience that would haunt him for the rest of his life. • Thirty years after the fire he is still haunted by images of death and destruction. Thesaurus+: ↑Making people sad, shocked and upset ↑Causing anxiety and worry • Memories of the semi-final defeat haunted him for the rest of his career. • His experiences in the prison camp continued to haunt him. • She was haunted by memories of her unhappy childhood. • The novel tells the story of a soldier haunted by the events of the war. • The experience of failure continues to haunt him. SPIRIT 2. (of a ghost) to appear in a place repeatedly • A ghostly lady is said to haunt the stairway looking for her children. Thesaurus+: ↑Souls, spirits and ghosts noun countable a place often visited • This pub used to be one of your old haunts, didn’t it Jim?
haven
haven [ˈheɪ.v ə n] noun countable [havens] a safe or peaceful place • The garden was a haven from the noise and bustle of the city. • They wanted to provide safe havens for the refugees. Thesaurus+: ↑Safe and enclosed spaces
hay
hay [heɪ] noun uncountable grass which is cut, dried and used as animal food or as covering material Thesaurus+: ↑Animal food
heal
heal [hiːl] verb intransitive or transitive [heals healing healed] 1. < > to make or become well again, especially after a cut or other injury • The wounds were gradually healing (up). • The plaster cast helps to heal the broken bone. Thesaurus+: ↑Recovering from illness 2. If a bad situation or painful emotion heals, it ends or improves, and if something heals it, it makes it end or improve • Peace talks were held to try to heal the growing rift between the two sides. • A broken heart takes a long time to heal. Thesaurus+: ↑Becoming better ↑Making progress and advancing ↑Making things better • I’ve broken my leg, but the doctor says that it’s a clean break, so it should heal easily. • The wound healed, but the redness remained for a long time. • Do stop picking at that spot, or it will never heal. • People believed that the bones of St Swithin had the power to heal the sick. • It can take months for a torn muscle to heal. Derived: healing
heel
heel [hiːl] noun countable [heels] BODY PART 1. < > the rounded back part of the foot See also well-heeled See picture Thesaurus+: ↑The foot 2. < > the part of a sock or shoe which covers the heel of the foot Thesaurus+: ↑Parts of clothes 3. < > the raised part at the back of a shoe, under your heel Thesaurus+: ↑Shoes and shoemaking • She got badly spiked when one of the runners trod on her heel. • A stone was digging into my heel. • The shoe had rubbed a raw place on her heel. • Soldiers click their heels when they stand to attention. • High heels are in this season. PERSON 4. old-fashioned informal a person who treats other people badly and unfairly • I felt like a real heel when I saw how I’d upset her. Thesaurus+: ↑Unpleasant people in general ↑Unpleasant men HAND 5. the raised part of the palm of your hand nearest the wrist Thesaurus+: ↑The hand END PART 6. the end part of something, especially of a loaf of bread, that is usually left after the rest has been eaten or used Thesaurus+: ↑Bread Idioms: call somebody to heel ▪ come hot on the heels of something ▪ come to heel ▪ hot on somebody’s heels ▪ take to your heels ▪ under the heel of something or somebody verb transitive 1. to repair the heel of a shoe Thesaurus+: ↑Shoes and shoemaking 2. specialized In rugby, to heel the ball is to kick it backwards with the heel. Thesaurus+: ↑Rugby ↑General terms used in ball sports exclamation said to a dog to order it to come and stand close to you or to walk close to your side as you walk
heave
heave [hiːv] verb [heaves heaving heaved] MOVE 1. intransitive or transitive usually + adverb or preposition to move something heavy using a lot of effort • He heaved the bag onto his shoulder • He cleared a space, heaving boxes out of the way. Thesaurus+: ↑Pulling 2. transitive usually + adverb or preposition informal to throw something forcefully, especially something large and heavy • She picked up a great book and heaved it at him. Thesaurus+: ↑Throwing 3. intransitive If something heaves, it makes one or more large movements up and down • As the wind increased, the deck of the ship began to heave beneath his feet. Thesaurus+: ↑Moving upwards VOMIT 4. intransitive to feel as if you are going to vomit • The smell of the fish made me/my stomach heave. Thesaurus+: ↑Vomiting and feelings of sickness Idiom: heave a sigh of relief noun countable when you throw, push or pull something with a lot of effort • They gave a great heave and rolled the boulder out of the way. Thesaurus+: ↑Pulling ↑Pushing and shoving ↑Throwing
