UNITS 15&16 • TOPIC Flashcards
block
uk |blɒk| us |blɑːk|
noun
1. the distance along a street from where one road crosses it to the place where the next road crosses it, or one part of a street like this, especially in a town or city [C mainly US]
* “The museum is just six blocks away.”
* “My friend and I live on the same block.”
2. a square group of buildings or houses with roads on each side [C]
* “I took a walk around the block.”
block
uk |blɒk| us |blɑːk|
verb
1. to prevent movement through something
* “[block someone’s way] As she left the court, an angry crowd tried to block her way.”
* “A fallen tree is blocking the road.”
2. to be between someone and the thing they are looking at, so that they cannot see
* “My view was blocked by a tall man in front of me.”
3. to stop something from happening or succeeding
* “She was very talented and I felt her parents were blocking her progress.”
* “A group of politicians blocked the proposal.”
4. in sport, to stop an opponent or the ball from moving forwards
* “Nobody blocked him as he ran into the open space.”
* “She jumped up and blocked the shot.”
5. If a bank blocks someone’s account, they make it impossible for that person to remove money from it
* “Federal agents blocked the accounts of five money-transfer operations in the city.”
6. to stop emails, text messages, phone calls, etc. from being received
* “The carriers said they have rigorous filters to block spam, and they allow customers to block messages from certain numbers.”
* “Prosecutors say Wilson allegedly made the calls from a blocked phone number.”
7. on social media, to stop a particular person from being able to communicate with you or read what you have written
* “My mum found out that I blocked her on Twitter and gave me another serious talk.”
* “In the Block Users section you should see a list of people you’ve blocked.”
* “Someone you’ve blocked won’t be able to add you to a group.”
brittle
uk |ˈbrɪt.əl| us |ˈbrɪt̬.əl|
adjective
1. delicate and easily broken
* “As you get older your bones become increasingly brittle.”
* “The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.”
brittle
uk |ˈbrɪt.əl| us |ˈbrɪt̬.əl|
noun
1. hard toffee (= a type of sweet made from butter and sugar) that contains nuts
* “They gave us pieces of gorgeous almond brittle coated in dark chocolate.”
* “Try making nut brittles with pecans or hazelnuts.”
chip
uk |tʃɪp| us |tʃɪp|
noun
1. a long, thin piece of potato that is fried and usually eaten hot [C usually plural UK (US French fry)]
* “fish and chips”
* “beans/egg/sausage and chips”
* “oven chips (= chips that are baked in an oven rather than fried)”
2. a very thin, often round piece of fried potato, sometimes with a flavour added, sold especially in plastic bags [C usually plural US (US also potato chip); (UK (potato) crisp)]
* “She bought two bags of chips with the drinks.”
* “You can’t just sit in front of the TV eating chips all day.”
3. a thin slice of fried maize, banana, or other food that is eaten cold [C usually plural]
* “[tortilla chip] tortilla chips and salsa”
* “banana chips”
4. a very small piece of semiconductor, especially in a computer, that contains extremely small electronic circuits and devices, and can perform particular operations [C (also microchip)]
* “a silicon chip”
5. a small piece that has been broken off a larger object, or the mark left on an object such as a cup, plate, etc. where a small piece has been broken off it [C]
* “wood chips”
* “Polly fell and knocked a chip out of her front tooth.”
* “This mug’s got a chip in it.”
6. a small plastic disc used to represent a particular amount of money in gambling [C]
* “[figurative] [bargaining chip] The hostages are being held as a bargaining chip by terrorist organizations.”
7. a kick in football or a hit in golf or tennis, in which the ball goes high into the air for a short time [C]
* “His splendid chip from the 18-yard line caught the goalkeeper off his line.”
chip
uk |tʃɪp| us |tʃɪp|
verb
1. to break a small piece off something by accident
* “I wish my nail polish wouldn’t keep chipping.”
* “He’s chipped a bone in his wrist.”
2. to kick a football or hit a golf or tennis ball high into the air for a short distance
* “Berbatov managed to sidestep a tackle and chip the keeper.”
compact
uk |kəmˈpækt| us |kəmˈpækt|
adjective
1. consisting of parts that are positioned together closely or in a tidy way, using very little space
* “compact soil/sand”
* “a compact camera/bag”
* “What a compact office! How did you fit so much into so little space?”
compact
uk |ˈkɒm.pækt| us |ˈkɑːm.pækt|
noun
1. a small, flat case that contains women’s face powder
* “a powder compact”
2. a small car [US]
3. a formal agreement between two or more people, organizations, or countries [formal]
* ”[+ to infinitive] They made a compact not to reveal any details.”
compact
uk |kəmˈpækt| us |kəmˈpækt|
verb
1. to press something together in a tight and solid way
* “Cars had compacted the snow until it was like ice.”
concentrate
uk |ˈkɒn.sən.treɪt| us |ˈkɑːn.sən.treɪt|
verb
1. to direct your attention or your efforts towards a particular activity, subject, or problem [I/T]
* “Come on, concentrate! We don’t have all day to do this.”
* “I can’t concentrate on my work with all that noise.”
* “I find running concentrates the mind (= helps me to think).”
* “I’m going to concentrate on my writing for a while.”
* “The company is concentrating (its resources) on developing new products.”
2. to bring or come together in a large number or amount in one particular area [T usually passive/I, usually + adv/prep]
* “Most of the country’s population is concentrated in the north.”
* “In the dry season, the animals tend to concentrate in the areas where there is water.”
3. to make a liquid or substance stronger and reduce its size by removing water from it [T]
concentrate
uk |ˈkɒn.sən.treɪt| us |ˈkɑːn.sən.treɪt|
noun
1. a liquid from which some of the water has been removed
* “fruit-juice concentrate”
2. an ore from which rock has been removed [geology specialized]
* “a mineral concentrate”
crack
uk |kræk| us |kræk|
verb
1. to break something so that it does not separate, but very thin lines appear on its surface, or to become broken in this way [T/I]
* “A stone hit the window and cracked the glass.”
* “I cracked my tooth as I fell.”
* “The walls cracked and the roof collapsed in the earthquake.”
2. to become mentally and physically weak [I informal]
* “Stress and overwork are causing teachers to crack.”
3. to fail as a result of problems [I informal]
* “Their relationship began to crack after their child died.”
4. If someone cracks, that person begins to feel weak and agrees that they have been defeated [I]
* “He cracked during questioning and told us where to find the stolen goods.”
5. to break something open, especially in order to reach or use what is inside [T]
* “[crack an egg] Crack three eggs into a bowl and mix them together.”
* “[crack a nut] He cracked the nuts with his hands.”
* “[crack open a nut] The monkeys use stones to crack open hard nuts.”
6. to get into someone else’s computer system without permission and get information or do something illegal [T (also crack into something)]
7. to copy computer programs or recorded material illegally [T informal]
8. to find a solution to a problem [T]
* “They cracked the code and read the secret message.”
* “I’ve been trying to solve this problem all week, but I still haven’t cracked it.”
9. to hit something or someone [I/T, usually + adv/prep]
* “[crack something on something] I cracked my head on the door.”
* “[crack something against something] He fell, cracking his knee against the fence.”
* “[crack someone over the head] They cracked him over the head with a baseball bat.”
10. to make a sudden, short noise, or to cause something to make this noise [I/T]
* “The whip cracked over the horses’ heads.”
* “He’s always cracking his knuckles (= pulling the joints of his fingers to make a noise).”
11. If a voice cracks, its sound changes because the person is upset [I]
* “[crack with] Her voice cracked with emotion as she told the story.”
12. to make a joke or funny remark [T]
* “[crack a joke] He’s always cracking jokes.”
13. to make chemical changes to the hydrocarbons (= chemical combinations of hydrogen and carbon) in oil as part of the process of refining it (= changing it from its natural state into petrol), or to go through this process [I/T chemistry, engineering specialized]
* “He invented the first commercially applicable apparatus for cracking hydrocarbons, a necessary process in petroleum production.”
* “Large, less useful hydrocarbon molecules are cracked to form smaller, more useful molecules.”
* “Hydrogen ions attach themselves to the oil molecules and cause them to crack into smaller molecules, including petrol.”
crack
uk |kræk| us |kræk|
noun
1. a very narrow space between parts of something [C]
* “Cracks had appeared in the dry ground.”
* “We peered through the crack in the floorboards.”
* “[figurative] Cracks began to show in his façade of self-confidence.”
crack
uk |kræk| us |kræk|
adjective
1. excellent, or of the highest quality
* “a crack regiment”
* “crack troops”
crumb
uk |krʌm| us |krʌm|
noun
1. a very small piece of bread, cake, or biscuit
crush
uk |krʌʃ| us |krʌʃ|
verb
1. to press something very hard so that it is broken or its shape is destroyed [T]
* “The package had been badly crushed in the post.”
* “Add three cloves of crushed garlic.”
* “His arm was badly crushed in the car accident.”
2. to press paper or cloth so that it becomes full of folds and is no longer flat [T UK]
* “My dress got all crushed in my suitcase.”
3. If people are crushed against other people or things, they are pressed against them [T]
* “[be crushed to death] Tragedy struck when several people were crushed to death in the crowd.”
4. to upset or shock someone badly [T usually passive]
* “He was crushed by the news of the accident.”
5. to defeat someone completely [T]
* “The president called upon the army to help crush the rebellion.”
* “France crushed Wales by 36 to 3 in last Saturday’s match in Paris.”
crush
uk |krʌʃ| us |krʌʃ|
noun
1. a strong but temporary feeling of liking someone romantically [C informal]
* “[have a crush on] She has a crush on her best friend’s older brother.”
* “I think most of us know what it’s like to have a crush.”
* “It was just one of those passing crushes.”
2. someone who you like a lot romantically, usually someone that you do not have a relationship with, or not a serious relationship [C informal]
* “He wanted to tell his crush how he felt about her.”
* “How do I talk to my crush?”
* “Here are 10 signs your crush likes you.”
* “My crush knows I like him but we’re both shy.”
* “It hurts so bad when you can’t be with your crush.”
3. a crowd of people forced to stand close together [S]
* “I had to struggle through the crush to get to the door.”
* “[UK] You can come in our car, but it’ll be a bit of a crush (= there will be a lot of people in it).”
dense
uk |dens| us |dens|
adjective
1. having parts that are close together so that it is difficult to go or see through
* “[dense fog] The plane crashed in heavy rain and dense fog.”
* “a dense forest”
* “[dense undergrowth] The body was found hidden in dense undergrowth.”
dilute
uk |daɪˈluːt| us |daɪˈluːt|
verb
1. to make a liquid weaker by mixing in something else
* “After the stock is done and strained, you can dilute it as necessary.”
* “[dilute something with something] Dilute the juice with water before you drink it.”
2. to reduce the strength of a feeling, action, etc.
* “These measures are designed to dilute public fears about the product’s safety.”
dilute
uk |daɪˈluːt| us |daɪˈluːt|
adjective
1. made weaker by diluting
* “dilute hydrochloric acid”
dissolve
uk |dɪˈzɒlv| us |dɪˈzɑːlv|
verb
1. (of a solid) to be absorbed by a liquid, especially when mixed, or (of a liquid) to absorb a solid [I/T]
* “[dissolve something in something] Dissolve two spoons of powder in warm water.”
* “Nitric acid will dissolve most animal tissue.”
2. to end an official organization or a legal arrangement [T often passive]
* “Parliament has been dissolved.”
* “Their marriage was dissolved in 1968.”
3. to disappear [I]
* “The tension in the office just dissolves when she walks out.”
fabric
uk |ˈfæb.rɪk| us |ˈfæb.rɪk|
noun
1. cloth or material for making clothes, covering furniture, etc. [C/U]
* “dress fabric”
* “seats upholstered in red fabric”
* “cotton fabrics”
firm
uk |fɜːm| us |fɝːm|
adjective
1. not soft but not completely hard
* “I’d rather sleep on a firm mattress than a soft one.”
* “These pears are still too firm to eat.”
2. well fixed in place or position
* “The bridge provided a firm platform for the bungee jumpers.”
3. fixed at the same level or opinion and not changing
* “The government remains firm in its opposition to tax reform.”
firm
uk |fɜːm| us |fɝːm|
noun
1. a company offering a professional service, for example a company of lawyers
* “He works for a law firm called Neil and Vigliano.”
* “She’s just started working for an accounting firm.”
* “[UK] [firm of] He took advice from the firm of accountants that helped him to sell his business.”
* “She is talking to a firm of solicitors about taking legal action.”
* “Three firms of architects have submitted proposals for the project.”
2. a company or business, especially a small one [mainly UK]
* “She works for a local firm that makes medical equipment.”
* “This new tax will put a lot of small firms out of business.”
firm
uk |fɜːm| us |fɝːm|
verb
1. to make soil harder by pressing on it [T UK]
* “Firm the soil around the cuttings and water them in.”
2. to stop changing or to remain at the same level, amount, etc. [I finance & economics specialized]
* “After a turbulent week on the markets, share prices firmed today.”
flake
uk |fleɪk| us |fleɪk|
noun
1. a small, thin piece of something, especially if it has come from a surface covered with a layer of something
* “flakes of snow”
* “soap flakes”
* “This room needs decorating - flakes of paint keep coming off the walls.”
2. a person you cannot trust to remember things or to do what they promise, or someone who behaves in a strange way [mainly US informal sometimes offensive]
* “As the story begins, she seems a bit of a flake, and we’re not sure how strong her judgment is.”
flake
uk |fleɪk| us |fleɪk|
verb
1. to come off a surface in small, thin pieces
* “[flake off] Patches of skin are starting to flake off.”
* “The paint was flaking, revealing bricks underneath.”
2. to not do what you are expected or have promised to do [informal mainly US]
* “An hour before the date I hadn’t heard anything from him about where to meet and assumed he’d flaked.”
* “[flake on] She excelled at college, never missing a deadline or flaking on a project.”
* “Don’t flake on me now — I need you to be there!”
fragile
uk |ˈfrædʒ.aɪl| us |ˈfrædʒ.əl|
adjective
1. A fragile object is easily damaged or broken
* “Be careful with that vase - it’s very fragile.”
* “Some of the more fragile items are kept in a locked case.”
friction
uk |ˈfrɪk.ʃən| us |ˈfrɪk.ʃən|
noun
1. the force that makes it difficult for one object to slide along the surface of another or to move through a liquid or gas
* “When you rub your hands together the friction produces heat.”
2. disagreement or unfriendliness caused by people having different opinions
* “[friction between] There’s a lot of friction between my wife and my mother.”
* “Politics is a source of considerable friction in our family.”
* “Border clashes have led to increased friction between the two countries.”
grain
uk |ɡreɪn| us |ɡreɪn|
noun
1. a seed or seeds from a plant, especially a plant like a grass such as rice or wheat [C/U]
* “grains of wheat/rice”
* “Grain (= the crop from food plants like grasses) is one of the main exports of the American Midwest.”
gravity
uk |ˈɡræv.ə.ti| us |ˈɡræv.ə.t̬i|
noun
1. the force that attracts objects towards one another, especially the force that makes things fall to the ground
* “the laws of gravity”
2. seriousness
* “I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation.”
grind
uk |ɡraɪnd| us |ɡraɪnd|
verb
1. to make something into small pieces or a powder by pressing between hard surfaces
* “to grind coffee”
* “Shall I grind a little black pepper over your salad?”
* “[grind something into something] They grind the grain into flour (= make flour by crushing grain) between two large stones.”
2. to rub something against a hard surface, in order to make it sharper or smoother
* “She has a set of chef’s knives that she grinds every week.”
* “[grind something down] He ground down the sharp metal edges to make them smooth.”
* “The car engine was making a strange grinding noise.”
grind
uk |ɡraɪnd| us |ɡraɪnd|
noun
1. the size of grains in a substance that has been ground, especially coffee [C]
* “Use the correct grind for your coffee brewer.”
* “Cook time will vary from 5–10 minutes for instant grits to around 45 minutes for the coarser grinds.”
2. an action of grinding a substance into a powder [C]
* “Season with a few grinds of black pepper.”
3. a difficult or boring activity that needs a lot of effort [S informal]
* “Having to type up my handwritten work was a real grind.”
* “The daily grind of taking care of three children was wearing her down.”
4. a boring person who studies all the time and does nothing else [C US disapproving, informal]
5. extra lessons in a subject from a private teacher [C usually plural Irish English, informal]
* “She’s getting grinds.”
* “He can give you maths grinds.”
hollow
uk |ˈhɒl.əʊ| us |ˈhɑː.loʊ|
adjective
1. having a hole or empty space inside
* “a hollow tube”
* “Hollow blocks are used because they are lighter.”
* “a hollow log”
hollow
uk |ˈhɒl.əʊ| us |ˈhɑː.loʊ|
noun
1. a hole or empty space in something, or a low area in a surface
* “The dog found a hollow in the ground to hide in from the wind.”
liquid
uk |ˈlɪk.wɪd| us |ˈlɪk.wɪd|
noun
1. a substance, such as water, that is not solid or a gas and that can be poured easily [C/U]
* “Mercury is a liquid at room temperature.”
2. a consonant sound in which the tongue partly closes the mouth so that a sound similar to a vowel is made, for example l and r in English [C phonetics specialized (also liquid consonant)]
* “Swift claimed that vowels and liquids were more typical of female speech.”
* “Japanese has only one liquid consonant.”
liquid
uk |ˈlɪk.wɪd| us |ˈlɪk.wɪd|
adjective
1. in the form of a liquid
* “liquid hydrogen”
lump
uk |lʌmp| us |lʌmp|
noun
1. a piece of a solid substance, usually with no particular shape
* “a lump of coal”
* “a sugar lump”
* “You don’t want lumps in the sauce.”
2. a separate large amount [UK informal]
* “I’ll be getting the insurance money in two lumps.”
3. a hard swelling found in or on the body, especially because of illness or injury
* “She found a lump in her breast.”
4. a heavy, awkward, stupid person [informal]
* “Come on, you great lump - get up from that sofa and do some work!”
mineral
uk |ˈmɪn.ər.əl| us |ˈmɪn.ər.əl|
noun
1. a valuable or useful chemical substance that is formed naturally in the ground [C]
2. a chemical that your body needs to stay healthy [C]
* “A healthy diet should supply all necessary vitamins and minerals.”
* “a mineral supplement”
mineral
uk |ˈmɪn.ər.əl| us |ˈmɪn.ər.əl|
adjective
1. being or consisting of a mineral or minerals
* “a mineral deposit (= substance or layer that is left)”
* “The speaker emphasized that much of South Africa’s importance lay in its mineral wealth.”
mould
uk |məʊld| us |moʊld|
noun
1. a soft, green or grey growth that develops on old food or on objects that have been left for too long in warm, wet air [U]
* “There was mould on the cheese.”
2. a hollow container with a particular shape into which soft or liquid substances are poured, so that when the substance becomes hard it takes the shape of the container [C]
* “a cake/jelly mould”
3. If someone is from or in a particular mould, they have the characteristics typical of a certain type of person [S]
* “He’s cast in a very different mould from his brother.”
* “He’s a player in the Federer mould.”
mould
uk |məʊld| us |moʊld|
verb
1. to make a soft substance have a particular shape [T]
* “This plastic is going to be moulded into plates.”
* “The children moulded little pots out of/from (= made them by shaping) clay.”
2. to try to change or influence someone [T]
* “He kept trying to mould me into something he wanted me to be.”
3. to fit the body very closely [I usually + adv/prep]
* “She was wearing an extremely tight costume that moulded to/round the contours of her body.”
opaque
uk |əʊˈpeɪk| us |oʊˈpeɪk|
adjective
1. preventing light from travelling through, and therefore not transparent or translucent
* “opaque glass/tights”
2. Opaque writing or speech is difficult to understand [formal]
* “I find her poetry a little too opaque.”
pat
uk |pæt| us |pæt|
verb
1. to touch someone or something gently and usually repeatedly with the hand flat
* “He patted my head/patted me on the head affectionately.”
* “I bent down to pat the little puppy.”
pat
uk |pæt| us |pæt|
noun
1. the act of patting a person or animal
* “I gave the little boy a pat on the head.”
2. a small flat piece, especially of butter
pat
uk |pæt| us |pæt|
adjective
1. A pat answer or remark has been previously prepared, so that it is said quickly and without any real thought
* “The spokesman came out with a pat answer/response.”
pile
uk |paɪl| us |paɪl|
noun
1. objects positioned one on top of another [C]
* “a pile of books”
* “a pile of dirty clothes”
2. a mass of something that has been placed somewhere [C]
* “a large pile of sand”
pile
uk |paɪl| us |paɪl|
verb
1. to arrange objects into a pile [I/T, + adv/prep (also pile up)]
* “We piled plenty of logs up next to the fire.”
* “Please pile your homework books neatly on the table as you leave.”
* “Her plate was piled (high) with salad.”
* “Snow had piled up against the walls.”
2. (of a group of people) to move together, especially in an uncontrolled way [I usually + adv/prep informal]
* “As soon as the train stopped, they all piled in/out.”
* “A group of them had piled onto a truck, crowding on in such numbers that some were forced to sit on the roof.”
polish
uk |ˈpɒl.ɪʃ| us |ˈpɑː.lɪʃ|
verb
1. to rub something using a piece of cloth or brush to clean it and make it shine
* “to polish the furniture”
* “Polish your shoes regularly to protect the leather.”
polish
uk |ˈpɒl.ɪʃ| us |ˈpɑː.lɪʃ|
noun
1. the act of cleaning something by rubbing it [S]
* “I’ll just give my shoes a quick polish.”
2. a cream or other substance that you use to clean something [C/U]
* “shoe/furniture/silver polish”
3. the quality of having been done in a way that shows skill and experience [U]
* “It’s a lively, good-hearted film but it lacks a little polish.”
* “This is a musical with polish and wit.”
Polish
uk |ˈpəʊ.lɪʃ| us |ˈpoʊ.lɪʃ|
adjective
1. belonging to or relating to Poland, its people, or its language
Polish
uk |ˈpəʊ.lɪʃ| us |ˈpoʊ.lɪʃ|
noun
1. the language of Poland
scratch
uk |skrætʃ| us |skrætʃ|
verb
1. to cut or damage a surface or your skin slightly with or on something sharp or rough [I/T]
* “We scratched the wall trying to get the bed into Martha’s room.”
* “Be careful not to scratch yourself on the roses.”
* “[scratch about/around for] A few chickens were scratching about/around (= searching with their beaks) in the yard for grain.”
2. If you scratch something on or off a surface, you add it or remove it by scratching [T]
* “[scratch something on something] People have been scratching their names on this rock for years.”
* “[scratch something off something] I scratched some paint off the door as I was getting out of the car.”
3. If an animal scratches, it rubs something with its claws (= sharp nails) [I]
* “[scratch at] The dog’s scratching at the door – he wants to be let in.”
4. to rub your skin with your nails [I/T]
* “[scratch (at)] He was scratching (at) his mosquito bites.”
* “Hannah scratched her head thoughtfully.”
5. to remove yourself or another person or an animal from a competition before the start [I/T]
* “[scratch from] The world champion scratched from the 800 metres after injuring herself the day before.”
* “[scratch someone/something from something] They scratched the horse from the race because she had become lame.”
6. to decide not to do something you had planned to do [T informal (UK usually scrub)]
* “We had to scratch our plans when I lost my job.”
scratch
uk |skrætʃ| us |skrætʃ|
noun
1. a mark made by scratching [C]
* “Her legs were covered in scratches and bruises after her walk through the forest.”
* “There was a scratch on the CD.”
* “[without a scratch] Amazingly, he survived the accident without a scratch (= without suffering any injuries at all).”
2. an act of scratching [S UK]
* “[have a scratch] That dog is having a good scratch. It must have fleas.”
3. a person or animal that leaves a competition before it starts
* “The Australian Open winner was a late scratch.”
* “He was a last-minute scratch from Sunday’s game because of inflammation in his right knee.”
scrub
uk |skrʌb| us |skrʌb|
verb
1. to rub something hard in order to clean it, especially using a stiff brush, soap, and water [I/T]
* “She scrubbed (at) the mark on the wall for a long time, but it wouldn’t come off.”
* ”[+ obj + adj] He scrubbed the old saucepan clean, and it looked as good as new.”
2. to decide not to do something you had planned to do [T informal (US also scratch)]
* “We had to scrub our plans when I lost my job.”
scrub
uk |skrʌb| us |skrʌb|
noun
1. (an area of land covered with) short trees and bushes, growing on dry ground of low quality [U]
2. the act of rubbing something hard in order to clean it, especially using a stiff brush, soap, and water [S UK]
* “Kids, give your hands a good scrub and come and get your dinner!”
3. a substance that you use to clean your skin and make it softer, especially one that is slightly rough and will remove old skin [C]
* “exfoliating facial scrubs”
smash
uk |smæʃ| us |smæʃ|
verb
1. to cause something to break noisily into a lot of small pieces [I/T]
* “Rioters ran through the city, smashing windows and looting shops.”
* “She dropped her cup and watched it smash to pieces/to smithereens on the stone floor.”
2. to cause something to move with great force against something hard, usually causing damage or injury [I/T, + adv/prep]
* “Several boats were smashed against the rocks during the storm.”
* “He tried to smash the door down to get to me.”
* “The car was travelling very fast when it smashed into the tree.”
* “He threatened to smash my face in if I didn’t give him the money.”
3. in tennis or volleyball, to hit the ball down towards the ground quickly and forcefully [I/T]
4. to defeat someone or to destroy something completely [T]
* “The country’s government said it would do whatever was necessary to smash the rebellion.”
5. to do much better than the best or fastest result recorded previously [T]
* “Petersen smashed the 400 metres record by over half a second.”
smash
uk |smæʃ| us |smæʃ|
noun
1. the sound of something being smashed [S]
* “I was woken by the smash of glass.”
2. the sound of something smashing against something [C]
* “The cars collided with a loud smash.”
3. a road or train accident [C UK (also smash-up)]
solid
uk |ˈsɒl.ɪd| us |ˈsɑː.lɪd|
adjective
1. hard or firm, keeping a clear shape
* “solid ground”
* “a solid object”
* “a solid structure”
2. completely hard or firm all through an object, or without any spaces or holes
* “solid rock”
* “a solid oak table”
* “solid doors/walls”
* “a solid line of traffic”
* “The lecture hall was packed solid (with students).”
3. A solid metal or colour is pure and does not have anything else mixed together with it
* “solid gold/silver candlesticks”
* “a white rose on a solid blue background”
4. not liquid or gas
* “Liquid and solid waste is collected in the tank.”
* “Freeze the mixture for about three hours or so until solid.”
5. Solid food is not in liquid form, especially when given to babies or people who are ill
* “That rice pudding was the first solid food he’s eaten since his operation.”
6. certain or safe; of a good standard; giving confidence or support
* “This provided solid evidence that he committed the crime.”
* “The drama course gives students a solid grounding in the basic techniques of acting.”
7. continuing for a period of time without stopping
* “I slept for eleven solid hours.”
* “The hotel was booked solid all of December.”
solid
uk |ˈsɒl.ɪd| us |ˈsɑː.lɪd|
noun
1. an object that has a height, width, and length, and is not flat [C mathematics specialized]
* “A cube and a pyramid are both solids.”
2. a substance that is not liquid or gas [C]
3. a food not in liquid form [C usually plural]
speck
uk |spek| us |spek|
noun
1. a very small mark, piece, or amount
* “He’d been painting the door and there were specks of paint all over the floor.”
* “There’s not a speck of (= not any) dust/dirt in their house.”
* “We could see a speck (= a small amount) of light at the end of the tunnel.”
squash
uk |skwɒʃ| us |skwɑːʃ|
verb
1. to crush something into a flat shape [T]
* “He accidentally sat on her hat and squashed it.”
2. to push yourself, a person, or thing into a small space [I/T, usually + adv/prep]
* “The room was so full you couldn’t squash another person in.”
* “If you all squashed up (= moved closer together), we could fit an extra person in the car.”
* “He tried to squash his ripped jeans into the suitcase while his mother wasn’t looking.”
3. to stop something from continuing to exist or happen, by forceful action [T]
* “Rumours of a possible takeover of the company were soon squashed by the management.”
squash
uk |skwɒʃ| us |skwɑːʃ|
noun
1. a situation when there is not much room [S UK]
* “There are over two hundred people coming to the party so it might be a bit of a squash.”
2. a game played between two or four people on a special closed playing area that involves hitting a small rubber ball against a wall [U]
3. a drink made by adding water to a very strong liquid made from fruit juice and sugar or sweetener, or the strong liquid itself [C/U UK]
* “She won’t drink water, only squash.”
* “Most fizzy drinks, squashes, and fruit juices contain vast amounts of sugar.”
* “orange/blackcurrant/lemon squash”
* “a bottle of squash”
4. a type of large vegetable with a hard skin and a lot of seeds at its centre [C/U plural squash/squashes]
squeeze
uk |skwiːz| us |skwiːz|
verb
1. to press something firmly, especially from all sides in order to change its shape, reduce its size, or remove liquid from it [T]
* “Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl.”
* “As she waited to go into the exam, he squeezed her hand (= pressed it affectionately with his hand) and wished her good luck.”
* “[squeeze something out] Once he had finished cleaning the floor, he squeezed the cloth out.”
* “[squeeze the trigger] He reloaded the gun, took aim, and then squeezed (= pulled back) the trigger.”
* “[figurative] [squeeze something from something] The studio is using all sorts of marketing tricks to squeeze as much profit from the movie as they can.”
2. to give someone a quick, tight hug (= an act of holding someone close to your body with your arms) [T]
* “She squeezed him tight and kissed him on both cheeks.”
* "”Oh, Andrew,” she said, as she squeezed him in her tight embrace.”
3. to get in, through, under, etc. with difficulty [I + adv/prep]
* “[squeeze through] She squeezed through the crowd and found a seat at the front.”
* “[squeeze under] They managed to squeeze under the fence and get into the festival without paying.”
4. If you are squeezed by financial demands, they cause you financial problems [T]
* “Small businesses are being squeezed by heavy taxation.”
squeeze
uk |skwiːz| us |skwiːz|
noun
1. the act of pressing something firmly [C]
* “She gave the present a quick squeeze and tried to guess what was inside.”
* “Garnish the fish with some fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon.”
2. a short, tight hug (= an act of holding someone close to your body with your arms) [C]
* “She hugged him in a gentle squeeze.”
* “He gave his daughter one last squeeze and jumped onto the train.”
3. a reduction or limit [C usually singular]
* “[squeeze on] The squeeze on profits in the oil industry has led to thousands of redundancies.”
* “The squeeze on local spending means that many services will have to be cut.”
4. a period in which the supply of money is limited by the government because of economic difficulties [C usually singular]
* “[credit squeeze] The government has imposed a sharp credit squeeze in an attempt to hold down inflation.”
5. a situation in which people or things are pushed or forced into a small space [S]
* “[tight squeeze] I can give you a lift, but it’ll be a tight squeeze as I’m taking four other people as well.”
6. someone’s girlfriend or boyfriend [C usually singular informal]
* “She turned up arm in arm with her latest squeeze.”
* “She was never his squeeze, only his business partner.”
stack
uk |stæk| us |stæk|
noun
1. a pile of things arranged one on top of another
* “He chose a cartoon from the stack of DVDs on the shelf.”
2. a large amount [informal]
* “Don’t worry, we’ve got stacks of time.”
stack
uk |stæk| us |stæk|
verb
1. to arrange things in an ordered pile [T]
* “[stack something (up)] Once the last few people had left the hall, the caretaker began stacking (up) the chairs.”
2. to fill something with objects [T]
* “I got a job stacking shelves in a supermarket.”
* “Will you stack the dishwasher and switch it on, please?”
3. to circle over an airport waiting for permission to land, or to make an aircraft do this [I/T (also stack up)]
* “The airline uses thousands of tonnes of fuel a year when its planes are stacking above Heathrow and Gatwick.”
* “Planes stacked up at LAX when a radar failure caused problems nationwide.”
* “We were stacked up for hours waiting to land.”
stiff
uk |stɪf| us |stɪf|
adjective
1. firm or hard
* “stiff cardboard”
* “a stiff collar”
* “His clothes were stiff with dried mud.”
* “This hair spray has made my hair stiff.”
* “Mix the powder and water into a stiff paste.”
2. not easily bent or moved
* “The handle on this door is rather stiff.”
* ”[(as) stiff as a board] The man’s body was (as) stiff as a board when it was found in the snow.”
3. If you are stiff or part of your body is stiff, your muscles hurt when they are moved
* “Sitting still at a computer terminal all day can give you a stiff neck.”
4. behaving in a way that is formal and not relaxed
* “[stiff manner] The general is a tall man with steel spectacles and a stiff, pompous manner.”
5. severe and difficult
* “The athlete was given a stiff punishment for using drugs.”
* “They are campaigning for stiffer penalties for people who drink and drive.”
* “[stiff opposition/resistance] There has been stiff opposition/resistance to the proposed tax increases.”
* “It’s a stiff climb to the top of the hill.”
* “Some colleges have stiffer entry requirements than others.”
* “[stiff competition] Both companies are worried about losing business in the face of stiff competition.”
stiff
uk |stɪf| us |stɪf|
adverb
1. very much, or to a great degree
* “[frozen stiff] I got frozen stiff (= very cold) waiting at the bus stop.”
* “[scared stiff] I was scared stiff when I heard someone moving around upstairs.”
2. so that the ball comes close to the hole
* “[hit it stiff] She won the 17th after hitting it stiff for a birdie.”
* “He hit his third shot stiff.”
* “Woods played a great bunker shot, coming out stiff.”
stiff
uk |stɪf| us |stɪf|
noun
1. a person of the type described [US informal]
* “a working stiff”
* “you lucky stiff”
2. a dead body [slang]
* “They found a stiff in the river.”
stiff
uk |stɪf| us |stɪf|
verb
1. to not pay someone money that you owe them
* “She stiffed the cab driver.”
stroke
uk |strəʊk| us |stroʊk|
noun
1. a sudden change in the blood supply to a part of the brain, sometimes causing a loss of the ability to move particular parts of the body [C]
* “[suffer/have a stroke] She suffered/had a stroke that left her unable to speak.”
2. a movement of a pen or pencil when writing or a brush when painting, or a line or mark made by this movement [C]
* “a brush stroke”
* “[bold stroke] With a few bold strokes, she signed her name.”
3. used in spoken English to mean “or”, represented in written English by the symbol / [U UK]
* “We use that room as a spare bedroom stroke office (= bedroom/office).”
* “There are lots of bars stroke clubs in that part of town.”
* “Now I’ve gotta fill in a section about personal skills stroke strengths.”
* “We had lunch nearby in a trendy café stroke restaurant.”
stroke
uk |strəʊk| us |stroʊk|
verb
1. to move a hand, another part of the body, or an object gently over something or someone, usually repeatedly and for pleasure
* “Stroke the dog if you want, he won’t bite.”
* “She lovingly stroked Chris’s face with the tips of her fingers.”
2. to hit a ball [UK]
* “The batsman stroked the ball effortlessly to the boundary.”
stuff
uk |stʌf| us |stʌf|
noun
1. a substance, especially when you do not know or say exactly what it is [U informal]
* “There’s sticky stuff all over the chair.”
* “What’s this black stuff?”
* “He drinks gallons of tea - he loves the stuff.”
2. things that someone says or does, when you are referring to them in a general way without saying exactly what they are [U informal]
* “All that stuff she has been saying about Lee is just not true.”
* “We did some really interesting stuff today.”
* “I have to go now - I’ve got stuff to do.”
* “I’ve read all her books - I really like her stuff.”
3. someone’s possessions or things that they take somewhere with them [U informal]
* “We’ll have to carry all our camping stuff.”
* “Do you want help bringing your stuff in from the van?”
* “We can’t move to a smaller place - we’ve got too much stuff.”
stuff
uk |stʌf| us |stʌf|
verb
1. to completely fill a container with something [T]
* “Stuff the pillow and then sew up the final seam.”
* ”[(be) stuffed with] Under her bed, they found a bag stuffed with money.”
2. to push something into a small space, often quickly or in a careless way [T informal]
* “[stuff something into something] This suitcase is absolutely full - I can’t stuff another thing into it.”
3. to fill the body of a dead animal with special material so that it looks as if it is still alive [T]
4. (of a man) to have sex with a woman [T mainly UK offensive]
5. to fill food with stuffing [T]
* “Stuff the turkey, then put it into a pre-heated oven.”
substance
uk |ˈsʌb.stəns| us |ˈsʌb.stəns|
noun
1. material with particular physical characteristics [C/U]
* “an organic/chemical substance”
* “What sort of substance could withstand those temperatures?”
synthetic
uk |sɪnˈθet.ɪk| us |sɪnˈθet̬.ɪk|
adjective
1. Synthetic products are made from artificial substances, often copying a natural product
* “synthetic fibres”
* “The patch prevents pregnancy using the same synthetic hormones that are used in birth control pills.”
* “The prices of synthetic and natural rubber have gone up dramatically in the last few years.”
2. false or artificial [disapproving]
* “She criticized the synthetic charm of TV hosts.”
3. (of a language) using inflections (= changes in or additions to the form of words) to express meaning or grammatical structure [language specialized]
* “The speakers of an analytic language often have difficulty processing morphologically complex words in a synthetic language.”
tear
uk |teər| us |ter|
verb
1. to pull or be pulled apart, or to pull pieces off [I/T]
* “You have to be very careful with books this old because the paper tears very easily.”
* “I tore my skirt on the chair as I stood up.”
* “[be torn out of/from] A couple of pages had been torn out of/from the book.”
2. to move very quickly [I + adv/prep informal]
* “He went tearing along the road after the bus.”
tear
uk |teər| us |ter|
noun
1. a hole in a piece of paper, cloth, or other material, where it has been torn
tear
uk |tɪər| us |tɪr|
noun
1. a drop of salty liquid that flows from the eye, as a result of strong emotion, especially unhappiness, or pain [C usually plural]
* “[tears of] She cried tears of remorse/regret/happiness/joy/laughter.”
* “[tears in someone’s eyes] Did you notice the tears in his eyes when he talked about Diane?”
* “[reduce someone to tears] Why do arguments with you always reduce me to tears (= make me cry)?”
* “[shed (any) tears] I won’t shed (any) tears (= I will not be unhappy) when he goes, I can tell you!”
tear
uk |tɪər| us |tɪr|
verb
1. (of eyes) to produce tears [US]
* “Why do our eyes tear when we’re cutting onions?”
texture
uk |ˈteks.tʃər| us |ˈteks.tʃɚ|
noun
1. the quality of something that can be decided by touch, for example whether it is rough or smooth, or soft or hard [C/U]
* “a smooth/rough/coarse texture”
* “This artificial fabric has the texture of silk.”
* “Different rocks have different textures.”
2. the quality of food that you can feel in your mouth, for example whether it is rough or smooth, or soft or hard [C/U]
* “Fried food usually has a crisp texture.”
* “The spread is similar to peanut butter in taste and texture.”
* “Young children can be fussy about food, so introduce new textures and flavours gradually.”
3. (of food) the quality of containing thick or hard parts rather than being completely smooth [U]
* “The nuts added texture to the cake.”
* “I prefer seeded bread because it has more texture and flavour.”
4. the quality of wine that you can feel in your mouth, for example whether it is smooth, creamy, or oily [C/U food & drink specialized]
* “This wine lacks flavour and texture.”
* “A special process is used to give the wines smooth textures.”
texture
uk |ˈteks.tʃər| us |ˈteks.tʃɚ|
verb
1. to make a surface rough or raised rather than smooth [I/T]
* “The machine can texture or polish slabs of any material.”
* “The artist’s thumb prints texture the whole of the painting’s surface.”
* “I work with wood and do a lot of carving and texturing.”
2. to combine different parts, instruments, etc. in a piece of music to form an interesting sound [T]
* “This producer knows how to texture sound, how to fill a room with layer upon layer of voices and keyboards and drums and guitars.”
* “[texture something with something] The band textures songs with many layers, often letting individual instruments come in and out of prominence.”
3. to add a pattern or image to a 3-D object (= one that looks real or solid rather than flat) on a computer [T]
* “[texture something with something] She textured the closed end of the cylinder with an image of a wheel.”
4. to add different qualities to something in order to make it more interesting or important [T]
* “For decades, bodegas have textured the backdrop of New York.”
* “The work of the American composer was used to texture their video installations.”
transparent
uk |trænˈspær.ənt| us |trænˈsper.ənt|
adjective
1. If a substance or object is transparent, you can see through it very clearly
* “Grow the bulbs in a transparent plastic box, so the children can see the roots growing.”
* “Her blouse was practically transparent!”
built-up
uk |ˌbɪltˈʌp| us |ˌbɪltˈʌp|
adjective
1. A built-up area is one where there are a lot of buildings.
bypass
uk |ˈbaɪ.pɑːs| us |ˈbaɪ.pæs|
verb
1. to avoid something by going around it
* “We took the road that bypasses the town.”
* “The oil pipeline bypasses the protected wilderness area.”
2. to ignore a rule or official authority
* “They bypassed the committee and went straight to senior management.”
bypass
uk |ˈbaɪ.pɑːs| us |ˈbaɪ.pæs|
noun
1. a medical operation in which the flow of a person’s blood is changed to avoid a diseased part of their heart (also heart bypass)
* “a triple bypass operation”
2. a road built around a town or village so that traffic does not need to travel through it [mainly UK]
construct
uk |kənˈstrʌkt| us |kənˈstrʌkt|
verb
1. to build something or put together different parts to form something whole
* “to construct a new bridge/building”
* “[be constructed of] The walls are constructed of concrete.”
* “to construct a story/sentence/argument”
construct
uk |ˈkɒn.strʌkt| us |ˈkɑːn.strʌkt|
noun
1. an idea or theory put together from different elements that may not be proved
* “His reputation as an eccentric is largely a media construct.”
* “Marriage is a social construct that is found in most communities and cultures.”
demolish
uk |dɪˈmɒl.ɪʃ| us |dɪˈmɑː.lɪʃ|
verb
1. to completely destroy a building, especially in order to use the land for something else
* “A number of houses were demolished so that the supermarket could be built.”
2. to prove that an argument or theory is wrong
* “He completely demolished all her arguments.”
3. to easily defeat someone
* “In a surprising win, the Jaguars demolished the Broncos 42-7.”
4. to quickly eat all the food you have been given [humorous]
* “Joe demolished an enormous plateful of chicken and fries.”
district
uk |ˈdɪs.trɪkt| us |ˈdɪs.trɪkt|
noun
1. an area of a country or town that has fixed borders that are used for official purposes, or that has a particular feature that makes it different from surrounding areas
* “the business district of New York”
* “the Lake District/the Peak District”
* “[US] the City of Malden School District”
* “[UK] South Cambridgeshire District Council”
dwell
uk |dwel| us |dwel|
verb
1. to live in a place or in a particular way
* “[dwell in] She dwelt in remote parts of Asia for many years.”
estate
uk |ɪˈsteɪt| us |ɪˈsteɪt|
noun
1. a large area of land in the country that is owned by a family or an organization and is often used for growing crops or raising animals [C]
* “It’s a typical country estate with a large house for the owner, farm buildings, and estate workers’ houses.”
2. everything that a person owns when they die [C law specialized]
* “[leave your estate to] She left her entire estate to her niece.”
3. a group of buildings, usually homes, built in a planned way [C UK]
* “We grew up poor on an inner-city estate.”
* “They moved into a four-bedroom house on a new estate.”
evict
uk |ɪˈvɪkt| us |ɪˈvɪkt|
verb
1. to force someone to leave somewhere
* “Tenants who fall behind in their rent risk being evicted.”
* “[evict someone from somewhere] He was evicted from the bar for drunk and disorderly behaviour.”
high-rise
uk |ˈhaɪ.raɪz| us |ˈhaɪ.raɪz|
noun
1. a tall modern building with many floors
* “She lives in a high-rise overlooking the river.”
high-rise
uk |ˈhaɪ.raɪz| us |ˈhaɪ.raɪz|
adjective
1. tall, with many floors
* “a high-rise office building”
housing
uk |ˈhaʊ.zɪŋ| us |ˈhaʊ.zɪŋ|
noun
1. buildings for people to live in [U]
* “There’s a shortage of cheap housing in the region.”
2. a case or covering that surrounds a machine or part of a machine [C]
* “The engine appeared to be intact except for the loss of its housing.”
* “The underwater cable housings must be able to resist corrosion from salt water.”
infrastructure
uk |ˈɪn.frəˌstrʌk.tʃər| us |ˈɪn.frəˌstrʌk.tʃɚ|
noun
1. the basic systems and services, such as transport and power supplies, that a country or organization uses in order to work effectively
* “The war has badly damaged the country’s infrastructure.”
inner city
uk |ˌɪn.ə ˈsɪt.i| us |ˌɪn.ɚ ˈsɪt̬.i|
noun
1. the central part of a city where people live and where there are often problems because people are poor and there are few jobs and bad houses
* “a child from the inner city”
inner-city
uk |ˌɪn.ə ˈsɪt.i| us |ˌɪn.ɚ ˈsɪt̬.i|
adjective
1. in the central part of a city where people live and where there are often problems because people are poor and there are few jobs and bad houses, or relating to areas like this
* “Many inner-city areas have struggled with decline and decay.”
* “She teaches at an inner-city school.”
occupy
uk |ˈɒk.jə.paɪ| us |ˈɑː.kjə.paɪ|
verb
1. to fill, exist in, or use a place or period of time
* “The rest of the time was occupied with writing a report.”
* “The house hasn’t been occupied (= lived in) by anyone for a few months.”
* “[formal] A large picture of the battle of Waterloo occupied the space above the fireplace.”
2. to keep someone busy or interested
* “On long journeys I occupy myself with solving maths puzzles.”
3. (of an army or group of people) to move into and take control and/or possession of a place
* “Troops quickly occupied the city.”
* “Protesting students occupied the university office for two weeks.”
* “the occupying forces”
populated
uk |ˈpɒp.jə.leɪ.tɪd| us |ˈpɑː.pjə.leɪ.t̬ɪd|
adjective
1. (of a place) having people living there
* “They don’t want to run the risk of bombs falling on populated areas.”
* “They live in densely populated, racially segregated neighbourhoods.”
skyline
uk |ˈskaɪ.laɪn| us |ˈskaɪ.laɪn|
noun
1. a shape or pattern made against the sky, especially by buildings
* “You get a good view of the New York skyline from the Statue of Liberty.”
skyscraper
uk |ˈskaɪˌskreɪ.pər| us |ˈskaɪˌskreɪ.pɚ|
noun
1. a very tall modern building, usually in a city
structure
uk |ˈstrʌk.tʃər| us |ˈstrʌk.tʃɚ|
noun
1. the way in which the parts of a system or object are arranged or organized, or a system arranged in this way [C/U]
* “the grammatical structure of a sentence”
* “The structure of this protein is particularly complex.”
* “They have a very old-fashioned management structure.”
* “Some people like the sense of structure that a military lifestyle imposes.”
2. something that has been made or built from parts, especially a large building [C]
* “The proposed new office tower is a steel and glass structure 43 storeys high.”
structure
uk |ˈstrʌk.tʃər| us |ˈstrʌk.tʃɚ|
verb
1. to plan, organize, or arrange the parts of something
* “We must carefully structure and rehearse each scene.”
* “a well-structured argument”
suburban
uk |səˈbɜː.bən| us |səˈbɝː.bən|
adjective
1. relating to a suburb
* “suburban schools/housing”
* “They live in suburban Washington.”
2. used to suggest that something is boring and has no excitement [disapproving]
* “suburban life”
surroundings
uk |səˈraʊn.dɪŋz| us |səˈraʊn.dɪŋz|
noun
1. the place where someone or something is and the things that are in it
* “Some butterflies blend in with their surroundings so that it’s difficult to see them.”
2. the place where someone lives and the conditions they live in
* “They live in very comfortable/pleasant/drab/bleak surroundings.”
urban
uk |ˈɜː.bən| us |ˈɝː.bən|
adjective
1. of or in a city or town
* “urban development”
* “urban decay”
