NTC’s pocket DICTIONARY Of words and phr ases This page intentionally left blank NTC’s pocket DICTIONARY Of words and phr ases 12,000 Words, Idioms, and Phrasal Verbs for Travelers and Learners Editor-in-Chief Richard A Spears, Ph.D Chicago New York San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto Copyright © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher 0-07-143405-4 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-65801700-4 All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs For more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at george_hoare@mcgrawhill.com or (212) 904-4069 TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc (“McGrawHill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work Use of this work is subject to these terms Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE McGraw-Hill and its licensors not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work Under no circumstances shall McGrawHill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise DOI: 10.1036/0071434054 Contents Introduction vii How to Use This Dictionary Useful Spelling Rules xi Lists of Words xvii Abbreviations and Symbols Pronunciation xxxii Entries ix xxxi v This page intentionally left blank Introduction NTC’s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases is for persons who are seeking to improve their ability to speak, read, write, and understand American English It is a small, portable dictionary that will help learners with spelling, pronunciation, parts of speech, meaning, irregular forms, and the appropriate use of 12,000 common words and phrases This dictionary defines words using the smallest possible vocabulary, but when it is necessary, additional words are used to define difficult concepts In many cases, more than one definition is given, so the learner has additional help in figuring out the meaning of a word or expression Phrases are entered in the dictionary in their normal alphabetical positions Phrases are also indexed within the dictionary by means of cross-references A cross-reference to each phrase is found at the entry of each non-initial, major word in the phrase Thus, after account we find the cross-references: → cook the accounts → give a good account of oneself → savings account → turn something to good account These cross-references enable a reader who can’t remember an exact phrase to find it just by looking up one of the phrase’s key words vii This page intentionally left blank How to Use This Dictionary Many of the entry words in the dictionary have more than one sense Please study all the relevant senses to make sure you have found the right one Nominals (n.) that not follow the regular spelling or pronunciation rules in the formation of the plural are marked irreg., and the form of the plural is given in the entry Verbs (tv., iv.) that not follow the regular rules for the formation of the past tense and past participle are marked irreg., and the proper forms are given in the entry The comparative and superlative forms of adjectives (adj.) and adverbs (adv.) are listed when there are forms—as with red, redder, reddest—that replace, or that exist in addition to, the comparatives and superlatives formed with more and most After many of the definitions, you will find comments, enclosed in parentheses, containing further information about the entry word Keep in mind that the goal in using a monolingual learner’s dictionary is not only to find the meanings of specific words, but also to develop the skills needed to acquire new words and senses of words from their actual use in context ix wit wink ["wINk] iv to shut and open one eye quickly, especially either as a signal or to show amusement or interest (Compare this with blink.) n an act of shutting and opening one eye quickly, especially either as a signal or to show amusement or interest → (as) quick as a wink → not sleep a wink → take forty winks winner ["wIn #] n someone or something that wins winter ["wIn t#] n one of the four seasons of the year; the season between fall and spring adj concerning or associated with Q iv to live in a certain place during Q wipe ["waIp] tv to rub the surface of someone or something with something in order to clean or dry it tv to remove something liquid from a surface, using something absorbent wipe someone or something off to clean someone or something of something by wiping wipe something off ((of ) someone or something ) to remove something from someone or something by wiping wipe something up to clean up a mess by wiping (E.g., clean the dirt up.) to clean something by wiping (E.g., clean the kitchen up.) wire ["waI#] n a thin metal strand; a thread of metal, especially one used to transmit electricity (No plural.) n a length or segment of Q n a message that is sent by telegram tv to send a message or money by tele- graph (The object can be a clause with that U.) tv to install Q in a building for electricity; to install or adjust any kind of Q tv to fasten or secure something with Q tv to install hidden microphones in a place so that one can record what is said there → down to the wire → under the wire wisdom ["wIz d@m] n intelligence, especially intelligence that is a result of experience; the knowledge required to make good decisions; the quality of being wise (No plural.) wise ["waIz] adj able to make good decisions; showing good judgment; intelligent (Adv: wisely Comp: wiser; sup: wisest.) → (as) wise as an owl → none the wiser wish ["wIS] n a desire for something tv to express Q; to hope that something happens (The object is a clause with that U.) iv to have a desire to something wishful thinking believing that something is true or that something will happen just because one wishes that it were true or would happen wit ["wIt] n the ability to understand ideas quickly and make intelligent, clever, and funny comments about them (No plural.) n someone who has the ability to understand ideas quickly and make intelligent, clever, and funny comments about them → at one’s wit’s end → live by one’s wits → one’s wits 703 witch → to wit witch ["wItS] n someone, usually a woman, who has or claims to have magical powers or who practices a pagan religion n a mean or ugly woman (Derogatory.) with ["wIT] prep among someone or something; including someone or something; in the company of someone or something; in addition to someone or something prep by means of something; by using something prep showing a quality or characteristic; showing a state or emotion with a vengeance with determination and eagerness with a will with determination and enthusiasm with all one’s heart and soul very sincerely with all the fixings with all the condiments that accompany a certain kind of food with both hands tied behind one’s back Go to with one hand tied behind one’s back with ease without effort with every (other) breath [saying something] repeatedly or continually with everything (on it) [of a sandwich] ordered with everything available on it, such as ketchup, mustard, onions, cheese, peppers, chili, lettuce, tomato, etc., as appropriate with flying colors easily and excellently 704 with it (Informal.) up-to-date; fashionable able to think clearly; able to understand things with no strings attached and without any strings attached unconditionally; with no obligations with one hand tied behind one’s back and with both hands tied behind one’s back easily; even with a handicap with regard to someone or something concerning someone or something with relish with pleasure or enjoyment with respect to someone or something of or about someone or something with the best will in the world however much one wishes to something; however hard one tries to something with the naked eye with eyes that are not aided by lenses as found in glasses or a microscope wither ["wID #] iv to shrivel; to wilt; [for a plant] to turn brown, sag, and dry out tv to cause a plant to shrivel, droop, or wilt; to cause a plant to turn brown and dry out wither on the vine and die on the vine [for something] to decline or fade away at an early stage of development withheld [wIT "hEld] past tense and past participle of withhold withhold [wIT "hold] tv., irreg to hold or keep something back [from someone or something] womb (Past tense and past participle: withheld.) within [wIT "In] prep inside someone or something; in or into the inside part of someone or something prep not beyond a specific boundary; between certain limits adv into the inside of someone or something within an inch of one’s life very close to ending one’s life; almost to the point of death within walking distance close enough to walk to without [wIT "aUt] prep not including someone or something; lacking someone or something without a moment to spare Go to not a moment to spare without any strings attached Go to with no strings attached without batting an eye without showing alarm or response; without blinking an eyelash without doing something avoiding doing something; while avoiding doing something withstand [wIT "stAnd] tv., irreg to resist someone or something; to oppose someone or something; not to yield to someone or something (Past tense and past participle: withstood.) withstood [wIT "stUd] past tense and past participle of withstand witness ["wIt n@s] n someone who sees something happen; someone who is in the same place where something happens; a spectator n someone who sees the signing of a legal document tv to see something happen; to be in the same place where something happens tv to sign a legal document as a way of swearing that one has watched another person, who is directly affected by the document, sign it, and thus show that the other person’s signature is real witness stand ["wIt n@s "stAnd] n the place where someone gives testimony under oath in court (Can be shortened to stand.) wives ["waIvz] plural of wife wizard ["wIz #d] n someone, usually a male, who has or claims to have magical powers n an expert; someone who is very skilled at something (Figurative on Q.) woke ["wok] a past tense of wake woken ["wok @n] a past participle of wake wolf ["wUlf] n., irreg a wild animal related to the dog that eats meat and travels in groups (Plural: wolves.) → cry wolf → keep the wolf from the door → throw someone to the wolves a wolf in sheep’s clothing something threatening disguised as something kind wolves ["wUlvz] plural of wolf woman ["wUm @n] n., irreg an adult female person; an adult female human being (Plural: women.) the adj use of Q woman-to-woman Go to man-toman womb ["wum] n the organ in women and certain other mam705 women mals where the developing baby is protected and fed until birth women ["wIm @n] plural of woman won ["w^n] past tense and past participle of win wonder ["w^n d#] n someone or something that is amazing, surprising, or like a miracle tv to wish to know something; to want to know something adj very good, helpful, or of great benefit → nine days’ wonder wonderful ["w^n d# fUl] adj very good; amazing; remarkable; marvelous (Adv: wonderfully.) wonderland ["w^n d# lAnd] n an area or place that is wonderful won’t ["wont] cont will not woo ["wu] tv to court someone with the intention of marrying tv to encourage someone or a group to cooperate, join something, or buy something wood ["wUd] n the hard substance that trees make as they grow (Plural only for types and instances.) n a kind or type of Q n a small forest; an area where there are many trees (Usually plural, but not countable The meaning is the same for the singular and the plural.) the adj use of Q, W, or E → a babe in the woods → knock on wood → out of the woods wooden ["wUd n] adj made of wood adj stiff; not easily moved; not moving easily; not flexible (Figurative on Q Adv: woodenly.) 706 woodland ["wUd lAnd] n an area of land that is covered with trees (Singular or plural with the same meaning, but not countable.) woodpecker ["wUd pEk #] n a bird that has a long, sharp beak for piercing holes in trees and a long tongue to catch insects inside the tree woodwind ["wUd wInd] n a group of musical instruments, many of which are made of wood or used to be made of wood, and many of which are played by blowing air across a reed woodwork ["wUd w#k] n something that is made of wood, especially the trim on the inside of a house or building (No plural.) woody ["wUd i] adj covered with woods; covered with trees (Comp: woodier; sup: woodiest.) adj [of a plant] containing wood (Comp: woodier; sup: woodiest.) wool ["wUl] n the soft, curly hair of sheep and goats (Plural only for types and instances.) n thread, yarn, or fabric made from Q (No plural.) adj made from W; woolen → pull the wool over someone’s eyes woolen ["wUl @n] adj made of wool woolgathering daydreaming word ["w#d] n a speech sound or group of speech sounds that has a particular meaning; a written symbol or a group of written symbols that represent a speech sound or group of speech sounds that has a particular meaning tv to work something off express something by choosing Q carefully → break one’s word → by word of mouth → eat one’s words → from the word go → get a word in edgewise → get the final word → get the last word → get the word → go back on one’s word → hang on someone’s every word → have one’s words stick in one’s throat → keep one’s word → not utter a word → one’s word → one’s words stick in one’s throat → put in a good word (for someone ) → put words into someone’s mouth → take the words (right) out of one’s mouth → true to one’s word → twist someone’s words (around) the word n an order; a command (No plural Treated as singular.) n news; information (No plural Treated as singular.) wordy ["w#d i] adj having too many words; using more words than necessary to express something (Adv: wordily Comp: wordier; sup: wordiest.) wore ["wor] past tense of wear work ["w#k] n an activity that requires effort (No plural.) n the effort required to an activity (No plural.) n something that is a result of effort or energy; a piece of music or art n a job; an occupation; a career; what one does for a living; what a person does to make money (No plural.) n the place where one’s job is located; the job site (No plural.) iv to be employed; to have a job; to labor; to earn money at a job iv to function properly; to operate properly tv to cause something to function as intended tv to cause someone or something to operate or function; to cause someone or something to be active; to cause something to use energy 10 tv to plow or farm land → all in a day’s work → dirty work → get down to work → make fast work of someone or something → make short work of someone or something work away (at something ) to continue to work hard or industriously at something work like a horse to work very hard work on someone [for a physician] to treat someone; [for a surgeon] to operate on someone to try to convince someone of something [for something, such as medication] to have the desired effect on someone work one’s fingers to the bone to work very hard work out [for something] to turn out all right in the end [for someone] to a program of exercise work out for the best to end up in the best possible way work something in(to something ) to press, mix, or force a substance into something work something off to get rid of body fat by doing strenuous work to get rid of anger, anxiety, or 707 work something up energy by doing physical activity to pay off a debt through work rather than by money work something up to prepare something, perhaps on short notice work up to something [for something] to build or progress to something (Usually concerning the weather.) [for someone] to lead up to something work (up)on something to repair or tinker with something [for something] to have the desired effect on something workbook ["w#k bUk] n a textbook for students, often including pages that assignments can be written on worker ["w#k #] n someone who works; someone who is employed workout ["w#k aUt] n a period of physical exercise the works everything world ["w#ld] n the planet earth n the people who live on the planet earth; the human race n a planet other than earth, especially as the source of other life forms n an area of human activity, thought, or interest → carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders → come down in the world → come up in the world → dead to the world → in a world of one’s own → in the world → move up (in the world) → not long for this world → on top of the world → out of this world → set the world on fire 708 → think the world of someone or something → with the best will in the world World Wide Web ["w#ld "waId "wEb] n an international network of data storage, transfer, and its visual and audio display, designed to be accessed through a computer connection (Abbreviated WWW and the Web.) worldwide ["w#ld "waId] adj found or occurring throughout the world; involving everyone in the world worm ["w#m] n any of numerous small, soft, tube-shaped animals having no legs or head, including some that crawl underground and others that live as parasites in animals or people → open a can of worms worn ["worn] Past participle of wear adj reduced in value or usefulness owing to wear worn-out ["worn "aUt] adj completely reduced in value or usefulness because of wear adj very tired; exhausted worry ["w# i] n a feeling of anxiety; a fear of trouble (Plural only for types and instances.) n someone or something that causes Q tv to be anxious that something bad might happen; to suspect, regrettably, that something bad might happen (The object is a clause with that U.) tv to cause someone to feel anxiety or to fear trouble worse ["w#s] adj more bad; less good; inferior (The comparative form of bad.) adv in a way that wouldn’t is Q than some other way (The comparative form of badly.) → none the worse for wear → One’s bark is worse than one’s bite worsen ["w#s @n] tv to make something worse iv to become worse iv to become more sick worship ["w# SIp] tv to honor someone or something greatly; to adore someone or something (Past tense and past participle: worshiped Present participle: worshiping.) iv to attend a church service (Past tense and past participle: worshiped Present participle: worshiping.) n what is done at a church service; the praise and honor of a spirit, ancestor, god, object, or person (No plural.) worst ["w#st] adj most bad; least good; most inferior (The superlative of bad.) → if worst comes to worst the worst n [among three or more] someone or something that is the most bad or least good (Treated as singular or plural, but not countable.) worth ["w#T] n the value of something; the amount of money that something could sell for (No plural.) n the importance of someone or something; the degree to which something is able to be used (No plural.) n the amount of something that can be bought for a specific amount of money (No plural.) → make something worth someone’s while → not worth mentioning → not worth the trouble → put in one’s two cents(’ worth) worth its weight in gold very valuable worth one’s salt worth one’s salary worth someone’s while worth someone’s time and trouble worthless ["w#T l@s] adj having no value or importance; useless (Adv: worthlessly.) worthy ["w# Di] adj deserving one’s time, energy, or attention; deserving; useful; having value or importance (Adv: worthily Comp: worthier; sup: worthiest.) worthy of the name deserving or good enough to be called something would ["wUd] aux a form used as the past tense of will to express the future from a time in the past, especially in indirect quotations or in constructions where other pasttense verbs are used (Contraction: -’d.) aux a form used to express something that happened many times in the past (Contraction: ’d.) aux a form used instead of will Q to make commands more polite by turning them into questions (Contraction: -’d See also will Q; using would is usually more polite than using will.) would like (to have) to want someone or something; to prefer someone or something would rather something would more willingly something; would more readily something; would prefer to something (Often -’d rather.) wouldn’t ["wUd nt] cont would not 709 would’ve would’ve ["wUd @v] cont would have, where have is an auxiliary wound ["waUnd] past tense and past participle of wind R and T ["wund] n an injury where the skin is torn or punctured ["wund] n an injury to one’s feelings (Figurative on W.) ["wund] tv to injure someone; to cause someone to have W → rub salt in a wound wove ["wov] past tense of weave woven ["wo v@n] past participle of weave wrap ["rAp] n a shawl or a scarf; a coat or cape → get something wrapped up → have something wrapped up → keep something under wraps wrap someone or something (up) ["rAp ] to enclose someone or something in a cover wrap something up ["rAp] to bring something to an end; to conclude something wrath ["rAT] n severe anger, especially from someone with a lot of power (No plural.) that remains after a serious accident n someone or something that is a mess (Figurative on W.) tv to destroy something wreckage ["rEk IdZ] n whatever remains after a serious accident or disaster (No plural Treated as singular.) wrench ["rEntS] n a tool that turns nuts, bolts, pipes, and other objects into or out of position tv to twist or pull something with force tv to injure a part of the body by twisting it or pulling it wrestle ["rEs @l] tv to force someone or something loose, down, away, etc., with force iv to participate in a sport in which ones wrestles one’s opponent down as in Q wringer ["rIN #] n an old-fashioned washing machine that removes water from clothes by pressing them as the clothes are passed between two rollers → put someone through the wringer wreathe ["riD] tv to make a circle around something wrinkle ["rIN k@l] n a crease; a small fold or line, such as in clothing that has not been ironed or on the skin of an old person iv to become creased; to get small lines in one’s skin or on the surface of something tv to cause someone’s skin or the surface of something to have Q; to cause creases, folds, or lines to form on the surface of someone or something wreck ["rEk] n a serious accident, especially where something is destroyed n a ruined vehicle wrist ["rIst] n the part of the body where the hand joins the lower part of the arm wreak vengeance (up)on someone or something to seek and get revenge on someone or a group by harming someone or the group wreath ["riT] n., irreg a decoration of flowers and leaves arranged in a certain shape, especially a circle (Plural: ["riTs] or ["riDz].) 710 wrong write ["raIt] tv., irreg to make words or symbols on a surface with a pen, pencil, chalk, etc (Past tense: wrote; past participle: written.) tv., irreg to put thoughts or ideas into writing; to organize words or symbols into meaningful prose iv., irreg to mark on a surface with a pen, pencil, chalk, etc., as with W iv., irreg to work by creating the content for books, articles, movies, plays, or other texts; to be an author; to be a writer iv., irreg to prepare and send [a letter or note to someone] (E.g., Please write when you can.) write something down to make a note of something; to record something on paper in writing write away to write a lot; to continue writing writer ["raIt #] n an author who writes for a living; someone who has written something write away for something to send for something in writing, from a distant place write off (to someone ) (for something ) to send away a request, in writing, for something write someone in (on something ) to write the name of someone in a special place on a ballot, indicating a vote for the person write someone or something off (as something ) to give up on turning someone or something into something to give up on someone or something as a dead loss, waste of time, hopeless case, etc to take a charge against one’s taxes write someone or something up to write a narrative or description about someone or something write something back to someone to write a letter or E-mail answering someone write something in(to something ) to write information into something to include a specific statement or provision in a document, such as a contract or agreement write something off (on one’s taxes ) to deduct something from one’s federal income taxes write something out to put thoughts into writing, rather than keeping them in one’s memory writhe ["raID] iv to twist and turn in pain or as though in pain writing ["raIt IN] n making sentences, words, or letters with a pen, a pencil, chalk, or other writing instrument (No plural.) sentences, words, or letters made with a pen, a pencil, chalk, or other writing instrument (No plural.) n something that is written; a book, poem, or other document (Sometimes plural with the same meaning.) written ["rIt n] Past participle of write adj placed in writing; printed or spelled out in writing wrong ["rON] adj not correct; not true; mistaken; in error (Adv: wrongly.) adj bad; evil; illegal; immoral; not lawful (Adv: wrongly.) adj not desired; not wanted; incorrect (Adv: wrongly.) adj out of order; not working 711 wrote properly; faulty adv in a way that is E n a bad, illegal, improper, or immoral action tv to treat someone badly or unfairly → bark up the wrong tree → get out of the wrong side of the bed → get up on the wrong side of the bed 712 → in the wrong → in the wrong place at the wrong time → on the wrong track → rub someone’s fur the wrong way → rub someone the wrong way wrote ["rot] past tense of write X Xerox™ ["zIr aks] n a copy of a document, especially one made on a copier manufactured by Xerox™ (A protected trade name for a process used to make copies of documents.) X-ray ["Eks re] n a ray of energy that can pass through solid or nearly solid matter, such as the body (Used especially to take pictures of the insides of people or objects.) n a picture of the inside of a person or an object, made by passing Q through the person or object onto film tv to take a picture of the inside of a person or an object using Q xylophone ["zaI l@ fon] n a musical instrument made of a series of wooden bars of different sizes, each of which makes a different note when struck with a small wooden hammer 713 Y yacht ["jat] n a large boat or ship used for pleasure or racing (Powered by sails, engines, or both.) iv to travel somewhere on water in Q yam ["jAm] n a vegetable similar to the potato, grown in tropical areas n a sweet potato, which is orange and does not taste like a potato yank ["jANk] tv to pull someone or something quickly, with force n a quick pull; a sharp tug yank on something to pull or jerk something, with force yard ["jard] n a unit of measurement of length equal to 36 inches, feet, or about 91.44 centimeters n the land that surrounds a house or other dwelling yardstick ["jard stIk] n a ruler that is 36 inches—that is, one yard—long n something that other things are compared with; a standard (Figurative on Q.) yarn ["jarn] n thick, soft thread that is used for things like knitting or weaving (Number is expressed with ball(s) or skein(s) of yarn.) n a tale; a story that is not completely true → spin a yarn yawn ["jOn] iv to stretch one’s mouth open and breathe in and out slowly and deeply, especially when one is tired or bored iv [for something like a hole] to have a very wide opening (Figurative on Q.) n an act of opening one’s mouth, as in Q 714 year ["jIr] n 12 months; 365.25 days; the time it takes for earth to revolve around the sun n a full or partial Q spent doing a certain activity n a particular level of study in a school, college, or university → all year long → ring in the new year year after year for many years, one after another year in, year out year after year; all year long yearly ["jIr li] adj happening once a year; occurring each year; happening every year adv once a year; each year; every year years running Go to days running yeast ["jist] n a very small fungus that causes bread to rise and is also used to make alcohol (Plural only for types and instances.) yell ["jEl] tv to say something loudly; to scream something; to shout something iv to speak loudly; to scream; to shout n a loud cry; a shout yell out to cry out; to shout loudly yellow ["jEl o] n the color of a ripe lemon or of the yolk of an egg (Plural only for types and instances.) the adj use of Q (Comp: yellower; sup: yellowest.) adj timid; scared to something (Informal Comp: yellower; sup: yellowest.) yelp ["jElp] n a short, highpitched bark; a short, high-pitched shout of pain or emotion iv to make Q young yen ["jEn] n a strong desire; a strong feeling of wanting something (No plural.) n., irreg the basic unit of money in Japan (Also ¥ Plural: yen.) yes ["jEs] n a statement showing that someone agrees with something or gives permission to something n an act of voting showing that one agrees with the proposal adv a word showing approval, consent, or willingness adv a word emphasizing a positive statement, especially when denying a negative one (E.g., Yes, it is!) yesterday ["jEs t# de] n the day before today adv on the day before today → need something yesterday → not born yesterday yet ["jEt] adv up to a certain point in time; by a certain point in time; as of a certain point in time adv eventually, even with barriers and delays adv still; even; even more adv and in spite of that; however; nevertheless conj but; however; nevertheless; although yield ["jild] iv to bend, break, or move out of the way because of someone or something that is stronger or more powerful iv to surrender to someone or something, especially someone or something that is stronger or more powerful; to submit to someone or something iv to allow other traffic or people to have the right of way; to allow another vehicle or person to move first tv [for plants or animals] to supply or produce something such as food n the amount of something that is produced yield something to someone to give someone else the right to go first, be first, choose, etc to give up something to someone yoke ["jok] n a frame of wood that fits around the necks of animals so they can pull something heavy that is attached to the frame (Compare this with yolk.) tv to put Q on oxen or other strong animals a yoke around someone’s neck something that oppresses people; a burden yolk ["jok] n the round, yellow part inside an egg (Compare this with yoke E.g., use four egg yolks.) n the substance of Q (No plural E.g., spilled some egg yolk.) yonder ["jan d#] adv over there you ["ju] pron the second-person pronoun, singular and plural You are welcome a response to Thank you Q you’d ["jud] cont you would cont you had, where had is an auxiliary you’ll ["jul] cont you will young ["j^N] adj in the early part of life; not old; having been alive for a short period of time as compared with an average age (Comp: younger; sup: youngest.) adj new; in an early stage of development; recently formed or started (Comp: younger; sup: youngest.) n the offspring of an animal or a human (No plural Treated as plural Countable, but 715 young lady not usually used for one offspring.) young lady ["j^N "led i] n a young girl of any age; a female who is young, relative to the speaker (Also a term of address.) young man ["j^N "mAn] n a boy of any age; a male who is young, relative to the speaker (Also a term of address.) young woman ["j^N "wUm @n] n a young adult female human; a female who is young, relative to the speaker youngster ["j^N st#] n a young person; a child your ["jU#] pron the possessive form of you, the second-person singular and plural pronoun; belonging to the person(s) being spoken or written to (Used as a modifier before a noun Compare this with you’re.) Your guess is as good as mine Your answer is as likely to be correct as mine is you’re ["jU#] cont you are (Compare this with your.) 716 yours ["jU#z] pron the possessive form of you, the second-person singular and plural pronoun; the one or ones belonging to the person(s) being spoken or written to (Used in place of a noun.) yourself [jU# "sElf] pron the reflexive form of the singular form of you pron a strong form of you [singular] yourselves [jU# "sElvz] pron the reflexive form of the plural of you pron a strong form of you [plural] youth ["juT] n the quality of being young (No plural.) n the period of time when one is a child or teenager (No plural.) n children or teenagers, as a group (No plural Treated as plural, but not countable.) n someone who is young, especially a male; a child or teenager you’ve ["juv] cont you have, where have is an auxiliary yummy ["j^m i] adj having a good taste; delicious (Informal Comp: yummier; sup: yummiest.) Z zeal ["zil] n a strong passion for a belief or cause; excitement (No plural.) zebra ["zi br@] n., irreg a horselike mammal that has a whitish hide with dark brown or black stripes (Plural: zebra or zebras.) zenith ["zi n@T] n the highest possible point → at the zenith of something zephyr ["zEf #] n a gentle wind; a breeze zero ["zi ro] n the number (Plural ends in -s or -es.) n nothing (No plural.) zero in (on someone or something ) to aim directly at someone or something zero in on something to aim or focus directly on something zest ["zEst] n enjoyment, especially for life; excitement (No plural.) zinc ["zINk] n a metallic element (No plural.) zip ["zIp] tv to open or close something, using a zipper iv to move somewhere very quickly n energy; vigor (Informal No plural.) zip code ["zIp kod] n one of the five-digit or nine-digit numbers that is part of the U.S Postal Service’s postal coding system (An acronym for Zone Improvement Plan Often written ZIP code.) zip something up to close a zipper to close a garment by zipping a zipper closed to close one’s mouth (Informal Usually a command: Zip it up!) zipper ["zIp #] n a fastener made of two strips of tiny teeth that lock together when a sliding piece is moved over them tv to zip something; to open or close something using Q zone ["zon] n an area, especially one that is different in some way from nearby areas tv to divide a city into different areas limited only to certain uses; to limit an area to certain uses zoo ["zu] n a place where wild animals are kept so that they can be seen by people zookeeper ["zu kip #] n someone who takes care of animals at a zoo zoom in (on someone or something ) to move in to take a close-up picture of someone or something, using a special lens to focus sharply on a matter related to someone or a problem 717 [...]... pronunciation of the words in this dictionary The speech represented here is that of educated people, but it is not formal or overly precise It is more representative of the West and the middle of the country than of the East, South, or upper Midwest Pronunciation of American English is variable in different regions of the country, but most native speakers of American English can understand one another... are often pronounced as [Or] in some parts of the East Similarly, the sequence [Er] is often pronounced [Ar] in parts of the East One heavy stress is marked for each word The dictionary user should expect to hear variation in the pronunciation of most of the words listed in this or any dictionary, but should remain confident that the model provided here is understood and accepted in all parts of the... referring to different kinds, types, instances, or varieties of the noun See them in List B on page xx xv This page intentionally left blank Lists of Words These are important lists of words that can be consulted quickly For further information, definitions, and examples, each word should be looked up in this dictionary List A Nouns defined in this dictionary that never take the plural s See the entry heads... rules equip the learner to create and identify the most important derived and inflected forms of regular English nouns and verbs Words that have important irregular forms that do not follow these rules are identified in the dictionary Regular Verb Forms Note: Many verbs that have irregular past-tense forms or irregular past participles nevertheless form the present tense and the present participle regularly... Spelling Rules Doubling of consonants in participles and past-tense forms: ■ When -ed or -ing is added to a word that ends in a consonant (other than h, w, x, or y) preceded by a single vowel, and the final syllable is stressed, then the consonant is normally doubled Thus commit and control, which are accented on the last syllable, become committed and controlling, but limit and cancel, which are accented... xix Lists of Words List B Nouns defined in this dictionary that can take the plural s resulting in the meaning “kinds, types, instances, or varieties of. ” See the entry heads listed for details action addition adhesive adoption adventure agony alcohol amputation appointment architecture ash bacon bait ballet bark beer behavior bleach blue brass bronze broth brown butter buzz cake cancer candy canvas... moderate mouth object offense offensive overhead overlap overlook overnight perfect xxix Lists of Words perfume permit present proceed/ proceeds produce progress project protest read rebel xxx rebound recess record recount refund refuse reject replay research retake rewrite row separate sewer sow survey suspect tear torment upset upstairs use used/used to why wind wound Abbreviations and Symbols Q, W,... in or at a higher place; over 5 adv of a greater amount or quantity above average higher or better than the general level of quality above par better than average or normal above reproach not deserving of blame or criticism abroad [@ "brOd] adv in another country; overseas absence ["Ab s@ns] 1 n the quality of [someone’s] not being present (No plural.) 2 n a period of time when someone is not present... children Lists of Words cloth* cod > cod courthouse* craftsman > craftsmen crisis > crises deer > deer die > dice doghouse* dwarf > dwarves/dwarfs elf > elves elk > elk/elks emphasis > emphases fish > fish fisherman > fishermen focus > focuses/foci foot > feet footpath* formula > formulae/formulas fowl > fowl/fowls fungus > funguses/fungi gentleman > gentlemen goldfish* goose > geese grandchild > grandchildren... verbs defined in this dictionary that have a clause beginning with that as an object (As with I agree that you should go.) See the entry heads listed for details agree believe bet brag comment conclude exclaim fear feel figure grant guess hint hope imagine imply indicate joke judge move note observe pray pretend xxv Lists of Words promise reason reply respond rule suppose trust understand wager wish worry